Drive carefully, planting season is coming

From late Spring into Summer the roads you travel in South Africa may take you past vast open lands being planted with summer crops like maize, sunflower and soybeans.

As a road user, please be careful of tractors with planters or fertilizer trucks that may need to move between farmlands on public roads.

South Africa’s planting season for maize runs from late October in the eastern parts and on irrigated farmland to mid-December in the western parts. By the public holiday on December 16, all the seed should ideally be in the ground, so the pressure is on!

Be patient on the road if you are stuck behind agricultural vehicles, especially on the narrower rural roads, and give them a friendly honk and a wave if it is safe to pass.

From maize meal for pap to mielies for the braai – maize remains an important staple for all South Africans.

Did you know that the maize meal we eat today started out as a kernel of corn planted almost year ago?

Yes, it takes three to four months for maize to mature after those first leaves emerge from the soil. Before it can be milled, the grain needs to dry off. The bulk of maize produced for milling will be harvested in winter.

Bayer Crop Science wishes all farmers preparing the land a prosperous planting season: Your pride is our passion!

Safe Driving with Tractors and Preventing Tractor Accidents