Orizon Blog
![Cover crop with a sign](assets/coverCropSign.jpg)
Vuilgoed: Meer Vuil of Goed?
22 March 2024
In n wereld waar onkruidoders heers en alles wat nie gestroop word nie gedood word, word daar kop gekrap. want is vuilgoed nou werklik vuil of is dit dalk net goed?
LEARN MORE
![Pest insect sitting on plant stem](assets/HighlitedMicrobes.png)
The Role of Soil Microbes in Reg. Ag.
08 March 2024
Regenerative agriculture is the practice of farming in a way that rebuilds what has been lost in our soils. It focuses on promoting soil health and prioritizing biodiversity and ecosystem health. This is done through holistic practices such as crop rotation, livestock integration, redu...
LEARN MORE
![Pest insect sitting on plant stem](assets/cropPest.jpg)
IPM ingenuity in regen. ag.
23 February 2024
Protecting your crops against the onslaught of pests is crucially important, but the old ways of crop protection just aren’t cutting it anymore, especially if farming regeneratively is your main goal. Enter Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Not just a pest management system, but a way of...
LEARN MORE
![Drone flying over a crop with a setting sun](assets/droneInSunset.jpg)
Transparency and Traceability in Food Systems
13 October 2023
Transparency in food supply systems is becoming increasingly important as consumers demand to know more about where their food comes from and how it is produced.
LEARN MORE
![Image of crops growing through a previously burned field](assets/burnedCrops.jpg)
Vuur en regeneratiewe landbou?
28 September 2023
Van die kopseeer van veldbrande wat deur dusidende boere jaarliks bestry word tot die gerief om van reste op lande ontslae te raak, het boere 'n teenstrydige verhouding met vuur. So waar pas dit in die regeratiewe sisteem...
LEARN MORE
![Image of potassium cycle](assets/potassiumCycle.png)
Towards Understanding: Potassium
15 September 2023
Potassium is often thought of as being the simplest macronutrient to manage as it cannot be lost as a gas or leached as quickly as nitrogen, and cannot become permanently unavailable to plants like phosphorus...
LEARN MORE
![Image of phosphorus cycle](assets/PhosphorusNutrientCycle.png)
Towards Understanding: Phosphorus
08 September 2023
Phosphorus, like coal, or oil, is a finite resource on earth, and it has been suggested that all known mineral reserves will be depleted within this century. What then, will be the fate of commercial farming, which has come to rely heavily on external sources of...
LEARN MORE
![Image of nitrogen being cycled](assets/NitrogenCycle.png)
Towards Understanding: Nitrogen
01 September 2023
R2.3 billion (or $127 million) – this is the value of Nitrogen in the atmosphere above every hectare of soil. In fact, something that most of you would remember from your primary school days is that 78% of the earth’s atmosphere consists of nitrogen gas...
LEARN MORE
![Image of plant absorbing co2 from atmosphere](assets/plantAbsorbingCo2.png)
From Air to Earth: Carbon Sequestration
25 August 2023
Healthy soils are one of our planets largest land-based carbon storehouses. Transforming carbon from air to earth can be done by mimicking what we see in nature. Farmers can play a vital role in unlocking natures secret of carbon storage...
LEARN MORE
![Image of sponge on blue background](assets/sponge.png)
Soil Water Holding Capacity
18 August 2023
When it comes to water, soils act like batteries, storing water between rain or irrigation events. This allows plants to have access to water during extended periods of no precipitation.
LEARN MORE
![Close up image of some cover crops](assets/CoverCropPlants.png)
Cover Crop Biomass Sampling
11 August 2023
Providing numerous benefits to farmers and the environment. One often overlooked aspect of cover crop management is biomass sampling, a practice that allows farmers to better assess their cover crops' performance and make informed grazing...
LEARN MORE
![Image of worm asking for help](assets/birdEatingWorm.png)
Earthworms in agriculture 2
04 August 2023
In our last entry, we introduced you to earthworms and how they work and benefit the soil. In a healthy, no-till soil, approximately 1.2 million earthworms can be found per hectare. The survival of this mega soil workforce largely depends on how well we steward our agricultural lands. Before we get into discussing...
LEARN MORE
![Image of intertwined worms on fresh soil](assets/wormsCuddling.png)
Earthworms in agriculture 1
28 July 2023
For some it may seem insignificant, but most would agree that there are few things as exciting as digging up a lump of soil and find it wriggling with earthworms! Whether serving as bait when fishing in the farm dam or recycling nutrients in your soil, the little wrigglers play an important part in our ecosystem. In this blog....
LEARN MORE
![View of strip cropping field](assets/coverCropSunrise.jpg)
Do cover crops make sense?
21 July 2023
The latest trend that is making its mark in the farming world is the planting of cover crops. Although some benefits are obvious, why would a farmer spend that extra money to plant seeds after, into or in place of a cash crop? Many farmers have some serious questions and doubts...
LEARN MORE
![View of strip cropping field](assets/StripCroppingField-2.jpeg)
Strip cropping strategies to increase Maize yields
14 July 2023
Strip cropping is an unfamiliar term for most farmers, but early results in South Africa show promising signs of increasing yields and profits when managed correctly. If you are a grain farmer, it might be worth considering...
LEARN MORE
![Scale of the earth weighing carbon and a green fan](assets/CarbonBalance.jpg)
What makes a High-Quality Carbon Credit?
07 July 2023
All Carbon Credits are equal, but some are more equal than others. On the Voluntary Carbon Market, each carbon credit / offset is equal to the next as it represents 1 tonne of CO2 that has been removed from the atmosphere or where its emission has been...
LEARN MORE
![Hand holding fresh seedling](assets/PlantGrowingInSoil.png)
Soil Health - an IT guy's perspective
29 June 2023
Soil health seems complicated. Many terms like carbon, biome and organisms are thrown around in long-winded and often confusing ways. I'd like to try and simplify it from the perspective of a non-expert.
LEARN MORE
![View of strip cropping field](assets/CattleGrazing.jpg)
Orizon Agriculture - about the team
23 June 2023
Agriculture is a very special sector. It is the basis of our society, providing us with the food we eat and with a large portion of the natural materials we use. At the heart of agriculture are farmers. Modern farmers are tasked with producing food sustainably on an unprecedented...
LEARN MORE