Farmer’s ‘amaizing’ success
Producer takes gold for second time with winning hectare yield
HE won the inaugural 20-ton Maize Club competition three years ago, and last week Cradock farmer Wouter Heyns became the first farmer to lift the trophy for a second time.
Heyns, 50, from Uplands farms between Cradock and Tarkastad, harvested 23.05 tons of maize from the hectare of land set aside for the competition.
He attributed his success to good management, experience, divine help, and a whole lot of luck.
“I don’t see this as a competition, I see it as a learning experience.
“We play around with the way we manage our farms, and try to get the most out of each hectare in a sustainable way,” Heyns said.
The 20-ton Maize Club was the brainchild of Cradock Seed owner Dirk Visser, whose aim was to promote the region’s leading fertilisers and farm management techniques.
When it started, 20 tons a hectare was an elusive target among the farmers in the Cradock region.
However, since then that mark has been achieved with a fair amount of ease, and Visser is looking to up the stakes in the near future.
“When I started the 20-ton Club, I planned that it would run for five years. Next year is the final year and we expect it to be very competitive,” Visser said.
“From there it will become tougher, and I am already working on the next phase – the 30-ton Club.”
Farmers taking part in the competition earmark a section of their farms for it. Visser and his crew then measure out a one-hectare section and weigh its produce after it is harvested.
When Heyns won the competition in 2014, he actually missed the 20ton mark, but his 19.91 tons of maize was the best harvest and he walked away with the title.
Since then, the 20-ton mark has been left in the dust.
Last year, Erich Cloete set the national record, harvesting 23.92 tons.
Heyns, who took over the family farm in 1994, said it was by sheer luck that he won this year.
“When we started harvesting this year, I spotted this section of the farm as a potential winner.
“I halted operations until Dirk and his guys measured out our competition area, and I was lucky enough to have picked out the winner,” he said.
“Since winning in 2014, I really have not changed much. Last year, my best hectare delivered only 19 tons, and this year some of my hectares delivered as little as 15 tons. “Picking the right one came down to keeping an experienced eye on the fields and the luck of the draw.”
He said conditions for farming had not been all that favourable in recent months.
Hot summers, cold winters, below-average rainfall, and a sharp drop in the market price for maize were all factors the farmers had had to contend with.
“Thanks to guys like Dirk and his team at Cradock Seed, there is constant research to help us as farmers achieve the record they give us credit for,” Heyns said.
“And then we hold thumbs and pray for the best.”
It will become tougher, and I am already working on the next phase