No-till maize production among Karkloof Farmers

Charlie and Planter – No till 122

No-Till cropping has been practiced on Gartmore for the past TEN years and has seen a significant increase in not only yields, but also the presence of birds that previously were absent from the lands when disced  or ploughed.

Charlie MacGillivray, the owner of Gartmore, says that “First world and hi-tech farming operations, with high input and high output (yields), can operate cheek by jowl with some of the endangered (red data) species of birds such as the Blue, Grey Crowned and highly endangered Wattled Cranes.”

With the advent of sophisticated planting equipment, capable of penetrating the surface of the soil and creating a “micro-seedbed” in a band whilst leaving the rest of the area undisturbed, specific herbicides and pesticides which became available and targeted only specific weeds and pests, No-Till became not just possible, but essential. The saving in fuel use was just one of the “carbon credits” that stemmed from this practice.

Newly Planted Maize with Wattled Cranes in the Background	Cranes in wetland with maize in background

The emphasis on Gartmore is to strictly treat the problem, rather than a “blanket kill” and indiscrimately obliterate. Earthworms are one of our most important allies in this method of cropping and as lowly as they appear, are encouraged as a priority!

Building the organic (“Bio-mass”) material in the soil profile is of paramount importance and whilst we do take the whole maize plant and use it to make silage for our dairy herd, the establishment of a “cover crop” (usually a cereal type) follows immediately after the silage is removed. At the end of winter, strategically timed ahead of planting, the “cover-crop” is killed with Round-up and left as a thatch, into which the next crop is directly drilled. The timing is important for both moisture conservation, and to prevent a flush of weeds before the next planting takes place.

Another important aspect of “No Till” is a return to the age old practice of crop rotation (as opposed to mono cropping). This is normally done by planting Soya Beans (No Till) in a 1 in 3 or 4 year rotation. Using different chemicals for the different crop, plus the break in the soil predators food source, benefits the system.

Many other conservation minded farmers in the Karkloof Valley, have also adopted this method of farming as they have seen the improvement in their soils.  Another advantage of No Till is the prevention of soil erosion and the loss of valuable topsoil.