Business
Farmer's Weekly
Over 100 rhinos poached in three months in SA
The loss of 103 rhinos to poaching in the first three months of 2025 is a stark reminder of the relentless threat to South Africa’s wildlife.
1 min |
May 23, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
Angora project brings mohair training to students
The Mohair Empowerment Trust (MET), in collaboration with Mohair South Africa, recently launched the Fort Cox Angora Goat Pilot Project to provide students at Fort Cox Agriculture and Forestry Training Institute in the Eastern Cape (FCAFTI) with hands-on training in mohair production.
1 min |
May 23, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
Chianinas: big cattle, bigger benefits
Looking for a breed to maximise returns on animals and land? Garren Coetzee, who runs a Chianina stud near Uniondale in the Western Cape, spoke to Glenneis Kriel about why this breed is the answer.
5 min |
May 23, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
Establishing a sweet potato crop
Bill Kerr discusses the simple yet effective steps needed for planting sweet potatoes, as well as irrigation, fertilisation, and weed control.
2 min |
May 23, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
The impact of US trade policy
The increase in US import tariffs has already prompted other countries to raise their own. This could lead to a trade war that wouldn't benefit anyone, writes Dr Koos Coetzee.
3 min |
May 23, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
Treating pasteurellosis in sheep
After the heavy rains in Gauteng, my Dorper sheep have snotty noses and are coughing a lot.
2 min |
May 23, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
Concern about the use of dogs for illegal hunting
TLU SA has expressed serious concern about the increasing incidence of illegal hunting with dogs in agricultural areas, especially in the Free State.
1 min |
May 23, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
'Indigenous breeds better at surviving heat stress'
Prof Giel Scholtz, specialist researcher at the Agricultural Research Council, has cautioned South African livestock producers about the challenges posed by heat stress.
2 min |
May 23, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
Getting to grips with groundnut production
Groundnuts are a high-value, versatile, and sustainable crop cultivated and consumed worldwide. Requiring less water and fertiliser than many other crops, they are ideal for crop rotation, writes Linda Piegl.
5 min |
May 23, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
Breeding top racehorses
The world reflected through the eye of a horse is at the centre of the ethos of a boutique racehorse stud set in the Breede Valley in the Western Cape. Sabrina Dean spoke to John Köster to find out how Klawervlei Stud has added value to the Thoroughbred studbook over the years.
10 min |
May 23, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
What's hindering SA's groundnut industry?
While global demand for groundnuts is increasing, the South African industry is struggling to remain profitable amid cheap imports. Efforts to increase import tariffs are ongoing and, should they succeed, will secure a brighter future for the local groundnut industry. Lindi Botha reports.
4 min |
May 23, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
From factory floor to furniture must-haves
Pallet furniture is an affordable, eco-friendly décor trend popular around the world. It offers rustic charm and creative solutions for every space, writes Linda Piegl.
2 min |
May 23, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
Holistic management keeps groundnut diseases at bay
Groundnuts favour warm, dry climates, but since they are widely planted under dryland conditions, they do require good rainfall. This presents a challenging scenario for disease management, as diseases that attack groundnuts thrive in warm, wet conditions. Lindi Botha investigates effective strategies.
6 min |
May 23, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
Merc hits the spot with Vito Select
With the new V-Class only offered in flagship V300d guise, Mercedes-Benz was left with a gap in its line-up for a more accessible family van. Enter the Vito Select, writes The Citizen's Jaco van der Merwe.
2 min |
May 23, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
History's top 10 legends of the track
The 10 most renowned racehorses of all time boast numerous record-setting achievements.
10+ min |
May 23, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
Rift Valley fever vaccine case dismissed with costs
Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP) and the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) recently welcomed a High Court ruling that dismissed a case regarding a viral strain of Rift Valley fever (RVF) purchased by Vetvax and Design Biologix with costs.
2 min |
May 23, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
From piano teacher to stud breeder
This article showed how a farmer intended to put the sheep and cattle studs of the farm where she had grown up back on the map.
3 min |
May 23, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
Global feed demand rebounds in 2024
Increasing demand for animal protein and producer resilience to disease outbreaks and adverse weather conditions have been credited for the rise in global feed production.
2 min |
May 23, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
SA citrus: juice prices, export estimates, and market opportunities
While the citrus industry faces challenges like compliance hurdles in the EU and geopolitical risks in the US, strong pricing trends, global supply gaps, and improving growing conditions suggest that South Africa’s citrus producers are in a favourable position.
3 min |
May 23, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
Breakthrough in fight against Sclerotinia diseases in South African crops
The South African Sclerotinia Research Network is driving innovation in combating Sclerotinia diseases through coordinated research, advanced technologies, and collaborative efforts to safeguard crops like sunflower, soya bean and canola.
2 min |
May 23, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
It's all about the groundnuts
Over the years, Eduard Dreyer ventured into different markets to build his business's resilience. Groundnuts, however, became a core part of his farming enterprise, so much so that he built a processing plant that specialises in cleaning and sorting the crop. Nichelle Steyn reports on how Eduard and his son Christian handle the 2 000t harvest.
4 min |
May 23, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
De Rustica among top olive oil producers again
De Rustica, an olive estate in the Klein Karoo, Western Cape, took second place overall at the 2025 EVOOLEUM Awards, demonstrating a consistency of excellence rarely seen in the industry.
1 min |
May 23, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
East London agri show celebrates strong turnout
The East London Agricultural Show, held over four days in May at the Gonubie Farmer’s Hall, drew large crowds and nearly doubled its poultry entries compared with last year, marking a successful 2025 edition of the annual event.
1 min |
May 23, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
Employee versus independent contractor
It is often difficult to distinguish between an employee and an independent contractor, so the courts have developed tests to help with this, writes Xander Levendal.
2 min |
May 23, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
City markets lose income due to capacity limits
Municipal fresh produce markets are leaving money on the table by ignoring infrastructure concerns.
2 min |
May 23, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
Red meat farmers mark progress at farmers' day
The National Livestock Farmers’ Association of South Africa (NaLFA-SA), a coalition of black farmer associations in the red meat industry, hosted a farmers’ day in Mboya Location in Mbhashe Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape to showcase progress in livestock farming, and call for continued government and industry support to transform communal farming into a commercial force.
1 min |
May 23, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
Red-fleshed apple varieties showing more promise
Dutoit Group (Dutoit) was excited about results from its semi-commercial trials with Ifored’s red-fleshed apple varieties, which will be marketed under the Kissabel brand name.
1 min |
May 23, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
Addressing childhood malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa
With childhood malnutrition widespread across Africa, including South Africa, the authors of this article present research on a method for creating nutritious complementary foods using fermentation technology.
4 min |
May 23, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
Smartphones, demographics shape Gen Z drinking
Concerns over health and alcohol among Gen Zs in the US may be exaggerated, as the perceived risk of binge drinking on a weekly basis has not budged for nearly two decades, according to a report by Rabobank Research, titled 'The real reasons Generation Z is drinking less alcohol'.
2 min |
May 23, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
A practical guide to sorghum production
Sorghum is an ideal crop for new farmers, as it requires minimal nutrient inputs and is resilient to drought. It also thrives in soils where maize, soya bean, and sunflower can’t. Experiments are ongoing to breed varieties with even better drought and heat tolerance
7 min |