The start of the planting season in the far eastern parts of the summer rainfall area was a race against time.

By Vida Booysen, senior journalist at African Farming and Landbouweekblad

According to Egon Zunckel of Zunckel Farms near Bergville in KwaZulu-Natal and Warden in the Free State, the wet planting season has been extremely challenging. He describes the season so far using the proverb: “Sow in tears, reap in joy.” Conditions were particularly difficult in their Free State fields near Warden, where excessive rainfall made it too wet to plant, although he says: “We are grateful that we do at least have a crop in the ground.”

The optimal planting window in Bergville is November, especially during the first two weeks of the month. During this period, however, the farm received double the normal November rainfall, with planters standing idle for up to two weeks.

The Zunckel family has practised no-till farming as part of regenerative agriculture for more than three decades. Zunckel says this was the first time they attempted to burn wheat straw residue in an effort to dry out fields sufficiently to allow planting. “The fields burned very unevenly. The low-lying, wet areas did not burn at all. The straw was simply soaked.”

Despite these challenges, they eventually managed to plant most of their cash crops and cover crops. About two-thirds of this year’s crop consists of maize, which is currently looking good, he says.

Cover crops are planted between each production crop. Once the previous crop, whether maize or wheat, has been harvested, cover crops are established to create living roots and surface cover during the off-season. In wet seasons, the cover crops are allowed to grow out before planting directly into the green material. “This has helped significantly with aeration, and the roots of the cover crops have created structure in the wet soil. As they grow, the cover crops also use some of the excess moisture, and the crop looks remarkably good.”

Kobus Louw, who farms near Silverton in the Paulpietersburg district on the border between Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal, says rainfall on his farm has been slightly above average but “certainly not astronomical”. He adds that up to the first two weeks of January they did not experience the extreme rainfall and weather conditions seen in some other parts of the country. “Even our fungal and disease pressure has been lower. I suspect humidity levels may not have been as high, as December temperatures were somewhat cooler.”

According to Bossi Ferreira, who farms with his family near Mkhondo, “wild” storms have occurred in the district this season. “These were windstorms that moved in bands up to 400 m wide across the town and surrounding areas, toppling many trees.”

Rainfall on his farm has been very good so far and planting conditions have been favourable. However, he says it is raining heavily at present and some farmers are struggling to complete spraying operations. “Aircraft and drones are currently spraying intensively. It costs farmers a bit more, but at least it provides income for aerial spraying pilots.”

Also read: Summer grain conditions: Some farmers pray for sunshine; others for rain

Low Prices Pose a Risk for Farmers

Asked about input costs this season, Louw says they have largely remained in line with normal levels. “I don’t think there has been a major upward trend.” To limit financial risk, he decided not to open up new lands, as this would have been too costly.

“With the existing lands we planted, costs are slightly higher, but still in line with normal expected increases. In some cases, certain inputs were even cheaper – for example, products used in spraying programmes.”

Louw says farmers remain concerned about low grain prices. “If we were to experience major flood damage or a severe midsummer drought this year, we would need to reassess our financial position very carefully.”

Zunckel says their operation has not yet fixed prices this season, as the factors influencing prices can change rapidly. “There could be shifts in the rand-dollar exchange rate. Our currency has strengthened gradually against the US dollar over the past six months, which is putting pressure on local prices.”

He is also monitoring low international maize and soybean prices to see whether weather conditions or market shifts could lead to changes. “Sometimes we have to sell as we harvest to maintain cash flow and then buy the crop back on the futures market. We would rather own the crop on paper than in a silo, as silo storage involves costs and risks.”

The Zunckels also aim to reduce risk by building soil health through regenerative agriculture, thereby limiting input costs. Zunckel says they have grown soybeans without fertiliser for 26 years. “It’s also not that we apply additional fertiliser to maize. This is the fourth year we’ve used roughly half of our normal planting fertiliser mix on maize.”

He concludes that regenerative agriculture provides confidence that plant health is maintained and supports their decision-making. “We are not worried. We believe the Lord will provide. He has never let us down.”