Agronomists Notes
Hello Reader,
I’m rounding day 17 in Kenya and my perspective of African agriculture has been completed turned upside down. This continent is not all desert, sand and drought. I’ve visited farms that grow 100 bu/ac wheat and barley and even peas and canola. Between 7,000 and 9,500 ft above sea level! I find it surreal to check crops and see baboons, zebras, water buffalo and warthogs across the fence. As you can imagine, wild life can be a real nuisance in these parts. And we thought geese were bad. How about a herd of elephants in your wheat or three million hungry birds on your sorghum?
This week I’m touring farms within the Ag Venture Group, which consists of about 10 farmers and a manager who buy inputs, equipment and sells grain together. Sourcing inputs and equipment can be a challenge here so forming a buying group is a great way to help with logistics and economics. For example, a couple of weeks ago one producer had the choice of borrowing a pulley off a JD C670 combine or fly 16 hours return to Europe to purchase it and bring it back himself. That is the reality of farming in Kenya.
I’ve struggled to get internet on my laptop so I apologize for the delay in this issue. I hope to make it up to you in the coming weeks. In this issue of Beyond Agronomy News, we’ll take a look at growing wheat, barley, canola and peas at 9,000 ft above sea level. Then I’ll explain my take on row direction and what we’ve found to be best for our operation.
Have a great week. We’ll be finishing our adventure here this Friday so we’ll see back in Canada next week.
Have a great week,
Photo: Stuart Barden showing me his double skip row planting in sorghum on his farm near Athi River, Kenya.
Interesting notes while visiting Kenya
- I watched four women threshing wheat with sticks on a blanket after gleaning the fields for left over heads after harvest. In the background sat a John Deere 1910 air cart and a John Deere C670 combine. A contrast in old world and new world to say the least!
- About 60% of the country’s energy source for electricity comes from diesel generators.
- A casual farm laborer will make about $3.00 CDN per day.
- Kenya has 40% unemployment rate and labour is easy to find.
- Farms between 2,000 and 5,000 acres could have between 40 to 90 employees.
- I’ve met a couple of the 41 women hired to scare birds out of a sorghum field everyday for $3.00 per day.
- I’ve seen 20 women rogue round leaf mallow out of a 200 acre field because an effective herbicide option isn’t available.
- Kenyans are the friendliest people I’ve ever met. I’ve never shaken so many hands or waved so much in my life!
- Farmers here are in desperate need of a break crop to rotate out of wheat and barley. Canola and peas are a good fit but require marketing and sales development.
- The quality of steel is terrible in Kenya so making modifications is difficult because it likely won’t be structurally sound.
- The Mombasa highway is the most dangerous highway on the planet and it’s the one we’ve had to travel on the most. Our guardian angels are working over time!
Farming cereals, oilseeds and pulses at 9,000 ft
Some of the best cereal and oilseed growing areas in Kenya are located between 7,000 and 9,500 ft above sea level. At 0.5 degrees north of the equator the climate is warm and the rainfall between16 to 30 inches per year. Soils have medium to high organic matter and there is no question they could compete with the production potential of black soils in Western Canada.
My first stop was at a farm called Marania, a fourth generation farm owned by the Murray family near Nanyuki, along the side of Mt. Kenya. The farm sits between 8,000 and 9,000 ft above sea level and is located just 0.5 degrees north of the equator. The soils are volcanic and high in organic matter at 10% to 12% and receive 40 inches of rain per year with temperatures between 0C and 25C. They produce spring wheat, barley, canola and peas in a 75% cereal and 25% pulse/oilseed rotation.
The growing season is broken up into two parts, long and short rains. The long rains occur in October/November and produce an average of 24 inches of rain. The short rain season in April/May drops an average of 16 inches of rain. Today, their crops are sitting between early tillering in wheat and barley up to flag leaf with canola sitting at the green bud stage. They typically split their farms in half and plant half the farm in September and October. They like to see their crops well established before the long rains come in late October and November. The other half is planted in April/May during the short rain season. Harvest occurs in late January/February after the long rain season and in September/October after the short rain season.
Approximate yield averages are as follows:
HRS wheat: 80 bu/ac or 5.5 t/ha
2-row barley: 92 bu/ac or 5.0 t/ha
Canola: 60 bu/ac or 3.5 t/ha
Peas: 50 bu/ac peas or 3.5 t/ha
Oats: 155 bu/ac or 6 t/ha
As you can see, they can put out some decent yields. Wheat has been a large part of their rotation due to the returns compared to other crops. However, stem rust called UG99 has been a big problem and can destroy yields quickly. Some producers spray four times to control it. Thankfully, they do have six new varieties in the pipeline that have resistance.
Canola and peas are just making their way into the rotation and sourcing good quality genetics has been a struggle but they are making breakthroughs. The Kenyan government does not allow GM varieties so they are looking at hybrid varieties of triazine tolerant or Clearfield canola. Good quality seed is hard to come by due to corruption and lack of standards. If they want to progress, they will have to look outside of Africa to source new genetics.
The cost to rent land here is between $45.00 and $70.00 an acre with the cost to buy land between $6,000 and $7,000 CDN per acre. If you look at the return on investment from a land ownership perspective, you’re looking at a 0.75 to 1% return on investment which is quite poor. To give you a comparison, in Alberta we range from $50 to $70 acre on land that is worth $2,500 to $3,100 an acre which works out to 2 to 2.5% return on investment, so a little better but not great. If you need to borrow money, interest rates are 22% at the moment with interest on deposit at 16%!
Kenya has huge production potential. For farms like Marania they will only get better with new genetics, innovative production practices, better equipment support and agronomy training from other parts of the world. I see a bright future for Kenyan farmers and those who want to bravely venture here to begin farming. SL
Photo: HRS wheat growing at 9,200 ft above sea level. Taken at Jamie Murray's near Tamau, Kenya.
Effects of row direction on crop yield
There has always been a question about row direction and which way to plant our fields. Is it north/south or east/west? Based on my research, north/south directions give crops the highest levels of light absorption compared to east/west at latitudes from 0 to 55 degrees. That said, the yield effects are significantly different in cereal crops but make little difference in broadleaf crops like canola, peas or lupins. So which way do we plant? I would argue there are two principles that play a larger role in row direction and that is prevailing winds and efficiency.
Mitch and I set up three-quarters of our fields for CTF in a north/south direction with the remaining set east/west. After three years I’ve seen some interesting observations in the way our crops lean or lodge. In wheat and barley, our fields have leaned or lodged to the east each year. It may be east, northeast or southeast but always to the east. In canola or peas, the crops always lean to the east. Our prevailing winds come from the west and coincidentally our crops lean or lodge to the east. Even in the field with trams set up east/west our crops lean to the east which can make harvest more challenging as the crop leans away from the header. With this knowledge I would prefer to set up tram lines in a N/S direction. It provides the greatest harvest efficiency and according to the research provides the greatest light absorption.
The second part of the equation is efficiency. When fields are longer east/west compared to north/south it’s only logical to go with the longest run. Increasing the number of passes on a field and the over and under-laps that occur at headlands is not an efficient or productive use of time and resources. Therefore, stick to the direction that gives you the most efficiency.
In our CTF system, planting in a north/south direction makes the most sense due to the harvesting issues we have with crops planted east/west. Our greatest risk is lodging from August and September storms with hail and heavy rains. Planting in a north/south direction allows us to pick those crops up efficiently during harvest. Also, it allows us to straight cut canola and peas that naturally lean to the east due to the prevailing winds. In the end, solar capture may be greatest in crops planted north/south but the reality is, efficiency and prevailing winds should be the greatest determinants of row direction. SL
Photo: Chickpeas pleanted north and south in Athi River, Kenya.
Beyond Agronomy Apple and Android Apps
I’m excited to announce the launch of our new smartphone apps for Apple and Android!
The seeding rate calculator app allows you to enter your desired plant density, thousand kernel weight, germination, seedling mortality and instantly provides the correct seeding rate in lbs/ac.
The herbicide tank mix and rainfast guide app tells you what order to mix each herbicide and how long you have until it rains. This quick and easy to use app is tailored to Western Canadian farmers.
These apps will make your life easier and who doesn’t need a little ease? Hop on over to www.beyondagronomy.com to get yours today. Then tell your friends!
