For Mahlatse Bonoko, growing maize is not a separate farming enterprise. It is part of a bigger plan to lower livestock feed costs and build a more sustainable farming business. But drought, storage challenges and stray cattle have made the journey anything but easy.
By Maile Matsimela, digital editor at African Farming
After learning just how much feed could eat into the margins of a livestock business, Mahlatse Bonoko decided he needed to produce more of it himself.
The Ga-Mashashane farmer began planting yellow maize on communal cropping land, with much of the harvest destined for his cattle, sheep and goats rather than the market.
It was another step in connecting the different parts of his mixed farming operation: grow the crop, turn it into feed and use it to support the livestock business. But getting there has taken several seasons of setbacks.
Also read: ‘Farming has been my university’: How Mahlatse Bonoko turned losses into a 40-cattle operation
From a few bags to a proper harvest
When Mahlatse started farming maize, he produced only a handful of bags. The following season was worse. Drought wiped out the crop before he could realise the harvest he had hoped for.
Then came a breakthrough. His next crop exceeded expectations, producing enough maize for bags of grain to fill a converted garage and makeshift storage room at his homestead.
The harvest also presented another lesson for him. “Subsistence farmers face never-ending challenges. Planting is one challenge, but after harvesting you must also find proper storage,” Mahlatse says.
Rather than selling everything, he kept much of the maize for his livestock.
Knowing what goes into the feed
Producing maize was only the beginning.
Mahlatse wanted to understand how the grain could be incorporated into properly balanced livestock rations rather than simply feeding what he had harvested.
He submitted samples to the Agricultural Research Council in Irene for analysis and began working with an animal nutritionist to formulate balanced rations.
“I didn’t just want to grow maize; I wanted to know how to make quality feed,” he says.
His plans extend beyond maize. In future, he wants to introduce sunflower and soya beans into his cropping programme, which would allow him to produce more of the ingredients required for his livestock feed.
Also read: From feedlotting to breeding genetics: Mahlatse Bonoko is building the commercial cattle herd he wants
A devastating discovery
It was against this background that Mahlatse was eagerly waiting to harvest his latest yellow maize crop. During African Farming’s visit, he suggested we drive from his homestead to the nearby communal cropping area to see the field.
As we approached, he suddenly fell silent. Cattle were inside the field eating his maize.
The damage stretched across the crop and, judging by its extent, the animals appeared to have been there for at least two days. For a few moments, Mahlatse simply stared at what had happened.
“This is what they mean when they say farming will kill you,” he said.
The loss went far beyond the maize standing in the field. There was seed, fertiliser, ploughing and months of work behind the crop. More importantly, the harvest formed part of his plan to increase his feed reserves and reduce his dependence on commercial feed.
The incident was particularly unexpected because farmers using the communal cropping scheme normally wait until everyone has harvested before allowing livestock into the fenced camps.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Mahlatse says.
Also read: Heartwater nearly wiped out his flock – what Mahlatse Bonoko learnt about managing sheep and goats
Looking beyond communal-scale farming
Despite the setbacks, Mahlatse sees crop production as an important part of where his farming business is heading.
His thinking was strengthened after meeting Sylvester Lubambo at an African Farming farmers’ day in Polokwane, which led him to AFGRI grain-production training.
Advice from grain producer Rudzani Sadiki also challenged him to think about the scale required to turn grain production into a viable business.
“He told me it’s good to farm grain, but if I want to make a real business out of it, I need numbers,” Mahlatse recalls.
That is why securing more land has become central to his future plans. He wants a larger farming unit where he can expand both grain and livestock production, with the two enterprises supporting each other.
Ultimately, Mahlatse wants to become a commercial livestock farmer supplying abattoirs and butcheries while producing his own feed.
There are days when the losses make that ambition feel distant. Disease, failed cropping seasons, financial pressure and now the destruction of his maize have all tested him.
But Mahlatse says the animals themselves keep drawing him back.
“There are times when you feel like closing everything down,” he says. But then he hears the calves in the morning, the cattle returning from grazing and the sheep and goats calling.
“Those sounds give me goosebumps. They remind me why I fell in love with farming in the first place. They remind me not to give up.”
Also read:
‘Farming is not about luck’ – Sylvester Lubambo
‘We are not accepting defeat’: Satellite-triggered insurance gives maize farmers a lifeline against El Niño
From maize and sugar beans to chillies: Mapitsi Mashego’s recipe for crop success
Eastern Cape maize project shows how partnerships can strengthen rural farming
