By: Buz Kloot
Recently, I visited with my sister-in-law in Cape Town, South Africa and she told me that one of her old friends asked if she was related to me (we share a last name). I met the friend and she told me I had been mentioned in an article in the Farmers Weekly, a South African magazine, about farmer/rancher Barry Meijer’s regenerative journey.
Barry Meijer took over a farm near De Rust in the Little Karoo, South Africa, he faced a tough situation: the soil was bare, compacted, and couldn’t hold water. With only about 30 inches of rain in a good year—and at lot less during recent droughts—Barry knew he needed to change something to revive his land.
Imagine my surprise to learn that a simple YouTube video could spark such a transformation. Barry watched a conversation between me and Ray Archuleta, where we talked about the power of keeping living roots in the soil to boost water infiltration and water retention. That discussion resonated with Barry and led him to dig deeper into regenerative farming practices. He started learning from others like Gabe Brown, Dr. Christine Jones, and Walter Jehne, and began experimenting on his own farm.
Barry adopted no-till farming and started planting a diverse mix of cover crops using a special seeder, which helped improve the soil structure and brought life back to his land. Inspired by studies like the Jena Experiment, he realized that having diverse mixes of plants could enhance soil health, productivity, and resilience. Since making these changes, Barry has seen his farm’s productivity jump from 12 tons of dry matter per hectare to an impressive 48 tons per hectare in 2023.
What amazes me is how the stories and ideas we share at SoilHealthLabs.com and Growing ResilienceSD.com can ripple out in ways we never expected, even reaching farmers like Barry in the Karoo. It’s a powerful reminder of how connected we all are in this global community of farmers and ranchers, and how sharing knowledge can make a real difference, not just for the land but for people’s lives too.
For the original Farmer’s Weekly article, please go to:
Visit these “Growing Resilience Through Our Soils” information pages:
1. Podcast page for drought planning fact sheets, Q&As, news, podcasts, and more.
2. Video page to watch videos of other ranchers’ journeys toward improved rangeland/pasture.
3. Follow Growing Resilience on social media:
4. Our homepage: www.growingresiliencesd.com
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