Animals-and-Pets
Farmer's Weekly
How to wean piglets
The process of weaning is very tough for piglets and the farmer needs to take great care at this time. Bad weaning practices can lead to poor performance and financial losses.
5 min |
Farmer's Weekly 3 February 2023
Farmer's Weekly
Economically important diseases of maize
Maize is considered the most important grain crop in South Africa, thus there are various maize diseases that farmers need to be on the lookout for. Janine Ryan reports on some of the most dominant of these diseases.
5 min |
Farmer's Weekly 3 February 2023
Farmer's Weekly
Outstanding breeding cows lead to sustainable beef cattle production
The success of a beef cattle operation rests largely on the performance of its cows, says Dr Hentie van Rensburg, who bred the 2022 Agricultural Research Council National Best Elite Cow in the Afrisim category. He and his farming partner, Lourie van Pletzen, spoke to Annelie Coleman about their approach.
6 min |
Farmer's Weekly 3 February 2023
Farmer's Weekly
Challenges and opportunities for farming in Senegal
Despite adverse production conditions, Senegal's agriculture sector is an essential employer. Janine Ryan looks at some of the major commodities produced in this West African country.
6 min |
Farmer's Weekly 3 February 2023
Farmer's Weekly
Growing gerberas in a volatile market
In this second article of a three-part series, florist Carol Sutherland spoke to Tania Henkel, who runs Imbali Cut Flowers in Gauteng, about the challenges of producing gerberas, also known as Barberton daisies.
5 min |
Farmer's Weekly 3 February 2023
Farmer's Weekly
Astute marketing drives avocado consumption
South Africa's avocado industry has attained the holy grail in marketing for a non-essential product: getting consumers to feel they need it rather just want it. The resulting sales growth has boosted the industry despite recent economic and supply constraints. Glynnis Branthwaite, owner of Protactic Strategic Communications, and Derek Donkin, CEO of Subtrop, spoke to Lindi Botha about this intensive and ongoing marketing effort.
5 min |
Farmer's Weekly 3 February 2023
Farmer's Weekly
South Africa's black farmers and the 'Karan merger'
If all parties, including government, do what they're supposed to, Karan Beef's merger with SK Caine should open up lucrative opportunities for black farmers in the beef value chain, says Dr Sifiso Ntombela.
2 min |
Farmer's Weekly 3 February 2023
Farmer's Weekly
Misconduct vs incapacity
Madeleine Els describes the difference between misconduct and incapacity, and the effect each has on the business. She stresses why it is important for employers to understand the difference between the two.
2 min |
Farmer's Weekly 3 February 2023
Farmer's Weekly
Want higher prices for your calves? Dehorn them!
In crushes and while being transported on trucks, cattle with sharp horns can inflict severe injuries to one another, reducing the price of such animals. Dehorning is the only effective solution, says Shane Brody.
3 min |
Farmer's Weekly 3 February 2023
Farmer's Weekly
Why no manager is an island
When English metaphysical poet John Donne wrote 'No man is an island', he meant that people need each other and are better together than they are in isolation. Management is just like that, says Peter Hughes.
3 min |
Farmer's Weekly 3 February 2023
Farmer's Weekly
Persistent inflationary pressures reflected in most produce items
Numerous challenges, ranging from rolling blackouts to adverse weather conditions, have beset South Africa's fresh produce sector since late last year. Absa AgriBusiness examines these market dynamics in detail.
3 min |
Farmer's Weekly 3 February 2023
Farmer's Weekly
South Africa's sheep farmers under pressure
South Africa's sheep industry has continued to decline due to the effects of devastating drought in some parts of the country, as well as lower prices in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
1 min |
Farmer's Weekly 3 February 2023
Farmer's Weekly
Rice-breeding breakthrough offers hope of feeding billions
An international team, led by scientists from the University of California, Davis in the US, has succeeded in propagating a commercial hybrid rice strain as a clone through seeds with 95% efficiency.
2 min |
Farmer's Weekly 3 February 2023
Farmer's Weekly
SA study offers new insight into grapevine mites
Grape farmers have long assumed that one species of grapevine mite causes bud strain and leaf galls, while others produce blisters and leaf curl.
1 min |
Farmer's Weekly 3 February 2023
Farmer's Weekly
UK farmers must adapt food production to climate change
Farmers in the UK are having to change where and what crops they grow due to rising temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns, and prolonged periods of dry weather that are the result of climate change.
1 min |
Farmer's Weekly 3 February 2023
Farmer's Weekly
Taking communal farming to the next level
The members of a development project undertaken by AfriForum, the Southern African Agri Initiative (SAAI) and the Boiphitlhelelo Co-operative of Noga's Post in the Barolong Boo-Seleka Kingdom in the Free State recently harvested their second grain crop.
1 min |
Farmer's Weekly 3 February 2023
Farmer's Weekly
Can the agriculture sector overcome some of the hurdles in its way in 2023?
POLICY PERSPECTIVE
3 min |
Farmer's Weekly 3 February 2023
Farmer's Weekly
Rolling blackouts disrupting farming and agribusinesses
AGRIBUSINESS PERSPECTIVE
3 min |
Farmer's Weekly 3 February 2023
Farmer's Weekly
Raising pigs in the open: Part 2
In this second instalment of a two-part article that focused on raising pigs in outdoor enclosures, and how such a system could be profitable for farmers, we continue with housing for gestating sows.
2 min |
Farmer's Weekly 3 February 2023
Farmer's Weekly
Donate veggie seed packets to help others feed their families in a sustainable way
Give a person vegetables, and you feed them for a day; empower a person to grow their own vegetables, and they will feed themselves and their loved ones for a lifetime.
2 min |
Farmer's Weekly 3 February 2023
Farmer's Weekly
Elephant poaching: solutions to the scourge
Elephant poaching rates vary greatly across Africa, say Timothy Kuiper, postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Cape Town, and Eleanor Jane Milner-Gulland, Tasso Leventis Professor of Biodiversity at the University of Oxford. In this article, they suggest reasons for these differences, and how to fight the problem.
4 min |
Farmer's Weekly 3 February 2023
Farmer's Weekly
Stutterheim: brave soldier, troubled man
Baron Richard von Stutterheim was a courageous officer on the battlefield, but his love of luxuries and gambling brought him to bankruptcy. Graham Jooste tells us about the man after whom the Eastern Cape town is named.
5 min |
January 27, 2023
Farmer's Weekly
Unspoilt nature and excellent amenities beckon along lush river banks
The Touws River, which runs through the Wilderness area of the Garden Route, offers visitors the opportunity to paddle, birdwatch, relax and hike to their hearts’ content, says Brian Berkman.
4 min |
January 27, 2023
Farmer's Weekly
An adventure in the Kia Sorento: Part 2
Alex Shahini of CAR magazine takes on the tough conditions of Lundin’s Nek and Naude’s Nek in the all-wheel-drive Sorento.
2 min |
January 27, 2023
Farmer's Weekly
The pre-purchase veterinary examination
Before you buy a horse, ask your veterinarian to give it a thorough examination, advises Dr Mac.
2 min |
January 27, 2023
Farmer's Weekly
Creating a fruit tree orchard on a plot
Ensure that your property can accommodate an orchard before getting to work on the actual layout and planting phase.
2 min |
January 27, 2023
Farmer's Weekly
When to wean beef calves
There are ways to prevent or cure most cucurbit diseases, but there's no known way to cure a virus once it has infected the plant, warns Bill Kerr.
2 min |
January 27, 2023
Farmer's Weekly
Why viruses are the biggest threat to your cucurbits
There are ways to prevent or cure most cucurbit diseases, but there's no known way to cure a virus once it has infected the plant, warns Bill Kerr.
2 min |
January 27, 2023
Farmer's Weekly
No more time to waste
Through responsible waste management, farmers can avoid polluting the surrounding agroecosystem, says environmental specialist Alistair Galloway.
3 min |
January 27, 2023
Farmer's Weekly
How plants' roots can protect them from climate change
Malcolm Bennett, professor of plant sciences, and Poonam Mehra, a postdoctoral fellow in biosciences, both at the University of Nottingham in the UK, write about the amazing system that plants use to shape their roots, and why it could help protect crops from the effects of climate change, such as floods and droughts.
3 min |