Soya Bean Farming in Zambia: What Happens Next After Harvesting?

After our soya beans crop was harvested from the fields, we then had to move onto the next steps that would end up with us being able to sell it.
The first stage of the post-harvest process is threshing. This is defined as the separation of grain or seeds from (a cereal or legume plant or the like) by some mechanical means, as by beating with a flail or by the action of a threshing machine.
In much of Zambia, farmers at our scale do this manually, but in keeping with its strategy of modern farming, Mondo Farms hired a small mechanical threshing machine that was brought to Winterthorn and was put straight to use at Riverview.
This video shares how the threshing started on June 01, 2022 , and then shows the steps that have followed, including winnowing and cleaning of the grain, which is then packed in bags.
The bags of grain will then be divided into a portion that will be sold this month (we need the cash to operate right now), and the remainder which will be kept in storage for the next few weeks/months while we wait for the market price to appreciate as the harvest supplies are sold across the country.

[@socialmediafarms.6008]

You have good mulch material for your fields. Great work

[@mondofarms4343]

Indeed. We used a lot of our soya chaff to make compost for the vegetable fields later in the year. Perhaps it was our own confirmation bias, but we felt that it was better than what we normally make with leaves. 🤔🤔

[@hapio1307]

Watching your job all the way from USA. You guys did a good job and thanks for showing us in details how things work after harvesting soya beans from the farm. Thanks Mondo Farms

[@mondofarms4343]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@martintendayichirombe4016]

You seem to get along well with your workers. Great stuff 👏. You just got a subscriber. All the best from Zimbabwe

[@mondofarms4343]

Thanks and welcome

[@neversmweemba7207]

This is really an inspiration, job well done sir. Am inspired..

[@mondofarms4343]

Many thanks

[@martinoma7860]

It was amazing to see the threshing machine simplify work

[@mondofarms4343]

Yes. It is very effective.

[@monicamussasa8635]

I really appreciate your efforts and you also engage your Worker's in what you are doing which is very good I'm coping also by the way I saw the bags of charcoal don't cut trees OOOOH.

[@mondofarms4343]

Thanks Monica. Now, we definitely don't cut trees for making charcoal. As you have seen from our other videos, we are actually planting trees for timber and poles. However, after clearing land for new fields and tree blocks, we end up with a lot of tree stumps on the sides. This is what we used to make charcoal. So its a fortunate by-product.

[@milikansofu1083]

he has an impressive tree planting program so i'd let him cut a tree or so as a circle of life :)

[@DORITHYMORISUMSALIFU]

I must subscribe. I love agribusiness

[@mondofarms4343]

Welcome aboard

[@victorjere152]

Very interesting work You are doing. Am inspired

[@mondofarms4343]

Thank you so much 😀

[@Hannah-jk3dk]

This is great so what do you do with the waste. I am interested in finding out how the waste can be used

[@mondofarms4343]

We used some of it to make compost. Actually, it was very good compost because of the high Nitrogen content. Pls check out our other videos we shared about compost making.

[@thabangmofolo443]

I imagine that all the chaff from the bean crop goes into your compost. You have also mentioned use of manure in one of your videos. Where do you source the manure, and do you apply it fresh or decomposed? Doesn't the manure come with unwanted seeds that later cause a weeding problem?

[@mondofarms4343]

Hi Thabang. Let me try to answer your questions. 1) Yes, we include some of the soya chaff into compost making. Wr thought it qould be great. But it has proved pretty normal. 2) We buy manure from nearby poultry farms. As dry as possible. Yes, sometimes we face challenges of supply depends on the fortunes and cycles of the chicken industry. 3) The manure we buy is from farmers that feed their birds with professional chicken feed, so seeds are not a problem. We are confident that the temperatures that the compost reaches while it is cooking kill off any seed and pathogens. Pls research "hot compost"

[@mainzangandu4822]

Thanks for sharing. How many bags were you able to shell per hour or per day?

[@mondofarms4343]

I can't remember exactly. But I think it was about 10-12 or so per day with that machine.

[@mainzangandu4822]

@@mondofarms4343 Noted thanks

[@sp9635]

Highly informative

[@mondofarms4343]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Henrykhine115]

You have been so generously manage your farm. To cost effective, you should use two employees at the feeding station , while one is feeding the machine the other should prepare the beans for the machine to feed since it is running by gasoline. You should run the machine near the heap of major bean pile even though it is in the sun. No one should stand while others are working. Everyone should be used effectively to save for good.

[@mondofarms4343]

Thanks for the tips!

[@nonyadamnbusiness9887]

Great video. I'm surprised Zambia doesn't have custom harvesters like the American plains states or threshing companies as existed all over America until the 1950s and went from farm to farm with a threshing machine.

[@mondofarms4343]

Okay.

[@bolkas]

Hi, where could this machine be purchased?

[@mondofarms4343]

This one was hired from those guys. There are various sizes and models available, as you will see.

[@ruthkamawu2743]

How many bags have you harvested from your 4 ha This is great am learning a lot .. I just subscribed and am glued to you

[@mondofarms4343]

The yield we got was fair in the circumstances, especially with very late and very erratic rainfall we had this season. But please note that businesses like ours often make the choice not to share such numbers and amounts online. Others do so, but we don't. It's proprietary.

[@Pngoma957]

Amazing How many bags or Tons did you get from the 4 hectares you planted

[@mondofarms4343]

Hi Dickson. Please have a read of previous comments on how we handle issues of publishing such numbers on social media as a business. Take care and thanks for watching.

[@margheritabavagnoli6303]

Hi great channel, how can I get in touch with you as I am working on a soybean project in Zambia?

[@mondofarms4343]

Yes of course. Our contact details can be accessed from the About Us link on the channel details. You can also visit our Facebook page.

[@kennedysoko2243]

Wonderful! Where exactly in Ndola can one hire this thresher?

[@mondofarms4343]

I'm sure you can find one. Sadly, I can't publicly share the number for the one we hired. We looked around and asked a lot of people. Finally, I joined a Facebook group for Soya Growers in Zambia and followed the adverts and postings there. That's how we managed to find them. Good luck.

[@Gaborekoe]

Nice one ❤️

[@mondofarms4343]

Thanks 🔥

[@Genertrevia]

Hi, how big is the area you planted?

[@mondofarms4343]

We only did about 2Ha last season.

[@bernasphiri7683]

Do you have a contact for these people who hire the shelling machine in ndola

[@mondofarms4343]

We found them via Facebook. There are a number of farming and soya beans groups in particular, where I'm sure you can find someone like that. Sorry, I'm not keen to put anyone's number out on social media. Do unto others...

[@skyenicholas6900]

Nice video. Do you sun dry the soybeans after threshing?

[@mondofarms4343]

No, the grain was already dried in the field and before threshing. Drying it again would lead to greater moisture loss and it would lose its appeal on the market. A major use of soya beans is in making cooking oil, so keeping the moisture content in acceptable ranges is key. Also remember almost all grain is sold by the weight. So if the grain loses too much weight, farmers would lose money.

[@JohnBwalya-f8b]

How much this machine soya beans shellar is it diesel or petrol

[@mondofarms4343]

The machine we used that year was hired from some guys we found on Facebook. In the end, we found that it was rather small-scale and took a long time to thresh our soya beans

[@tendaifumbauta8942]

Hi sir. I'm a student and i have been watching your channel for quite some time now and i appreciate the education you're giving us. I have been doing my own study on soybeans because I'm interested in investing in farming with an uncle of mine on some land that he doesn't use at the moment next farming season. I would really appreciate some guidance and motivation from you and how much land i should consider farming for the first time (the total land area is 18 hectares)

[@mondofarms4343]

Hi there. Thanks for getting in touch. We would love to help, but find ourselves very busy with our normal work and duties. You can imagine how many requests we get every week, and if we accommodate all, we would have challenges in meeting our own work deliverables and targets. I decided to help other farmers through the KZbin videos we do, which take a lot of time and effort. For now, that is all we can offer. I advise you to keep reaching out to other farmers like you have done here. Join WhatsApp Groups for farmers, which I'm sure you have there. Some are set up by the seed and agrochem companies, while others are independent. Another important thing we highly recommend is to work closely with your local agronomists. These are found in most reputable seed, fertiliser, or agrochem companies, and we consult constantly. Wishing you the best in your farming.

[@tendaifumbauta8942]

@@mondofarms4343 Thank so much for the response

[@memorymulenga8129]

When is the best month to plant soybeans and how long does it take to fully mature

[@mondofarms4343]

Soya beans are usually planted in Nov-Dec, depending on rains.

[@rasheedadek3329]

Can animal eat the shaff?

[@mondofarms4343]

I googled your question and found this... agris.fao.org/agris-search/search.do?recordID=R22019200121

[@JesusisLord78]

How many hectares did you guys plant soya?

[@mondofarms4343]

Our total was about 4 Ha

[@JesusisLord78]

Nice one.but Just wanted to ask if it was worth it Sir? Did you make a profit?

[@mondofarms4343]

Good question. I would say it was worth it, especially when you look at long term benefits. This rain season, we have planted Soya Bean on a much, much larger scale.

[@arthurmbahwe7311]

Interesting, I need to buy that kind of machine.. kindly share information.

[@mondofarms4343]

As we said on the video, we avoid buying machinery that we will only use once a year. By choosing to hire instead of buy, our numbers came good. By the way, the soya threshing was only a week! by now, if we had bought a machine, it would already be taking up space in our stores till next year. Don't do it!! But if you still feel it is necessary want to buy, have a look among the many soya groups on Facebook.

[@block9292]

I manufacture the machines. Where are you situated Arthur?

[@ruthkamawu2743]

Are all those your permanent workers and how much do you pay them approximately

[@mondofarms4343]

As my earlier response, please note that businesses like ours often make the choice not to share such numbers and amounts online. Others do so, but we don't. It's proprietary.

[@block9292]

I can design a machine for you to clean the soya after it has been threshed. I am in Malawi so it is not that far.

[@mondofarms4343]

Indeed

[@rugematheotime7339]

This is good farming , I started to cultivate soybeans now I have not market , please help me to get market , I want to cultivate more hectors , Thanks

[@mondofarms4343]

Good luck. I'm not how exactly we can help in such cases. All the best.

[@attahnantogmahabdul-rahama9097]

This your soyabean machine is just a punishment, it is very slow in thrashing. Get a better machine

[@mondofarms4343]

Indeed. We shall look for a different one to hire next year. This was our first time growing and harvesting soya beans, so a lot of valuable lessons learnt.

[@drum1403]

Realy...? Harvesting by hands...? Buy a combine dude...!!!!!

[@mondofarms4343]

Indeed.

[@Akoba23benin]

Do you know how much is a combine? Minimum 60k USD for used. Plus gas and if not enough space it's a waste. Finally hand harvesting creates partial jobs for local communities. Use some brain