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August 2021
At the time of reading this article most of us should nearly be finished with the harvesting process. A great yield may have been realised and many of us will want to spoil ourselves as a reward for a job well done.
I know that as farmers we want to take a break when we have a good yield, but this is not the year to do it. I once met a man who said that in a tough year one must tighten the belt, but in a good year you must tighten it even more. I am not talking about not spoiling yourself just a little. Beware of spending money on things that you need – rather spend money on things without which you cannot survive.
This season we saw good yields with good prices and it is very important to use this opportunity to rather spend money wisely and plough it back into your farming enterprise, than to waste it.
Extra cash offers farmers the perfect opportunity to do the necessary maintenance on equipment – that which could not be done properly in the past due to a lack of funds.
Spend money to correct your soil fertility status such as liming and adding phosphate and other required elements to your soil. Remember, no matter what yield was realised, you need to put back into the soil as fertile soil is one of the most important assets to a farmer. Beware of mining the soil. You can have the best equipment and lots of rain, but without soil fertility you will not have a good harvest again.
If you do have some extra money diversify your farming operations with additional farming units to support a more stable cash flow.
Publication: August 2021
Section: Pula/Imvula
