Timing – “Timing is one of the most important factors.Here your presence in the field is especially important to ensure that contact between the soil and seeds is correct and that fertiliser is administered correctly where it is used.” One of the biggest mistakes is to try and do things with the wrong equipment. In contrast, it is very difficult to apply new practices without making any mistakes. Get the correct equipment for the planting process – “It is easy to apply decades-old practices without making many mistakes.You should thus try to mimic natural cycles, find ways to improve soil health and plant diverse crops.” Mimic Nature – “Nature is extremely complex and diverse, and we will never completely understand everything about it.Be careful to not take too big of a risk and get into some hot water.” Therefore, begin small and build up from there. Start small – “There are risks involved when changing practices.After one or two seasons, we could already see the earthworm population increase after 40 years of conventional tillage methods largely kept them out of the fields,” Danie said.ĭanie presented eight fundamentals for successful regenerative agriculture: “It is incredible how quickly nature recovers when we give it a chance to. Furthermore, Danie and the members of the Riemland study group also started noticing an increase in beneficial insects and fungi in their farmlands. One of the biggest successes, according to Danie, is the large diversity of crops that helps stabilise yields, promote soil health and reduce the use of chemical fertiliser. “Nature cannot be wrong and therefore it is not wrong to try and farm as close to nature as possible.” There have indeed been many obstacles, and Danie admits that there were many mistakes made as well, but he points out that new ideas and practices all have their own issues. New ways of thinking and doing things create a passion for what you are doing and create the opportunity to tackle obstacles.” “It is difficult to adjust to change but I believe that if you are not uncomfortable, you are not trying hard enough. In his presentation, Danie Slabbert said the move from conventional farming to regenerative agriculture practices did not initially come easy, but the realisation that nature is always correct and his passion for farming in a more natural manner helped him change his farming practices. Regenerative agriculture aims to be more profitable per hectare instead of pursuing yields.

One of the pioneers of regenerative agriculture in the eastern Free State shared some of the Riemland study group’s findings that they have made over the last 13 years.

Golden rules on a farm