Environmental Stewardship Team Player - Our Attorney

As we began the land clearing at Boswelatlou,Lobatse, it was vitally important for a member of our environmental stewardship team our legal counsel, Mr Thomas Sibanda of Sibanda Law Chambers, Gaborone, Botswana,  to verify the coordinates of the area being cleared. We adhere to strict
self imposed environmental guidelines as specified in our business plan and
Environmental Management Plan..

It starts with the pictorial and botanical identification and documentation of  all the trees to be removed.

To give you an idea - the dairy site is  located in the clearing to the left in the image below.

 Due to the density of the bush, Thomas and Nelson had to stand atop the dozer in order to locate the preset beacons for the dozer operator.

Nelson enjoyed this part - making Thomas run!

I joined in with the dozer operator (blue worksuit)
 
Are we on track?

Nelson points to the beacon......

........and the operator concurs.

The clearing starts

The walk back

Each cleared  field must be measured.

I walked with Thomas just in-case a something sprung out of the bushes and ate him!

Why are leopards sometimes observed eating elephant dung?
A: To wash away the taste of a lawyer they just ate!

Every centimetre was documented.

 The 50 hectare centre pivot clearing.

Note the Aloe on the right in the picture.

This is the site for the milking parlour.

The pastures will be right here - beautiful sandy loam soil.

The dozer blade did an amazing job of removing all foliage.

 We then used the ripper to remove the roots and will follow with a tandem disc for the seedbed.

It was slow but precise.

 All shrubs/trees were piled up and women from the Peleng and Woodhall townships of Lobatse were allowed to come and fetch firewood for cooking etc.

 The soil

 All I can see is a 10 tonne/hectare irrigated maize crop.

No I am not digging for mice!

We are the earths stewards, a soil test is essential to determine soil fertility levels and make good nutrient management decisions.

"Legend has it that in the dark of night about 120 years ago, an invading Boer force mistook a forest of Aloe for a group of wildly-outfitted warriors and fled ."   

After a hard day's work - this was our dinner -  The best grass fed Botswana beef oxtail!

"A man who doesn't travel, always thinks his mother's cooking is the best"