Orion Irresistible Pecans: The pecan nut trees that thrive in Sub Saharan Africa

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The pecan industry has a rich and stable history, and the future looks even brighter. Since the 1800s it has shown steady growth, but since China entered the market, that steady growth skyrocketed. Over the last decade, more and more farmers started planting pecan trees with the hope that they will get a piece of that success. The industry is still in its adolescent phase and continues to establish itself. Much research must be done for further development. China's interest in pecans acted as the first catalyst to the increased plantings, but the financial opportunity that followed proved to be the most significant stimulus. Farmers who struggled to make a living off traditional row crops turned to permanent crops as a solution to their financial woes. The boom in nut prices in recent years is expected to continue as consumers opt for healthier foods. This convinced more and more farmers to replace their crops with pecan trees. While pecan farming can be a lucrative venture, aspiring growers must begin with a solid foundation. Pecan nut farming is a long-term investment, dependent on the producer making the correct choices early in the business. Choosing the right location, cultivar and land preparation technique are crucial to ensure orchards function optimally from the start, and that the return on investment is maximised. One of the biggest challenges facing potential pecan farmers is the long wait for a return on investment. It takes six to eight years for a tree to

start producing, and around 10 years until a farmer can start turning a profit. Orchards expected to bear fruit for multiple generations require perfect planning. Any shortcuts taken in the beginning could cost the farmer for years to come. Farmers considering nut farming must order trees timeously as plant material is scarce nowadays. Trees are ordered by cultivar and then the nurseries start to propagate them accordingly. While pecan trees like dry conditions, they also require wet roots, and prefer short, cold winters and long, hot summers. Pecan trees need 285 days a year for growing, with warm nights. The trees can handle frost, as the low temperature ensures the tree goes into complete dormancy, which ensures even growth in spring. High-humidity areas are susceptible to scab, therefore farmers in such areas should invest in tolerant varieties. While pecan trees can grow in shallow soil, the soil should be between at least 100 to 150cm deep for commercial production.

Choose your nursery with care

Farmers must source quality trees. Before placing an order, farmers should ask where the nursery gets its rootstock or seed and whether it can guarantee that the variety is pure. Since there has been a shortage of trees, many new nurseries have popped up that are not accredited. South Africa did not lag behind, and many pecan farms and nurseries sprouted all over the country to supply

Orion Irresistible Pecans take care to breed and grow exquisite quality pecan trees.

The orchards on Orion Irresistible Pecans nursery farm are sprayed with zinc and foliage nutrition.

the industry. Some of these nurseries export their young trees to other Sub Saharan African countries. Orion Irresistible Pecans is one of those. This nursery farm is accredited with all the regulatory bodies, and is located between Wesselsbron and Bothaville in the Free State province of South Africa. They have over 8 000 trees in their orchard and the nursery offers four varieties - Choctaw, Navaho, Sutex and Wichita. They supply bagged trees in different sizes.

Orion Irresistible Pecans’ bagged trees are grown and prepared in the nursery and are ready to be planted. This method holds many benefits: • The replant success rate is higher • The health, quality and variety are already visible • It reaches the production stage faster

Pecan farming is an expensive and long-term investment. If done properly, it could ensure an income for many generations to come. In the US, there are productive orchards over 100 years old.

Order your trees before it is too late. Contact Hannes van Zyl at +27(0)82-572-5635 or e-mail hannesvanzyl.hvz@gmail.com, or hannes.vanzyl@orionirresistiblepecans.co.za. Visit their website at www.orionirresistiblepecans.co.za

Stretch water and reduce

costs with Agrico

by Du Preez de Villiers

Adesperate water shortage handicapped Beerseun Farm’s irrigation operations outside Tzaneen in the northern part of South Africa up to a year ago. But it took a dramatic positive turn when they employed the best technology and equipment they could lay their hands on, to get the maximum out of the water at their disposal. Today, they plant sweetcorn, green beans, pumpkins, brinjals, various cultivars of peppers, papayas, guavas, macadamia nuts, citrus and figs. They mainly supply the retail market such as Freshmark, Woolworths and Pick n Pay, and will send their surplus products to the market. For Woolworths and Pick n Pay, they pack on the farm and will even stick on the labels for upcoming specials! Beerseun has been working with Agrico for over 16 years now. Agrico equipment and systems can be seen all over the farm. Rynier Steenekamp, Production Manager, knows how to use every drop of the limited water supply, and Agrico understands and supports him all the way. "We have centre pivot, drip and micro irrigation, but I am in the process of phasing out the microirrigation systems, because the evaporation is too high. The drippers deliver the same volume of water, but place it directly on the ground, next to the plant,” he says. His pivots are ideal to irrigate full surface areas very efficiently and with high uniformity. Care has been taken to choose the most efficient spray packages, with ideal droplet size, low pressure and at the correct height to minimise possible losses. He also runs the pivots at night to eliminate losses due to evaporation, and the drip irrigation during the day. This is done to utilise the boreholes optimally over 24 hours. The farm's borehole capacity is under pressure. The boreholes take a long time to recover if too much water is extracted. Agrico worked with Rynier to devise a plan to make the best use of the limited water without damaging the boreholes or the pumps by running dry. They purchased and installed a very nifty system that shuts down the pump as

On Beerseun Farm, Agrico's pivots work at night to limit evaporation, while their drip irrigation works during the day, enabling them to make optimal use of the erratic water sup-

soon as the water level in the borehole becomes too low. It switches the pump ensures that the pump never runs dry and never gets damaged. The pivots and drip irrigation have different and specific pressure and flow needs. These are met by using pumps with variable frequency drives (VFDs) to regulate the pump’s delivery. VFDs ensure that the irrigation is always efficient and without any energy wastage due to unnecessary high pumping

back on as soon as it is safe again. This

ply from their boreholes.

or computer, Rynier can monitor the water levels over time. This enables him to plan his irrigation schedule in advance. This app is integrated with Agrico's systems, which streamlines the management process. He can adjust the water supply and turn pumps on and off remotely. The app also records electricity consumption, which is very convenient for expense calcula-

( m ) e v e l L e r a t W e a g v e r A

2 Water level and litres pumped daily

Click and drag in the plot area to zoom in

0 K i l o l i t e r s p u m p e d ( k l )

No. kL pumped Ave. Water Level (pump on) Ave. Water Level (pump off)

4. Sep 6. Sep 8. Sep 10. Sep 12. Sep 14. Sep 16. Sep 18. Sep 20. Sep 22. Sep 24. Sep 26. Sep 28. Sep 30. Sep

Highcharts.com

Graph 1: This graph, from the monitoring system, displays the water level over time of one of the Beerseun Farm boreholes.

tions, reporting and budget purposes. Agrico has a branch in Tzaneen, which is conveniently close by. They provide a seamless irrigation service, from designing complete irrigation systems according to the customers’ needs, providing the irrigation equipment and material, and including a very thorough after-sales service. To back up this dedicated service, an extensive range of parts are stocked and technicians are always on stand-by. Agrico's systems experienced dealers.

Agrico installed this system for Beerseun Farm to ensure that their borehole pumps never run dry.

pressure in the system. It has been five years since Beerseun received proper rain and the river that flows through the farm does not always run. Efficient and precise management of the scarce water source is therefore essential. are supported everywhere in Southern Africa with local factories in South Africa, an own branch network as well as

Through an application on his phone

Agrico is always ready to help. Contact Alfred Andrag at +27(0)82 824 1214 or +27(0) 21 950 4111, or alfred.andrag@agrico.co.za for more information.

ONE RTK GUIDANCE SOLUTION FOR YOUR ENTIRE WORK FLEET

Improve the efficiency and accuracy of your current fleet with modular RTK guidance systems that can be fitted to a wide range of old and new agricultural machines. The system can easily be moved between machines to provide a one-size-fits-all RTK guidance solution for your farm.

RTK NTRIP guidance system

• Drive straight lines with RTK accuracy • Reduce overlaps and missed spots • Work at night and with low visibility • Save 10-15% of your input costs • Ideal for farmers with free local NTRIP (RTK signal) providers

RTK local guidance system

• Higher accuracy manual guidance • Achieve up to 1 cm accuracy with RTK • Work at night and in low visibility • Save 10-20% of your input costs • Ideal for farmers without local NTRIP (RTK signal) providers

RTK autosteer system

• Hands-free parallel lines driving • Achieve up to 1 cm accuracy with RTK • Work at night and in low visibility • Save up to 30% of your input costs • Increase your farm’s productivity • Pays back from 10 ha

Reduce costs, eliminate overlaps, reduce crop damage, save fuel, improve efficiency, reduce task duration, extend the workday, maximise field potential, keep record and improve yields