Episode 1 of 23

Cane in pain

In this episode of ‘We’ve bean around the block’, we re-visit the topic of dry beans in rotation with sugarcane. This episode follows a previous podcast (Episode 5 of 21) with advanced thinking of how to incorporate beans into a rotation with sugarcane. Host Antony Jarvie discusses rotation ideas and practicalities with forward thinking cane farmer, Deon Schröder. The problem with incorporating dry beans into a sugarcane rotation is always going to be the herbicide residues from the cane component. The shrinking crushing capacity in the industry is forcing a reduction in sugarcane output, which for the first time, provides an incentive for a multi-year and or a multi-crop rotation strategy. The idea to bring in glyphosate tolerant hybrid maize as a first rotation crop and then to follow this with beans in the second season, as a way to avoid the effects of sugarcane herbicide residues, is discussed at length.  The practical aspects of turning a sugarcane operation into a more diverse farming unit is also discussed. The podcast was recorded with Deon Schröder, but it followed a workshop discussion that included input from Dave Wilkinson, Shaun Carroll, Marcel Ortmann and Andrew Braithwaite.