For Laastedrift Agri’s Daniël Cillie, growing a successful BigBucks Gala crop comes down to getting the fundamentals right: choosing the right planting material, managing the tree carefully, and, above all, ensuring adequate light penetration throughout the canopy.
This disciplined approach is paying significant dividends. Their farm, Uitkoms, is the current holder of the Buks Nel floating trophy, awarded by Ceres Fruit Growers for exceptional performance with BigBucks Gala. While Cillie acknowledges that the farm is doing something right, he emphasizes that the learning process remains ongoing.
Strategic Expansion in High-Altitude Terroir
Laastedrift Agri first planted a commercial trial block of BigBucks Gala in 2015, in collaboration with industry pioneer Buks Nel. The positive initial results gave the Cillie family the confidence to expand aggressively from 2020 onward. Today, the enterprise manages 35 hectares of BigBucks Gala orchards, establishing the variety as a core pillar of the farm’s overall Gala programme.
Situated between 900 and 1,200 metres above sea level with an average of approximately 1,500 chill units, the farm benefits from cooler conditions than many surrounding Ceres production areas. This unique microclimate provides a strong advantage for colour development—a decisive factor for meeting the strict quality standards required for Flash Gala, the premium brand under which qualifying BigBucks Gala fruit is marketed.
Rather than chasing maximum volume, Laastedrift Agri targets a balanced yield averaging 80 to 90 tonnes per hectare. Quality remains the top priority, with the farm targeting Flash Gala pack-outs of at least 85% to 90%, occasionally exceeding those figures in favourable seasons.
Precision Canopy and Crop Load Management
Achieving high pack-out rates requires intensive orchard management starting at pruning. Cillie stresses the necessity of managing canopy structure to maximize light exposure inside the tree.
Controlling crop load is equally vital. While overloading trees might temporarily inflate seasonal yields, it frequently triggers alternate bearing and compromises overall fruit quality. Laastedrift Agri utilizes a combination of pruning, chemical and hand thinning, and growth-management tools to control vegetative vigour, improve light distribution, extend the picking window, and promote uniform fruit maturity.
This structured management allows for a remarkably efficient harvest. Over the past three seasons, the farm successfully harvested the entire crop in a single pick. However, Cillie notes that growers must carefully balance the cost-efficiency of a single harvest against the potential risk of fruit downgrades, ensuring maximum value at the packhouse.
Rootstock Selection and Operational Advice
Orchard establishment on the farm relies on both M7 and MM109 rootstocks, with selections tailored directly to specific soil types and site conditions.
For producers considering BigBucks Gala, Cillie advises focusing on core agronomic foundations: sourcing high-quality certified planting material, matching rootstocks accurately to local soil profiles, and aligning the cultivar carefully with the farm’s broader harvesting schedule to mitigate labor peaks.
A Pillar for the Future
As Laastedrift Agri completes a major six-year planting phase, the farm is entering a consolidation and replacement cycle while remaining open to strategic expansion. As one of their most profitable cultivars, BigBucks Gala continues to deliver strong returns across diverse market segments.
For Cillie, cultivating a high-performing, locally developed cultivar brings both commercial success and professional pride. Ultimately, few sights in agriculture match the satisfaction of a harvest bin filled with fully coloured, premium-grade Flash Gala apples—a true sea of red.