HAZYVIEW – Although staying up to date with agricultural research is important to any farmer’s success, often it’s the advice and wisdom from a peer that makes the difference.
The Valley Macadamias Group conducted tours of three exemplary farms in the Hazyview area last week to aid farmers on their journey. Mr Bill Bales-Smith received the Valley Macadamias Farmer of the Year award last year and judging by his farm’s productivity it was well deserved. Bales-Smith consistently produces a high quality crop and attributes his success to long hours in the orchard and being a hands-on person.
The farm consists of pure beaumont orchards that range from 18 to 50 years old. He says a yield of anything below six tons per hectare on his mature orchards is cause for concern. The industry average is four.
He believes that mulching and tree health also contribute to high yields. “Nothing but nuts are removed from the orchard. All prunings and husks are layered on the ground to retain soil moisture and provide a climate where microorganisms flourish. But keep the area under the tree clean or nuts will get lost,” he says.
Bales-Smith admits to having a heavy hand when fertilising and applies 400 grams of 515 fertiliser every three months. “A tree can’t produce if it is not being fed. While I do take soil and leaf samples annually in November, I don’t solely reply on the results but make my own conclusions.” The pruning schedule is also one that requires many hours. Instead of using mechanised pruners, he works closely with his staff who climb the tree with a hand cutter and then prune according to his instruction. The second stop was at Mr Natie van Staden who advised farmers on tree spacing. He planted his orchards to a tree spacing of 4,5 x 4,5 metres. “With this spacing you need to remove a complete line of trees after about 11 years as the tree density is too severe. It’s a hard decision but the economics makes sense to plant closer together initially, especially if you have limited land and tree stock is available. You then end up with a tree spacing of 4,5 x nine metres, which necessitates minimal pruning in the years to follow.”
The unprecedented growth of the industry has left many nurseries with long waiting lists for trees. As such many farmers are considering their own nurseries to expand their orchards.
Mr Alan Sutton, chairman of the Valley Macadamias Group, opened up his nursery to give insight into what it takes.The nursery is designed to supply
3 000 trees per annum which will ensure 71 hectares of expansion yearly. Trees are cultivated from seedlings and rooted cuttings and the beaumont and 816 varieties are used.
The former is known to give higher yields while the latter provides high crack outs.
Itwas set up at a cost of R100 000, which included the poles, netting, heating units, variable misty-bed irrigation controller, bags, mulch, compost and knapsack sprayers. Sutton says its an important cog on the wheel of his business, especially considering the huge cost of macadamia expansion. “Delays in obtaining trees cost money all the way up the line,” he said.