Introduction

Each commodity that is grown or produced has its own requirements in terms of inputs. It is important to understand the commodity with which you intend to work; needs and outputs, cyclic and seasonal events. The farmer must understand these factors in order to select the most appropriate enterprise for the local conditions.

Background

All plants and domestic livestock are adapted to their areas of origin and their production cycles are maintained without man’s interference. However, a farmer optimises production by applying effective production practices. Production management, together with the selection of superior varieties, species and plant improvement, can be seen as an ongoing effort to influence the natural tendencies of the commodity.

Consumers want the produce of their choice to be available at all times. Produce should look good, be unblemished, well-coloured (superior exterior quality), taste good (high interior quality) and be of the right size. At the same time, the farmer wants production areas that will provide high yields over a period of time. In addition to this, the production area must be managed in such a way that production practices have the least possible impact on the natural environment.

Placement and Layout

The placement and layout of a production area are determined by the commodity to be farmed; for example, citrus trees are planted in rows in orchards with a specific planting distance, also called tree spacing or escapement, between rows and between trees. The spacing is determined by numerous factors including climate, variety, soil type, etc.

Yield: The amount of produce that can be harvested from a production area in terms of weight and/or volume per hectare/plant.

Lifespan

Each commodity has a specific lifespan. Obviously, annual crops and some domestic livestock have a lifespan of a few months and there is an annual planting/production cycle. The average economic lifespan of a commercial citrus orchard varies between 18 and 30 years, and the average cow will be productive for approximately 10 years. These would be viewed as long term production commodities. In order to be profitable, the commodity should produce high yields of quality harvests every year and do this consistently over a long period of time.

In agricultural production, the challenge is therefore to make production decisions and take actions to ensure high annual production of marketable produce, while ensuring that these decisions and actions contribute to the long-term sustainability of the enterprise.

Phenology

Phenology refers to regularly recurring biological phenomena and the environmental and climatic factors that influence them.

Understanding the Phenology of the commodity is essential to understanding the reasoning behind many of the practices and actions employed in the production of a specific commodity. For example, the timing of fertiliser applications is linked to the phenology of the commodity, with most fertilisers being applied at appropriate times to optimise the development of the part of the plant to be harvested (fruit/seeds/leaves/roots).

Click here to view a video that explains plant phenology measuring.