The Southern Cape is alive with activity as the canola harvest takes centre stage. With just a few days remaining in the harvest season, farmers are witnessing an outstanding yield with exceptional quality.
Although harvest time is about two to three weeks later this year, it should be largely completed by the end of November, says Dirk van Papendorp, CEO of Tweekop Boerdery and chairman of the board at Sentraal-Suid Co-operative in Swellendam.
“The canola harvest usually starts at the beginning of October and extends until the end of October to mid-November depending on the weather conditions and therefore the number of harvest days,” says Van Papendorp.
Perfect timing required
Canola pods pop open very easily once they are fully ripe and time of cutting is therefore critically important to prevent grain losses. Van Papendorp explains that the canola is cut flat between about 14 days to three weeks before harvesting when two-thirds of the kernels inside the pod have turned black.
“However, modern cultivars make it possible to leave the crop as is and then harvest it when the pods are dry and the seed is fully ripe.”
Fun fact: the oil content of the kernel is usually between 40-45%.
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Navigating the elements
As soon as the canola harvest is in full swing, barley is also cut and left in windrows for about 5-7 days.
Ripe barley is very sensitive to wind damage and is also easily damaged by excess rain at harvest time, hence the practice of windrowing the crop so that the wind can’t pluck off the heads before the wind shatters the pods and you loose all the seeds,” Van Papendorp explains.
The windrows also add a layer of protection against rain damage.
“Rain in excess causes the grain to swell and if it shrinks back, the seed coat bursts and results in it not reaching malt grade and therefore feed grade,” he shares.
This usually leaves farmers with a lower price, having a very negative impact on income.
“SA is known for, like Australia, that in normal years we produce up to 80% of the harvest as malt grade. The high rainfall we had in October this year had a very negative effect on farmers’ finances, as we struggled to reach 50% malt.
“There is therefore always a big rush to collect the barley harvest and get it delivered as malt,” Van Papendorp says.
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