Business
Farmer's Weekly
Keep It simple!
Multi-award-winning Limousin stud breeder John Devonport says that a simple and practical approach makes business sense when breeding top cattle. He spoke to Gerhard Uys.
7 min |
Farmer's Weekly 27 April 2018
Farmer's Weekly
Lamb And Mutton Rally, But Profits Are Not Guaranteed
Low sheep supply, coupled with low feed prices, have led to a welcome recovery in the profitability of lamb and mutton, but consumer resistance to high prices remains a major risk.
2 min |
Farmer's Weekly 27 April 2018
Farmer's Weekly
How To Extend Your Onion Harvest
It’s possible to have onions from your home garden available almost year-round, says Bill Kerr.
2 min |
Farmer's Weekly 27 April 2018
Farmer's Weekly
More Carrot Leaf Diseases
A number of diseases target the leaves of the carrot plant. Here are the three most important ones found in South Africa, as well as how to prevent or treat them.
2 min |
Farmer's Weekly 27 April 2018
Farmer's Weekly
The Electric Tractor Is Almost Here!
The Fendt e100 Vario is the first practical battery-powered tractor that can be used in a normal operation for a full working day without the need for recharging
2 min |
Farmer's Weekly 29 December 2017
Farmer's Weekly
The Basics Of Pearl Millet Production: Part 2
Pearl millet is a useful low-input, dryland crop that does not require particularly fertile soil. At the same time, fertiliser can help increase yield, while irrigation can improve stand establishment.
2 min |
Farmer's Weekly 29 December 2017
Farmer's Weekly
Using ‘cow power' to make your dairy farm self-sufficient: Part 2
Anaerobic digestion of feedstock produces biogas and digestate. The former can be used to produce on-farm power; the latter is a superb fertiliser, with many advantages over untreated slurry.
2 min |
Farmer's Weekly 29 December 2017
Farmer's Weekly
SA's First Commercial Cashmere Success Story
Not only is indigenous iMbuzi goats’ hair used to produce cashmere at the Ivili Loboya production unit near Butterwoth, but local smallholders are also empowered. Siyanda Sishuba reports.
4 min |
26 May 2017
Farmer's Weekly
Tapping Into Bees' Bounty
Kola le Roux has loved bees ever since seeing his grandfather’s hives in the eastern Free State more than 60 years ago. Today he manages more than 2 000 hives, from the Karoo to the Transkei, that produce an assortment of honey, including an organic variety derived from the cat-thorn or drogie bush. Mike Burgess reports.
5 min |
26 May 2017
Farmer's Weekly
How To Fertilise A Crop Correctly
Readers frequently ask me for specific fertiliser programmes for their crops. I would happily oblige if all crops were the same! Unfortunately, each crop is different because each land is unique. ‘One-size-fits-all’ programmes are always risky.
2 min |
26 May 2017
Farmer's Weekly
SA Scoops 35th Gold Medal At The Chelsea Flower Show
The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) team, at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show, won SA’s 35th gold medal in 42 years of exhibiting at the prestigious show, recently held in London in the UK.
2 min |
Farmer's Weekly 9 June 2017
Farmer's Weekly
Platinum For Orange River Cellars' Muscadel Wines
Muscadel SA recently announced the winners of the 15th Muscadel SA awards ceremony held in Paarl in the Western Cape.
1 min |
Farmer's Weekly 9 June 2017
Farmer's Weekly
Israel Showcases Its 'simple' Irrigation Solutions
Israel, a world leader in irrigation and hi-tech agricultural innovations, was on hand at Nampo 2017 to showcase the country’s best solutions to water utilisation, amongst others.
2 min |
Farmer's Weekly 9 June 2017
Farmer's Weekly
Combating Leafroll Virus In The Vineyard
The South African wine industry has made huge strides in halting the spread of leafroll virus through focused research, trial sites and a formalised Leafroll Control Protocol.
1 min |
Farmer's Weekly 9 June 2017
Farmer's Weekly
Starting Up A Car 100 Years Ago
Before the invention of the electric starter, getting a car in motion was a demanding exercise, with emphasis on the word, ‘exercise’. Jake Venter recalls the days of hand cranking.
2 min |
Farmer's Weekly 9 June 2017
Farmer's Weekly
Young Farmer Cuts Costs By Focusing On Bonsmaras
Cornel van Heerden is the Eastern Cape’s 2016 TAU SA’s Young Farmer of the Year. Mike Burgess visited him recently on the farm Wildefontein in the Lady Grey district to learn how he established an award-winning livestock enterprise while saving money, and why his extensive Bonsmara beef operation has proved such a success.
5 min |
9 December 2016
Farmer's Weekly
What To Do Until The Vet Arrives
Your vet may not be able to respond immediately to an emergency. That means it’s up to you to help your horse as best you can. Fortunately, there’s plenty you can do.
2 min |
Farmer's Weekly 3 November 2017
Farmer's Weekly
Giant Schnauzer: Pet And Protector
This is an excellent all-round breed: good-natured, but a fierce family guardian. However, it can be boisterous and requires an owner willing to walk it daily.
2 min |
Farmer's Weekly 3 November 2017
Farmer's Weekly
Controlling Bacterial Wilt
Bacterial wilt can wipe out a tomato crop if a susceptible variety is planted in infected soil at a time when the bacteria are active.
2 min |
Farmer's Weekly 3 November 2017
Farmer's Weekly
Managing Rotation In Dryland Crop Production
If carried out correctly, rotating crops can increase grain yield while reducing weed, insect and disease problems. In a word, this means higher profits.
1 min |
Farmer's Weekly 3 November 2017
Farmer's Weekly
Potato Prices Down Despite Increased Demand
As the South African potato industry recovers from the drought, there has been an increase in supply. This has resulted in a decline in prices, fuelling sales.
2 min |
Farmer's Weekly 3 November 2017
Farmer's Weekly
Cart-horses Cut Costs
Input costs have always been difficult to manage. This farmer looked to carthorses to save on machinery costs.
2 min |
Farmer's Weekly 3 November 2017
Farmer's Weekly
Expropriation Without Compensation A Loss For All
As the ruling party’s elective conference in December approaches, South Africa’s focus is on who will emerge as the ANC’s new leader.
3 min |
Farmer's Weekly 3 November 2017
Farmer's Weekly
Global Hunger: The Price We Pay For Food
In poorer nations, buying the ingredients for a single meal can use up a significant portion of a person’s earnings. Where there is conflict or economic collapse, it can exceed these earnings outright. Researchers involved with the World Food Programme propose what should be done to ensure true food security
4 min |
Farmer's Weekly 3 November 2017
Farmer's Weekly
Driving Transformation With 'Old' Legislation
Reviving the Extension and Advisory Programme of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, may kick-start agricultural production on fallow land in communal areas. This could then drive equitable and inclusive transformation and development in the agriculture sector, writes Zamikhaya Maseti, senior specialist for public and sector policy at the Land Bank.
4 min |
Farmer's Weekly 1 December 2017
Farmer's Weekly
Saving Peas From Global Warming
Global warming is becoming a major limiting factor for pea production, according to plant scientist, Rosalind Bueckert, of the University of Saskatchewan, Canada, who began studying heat stress in peas after seeing older pea varieties struggle to maintain adequate levels of production during very warm periods.
1 min |
Farmer's Weekly 1 December 2017
Farmer's Weekly
Wildlife Ranching An Industry Under Pressure
Deon Furstenburg, director of wildlife science at Geo Wild Consult, an ecological services consultancy, spoke to Roelof Bezuidenhout about the state of game ranching in South Africa.
5 min |
Farmer's Weekly 1 December 2017
Farmer's Weekly
Using Bats And Birds To Control Macadamia Crop Pests
Biological pest control could speed up the farm-to-fork process and save the macadamia industry millions of rands, according to the initial results of an ongoing research project. The researchers have found that bats and birds can keep the crop’s most significant pests, stinkbugs, under control.
3 min |
28 April 2017
Farmer's Weekly
Dealing With Soya Rust
This devastating disease, also called Asian soya bean rust, occurs across much of the world. Chemical control is the only realistic option.
1 min |
28 April 2017
Farmer's Weekly
Calving problems licked
30 YEARS AGO John Webb, owner of the Kirsty South Devon Stud, which was run on the farm Bronkhorstfontein in the Free State, found that calving problems disappeared when he switched from a high-protein lick to a salt-phosphate lick.
3 min |