CATEGORIES

The benefits of conservation agriculture

Erosion and climate change have created a food insecurity time bomb for Africa. Palesa Motaung, a soil scientist working for Asset Research, and Themakholo Mathebula, a field officer with the Mahlatini Development Foundation, explained at a recent research symposium how conservation agriculture is helping smallholder farmers face these daunting challenges. Susan Marais reports.

Animal Agriculture Is Key to Food Systems

According to a recently published paper, food products derived from animals offer a wide selection of nutrients that humans need for cell tissue development, function, health and survival.

Groundwater: key to Africa's agri potential

Groundwater is an essential tool in agricultural production. However, it remains an untapped resource in Africa, as this recently published report shows.

What GPS trackers reveal about Cape Town's baboon troop movements

In this study, Anna Bracken, who recently completed her PhD at Swansea University in Wales, used GPS technology to research the collective behaviour of chacma baboons in an urban area.

Marketing and animal welfare: key to success

Innovative marketing and customer relationships are essential to a modern piggery, says Shaun Mockford of Mockford Farms in Limpopo. He spoke to Magda du Toit about running a superior pig production operation.

Waging war against Tuta absoluta in Pongola

In Pongola, the tomato leaf miner is threatening the sustainability of family-run Basaki Boerdery, one of the last tomato producers in the area. Brothers Sakkie and André Terblanche spoke to Lindi Botha about their strategy for fighting this pest.

How to identify and control eelworm

Potatoes are vulnerable to eelworm, which can significantly reduce yield and create unsightly marks on tubers.

Performance testing for the commercial farmer

Frans Jordaan and Dr Ben Greyling of the Agricultural Research Council write about the important role that performance testing plays in increasing a commercial herd's fertility and profitability.

Comfort and relaxation in Worcester

The Habit is the perfect place to unwind and enjoy a break away from the city.

Improve soil for healthy fruit trees

In this article, an expert looked at ways to improve the soil’s ability to supply more water and nutrients to fruit trees.

Factors hampering SA's sugar industry

Thabile Nkunjana, an agricultural economist at the National Agricultural Marketing Council (NAMC), and Dr Sifiso Ntombela, chief economist at the NAMC, examine the decline in South Africa’s sugar production and the factors threatening future growth.

Dealing with barber's pole worm in sheep and goats

The resistance of internal parasite species to worm remedies affects all small-stock farmers. In some areas, farming with animals resistant to nematode infestation seems to be the only long-term solution.

Achieving good growth with superior genetics

A successful commercial beef cattle enterprise is one that keeps cow mortalities to a minimum, while achieving maximum weaner growth. Rian van Wyk, who farms Brangus in Mpumalanga, spoke to Lindi Botha about his breeding philosophy.

A basic checklist to keep sheep healthy and productive

The price of replacement livestock has increased dramatically in recent years, so it's important to obtain the highest possible lamb weaning rate. Shane Brody explains how to achieve this.

Grazing horses and sheep together

Recent behavioural research conducted in Poland has confirmed that the grazing patterns of sheep and horses are compatible.

Earthworms: natural soil monitors

Earthworms are indicators of soil health. Because they feed on decaying matter, analysing the contents of their digestive tracts gives us insight into the soil’s overall condition. And the healthier the soil, the more earthworms there are.

Managing your pigs' health

Losing just one productive pig can cost you a great deal of money. In this, the third instalment in our series on livestock first aid, Prof Cheryl McCrindle of the University of Pretoria discusses the medications and equipment you should have on your pig farm at all times.

Providing high-quality feed for your animals

Good-quality feed is not cheap. Yet farmers should think twice before buying a substandard product and possibly compromising the productivity of their animals, say Dr Naudé Rossouw, director at Rossgro Feeds in Eloff, Mpumalanga, and De Wet Boshoff, executive director at the Animal Feed Manufacturers’ Association.

Using AI in agriculture could boost global food security, but we need to anticipate the risks

Asaf Tzachor, a research affiliate at the Centre for the Study of Existential Risks at the University of Cambridge in the UK, outlines the findings of a recent paper that looked at the risks involved in the roll-out of advanced and autonomous technologies in agriculture.

The trends driving growth in tyre improvement

Tyres can make or break agricultural production or agro-processing activities. In light of this fact, great research is being conducted on the improvement of tyre efficiency and affordability.

The most destructive disease of potatoes

Late blight can strike so rapidly and spread so fast that by the time you notice it, the damage has already been done

Supply chain disruptions set to constrain global economic growth

Current global supply chain disruptions are weighing heavily on the world’s post-pandemic recovery. Absa AgriBusiness explores this situation, and the effect it is having on South Africa’s agriculture sector.

Milk production up and up

Roscio cows aren‘t grazed, and are instead given a single daily feed of maize silage, groundnut hay and maize leaves, as well as concentrates.

Healthier trees, thanks to pest-control partners

Professors Almuth Hammerbacher, Bernard Slippers, Brett Hurley and Chris Weldon of the Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute at the University of Pretoria speak about the importance of protecting South Africa’s timber plantations.

Enjoy a view as wide as the heavens in farm-style luxury near Greyton

The big sky and sweeping, panoramic views at Hemelsbreed farm in the Overberg region of the Western Cape are a soothing influence that bring calm almost immediately

Choosing the right feed for your chickens

The best-quality meat demands the best-quality feed, according to Dr Elsje Pieterse, senior lecturer in the Department of Animal Science at Stellenbosch University, and Brett Roosendaal, head nutritionist at Epol. They spoke to Marinda Louw-Coetzee about feeding requirements for producing chicken products.

Brown locust control: we're getting it wrong

The brown locust is one of the most destructive agricultural pests in South Africa, yet our understanding of its habits and our efforts at controlling it are patchy and haphazard. A paradigm shift is needed, says Dr Johannes Henschel, an ecologist and research associate at the University of the Free State and the National Research Foundation.

Using DNA Sampling to Deter Stock Thieves

South Africa’s livestock farmers need every bit of help they can get to counter stock theft, which has reached unprecedented heights. One weapon in the fight is genetic profiling. Susan Marais explores how this technology, which establishes livestock lineage, can help protect a farmer’s assets and bring thieves to book.

Hearty and Delicious Bobotie

This traditional South African recipe calls for a mix of spices such as cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg, giving it a wonderfully warm and comforting flavour. It also perfectly represents the cultural melting pot that is our country.

The Potato Tuber Moth: a Potentially Dangerous Pest

Where cull potatoes are dumped in the open, the likelihood of an outbreak is greatly increased, as the moth breeds in this material.