Johan Bruwer from the farm Randrivier, outside Robertson, is a leading farmer in the area who cultivates stone fruit, citrus and vineyards.

Three years ago he decided to make use of Atlantic Fertilisers’ agricultural services. At the time soil and leaf samples were taken to set up the right fertiliser programmes for his farm. Semi-organic and water-soluble products are now being used and Johan believes that the products proposed by Atlantic Fertilisers have proven very successful, especially when having limited water. He believes that regular, constant feeding at safe concentrations with the right products was the answer for his soils.

Over time, more changes were made to train fruit trees with the V-trellis method. The trees are planted about 750 cm apart in a double row and the trunks are trained in an opposite direction at a slope of 60 degrees. This forms the structure. Nine wires are tied to each row of trees and a side tether is attached to each wire.

This method drastically reduces labour costs and facilitates tree access during the pruning season. More trees per hectare are planted and more sunlight can enter the tree frame. These are all factors that increased production and netprofit per hectare.

Future plans for the farm are planting underneath nets and increasing the current packing warehouse. Johan intends to pack products for other producers as well. The evidence speaks for itself. Johan believes diversification and innovative thinking help to ensure sustainability.