Business
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 |
June 22, 2018
Farmer's Weekly
Investing In The Future Of Farmworkers' Children
Gelukwaarts School near Van Stadensrus in the Free State was launched by commercial farmers in the late 1990s to serve their workers’ children. Sunet Wessels spoke to Mike Burgess about the vibrant school that today educates 292 pupils on the farm Longlead.
5 min |
June 22, 2018
Farmer's Weekly
Dealing With Anthracnose
This fungal disease can wipe out a dry bean crop. Here’s how to prevent, and treat, this problem.
2 min |
June 22, 2018
Farmer's Weekly
A World Of Machinery On Display At Agrishow Brazil
Agrishow, a giant showcase of Brazilian agriculture that takes place in Ribeirão Preto, a city in south-east Brazil, celebrated its 25th anniversary this year. The event is one of the largest of its kind in the world, drawing almost 160 000 visitors from 70 countries. Denene Erasmus, who attended the show in May, reports on some of the highlights of the show’s machinery exhibition, which attracts manufacturers from around the globe.
3 min |
June 22, 2018
Farmer's Weekly
Mpumalanga Hailstorm Will Have Long-Term Fallout
The devastating hailstorm that hit Mpumalanga on 27 May will have a long-term effect on, among others, the citrus production industry in the Lowveld.
1 min |
June 15, 2018
Farmer's Weekly
Department Of Health Halts Listeria Testing Of Meat Imports
With the number of listeriosis cases reportedly having declined markedly in recent months, the Department of Health (DoH) no longer conducts testing for this pathogen in imported meat products.
1 min |
June 15, 2018
Farmer's Weekly
Double Whammy For Guava Producers
The ongoing drought in large parts of South Africa as well as falling market prices are expected to have a severely negative impact on guava production this season.
1 min |
June 15, 2018
Farmer's Weekly
The Best Fish Species For Aquaponics
While the Nile tilapia is the fastest grower, it is easier to obtain a permit for the slower-growing Mozambique tilapia.
2 min |
June 15, 2018
Farmer's Weekly
A Healthy Profit From Pasture-raised Eggs
As a technician specialising in the installation and repair of gates, Rico Vergotine had little reason to be interested in agriculture. His life changed, however, after a chance meeting, and today he manages 2 500 pasture-raised chickens that produce 1 900 eggs a day. Jeandré van der Walt visited him on Boschendal wine estate to find out about his farming techniques and future plans.
4 min |
June 15, 2018
Farmer's Weekly
Growing Out And Fattening Cattle In A Feedlot
Most cattle sold through abattoirs are feedlotted. This new series looks at the basics of feedlotting and how an operator can increase profit margins.
3 min |
June 15, 2018
Farmer's Weekly
How The State Is ‘Capturing' Aquaculture
Legislative control of the aquaculture industry in South Africa is so restrictive that it impedes any development.
4 min |
23 June 2017
Farmer's Weekly
Business And Legal Implications Of An Agritourism Venture
Once you have conducted the necessary feasibility studies and determined the exact format of your agritourism business, the next step would be to decide on an appropriate business structure for the venture.
5 min |
23 June 2017
Farmer's Weekly
‘Chicken Dumping Will Cripple The Economy And Kill Off Jobs'
Francois Baird, founder of the FairPlay advocacy movement, tells Annelie Coleman why chicken dumping is an illegal practice, and describes how it threatens South Africa’s chicken and grain industries, the country’s economy, and the jobs and food security of poorer consumers.
5 min |
23 June 2017
Farmer's Weekly
Meet The Mighty JD 8400R!
This new record-breaking John Deere tractor made its first appearance in the UK at the recent Cereals Event at Boothby Graffoe in Lincolnshire. Joe Spencer reports.
1 min |
23 June 2017
Farmer's Weekly
The Man Who Made Matjiesfontein
One of South Africa’s great entrepreneurs, James Logan, was also instrumental in making the game of cricket popular throughout the country, writes Graham Jooste.
4 min |