Update on this year's crops
We have had a very good year so far and we thought we would just share some thoughts with you.
We planted four primary crops this year:
Maize: 1500 ha
Soya Beans: 570 ha
Sunflowers: 500 ha
Speckled Sugar Beans: 80 ha.
We will increase these acreages for next year because we have taken one of our rented farms. The most noticeable change will be to increase Soya Beans to 1,000 ha because it has turned out to be a very good crop for us.
Our Sugar Bean crop was a success this year despite the fact we hadn't planted them for 10-years and had almost forgotten how to do it.
The Maize harvesting has commenced and we will provide an update later.
2014 Soya Bean Harvest
This is a healthy Soya Bean crop
This is what it looks like as it starts to dry out
This is what happens next
As above
Fililng a 35-ton trailer
As above
Our sturdy 1990 Model T900 Kenworth built in Melbourne, Australia never lets us down
A shiny object in a barren landscape
This is what it looks like when the combine has left the field
One is never far from a wetland on Sandstone
The complex in the background
A good view of the Flexihead at work
Much of the Soya Bean residue is baled and kept as emergency fodder for the cattle
The dust cloud in the background is the combine working
A close-up of the Soya's pre-harvest
There is always a mountain in the background at Sandstone
The Maluti Mountains in the far background
Kommandoberg Mountain in the background
A thunder shower and a rainbow brighten up the landscape in the late evening
Combining continues until the dew creates too much moisture for the machines to thresh the plant properly
Heavy haulage
Most evenings end with a beautiful sunset
As soon as the bales are ready they are moved to the main complex for storage
Our fodder bank
Sunflower Harvest