Margins decided by inputs
Fertiliser and lime are among the biggest costs per hectare of grain. We size nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium to the yield each land can realistically deliver, measured rather than copied from last year's programme.
Grain · Graan
More profit per hectare of grain, with no fluff.
Grain margins are thin, and inputs are one of the few costs you control. We measure the soil and the crop, and make sure the correct inputs go on at the correct amount in the correct place, independent of any fertiliser supplier.
What we measure, and when
A grain season, measured.
Each sample is timed to the crop stage where it tells you the most. We work across the Swartland and the other Western Cape grain areas.
| Season, July to June | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PlantingWinter rainfall, mostly dryland | Apr | May | Jun | |||||||||
| Tillering to flag leaf | Jul | Aug | Sep | |||||||||
| Flowering & grain fill | Sep | Oct | ||||||||||
| Harvest | Oct | Nov | Dec | |||||||||
| Soil samplingAfter harvest, before liming and planting | Dec | Jan | Feb | Mar | ||||||||
| Tissue sampleTillering, before nitrogen top-dressing | Jul | Aug | ||||||||||
| NDVI monitoring & scoutingSatellite imagery through the season | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Jun |
Crop stageSoil samplingLeaf samplingSatellite monitoringTiming is approximate and shifts with region, cultivar and season.
What we look for
Where grain crops gain or lose quality.
The questions we put to every block's numbers — answered independently, with no product attached to the answer.
Soil acidity
Many Western Cape grain soils are acidic, and in acid subsoils aluminium stunts the roots. Sampling topsoil and subsoil shows where lime will pay, and how much.
Nitrogen: right rate, right time
Nitrogen is the biggest lever on yield and protein, and the easiest to waste. We time top-dressing to tillering and soil moisture, and size it to the crop's potential.
Big lands, one rate
Grain lands run from heavy soils to sand within one field. Variable-rate lime, phosphorus and potassium put the money where it pays, as a file your spreader can run.
Pests and disease spotted late
By the time a patch is visible from the bakkie, yield is already lost. NDVI imagery flags stressed areas early, so we scout there for pests, disease or waterlogging and you act sooner.
Rotation changes the numbers
Canola needs more sulphur and boron; legumes and pastures leave nitrogen behind for the next crop. Programmes follow the rotation, not just this season's crop.
What you get back
Numbers you can act on, kept season after season.
We keep every result, so this season's numbers always sit beside last season's — and you get a written report after every visit.
- Soil maps per land, topsoil and subsoil, with lime and gypsum per zone
- A nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium programme sized to each land's realistic yield
- Top-dressing advice timed to tillering and soil moisture
- NDVI monitoring through the season, with scouting where it flags stress
- Variable-rate prescription files for your spreader
Other crops
The same independent approach, crop by crop.
Contact
Talk to an independent agronomist about your grain crops.
Evert Bergh, agronomist. Based in Durbanville, serving farmers across the Swartland and the other Western Cape grain areas, and nationally.