In the heart of Rawsonville, in the building with the green Agrico nameplate, sits a small but highly skilled team of irrigation experts. As the chosen irrigation company of Karsten Group in the Hex Valley, Agrico Rawsonville played a fundamental role in the success of last year’s competition winners for the Hex Valley’s annual table grape block competition.
They have become part of the success stories of many farmers in the Rawsonville and surrounding areas.
Karsten Group production manager Anton Bothma
Irrigation and support for block competition winners
The annual block competition was hosted by HTA (Hex Valley Table Grape Association) and offers growers across the Hex Valley the chance to put their best young or established blocks to the test. In 2022, the Karsten Group could boast with a 2,6 ha established block Sweet Globe which won first place out of 56 entries.
According to area manager Henry Horn, thorough preparation and new ways of thinking were the cornerstones of their success.
“We have different ways of thinking when it comes to production. Many people have questioned us, but we’re testing the boundaries. We also managed the irrigation very differently,” he explains.
Traditionally, the Hex Valley is a micro or single-drip irrigation area. But the Karsten team employed a double-drip system. The same applies to fertiliser: where in the past it was believed that all components should be given separately, the team applied potassium and phosphates together.
However, according to Horn, it was the pruning practice that made the biggest difference.
“The action that contributed the most to our success was the marking of our winter pruning shoots. The team used established experts to first mark the shoots to be pruned. Then the permanent team walked through and pruned those marked shoots. In this way, each block could also be micro-managed to make sure that shoots of the highest quality were retained.”
In their own words
What does a successful farming enterprise look for in an irrigation team? According to the Karsten Group, it’s extremely important to get to the right guys: a team of knowledgeable people who believe in you and your approach to farming.
“You must have a management team that forms part of and buys into your vision, in the midst of strange requests and new plans,” Horn believes.
This is exactly what the Karsten team found in Agrico Rawsonville. The branch, led by manager Johan Burger, is the third Agrico team involved in their enterprise, and the team who helped them accomplish their latest achievement.
The key is relationship, believes production manager Anton Bothma.
“That team must believe in you and trust that you will invest in them going forward, and vice versa. Today’s input is important for future.
“I arrived here as a young man,” says Anton. “All the irrigation knowledge I have today, I learned from them. You can call them at any time with questions, and what they don’t know immediately, they find out.”
According to branch manager Johan, teamwork was essential to the block’s success.
“We like getting the full picture and being able to make calculations as a team and devise plans to find an effective solution together.”
What does Agrico offer?
Agrico designs, manufactures and supplies a wide range of drip and micro irrigation systems for farms of all sizes across the region. Their systems are designed to reduce water consumption while promoting healthy root systems.
In-house manufacturing reduces costs
Agrico manufactures various components in our own factories to provide you with drip and micro irrigation solutions at an affordable price.
Comprehensive expertise
Thorough knowledge of micro and drip systems, coupled with extensive design skills, enable them to recommend optimal irrigation solutions. Agrico represents top suppliers of micro and drip irrigation and has a large number of designers to ensure the correct product selection for your farm.
Respect for water
Agrico takes great care to select the most effective spray packages to match your crop, paying attention to ideal droplet size, system pressure, application rate and application depth to limit evaporation, runoff, overwatering and other waste.
Customized for your farm
A poorly designed system that causes you to over-irrigate is not only a burden on your crop, but also on your pocketbook. Agrico supplies, installs and integrates custom micro and drip systems to suit your farming needs and help you create more value.
