CATEGORIES

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Kalahari Red Basics

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Tips On Planting Cucurbits

Some farmers, especially at the end of winter, use seedlings for their cucurbit crops in an attempt to get an early-growth advantage and better prices.

New Fruit-sorting Technology Helps Curb Food Waste

Earlier this year, Compac Sorting Equipment, part of TOMRA Food, launched its Field Research Unit, which can be deployed on lands to research the fresh produce industry’s most challenging issues. James Flocchini, Compac’s regional director for South Africa and Asia, spoke to Denene Erasmus about how the unit will be used to develop solutions for the citrus industry specifically and how the technology can ultimately help limit food waste.

Nematodes' Negative Impact On African Leafy Vegetables

Plant parasitic nematodes pose a serious threat to food security in Africa as they damage crops and hamper production. Dr Nancy Ntidi, a nematologist at the Agricultural Research Council, spoke to Annelie Coleman about the effects these pests have on African leafy vegetables, and how they can be effectively managed.

Fiat Tractors: Still Going Strong

New Holland is celebrating 100 years of Fiat tractors with a programme of events that kicked off at the EIMA 2018 exhibition in November and will continue during 2019. Joe Spencer reports.

Fine-tune Your Cucurbit Spacing

Back in the days when Boer pumpkins were planted almost exclusively, I got talking to a Limpopo farmer who had just delivered a load of pumpkins to a depot that distributed produce to mine kitchens.

Integrated Financing For Smallholder Farmers

Africa’s agricultural potential can only be realised if smallholders gain access to finance. But loans cannot be focused on just one aspect of the value chain at the expense of others. Antois van der Westhuizen, managing director of John Deere Financial, suggests ways to design integrated financing models for smallholders.

Small-Scale Cotton Farming Can Create Prosperity

The remote community of Khombaso in Mpumalanga has placed all its hope in developing a cotton industry to lift the town out of poverty and prevent further urbanisation of its residents. Lindi Botha spoke to Cotton SA about making small-scale cotton farming viable.

Smuts: A World Statesman

A renowned scholar, soldier and political figure, Jan Smuts rose to prominence while still in his twenties. He went on to become prime minister of the Union of South Africa, and was a key adviser to the British government in both world wars. Graham Jooste looks at Smuts’s life.