CROPS Biological Farming

46 farmer�sweekly 16 DECEMBER 2016

�The manufacturers persuaded

me to use the unit for trial

purposes. The results were

quite unexpected,� he recalls.

Whereas average production

amongst Ashton Winery

producers in the region decreased

19% in 2010, average production

at Middelplaas increased

between 8% and 41%. Vines and

trees also seemed healthier.

�Trees and vines that I�d written

off to disease, pest problems and

old age actually started producing

viable crops again,� Fritz says.

He explains that oxygenated

water helps to soften and improve

irrigation water quality by

Many consultants and

farmers dismiss the

idea of �farming

with nature� as pie in the sky,

arguing that the omission

of chemical fertilisers and

pesticides has a negative impact

on production and renders a

farm unprofitable over time.

However, Fritz Breytenbach,

who applies biological farming

methods to his wine grape

production and canning fruit

business in the Western Cape,

has experienced the opposite:

his production volumes have

increased, while his input

costs have come down.

Sterik de Wet, CEO of Ashton

Winery, confirmed this: �The

quality of Fritz�s wine grapes is

so outstanding that they sell as

soon as they hit the barrel, in

spite of tight market conditions.

He has also been among our

top five producers in terms of

wine grape quality and income

per hectare for the past five

years.� (See Tables 1 and 2)

Fritz, who farms on

Middelplaas and Wakkerstroom

in the Robertson Valley, says

that the overuse of herbicides

results in poor soil condition

and has a negative impact on

the soil�s humus content.

�My decision to use fewer

chemicals is rooted in the

impact these products have

on the humus content of the

soil. Just a 1% increase in the

organic content of your soil

could result in the soil holding

170

This is especially important

in light of climate change and

the predicted impact this will

have on farming in the future.

�When I look at other farmers�

vineyards and orchards, their

soils look like cement slabs

to me. Unless they�re using

cover crops, there�s nothing to

buffer soil temperatures.�

OXYGENATED WATER

Fritz�s biological farming

journey started seven years

ago, with the installation of

Puricare�s Soilcare unit in

his micro-sprinkler system.

The unit produces activated

oxygen, which is pumped

into the irrigation water.

Seven years ago, Fritz Breytenbach, a wine grape producer in the Robertson Valley, embarked on his biological farming journey. Today, he is reaping the benefits by producing almost double the regional production average using the same inputs as neighbouring farmers. Glenneis Kriel reports.

�A 1% INCREASE IN ORGANIC CONTENT CAN INCREASE SOIL�S WATER-HOLDING

CAPACITY BY 170 000L/HA�

How biological farming can improve profit

ABOVE:

Fritz Breytenbach is one of Ashton

Winery’s top wine grape and canning

fruit producers. He won the Ashton Canning Producer of the Year award in 2015 due to the high quality of his

canning fruit. PHOTOS: GLENNEIS KRIEL

16 DECEMBER 2016 farmer�sweekly 47

destroying pathogens, while

reducing salts and oxidising

metal pollutants in the water.

�This is a great benefit in

the Robertson Valley, where

most farmers have to deal with

brackish water during the

winter months. Last winter,

dry conditions made the water

so saline that it was unsuitable

for commercial production.�

Oxygenated water can also

increase water infiltration

rates, reduce soil compaction,

lower soil water pH, increase

electrolyte concentrations

and accelerate biological

degradation of organic matter.

�Puricare claimed that the

activated oxygen would help

to unlock soil nutrients that

were previously unavailable to

plants. To test this, I stopped

fertilising the orchards and

vineyards. I also stopped

planting cover crops, allowing

weeds to serve this purpose.�

The result was a marked

improvement in soil structure.

Softer natural grasses, such

as ryegrass and rescue grass,

displaced broadleaf weeds such

as tall fleabane, narrowleaf

ribwort and burweed. Fritz was

so satisfied with the outcome that

he installed a Puricare unit on

his other farm, Wakkerstroom.

To better understand these results

and take production to the next

level, Fritz turned to books

written by the great biological

production gurus, including

Gary Zimmer�s The Biological

Farmer, Neal Kinsey�s Hands-on

Agronomy, Graeme Sait�s Nutrition

Rules and Charles Walters�s

Weeds: Control Without Poisons.

Hans Ellis, executive director

at Cumgro, became Fritz�s

production advisor, and Fritz

asked him to read all these

books to ensure that they

shared and understood the

same approach to production.

�The books made me realise

that I needed to focus more

on soil health if I wanted

to produce healthy plants.

You need to feed the soil to

feed the plant,� Fritz says.

ALBTRECHT SYSTEM

He started using the Albrecht

system to analyse and monitor

soil nutrient levels. According

to this system, certain major

elements must be present in the

soil in a particular ratio. And

since soil can contain only a

certain amount of nutrients, an

excess of one nutrient will result

in the deficiency of another.

Saline water used on the farm

has resulted in soil with high

sodium and magnesium levels.

Fritz uses gypsum, with 20%

Frtiz Breytenbach’s conversion to biological farming methods started with the use of oxygenated water.

Frtiz uses weeds as cover crops.

Organic plant and soil nutrients are used as often as possible.FA

ST F

AC

TS

TOP:

Weeds help to keep soil temperatures low, while serving

as a habitat for beneficial organisms.

ABOVE:

Fritz in one of his vineyards. The

weed population today consists

mainly of rescue grass (Bromus wilnomi) and

ryegrass.

CROPS Biological Farming

48 farmer�sweekly 16 DECEMBER 2016

carry minerals, even those that

are immobile such as calcium,

magnesium and iron, from plant

surfaces into plant tissues. Fulvic

acid also stimulates oxygen

uptake, making plants more

heat- and drought-resistant.

Fritz adds that fulvic acid is a

fungal stimulant, whereas humic

acid is a bacterial stimulant.

He also uses Karabos products,

which contain beneficial

organisms, to boost soil life and

suppress harmful organisms

such as snails and nematodes.

Nematodes have been absent

for seven years; it is only

recently that they have

begun to appear again.

�Instead of using harmful

chemicals to get rid of the

pathogenic nematodes, I�ll

boost the levels of bacteria

that feed on them to get the

calcium and 17% sulphur, to

strip the soil of excess cations. He

warns, however, that gypsum

should only be used if there is

about 60% calcium, according

to the Albrecht soil analysis,

otherwise excess cations

cannot leach out of the soil.

Soil samples taken in 2013

revealed that Fritz�s soil pH

became more uniform, while

calcium levels increased to

more acceptable levels.

�Calcium is very important,

as it helps to open up the soil

and, in effect, enhance soil

aeration,� he explains.

FEEDING THE SOIL

Various organic products are

used to improve soil health

and the soil�s nutrient status.

�I wanted to use compost, but

it didn�t make economic sense

to produce it myself or buy it in.

Instead, I started using poultry

manure on every second row to

boost potassium and phosphate

percentages,� says Fritz.

Humates, composed of various

forms of carbon, are also used.

Humic acid is applied via

irrigation every second week.

According to Hans, humic acid

helps to unlock certain elements,

such as potassium and nitrogen

complexes, making the soil less

volatile and prone to leaching.

�Humic acid also binds to clay

particles and form complexes

that can hold up to 16 times

more minerals than clay, thereby

enhancing the soil�s cation

exchange capacity,� Hans says.

Soils with phosphate shortages

are given rock phosphates

in addition to humic acid.

Nitrogen is supplied via Vita

NS40 and ammonium sulphate.

�Farmers should stop buying

cheap nitrogen sources, as

more than half of the nitrogen

in these sources tend to

leach out,� Fritz says.

Fritz addresses plant shortages

through foliar feeds, and says that

before starting this practice, he

used to experience a production

ceiling with his vines and

trees. He also sprays boron and

calcium, along with the required

trace elements, in early spring

to boost fruit set, and applies

fulvic acid to address shortages.

Hans explains that plants are

unable to absorb humic acid, as

its molecules are too large. Fulvic

acid, with its small molecules, can

TOP:

On some of his lands, Fritz has stopped deep ripping before establishing new vines or trees.

ABOVE LEFT:

Hans Ellis is Fritz’s production advisor, and someone with whom Fritz can discuss production ideas.

ABOVE RIGHT:

Oxygenated air is pumped into the irrigation water to oxygenate the soil.

WHITE GRAPE YIELD INCREASED

64% FROM 2014 TO 2015

16 DECEMBER 2016 farmer�sweekly 49

�The drawback is more tractor

hours, as I use the mulcher up to six times a year to manage the weeds. On the positive side, using weed as a cover crop is much cheaper than planting a cover crop and you use fewer herbicides,� he says. Cut plant material remains in plant rows. Whereas plastic sheets

were used to keep the weeds out of the plant rows in the past, weeds are now allowed to grow inside plant rows. �It�s too labour-intensive to remove them and they don�t have a negative impact on production anyway.�

While Fritz tries to use as few herbicides as possible, he still uses Roundup to keep kikuyu and couch grass under control.

�These weeds are a problem. You need to take action before they get out of control.� Fritz

says that switching to biological farming methods was a

lonely journey, but seeing the improvement in soil structure, soil health and production has helped make up for this.

�The soil�s carbon content has increased from 0,07 parts per million to 0,81 parts per

million over the past seven years, while in 2015 the white grape harvest was 64,34% better than

in 2014, and 30,22% better than in 2013. Production volumes in vineyards older than 20 years increased from 14% to 44%. The farm achieved the highest gross income at Ashton Winery � more than R75 000/ha � out of 59 farms.

�One can still make a living from traditional commercial production practices, but for how long will chemical fertiliser and pesticides be economically viable? If you continue to use herbicides, you�ll sit with the same problems 10 years from now, but with poorer results.�

Email Fritz Breytenbach at

fritzlouise@lando.co.za or phone

023 615 1956, or phone Hans

Ellis on 023 615 1490. FW

population balance back in check. I�ll obviously have to do this every few years, as the population balance is bound to be disturbed because of farming practices over time,� he says.

WEED MANAGEMENT

Fritz initially struggled with weed management when he decided to use weeds as cover crops. Now weeds are controlled by cutting them down with a mulcher.

TOP:Weeds are cut down with a mulcher up to six times a year. The cuttings are thrown into the plant rows by the mulchers.

ABOVE:Fritz farms on Middelplaas and Wakkerstroom in the Robertson Valley, with 34ha dedicated to the vineyard, 7ha to canning peaches and 2ha to Bulida apricots.

Table 1: Average production results for Ashton Cellars for 2015: red cultivars

CultivarTons/ha

MiddelplaasTons/ha

WakkerstroomTons/haRobertson

Cabernet Sauvignon

15,36 9,53

Merlot 27,02 19.82 14,81

Ruby cabernet 27,86 26,24 17,98

Shiraz 15,96 27,08 14,04

Tinta Barocca 24,48 17,76

Total average 23,54 20,44

15,42t in comparison with Middelplaas

13,75t in comparison with Wakkerstroom

Table 2: Average production results for Ashton Cellars for 2015: white cultivars

CultivarTons/ha

MiddelplaasTons/ha

WakkerstroomTons/haRobertson

Chardonnay 26,99 23,14 13,88

Chenel 30,05 30,05

Chenin blanc 36,81 18,27 19,04

Colombar 38,96 24 24,37

Muscat de Frontignan

25,07 36,72 13,85

Sauvignon blanc 37,06 25,58 18,40

Total average 34,27 26,23

19,12t in comparison with Middelplaas

19,13t in comparison with Wakkerstroom