Top tips for farmers

September 2025

By September, all harvesting should be complete, making it the best time to prepare for the next season. As a maize farmer, your goal should be to achieve the highest possible yield while ensuring top-quality grain. Achieving this is not always straightforward, as various challenges arise throughout the season. By following the advice shared by the Farmer Development team, your goal will be well within reach.

Fight winter weeds to conserve soil moisture
Weeds often thrive after rain, so it is very important to remove the weeds after advises Du Toit van der Westhuizen, regional development manager in North West. Weeds can reduce the growth of the new crop, as they compete with crops for sunlight, water and nutrients. Increased moisture and softened soil create ideal conditions for weed seeds to germinate and for existing weeds to grow rapidly.

Have your soil analysed
When it comes to soil preparation, guess work is not a good idea, says Phumzile Ngcobo, assistant regional manager in KwaZulu-Natal. ‘Soil testing allows for acidity and nutrient deficiency correction which is needed for healthy plant growth.’

Timon Filter, mentor in the Louwsburg district, reminds farmers that when soil is too acidic, plants cannot absorb nutrients. He urges farmers to take soil samples and correct the pH to ensure that the plant can absorb the nutrients. ‘If you fertilise but the pH is wrong, you will waste a lot of money.’

‘Liming the soil according to your soil analysis allows it to absorb nutrients,’ says Du Toit. ‘There may be nutrients in the ground, but because of soil acidity, it is not available to the plant.’

Do maintenance before you plant
Do a full assessment of your equipment after harvest time. Before anything is put away for storage, check and make sure that it is cleaned and stored in a good working order. Check your tractors and have them serviced if necessary. Examine your planter and order any necessary spares. ‘Doing this, will enable you to have a smoother planting season,’ says Lunga Mhloyana, a mentor in the Mthatha and Kokstad regions. 

Jacques Roux, regional development manager in the Free State, urges farmers to do maintenance on their contours after harvesting. ‘Fields that are too wet to harvest and have to be harvested by hand often have broken contours.’

Publication: September 2025

Section: Pula/Imvula