Cultivating nature's marvels

In the quest for continuous improvement, Ronald immerses himself in a diverse range of projects. And he definitely doesn’t do it alone. Ronald: “At the Armada meeting – which is a yearly meeting with all farm managers to discuss the challenges they foresee in meeting the Market Demand - we made a list of actions that might lead to production or quality improvement. Currently, we are working on 124 different actions, which we call Tags.”

“An interesting Tag is to determine the nematode population in the different farms. It is important to know that there are different types of nematodes. Saprophytic nematodes are the good type. They decompose organic material and recycle nutrients back into the soil; their presence indicates healthy soil. Plant-pathogenic nematodes on the other hand are the bad type. They can cause different types of damage to the crops, for instance by providing entry points for fungi and bacteria, and reducing uptake of water and nutrients.” Ronald found that the soil’s biological activity (by the good nematodes) is low, and that plant-pathogenic nematode counts are high. A new program has started to monitor and manage nematodes in different crops.

Wednesday: Pioneering growth and discovery

A full day for Ronald and the team at Kudenga Farm. Here, new Eryngium and Gypsophila blocks have been planted according to the Crop Establishment Manual. Time to observe the progress! Ronald: “The Eryngium plants have established nicely, without any losses. Even though this also depends on the clone, it is a very promising observation. We also found that the production of Gypsophila has increased. We changed the light regime, sanitation protocol, and reduced fertiliser and growth hormone application. Improvement was also seen in the Gypsophila opening room.”

Ronald is all about sharing his knowledge. He spent his Thursday working on two more manuals; the Crop Protection Manual and the Soil Improvement Manual. The first describes the new quantitative scouting method that has been introduced. Ronald: “Currently, different management systems have been added for specific pests and diseases. We are aiming for biological or organic control methods first before we start looking for chemical solutions.” The Soil Improvement Manual is used to describe the

different activities that have to be carried out between uprooting an old crop and planting a new crop. Ronald: “This morning I worked on three different checklists that describe the sequence of the activities that need to be carried out. Each step is checked, and major steps are signed off by the farm management. The good thing about a checklist is that corrections can be made immediately, before the next step has started.”

With all that scouting data being collected by Ronald and the teams, it is key to store all of it in a proper database. This database is currently running for MR Farm. Ronald: “We are now starting to roll it out into the other farms. Farm maps have been collected and are now getting incorporated into the database. Secondly, we are working on a list which includes all the active ingredients, biologicals, and bio-stimulants we use; all will be incorporated into the scouting database.”

The week draws to a close as Ronald embarks on a Saturday morning literature study. He researches the impact of cover crops on the soil bio life, soil organic matter and earthworms. Secondly, what is the best method to terminate a cover crop? And what will be the impact on the planning for the crop over a longer period of time?

We can consider ourselves very lucky to have such a knowledgeable and dedicated agronomist on our team. Ronald explores the frontiers of innovation, unlocking nature’s mysteries, and sculpting a more sustainable future for Marginpar. Together, we embrace the beauty of our flower-growing craft, intertwining nature’s splendour with our unwavering commitment to excellence and sustainability.