Harvest Time

As advertised yesterday we started our maize harvest this morning. As a fairly recent recruit to farming and things agricultural it has been very interesting finding out how complex the decision making involved in farming is. I remember when I was at primary school we used to sing a hymn that went “We plough the fields and scatter the good seed on the land, And it is fed and watered by God’s almighty hand”, (or something very similar). I am extremely grateful that we have a very dedicated team who understand the finer details of God’s plan for the things that grow. Duncan, our farm manager, and the Agriculture College teachers and students have a very positive approach to making sure our farming activities are carried out to a high standard and are constructively self-critical in terms of future improvements. We are already planning for the next planting season and considering the best seeds to plant for maximum yield.

The maize harvest has been very encouraging. Best guess at quantities so far suggests ten 96 kg sacks as a realistic estimate. That’s nearly a tonne of maize which is pretty good as a first go. The cobs of maize are being stored in a somewhat makeshift facility that was left behind after the building work that we had done earlier this year. This morning it was all hands on deck picking the cobs from the maize plants and carrying them in sacks from the field to be dried in the sun on a large tarpaulin. The children worked really hard and with a good heart– even the smallest ones pulled big sacks full of cobs up the field. Our post harvest management is now going to be critical. This afternoon I listened to an interesting discussion about how long it would take the rats to work out where we are keeping our maize! We need to get on and quickly dry the cobs before stripping off the kernels and putting them in sacks in our permanent storehouse.

I would never have believed that I would be actively involved in farming all those years ago when I was in primary school. Our technique of digging holes rather than ploughing the fields differs somewhat from the words in the hymn but the principles remain the same. Care for creation means being good stewards of the land that we have been blessed with. Our harvest today has been a good reward for all the hours of hard work and dedication that Duncan and his team have invested in our farm. I really thank God for them.