General News

Sandstone Spring Festival 2020 Day 1 Friday 19th November 2020.

Today was the first day of our Spring Festival. Although the Cherry Festival did not happen this year, Ionia Farm, just over the road from Sandstone, is holding a Spring event in conjunction with a number of other farms and Sandstone. Our gallery shows a quiet day today with NGG16 number 153 on our train for the day and a number of other attractions that were seen on the train travels at Sandstone. You can still join us as the Spring Festival runs through Friday and Saturday ending on Sunday November 22nd.  

You can see full details on: https://www.sandstone-estates.com/index.php/railway-heritage-58/39-railway-heritage/3485-the-sandstone-spring-steam-festival-19-22-november-2020

We hope to see you there!

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A Taste of Sandstone

Sandstone wins the Pioneer Weigh and Win Maize Yield Competition

Sandstone wins the Pioneer Weigh and Win Maize Yield Competition for the EFS region and achieves 2nd place in the National Grain SA Grow for Gold National Yield Competition

In April 2020 Gideon Knobel, the agronomist working with Sandstone, entered the company into the Pioneer Weigh and Win Competition which is an annual event whereby farmers compete against each other to see who is able to achieve the highest yields for Pioneer maize and soya in various parts of the country.

With a yield of 12,914 tons per hectare with the Pioneer white maize cultivar P2842WB, Sandstone achieved the highest yield for a white maize Pioneer cultivar in the Eastern Free State winning the regional competition for maize in the Dryland category.

These results were achieved through meticulous land preparation, soil analysis and the application of fertilizers with the correct micro elements needed to balance the soil to give the plants the best condition to grow in. The results were not just in yields but delivered a top grade product. The results were also achieved by exceptional team work.  The machinery used for planting was the John Deere 8310R tractor and the Equalizer planter.

In 2019 Grain SA became involved with the competition to take it to a national level and to include all other seed producers supplying farmers in South Africa. Sandstone was automatically entered in the national competition as a winner in the EFS and was advised that it had reached the finalists list. At a function in Muldersdrift, in the North West Province on the 15th of October, all finalists attended a function to announce the winner of the National competition. 

Sandstone came 2nd in the EFS region.

Photo below,  left to right, Gideon Knobel agronomist, Germa Kieser National Marketing Manager Pioneer, Mike Myers of Sandstone and Jaco Snyman National Sales Manager Pioneer with the Weigh and Win award.

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Heritage News for 2020

Welcome to our first Heritage News for 2020.

Heritage News
The Covid 19 Pandemic has changed the way we work and we have extended our report from the pure Steam Report to include all heritage activities at Sandstone.
Enjoy the first edition! - Click here to Read

Sandstone and Geoff Trains.

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An update on this exciting partnership - Click here to Read

Reflections on June 16th

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Lockdown Gallery - 16 June - Click here to view

Sandstone and Geoff Cooke working together in the future.

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Click here to read

Lockdown Gallery Mid May 2020

Lockdown Gallery mid May 2020

Click here to view the Gallery

Lockdown Gallery As winter approaches.

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As winter closes in its all hands on deck before the heavy frosts arrive. Click here to view the full Gallery

Lockdown Gallery - A mountain view and some new arrivals

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Click here to View the full Gallery