FAST FACTS
Over a period of just two years, KwaZulu-Natal beef cattle farmer Andrew Fyvie lost animals worth around R1,5 million to stock thieves.
With advice from farmers, technology company IoT Global has adapted track and tracing hardware, software and wireless communications to protect cattle and other farm assets.
It is hoped that the Rugged Cow Tracker system will become a widely used deterrent to would-be thieves.
During the course of 2019 and 2020, KwaZulu-Natal stud and commercial Santa Gertrudis beef cattle farmer Andrew Fyvie suffered the theft of animals worth a total of R1,5 million. He also lost hundreds of thousands of rands by having to hire a helicopter at various times to try to track these stolen cattle, as well as through the loss of potential income that the animals would have generated through breeding.
According to Willie Clack, chairperson of the National Stock Theft Prevention Forum, Fyvie and other livestock owners across South Africa lost animals valued at around R1,3 billion to thieves in 2019.
This was despite many owners being part of local stock theft prevention forums and implementing anti-stock-theft measures, such as hiring additional farm security, electrifying fences, and even replacing conventional barbed wire with thick steel cables.
Denne historien er fra February 19, 2021-utgaven av Farmer's Weekly.
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Denne historien er fra February 19, 2021-utgaven av Farmer's Weekly.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Syngenta Seedcare celebrates a decade of innovation
Syngenta's ambition is to enable their customers' investments to grow in healthy soil from treated seeds to young plants through innovation and collaboration, writes Magda du Toit.
Agri workers shine at Western Cape awards
Lindie-Alet van Staden, a garden and olive orchard manager at L’Ormarins Wine Estate in Franschhoek, was crowned as the Western Cape Prestige Agri-Worker of 2024 at a gala event recently held near Paarl.
Small and large farmers recognised at grain awards
The annual Grain SA/Syngenta awards ceremony bears testimony to the quality of farmers in the grain industry.
Growing partnerships: Fedgroup's flexible and innovative approach
Janine Ryan spoke to Warren Winchester, general manager of impact investing at Fedgroup, about why the company became involved in agriculture, and what it offers farmers and their immediate communities.
Why fish farms fail, and how to avoid becoming a statistic
The popularity of launching fish farms is not matched by their success. Leslie Ter Morshuizen, owner of Aquaculture Solutions, explores the factors that cause most of these businesses to go under.
Where history and modernity meet in a luxurious setting
Brian Berkman kept his eyes peeled for ghosts in the oldest continuously run hotel in South Africa, but all he found was a fabulous two-night stay.
THE HITCHING POST
I'm a stylish elderly lady with a radiant glow and a good sense of humour that keeps me young at heart.
Cutworms: check the weeds on your fields!
Zunel van Eeden explains why understanding the ecological interplay between cutworms and weeds is crucial for effective pest management. Producers should disrupt the life cycle of cutworms to minimise crop damage.
Does high-density grazing mimic grazing patterns of game?
In their paper on high-density grazing in Southern Africa, professors Angelinus Franke and Elmarie Kotzé from the Department of Soil, Crop and Climate Sciences at the University of the Free State say high-density grazing systems may not accurately reflect natural ecosystems. Roelof Bezuidenhout reports.
Global grain outlook: 2024/25 marketing season
In its latest summer crops report, the Crop Estimates Committee says South African farmers intend to plant 4,47 million hectares of summer grains and oilseeds in the 2024/25 season, up 1% from the previous season. As South Africa exports maize and soya bean, Annelie Coleman reports on the latest trends in the international grain and oilseed markets, amid fluctuations in weather conditions and ongoing armed conflicts.
