Wheat planting commences in earnest

Our wheat planting has commenced in earnest. These pictures clearly show the extent of our Biological Farming activity where mulch cover is all important. Sadly we have had some problems with arson where people from Lesotho have been burning off our mulch, which is very disturbing. We are not currently sure how to handle that.

Winter fleeces issued to all staff

Due to the low temperatures our staff have been supplied with high quality long sleeved fleeces from Jonsson Workwear which will help them cope with the extremely biting cold that we experience annually in the Eastern Free State.

Our picture shows some members of the Arable team wearing their fleeces in the early morning.

Indigenous game runs wild on the estate

Our policy of letting indigenous game run wild is paying off. They are continuing to breed but are intelligent enough to know where danger comes from so they tend to stay fairly close to our main complex.

They have no negative impact on crop farming whatsoever.

Crisis along the Lesotho border

After some years of negotiation and a certain amount of litigation the South African Government appreciates that there is a crisis along the Lesotho border and the farmers need assistance.

The current situation is summarised in this article from the Volksblad Newspaper.

Click here to view the article in full (opens in a new window) 

Pilot irrigation system commenced at Sandstone Estates

The excellent rains we have had over the last years have raised our water table very high. All our dams are full and a considerable amount of water is currently running into the Caledon and then on into the Orange River. A small amount of this water is being used to spray our compost and a small trial wheat irrigation programme will commence in July this year.

Sandstone welcomes the arrival of sheep to the farm

After many years of being virtually livestock free Sandstone Estates has decided to reincorporate the all important livestock component in the business.

Our Biological Farming model requires the fertility contribution that livestock make.

We have also been concerned about border security issues for some time but we hope and pray that our security arrangements are up to the task.

Western Cape farmers visit

A group of 17 Western Cape farmers visited Sandstone recently.

Click here to view the report on their visit - 1MB PDF (opens in a new window)

Sandstone Estates plans to plant 1500 Ha wheat this year down from our 2000 Ha planned.

The following article refers.

Delightful wedding ceremony held at Sandstone Estates on 10th April 2010

We thought our web site visitors might like to see some pictures of a recent wedding we hosted at Sandstone Estates.  Hester Dietrichsen also compiled a report on the event.