CATEGORIES

Attention to detail: the key to broiler production

Poultry production has significant challenges, with high input costs and narrow margins being near the top of the list. However, Dale Shepherd, owner of Plaston Chicken Farms in Mpumalanga, has found that meticulous management and keeping a close eye on finances can bring business success. Lindi Botha reports.

Working together to tackle agro-crime

Agricultural crime is a global problem, and collaboration across the sector is crucial in the battle against this issue.

A popular breed for all the right reasons

Don McHardy says his interest in Droughtmasters was a natural progression in his quest to breed more efficient beef cattle that are able to realise optimal financial returns. Denene Erasmus reports.

Simplifying work

Better planning can save you a great deal of money in the long run. And it need not cost your business a cent, says Roelof Bezuidenhout.

Grading lucerne: good for animals, good for your pocket

The uniform quality and grading of lucerne hay is important to ensure that animals are as productive as possible, according to Dr Gerrie Scholtz, consultant to the National Lucerne Trust and a lucerne specialist.

Fruit burn

Sunburn is the damage caused to fruit by too much exposure to the sun. It tends to occur on fruit that is at least 45mm in diameter.

How best to help farmers

In this article, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN calls for urgent reform of government support to farmers so that more sustainable, efficient and environmentally friendly food systems can be brought about.

Looking after your horse's heart

The health of your horse’s heart can be affected by pathogens, worm load or toxins, says Dr Mac.

Deneys Reitz: soldier, lawyer, politician, ambassador, and author

Deneys Reitz is known to generations of South Africans for Commando, his thrilling first-hand account of action during the Anglo-Boer War. But his achievements went far beyond his books, explains Graham Jooste.

A better hive for easier beekeeping

Beekeeper Ryno Barnes recently replaced his wooden hives with hives made of polyvinyl chloride foam board, a unique lightweight, eco-friendly material. So impressed was he with the results that he launched a separate company to manufacture these hives for other beekeepers. Glenneis Kriel reports.

Dung beetles, nature's recycling experts, benefit farmers too

The beneficial role of insects in agriculture should not be underestimated, and this is equally true of dung beetles. As these fascinating recycling experts go about their daily business of breaking up and distributing dung in nature, they also offer a variety of benefits to the agriculture sector. Magda du Toit reports.

Hunting on the southern slopes of the Magaliesberg

At this guest house on a game farm in North West, visitors are provided with a comfortable stay and plenty of things to see and do, including hunting exotic game species, says Riaan Hattingh.

African horse sickness: controlling biting midges

With the rainy season upon us in the African horse sickness-infected zone, it is crucial that horse owners keep a close eye on their animals’ behavior and implement strict control of flying insects, says Dr Mac. This is especially important due to the apparent vaccine shortage.

Animal ‘weed-eaters' to the rescue!

JP de Villiers has not used any herbicides on his farm for the past three seasons. He spoke to Glenneis Kriel about his use of sheep, pigs and chickens to overcome soil health problems in his orchards and vineyards.

Reining in the influence of ‘Big Food' companies

Despite the well-documented harm that ultra-processed foods pose to human health, large corporations are still able to produce and sell their products. With the market for ultra-processed foods, which are associated with non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, saturated in developed countries, these corporations are moving into industrialising countries like South Africa. This article explores the strategies behind this move.

Karoo sheep farm survives drought with beer and cheese

According to Peter and Francy Schoeman of Langbaken Karoo Cheese, their cheese business has enabled them to survive the prolonged drought in the area. They spoke to Wouter Kriel about how they developed their sheep farm into a cheese operation.

Anti-plague action necessary

In this article, farmers were advised to act quickly in the fight against a gerbil plague, and a researcher gave instructions on how to use zinc phosphide to eliminate these and other rodents.

The Eastern Frontier's Martello tower

The Eastern Cape town of Fort Beaufort is home to a Martello tower, a structure used for coastal defence as early as the 15th century to ward off Barbary pirates in the Mediterranean. Mike Burgess looks at why one was built on the Cape’s 19th century Eastern Frontier more than 100km from the ocean.

Using the drought to up your game

The Northern Cape’s Williston district is sheep country through and through, but six years of drought have made extensive sheep farming here desperately difficult. Wouter kriel spoke to producer Hannes esterhuyse about how he has adapted his operation to run optimally despite the drought.

Grain storage innovation needed

In this, part one of a two-part series, Mariana Purnell, a consultant with eGrain, a provider of electronic warehouse receipts for the grain industry, discusses the challenges that changes to grain quality control pose for the industry. In particular, she focuses on producing maize according to particular standards for niche

Northern Cape farmers need ‘patient capital'

Agri Northern Cape is extremely concerned about the financial resilience of farmers in the province’s drought-stricken areas, even after the good rainfall reported in late October. This was according to Nicol Jansen, president of Agri Northern Cape.

Want optimal irrigation? Don't make assumptions

Plan, execute, control and verify. These are the four elements that constitute the irrigation approach of Indigo Fruit Farming in Mpumalanga, where every drop of water is used to its full potential. Farm manager Willem Kieviet spoke to Lindi Botha about his methods of irrigating to achieve the best crop yields.

Farmers speak out about record fuel prices

The record-high fuel prices, as announced by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy at the beginning of November, will add significantly to the direct input costs of grain producers and put additional strain on already tight profit margins. This was according to Chris Schoonwinkel, who farms maize near Wesselsbron in the Free State.

Spike in contaminated Australian meat shipments to the US

A rising number of meat shipments from Australia are being blocked by US food safety officials due to faecal contamination.

Limited space? Try a floating solar farm

Nico Laubscher of Alzanne Boerdery is constantly on the lookout for ways to improve business efficiencies, and this led to him exploring solar energy as a way of reducing his electricity bill and carbon footprint. Laubscher and Paul Kotze of Solar Energy Architects spoke to Wouter Kriel about the unique placement of the solar panels.

Macadamia demand stabilises as markets recover

The South African macadamia industry has rebounded from suppressed sales since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. And with a downward revised crop forecast, the market is set to stabilise even further.

Inclusivity is crucial to SA's livestock sector

Mooketsa Ramasodi, acting director general of the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, argues that bringing South Africa’s informal livestock sector fully on board will not only improve the lives and future prospects of smallholder farmers but also maximise profits for the industry as a whole.

Hard work brings free- range success for farmer

When Einstein Sibanda came to South Africa 15 years ago, it was with the intention of working in a restaurant. Today, however, he has a flourishing farming business in the Western Cape that supplies restaurants and delicatessens with free-range eggs, broilers and pork. He spoke to Glenneis Kriel about his journey.

Favourable outlook for SA table grape harvest

The South African Table Grape Industry (SATI) estimates that table grape production will average between 70,6 million and 77,7 million cartons (4,5kg-equivalent) in the coming season, which is close to the volume packed during the 2020/21 season.

Chemical burn: who is to blame?

In this article, farmers were given advice on how best to avoid costly damage to their crops caused by chemical burn.