Business
Farmer's Weekly
Why SA's Grain Sector Must Invest In Research
Ongoing research plays a key role in maintaining the viability of South Africa’s grain industry. Sadly, capacity in this regard has diminished over time, and farmers are paying the price, says Dr Miekie Human, research and policy officer at Grain SA. She spoke to Annelie Coleman about her organisation’s steps to rectify the situation.
5 min |
July 09, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Why Are Some Horses So Pricey?
Horse prices currently vary from R2 000 to several millions, says Dr Mac, depending on the animal’s breeding and training.
2 min |
July 23, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Unwind at the foot of an ancient mountain pass in the Western Cape
The Oudekloof Pass near Tulbagh may be one of the oldest and steepest mountain passes in South Africa, but thanks to a new road, reaching the peak is easy. Oudekloof Wine Estate & Luxury Guest Farm at the base of the pass offers visitors a fine wine experience and comfy accommodation, writes Brian Berkman.
4 min |
August 13, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
New combination cultivators for seedbed preparation
According to Amazone, its new Ceus 3000-TX and 4000-TX disc and tine combination cultivators offer shallow, intensive lifting and crumbling, as well as deep loosening and mixing.
2 min |
August 13, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Predator control: do your homework!
Know your farm. Know your livestock. Know your predators. These are the keys to successful predation management, says Niël Viljoen, predation specialist at Predation Management South Africa. Susan Marais spoke to him about the lessons he has learnt over the past 13 years, and how farmers can benefit from them.
5 min |
August 13, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
POULTRY Chicken diseases: Part 1
Disease can spread rapidly among chickens as they are kept together in a cage or chicken house and share the same food and water.
3 min |
August 13, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Growing onions: Part 7
There are various ways to produce your own seedlings for transplant, including direct seeding in a seedbed and using a seedling tray. Bill Kerr discusses each of these methods.
2 min |
August 13, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Commercial gaps for bioethanol production
The shift from fossil-based energy sources towards greener alternatives is gaining ground. One such alternative is bioethanol production. Johann Görgens, professor of chemical engineering at Stellenbosch University, carried out a study of the production of bioethanol from plant biomass, and explained the results to Pieter Dempsey.
4 min |
August 13, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
One of SA's biggest avocado growers is on a coffee high
With some areas of South Africa having the ideal conditions for growing coffee, the country has the potential to produce a world-class product. However, only a few farmers are planting the crop, as it is highly labour-intensive. Zander Ernst of Allesbeste Boerdery is one of a handful of farmers who want to change the perception of coffee production in South Africa. Magda du Toit reports.
8 min |
August 13, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Caring for lambs
Farmers suffer their greatest sheep losses before weaning, with the majority of lamb deaths occurring during the first 10 days after birth, and more than 20% during the first three days. Dr Josef van Wyngaard, technical manager at Voermol Feeds, spoke to Glenneis Kriel about ways to limit these losses.
6 min |
August 13, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Breeding better dairy herds
A milk-on-merit scheme allowed dairy farmers to put more money into breeding, as this article showed.
4 min |
August 13, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
A Hardy And Healthy Tomato Hybrid
In a first for South Africa, the development of marketable hybrid tomatoes promised fruit that was hardy, robust, grew vigorously, and had uniform fruit set and size, as revealed in this article from the early eighties.
3 min |
July 30, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
How Covid-19 Changed Agricultural Policy
As governments implemented containment measures to slow the spread of COVID-19 in early 2020, they also introduced ways of limiting the effects of the virus and related lockdowns on agricultural supply chains. A recent report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development tracked these initiatives, including the South African government’s response.
5 min |
July 23, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Hunger in Africa: problems and solutions
Since well before COVID-19, several major drivers have knocked the world off track in its efforts to end hunger by 2030. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ latest report on food security highlights the need for deeper reflection on how to better address the causes of food insecurity.
5 min |
August 06, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Understanding and treating PPID
Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction, sometimes called Cushing’s syndrome, is a common hormonal disease in older horses, says Dr Mac.
3 min |
August 06, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Growing onions: Part 6
As with direct seeding, there are advantages and disadvantages to the transplanting of onion seedlings.
3 min |
August 06, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
‘It's time for NWGA to focus on grassroots level'
Billy van Zyl, new chairperson of the National Wool Growers’ Association, spoke to Susan Marais about his plan to focus on farmers at grassroots level, the challenges facing South Africa’s wool growers, and how the association is helping communal farmers enter the market.
4 min |
August 06, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Innovate to survive in the SA wine industry
For many businesses, COVID-19 brought with it tragedy, but for family-owned winery Van Loveren, it has served as a catalyst for change. Susan Marais spoke to managing director Phillip Retief about the way in which the pandemic inspired innovation in their business.
7 min |
August 06, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Putting a breeding plan in place for successful cattle production
One of the basic principles of successful livestock farming is the implementation of a seasonal breeding strategy. Prof Frikkie Neser of the University of the Free State spoke to Wouter Kriel about putting a breeding season plan in place, and how to ensure that bulls are healthy and able to perform optimally.
6 min |
August 06, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
How to control kweekgras in croplands
Couch grass, commonly known as kweekgras, can rapidly take over a land, leading to serious crop losses. Here’s how to beat this weed.
3 min |
August 06, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
From automation to no driver!
Michael and Philipp Horsch from agricultural technology and machinery company Horsch discuss how they are working on developments from task automation to autonomous driving systems.
3 min |
August 06, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
A symbol of the Cape's early railways
A ganger’s cottage near Stutterheim in the Eastern Cape is a reminder of the Cape Colony’s railroads built from her port cities to the Griqualand West diamond fields during the 1870s and 1880s
3 min |
August 06, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
A Misguided Approach To Agricultural Support
A new report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has found that even though agricultural support measures have continued to grow worldwide in recent years, the type of support given often fails to meet its stated aims of improving food security, livelihoods and environmental sustainability.
5 min |
July 16, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
A Natural Approach To Healthier Crops
Integrated pest management has become an increasingly popular means of protecting crops against damage from pests such as weeds and insects, and is being driven by, among other factors, the growing resistance to a purely chemical approach to crop protection. Annelie Coleman spoke to several experts to find out more.
7 min |
June 25, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Growing onions: Part 5
Before direct-sowing your onions, prepare the seedbed with care. This will pay handsome dividends when the time comes for planting, germination and harvesting, says Bill Kerr.
2 min |
July 30, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Fendt premieres Rogator 900
The recently launched Fendt Rogator 900 is a complete redesign of AGCO’s Rogator. The self-propelled machine, which will be available in select markets, now features a chassis that can be raised up to 1,93m.
2 min |
July 30, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
‘Use top-quality cows for commercial success'
Simmentaler stud owner Willem Botha from the eastern Free State says the quality of the breeding cows in a beef cattle herd is crucial to producing the best product and hence fetching the highest prices. This makes them a key component of profitability. Annelie Coleman reports.
5 min |
July 30, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
The hope and heartbreak of the almost-Springboks
Graham Jooste tells of some great South African rugby players who saw bad communication, injury, politics, and inexplicably bad luck shatter their hopes of Springbok glory.
4 min |
July 30, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Proper pruning: key to pecan grower's success
Pecan farming is still in its infancy in South Africa, but with the global demand for nuts increasing, more producers are seeing opportunities to diversify their farms with pecans. Lindi Botha spoke to seasoned Gauteng-based pecan farmer Albert Bouwmeester Jnr about how he gets the most from his pecan orchard.
4 min |
July 30, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Harvesting, grading and storing wheat
Wheat is usually harvested over November/December, but spring and summer wheat can be harvested later.
2 min |