SKOG INFORMATION DAY 2019

by Annelene Swanepoel, annelenes@elsenburg.com

TThe annual information day of the Swartland Kleingraan Ontwikkelingsgroep (SKOG) at the Langgewens research farm of the Western Cape Department of Agriculture near Moorreesburg was held during September, despite drought conditions affecting grain crops across the province.

There were 125 delegates attending this information field day, including farmers, researchers, students, and representatives from agribusinesses.

The guest speaker was André Uys, CEO: Agri & Food, Acorn Private Equity. He addressed delegates on sustainable agriculture in the Swartland and how to make sense of what is currently happening around them. He also discussed various strategies for managing sustainability within a changing farming environment.

SKOG collaborators shared their research knowledge from 21 trials during a field visit. Despite the serious effects of the drought on grain crops in other parts of the Swart-land region, crops at Langgewens were still in a fairly good condition at the time, with cover crop varieties showing their resilience in a challenging season.

The next SKOG event will be the SKOG Voorsaaidag, which will be presented at

Langgewens research farm during the first quarter of 2020. This event is all about reporting back on research that was done during the previous growing season and preparing for the next season.

SKOG is managed through the collaboration of four principal members, namely the Western Cape Department of Agriculture, the Protein Research Foundation, Kaap Agri, and Overberg Agri.

SKOG is the acronym for the Swartland Kleingraan Ontwikkelingsgroep. This initiative comprises four principal members, namely the Western Cape Department of Agriculture, Overberg Agri, Kaap Agri and the Protein Research Foundation. It was established to promote and develop grain production in the Swartland region. This initiative offers stakeholders and input suppliers from agribusinesses the opportunity to do research as demonstration trials on a dedicated area at Langgewens research farm. It is then showcased at the annual SKOG information day where producers and other stakeholders have the opportunity to see the trials and discuss results with these co-workers. SKOG also presents an additional information day in March each year, where topics related to planning for the upcoming season are presented. AP