WANDILE SIHLOBO: Wheat farmers look to skies as rain dries up
Production declines are expected in the Western Cape even though the SA Crop Estimates Committee forecast a bumper crop
Farming is proving to be one of the more challenging vocations in SA because of the ever-changing risk environment. Not only must farmers monitor economic conditions, changing consumer preferences and social dynamics, but the weather is proving to be the most unpredictable aspect of all.
An example is the Western Cape, where weather forecasters predicted the possibility of above-normal rainfall in 2019, and wheat farmers in that province worked hard to ensure they planted whatever good land they could find, in the hope that higher rainfall would lead to a better harvest and an improvement in their fortunes after years of drought. ..
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