CATEGORIES

Returning To His Farming Roots Paid Off
Farmer's Weekly

Returning To His Farming Roots Paid Off

Viking Farming near East London in the Eastern Cape is a small but intensive vegetable operation that supplies supermarkets and processors across the Eastern Cape and even the Western Cape. Mike Burgess visited Valhalla farm to better understand how owner Mike Pedersen-Horn has managed to build up this adaptable and profitable business over the past 20 years.

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5 mins  |
Farmer's Weekly 3 August 2018
Highlights Of Zimbabwe's ADMA Agrishow
Farmer's Weekly

Highlights Of Zimbabwe's ADMA Agrishow

Case IH played a starring role in the fourth annual ADMA Agrishow. Joe Spencer reports.

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2 mins  |
Farmer's Weekly 3 August 2018
Is Agripreneurship The Future For SA's Smallholders?
Farmer's Weekly

Is Agripreneurship The Future For SA's Smallholders?

‘Agripreneurship’ has become a catchphrase of international agriculture, particularly for largerscale commercial operations. However, Dr Maxwell Mudhara, director of the Farmers’ Support Group at the University of KwaZuluNatal, discusses whether this concept is applicable as a development tool for the world’s smallholder farmers, especially the women and youth of rural South Africa.

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4 mins  |
Farmer's Weekly 10 August 2018
Freedom: It's In The Taste
Farmer's Weekly

Freedom: It's In The Taste

Robert Patson of Happy Land Farm in Kyalami believes freerange chickens not only hold the answer to healthy food, but that his model of farming could help alleviate poverty for individuals and communities. He spoke to Gerhard Uys.

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6 mins  |
Farmer's Weekly 10 August 2018
Healthy Flour, Healthy Profits
Farmer's Weekly

Healthy Flour, Healthy Profits

Gideon Milling, a stone ground milling company in the Western Cape, was launched in 2013 by a group of entrepreneurs to improve farmers’ profitability and food security. Aubrey Terblanche and Jurianne Schreuder spoke to Glenneis Kriel about the company’s vision and success.

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6 mins  |
Farmer's Weekly 10 August 2018
Controlling Brown Stomach Worm In Sheep And Goats
Farmer's Weekly

Controlling Brown Stomach Worm In Sheep And Goats

These parasites occur in the lining of the stomach. If not treated in time, they can cause production losses and even result in death.

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2 mins  |
Farmer's Weekly 10 August 2018
Ascochyta Blight: A Growing Problem In Common Bean
Farmer's Weekly

Ascochyta Blight: A Growing Problem In Common Bean

This seed-borne disease seems to be spreading in South Africa, and is also more virulent than in earlier years. Fortunately, fungicides are available to deal with the problem.

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2 mins  |
Farmer's Weekly 10 August 2018
No-till On A Small Farm: Part 1
Farmer's Weekly

No-till On A Small Farm: Part 1

A big problem with a small farming operation is that it is usually cash-strapped and therefore cannot afford mechanisation. This makes it difficult to compete against larger farms.

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2 mins  |
Farmer's Weekly 10 August 2018
Coming Soon: A Fresh Look For The Cape Town Market
Farmer's Weekly

Coming Soon: A Fresh Look For The Cape Town Market

At the recent annual general meeting of the Sandveld Potato Producers’ Association held in Velddrif, Philé van Zyl, director at the Cape Town Market, spoke about plans to expand and upgrade the facility’s trading floor. He spoke to Glenneis Kriel.

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4 mins  |
July 6, 2018
Getting Settled On Carnarvon Estates
Farmer's Weekly

Getting Settled On Carnarvon Estates

In 2009, the managing director of Nerpo, Aggrey Mahanjana, took charge of the 5 000ha Carnarvon Estates land reform farm in the Eastern Cape. Today he can look back on a successful journey, but one that has had its share of bumps and potholes. Mike Burgess reports.

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4 mins  |
July 6, 2018
Indigenous Goats Flourish In Free State
Farmer's Weekly

Indigenous Goats Flourish In Free State

Indigenous Veld Goat breeder Erik de Witt is following his dream of preserving indigenous livestock breeds. Sabrina Dean visited him and learnt that with innovative marketing, it is also possible to make handsome returns on these unique animals.

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5 mins  |
July 6, 2018
Saving Our Land: The Basics Of Biodiversity
Farmer's Weekly

Saving Our Land: The Basics Of Biodiversity

South Africa’s rich biodiversity is not only fascinating and beautiful; it provides a wide range of products and services for commercial and subsistence purposes.

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3 mins  |
July 6, 2018
Boiling Point In Agricultural Labour Relations
Farmer's Weekly

Boiling Point In Agricultural Labour Relations

Collective bargaining, which involves sitting around a table and coming to a mutually acceptable agreement, is a cornerstone of the democratic process. The protests that occurred recently in the Sundays River Valley were coercion, not collective bargaining. This is according to Jahni de Villiers, Agri SA’s head of labour and development.

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4 mins  |
July 6, 2018
Deer Farming: A Big Export Business In New Zealand
Farmer's Weekly

Deer Farming: A Big Export Business In New Zealand

With large exports of deer venison and antler products worldwide, New Zealand deer farmers are at the top of their game. Gerhard Uys spoke to Bill Robinson of Raroa Red Deer Stud.

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6 mins  |
May 10, 2019
Recent Heavy Rainfall Across Summer Grain Region Welcomed
Farmer's Weekly

Recent Heavy Rainfall Across Summer Grain Region Welcomed

The heavy rainfall across large parts of the western summer grain production region over the Easter period has been welcomed, although it is expected that this could result in further delays to the production season, which started late.

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1 min  |
May 10, 2019
Bush-Vine Wine
Farmer's Weekly

Bush-Vine Wine

16years agoMost wine producers make use of trellised vines to produce their grapes, but this wine farmer from the Western Cape grew his grapes along bush vines to save on labour and water costs.

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3 mins  |
May 10, 2019
Intensive Lambing System Produces Better Weaning Percentages
Farmer's Weekly

Intensive Lambing System Produces Better Weaning Percentages

Theron Swanepoel of AM Swanepoel Boerdery near Smithfield in the Free State began converting his extensive lambing operation into an intensive system more than a decade ago. At the recent Free State National Wool Growers’ Association Congress, Swanepoel explained why the system works so efficiently.

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6 mins  |
May 03, 2019
Big Demand For Small Leaves
Farmer's Weekly

Big Demand For Small Leaves

Urban Legend Hydroponics on the West Coast is barely a year old. Yet its microgreens and baby salad leaves are so popular that the business cannot keep up with demand.

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6 mins  |
May 03, 2019
Digital Security
Farmer's Weekly

Digital Security

John Deere’s new PIN code locking system helps deter the theft of valuable GreenStar in-cab displays and StarFire satellite receivers. Joe Spencer reports.

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2 mins  |
May 03, 2019
Kalahari Red Basics
Farmer's Weekly

Kalahari Red Basics

This breed has a fine head, lob ears, round horns that are bent backwards, and tender meat.

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1 min  |
May 03, 2019
Soldier, Sportsman And Legendary Farmer
Farmer's Weekly

Soldier, Sportsman And Legendary Farmer

Neville Fletcher of Cathcart in the Eastern Cape is an extraordinary man. A war veteran who saw action in the fierce Italian campaign, he returned to South Africa to enjoy a long, highly successful farming career. As if that were not enough, he was a national champion in both tennis and gymkhana. Mike Burgess visited him.

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5 mins  |
6-13 January 2017
Are Lick Supplements Worth While In Beef Production?
Farmer's Weekly

Are Lick Supplements Worth While In Beef Production?

Cattlemen operating under extensive conditions are always looking for ways to increase production and profitability, says Dr Liesel Foster, a beef producer from Zastron. Her PhD research concluded that farmers should carefully consider the cost and management involved in supplementary feeding to achieve this goal.

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4 mins  |
6-13 January 2017
Showing: A Lot Of Work, But Well Worth It!
Farmer's Weekly

Showing: A Lot Of Work, But Well Worth It!

If you love beautiful horses and enjoy training them, showing might be the discipline for you, says Kim Dyson.

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2 mins  |
7 April 2017
A Successful Boer Goat Stud In The Hantam Karoo
Farmer's Weekly

A Successful Boer Goat Stud In The Hantam Karoo

Careful management and marketing are both crucial in Boer goat production. Pip Nieuwoudt of Nama Stud, the oldest Boer goat stud in the Western Cape, spoke to Jeandré du Preez about his management strategy and how he tapped into the Middle Eastern market.

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5 mins  |
7 April 2017
From Our Archives - Cut Post - Harvest Pear Losses
Farmer's Weekly

From Our Archives - Cut Post - Harvest Pear Losses

40 YEARS AGOFG Mitchell, of the University of California in the US, discusses tests done on the cooling and warming of Bon Chretien pears in the state, and their affect on pear quality.

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4 mins  |
Farmer's Weekly 5 October 2018
Flying For The Environment
Farmer's Weekly

Flying For The Environment

The Bateleurs, a non-profit company, provides a flight support programme for conservation and the environment. In operation for 20 years, this unique organisation has a membership of about 220 pilots and has conducted numerous conservation missions across Africa. Keri Harvey reports.

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6 mins  |
Farmer's Weekly 5 October 2018
Quality And Efficiency Drive Commercial Lettuce Production
Farmer's Weekly

Quality And Efficiency Drive Commercial Lettuce Production

Many people who enjoy lettuce in their salad may not be aware that it can be a fairly challenging crop to grow commercially. Dicky and Koshik Sitaram, whose family have been producing fresh produce for many years in KwaZulu-Natal, shared the lessons they learned with Lloyd Phillips.

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5 mins  |
Farmer's Weekly 5 October 2018
Grass-Fed Beef: The Trend That Favours Communal Farmers
Farmer's Weekly

Grass-Fed Beef: The Trend That Favours Communal Farmers

Joseph Kau, an agricultural economist at the Agricultural Research Council, spoke to Annelie Coleman about the grass-fed beef movement in South Africa and the opportunities it presents for communal farmers, as well as the obstacles thwarting progress.

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4 mins  |
November 30, 2018
The Benefits Of Feeding Dairy Calves Milk Only Once A Day
Farmer's Weekly

The Benefits Of Feeding Dairy Calves Milk Only Once A Day

The myth that calves are better off receiving milk twice daily was recently dispelled in a study by Animal Sciences master’s student Bertus Myburgh. He spoke to Glenneis Kriel.

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4 mins  |
November 30, 2018
Converting From Wheat To Sheep On A Small Farm
Farmer's Weekly

Converting From Wheat To Sheep On A Small Farm

Alfreda Mars, who plants 160ha to wheat in rotation in the Swartland, has realised the limitations of growing this crop on such limited land. Today, she focuses more on sheep and feed crops, and the future looks bright.

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5 mins  |
November 30, 2018