Kristopher Klokkenga is a 32 year old farmer from Emden,
Illinois, who has been involved in setting
up a new commercial farm in Ghana
since 2010.
His clearly written, easy to digest descriptions of his
experiences, particularly the differences between the two places, make very
interesting reading.
On a trip back to Illinois,
he expresses relief at getting a break from Ghana’s
mostly all-year round sweltering equatorial heat. He is reminded of how ready
access to the latest farming technological gadgets greatly eases harvest on his
family’s Illinois farm, compared
to his experience harvesting maize in Ghana.
He writes, “Budgets become extremely important to conserve
our limited funds. So instead of a importing an expensive combine to use for
harvesting our small area, we used a New Idea 325 2RN, the same type of picker
that Grandpa used 50 years ago”
On the other hand, he appreciates how the climate in Ghana
makes two maize harvests possible in one year.
