Farmers in GMM area are still thankful for rain even though it is too much

Farmers in the area got more than twice as much rain fall this year compared to previous seasons.

Mr Ryno Beukes whose farm is between Bethal, Trichardt and Kriel, said the 2021/2022 season kicked off on a good note in this region with good rain fall through September and October.

“Most of the farmers could finished planting in good time and all signs were there that it was going to be a good season,” said Mr Beukes.

“According to weather forecasts, there would be enough rain because of the La Nina weather condition.

“The La Nina weather condition implicates higher rain fall in certain parts of the world such as southern Africa, but also less rain fall in parts of South America.”

Mr Beukes thinks many people living in the Highveld area would be surprised at the extraordinary strong winds that continued on the farms until late November.

“We also experienced hail storms on a big scale in the Govan Mbeki municipal region during the second part of November and that already caused damage for many farmers.

“Because of this, some farmers were forced to re-plant their lands.”

Mr Beukes measured 171mm of rain on his farm in November and 203mm in December.

Since September, 550mm of rain fell on his farm and he said that is more than average for this region.

He said the impact that this much rain has on the crops is that the plants drown, this can be seen when the farmlands turn yellow.

“During this wet season, the plants also grow very slowly.

“The cool and wet conditions promote fungal diseases and many farmers will now already notice fungus on their plants.”

This can cause great crop loss if not treated in time.

Other issues that famers are facing because of too much rain, is that aircraft spraying is necessary for many farmers and the waiting list is long.

Farmers could also not administer fertiliser because of the wet crop lands and the growth of plants on these lands will also be negatively influenced.

“While we are thankful for the rain during this time, damage to our crops are now unavoidable.

“We hope that there will be enough sunny days now so that the crops can grow and that the water can be used for the better,” said Mr Beukes.

“One thing is for certain, every season is different and we as farmers must adapt to use the best possible methods despite circumstances.

“The rain remains a blessing and it is good to see the pastures and grass flourish with this much water and most of the dams are overflowing.”