Animals-and-Pets
Farmer's Weekly
Vehicle Path Management: Key To Reducing Compaction
Efficient in-field mechanisation is a major contributor to higher yield and lower production costs. Unfortunately, mechanisation also means that machinery wheels regularly compact the soil. According to precision farming specialist Ian Beecher-Jones, traffic-induced soil damage can be limited by implementing controlled traffic farming. Denene Erasmus reports.
3 min |
August 24, 2018
Farmer's Weekly
No-till: Key To Greater Profits
Tillage over-aerates the soil and stimulates soil organisms to rapidly break down organic materials. This is a difficult concept to grasp, as it seems logical that loosening the soil creates a better growing environment and enables rapid root development.
2 min |
August 24, 2018
Farmer's Weekly
Barley Gains Ground In The Swartland
The availability of improved varieties, mandate contracts and storage infrastructure promise to turn barley into a lucrative option in the Swartland. Gert Claassen, who five years ago started producing barley on a commercial scale, spoke to Glenneis Kriel about this opportunity.
6 min |
Farmer's Weekly 2 November 2018
Farmer's Weekly
City Rooftops: The Next Frontier For Farming
You don’t have to have green fingers to grow lush vegetables and herbs. But you do have to have a head for heights if you want to join the brigade of farmers transforming their lives and Johannesburg’s inner-city rooftops with their hydroponic gardens.
5 min |
Farmer's Weekly 2 November 2018
Farmer's Weekly
Share-milking: The Answer To Transformation In The Dairy Industry?
In the first of a two-part series that looks at using a share-milking business model to incorporate Eastern Cape emerging farmers in the dairy value chain, Jannie Strydom, CEO designate of Agri Western Cape, and Prof André Louw, chair of Agribusiness Management at the University of Pretoria’s Department of Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development, explore the disparities and opportunities in South Africa’s dairy farming industry.
4 min |
Farmer's Weekly 2 November 2018
Farmer's Weekly
Self-development For Young Farmers
Dr René Uys, director of Thinking Fusion AFRICA, argues that young South African farmers need to have the emotional fortitude to face up to the often harsh realities of agriculture in this country. In short, they have to be both skilled and brave, which is why self-development is crucial.
5 min |
Farmer's Weekly 2 November 2018
Farmer's Weekly
The Origin Of American Horses
The use of horses on US ranches and in feedlots to manage cattle can be traced back to the Spanish conquistadors who imported horses to the New World to use as mounts in cavalry.
2 min |
Farmer's Weekly 2 November 2018
Farmer's Weekly
A Sustainable Approach To Feeding The World By 2050
There is a large shortfall between the amount of food being produced in the world today and the quantity needed to feed an expected 10 billion people by 2050. A World Resources Institute report suggests it is possible to produce enough food sustainably to cater for the rapid increase in demand, but achieving this will require major changes to the way we grow and consume food.
5 min |
Farmer's Weekly 25 January 2019
Farmer's Weekly
Synchronising Production With Market Demand
Strategies to synchronise produce availability with times of general undersupply can prove highly lucrative, as KwaZulu-Natal fresh produce farmer Andile Ngcobo tells Lloyd Phillips.
5 min |
January 25, 2019
Farmer's Weekly
Stop. Think.
39 YEARS AGO After poaching and livestock theft got out of hand, farmers in the Eston region of KwaZulu-Natal united with a common goal.
7 min |
Farmer's Weekly 25 January 2019
Farmer's Weekly
New Commercial Farmer Invests In Asparagus
Up-and-coming commercial farmer Daniel Maqala is diversifying further by investing in asparagus. Sabrina Dean visited him to find out more about his journey so far.
5 min |
Farmer's Weekly 7 September 2018
Farmer's Weekly
From Our Archives - Condensed Milk Making
DEVOTED TO SA FARMING SINCE 1911
4 min |
Farmer's Weekly 7 September 2018
Farmer's Weekly
Indigenous Livestock Perfect For Small-scale Farmers
Ross Rayner and his father, Roger, farm 40 Nguni cows and 35 Bosvelder-type ewes on 250ha in the Mankazana Valley near Adelaide in the Eastern Cape. Their operation is an example of what value indigenous livestock holds for small-scale farmers. Mike Burgess reports.
4 min |
Farmer's Weekly 7 September 2018
Farmer's Weekly
Water Hyacinth - The Solutions
Since 1974, SA has released more biocontrol agents on water hyacinth than any other country.
3 min |
Farmer's Weekly 7 September 2018
Farmer's Weekly
No-Till: Increasing Soil Organic Content
With no-till farming, you need to try to gradually increase the organic content of the soil.
2 min |
Farmer's Weekly 7 September 2018
Farmer's Weekly
How To Buy A Used Vehicle
There are four ways to buy the model you want, but none is foolproof. Find out if the vehicle is paid up and make sure it wasn’t stolen. Jake Venter reports.
3 min |
Farmer's Weekly 7 September 2018
Farmer's Weekly
Time For Africa To Treat Agriculture As A Business
Rural economies in Africa have become zones of economic misery. According to Dr Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank, stimulating economic growth in these areas through agriculture and the food industry should be at the top of the development agenda.
4 min |
Farmer's Weekly 14 September 2018
Farmer's Weekly
African Agriculture: When Will It Realise Its True Potential?
Agriculture employs 70% of the workforce in Africa and constitutes 30% of total GDP. Yet the continent relies heavily on imports and food aid. Lindi Botha spoke to three leaders | in the African agriculture sector to explain this anomaly.
4 min |
Farmer's Weekly 14 September 2018
Farmer's Weekly
Prepare For A Further Drop In Milk Prices
Producers should expect the consolidation of buying power in the domestic market to weigh on dairy prices.
2 min |
Farmer's Weekly 14 September 2018
Farmer's Weekly
Working Together Yields Profits For Keimoes Farmers
The gravel road between Keimoes and Upington unfolds onto the lush, green oasis of Eksteenskuil in the Northern Cape. Here, a group of small-scale farmers have created a vibrant agricultural community through hard work and planning. Annelie Coleman reports.
5 min |
Farmer's Weekly 21 September 2018
Farmer's Weekly
SA Almonds Ready To Take On The World
The establishment of an almond-processing facility in Robertson has the potential to turn South Africa into a leading exporter of these nuts. Stephan and Hans le Roux of Amanteco Almonds spoke to Glenneis Kriel about the opportunities and pitfalls associated with this crop.
6 min |
Farmer's Weekly 21 September 2018
Farmer's Weekly
Farmers' Day At Koppies
The annual farmers’ day at Koppies in the Free State was organised by Northmec and the Cairo Group, the leading supplier of Case IH equipment in South Africa.
2 min |
Farmer's Weekly 21 September 2018
Farmer's Weekly
The 500 000th Ford Ranger!
Ford recently produced the half-millionth unit of its Ford Ranger range of bakkies in South Africa. The vehicle has enjoyed consistent popularity in South Africa, as well as in export markets supplied by the company’s assembly plant in Pretoria.
2 min |
Farmer's Weekly 21 September 2018
Farmer's Weekly
Politics & Agri Machinery Pricing
Tractor sales in South Africa recovered well in 2017 after a slump in 2016 due to the widespread drought. However, the current political and economic climate, and its effect on the value of the rand, could affect sales during the latter part of 2018. Denene Erasmus reports.
2 min |
Farmer's Weekly 21 September 2018
Farmer's Weekly
SA's 'Little Ships' Go To War
In 1939, South Africa effectively had no navy at all. But that did not stop the brave volunteers of the South African Naval Forces from taking on the enemy.
5 min |
Farmer's Weekly 21 September 2018
Farmer's Weekly
Young Poultry Farmer Thrives Despite Setbacks
Asiphe Pentu started his small-scale broiler business with only R2 000 when he was just 17 years old and still at school. After five years, he has a well-run, 100-chicken operation that turns a profit and has a loyal clientele in the local community. Siyanda Sishuba reports.
4 min |
June 14, 2019
Farmer's Weekly
Soil Erosion: A Big Problem With Few Solutions
Long-term food security is set to suffer if the scourge of soil erosion is not brought under control. Dan Pennock, a professor in soil science at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada, discusses the extent of the problem and the importance of good soil management.
4 min |
June 14, 2019
Farmer's Weekly
'Nappy Test' For Sheep To Help Optimise Milk Production
Sheep in Brazil were recently dressed in nappies as part of a research project aimed at finding the ideal grass length for maximum milk production.
1 min |
June 14, 2019
Farmer's Weekly
New Report Expresses Support
Farmers unhappy with the Johannesburg Stock Exchange’s (JSE) location differential system have suffered a setback, with grain expert Prof Matthew Roberts, founder of the Kernmantle Group, recommending that the system be maintained for wheat and maize and, if the JSE deemed it necessary, introduced for soya bean as well.
1 min |
June 14, 2019
Farmer's Weekly
Seed-eating Birds Survive In The Desert
52years ago A study conducted at the Transvaal Museum investigated the water economy of seedeating birds, and the remarkable ability of certain finches to live in the desert without water for long periods of time.
2 min |