Business
Farmer's Weekly
Saving Southern Africa's smallest wild cat
Marion and Richard Holmes, who live near Cradock in the Eastern Cape, have made it their life’s ambition to conserve the vulnerable black-footed cat and African wildcat. They spoke to Annelie Coleman about the methods they employ.
7 min |
Farmer's Weekly 24 September 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Increasing sugar tax will cost more jobs – industry
With the ending of the moratorium on increases to the Health Promotion Levy (HPL), or so-called sugar tax, in 2022, renewed calls to double the levy could cost the sugar industry millions of rands.
2 min |
Farmer's Weekly 24 September 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Improving seed import/export regulations in Rwanda
GLOBAL INSIGHT
3 min |
Farmer's Weekly 24 September 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Higher milk production, lower carbon footprint
Pressure is mounting on dairy farmers to reduce their carbon footprint. The good news is that research shows it is not only possible, but can be done in a way that increases productivity. Lindi Botha reports.
6 min |
Farmer's Weekly 24 September 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Growing onions
Cutworms and thrips are major threats to onion plants, and must be dealt with timeously to save your crop, says Bill Kerr.
2 min |
Farmer's Weekly 24 September 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Growing Brussels sprouts
Brussels sprouts attract their fair share of pests. Here’s how to identify and control the important species.
3 min |
Farmer's Weekly 24 September 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Droughtmaster: the ticket to breeding more uniform calves
Now semi-retired from farming, Adriaan Odendaal of Villiers in the Free State is able to devote most of his time to the improvement of his almost 10-year old Rocky Droughtmaster stud. With the use of a new breeding method, he is confident that he will achieve his goal of breeding a uniform herd that is true to type within a few short years. Denene Erasmus reports.
5 min |
September 17, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Embryo flushing: a sure way to accelerate genetic progress
To stay ahead of their competitors in the breeding game, livestock farmers have to continually improve the genetics of their animals. Nollie and Pieter Stofberg, owners of Platdrif Sussex Stud in the Western Cape, spoke to Glenneis Kriel about how they make use of embryo flushing to achieve this goal.
7 min |
September 17, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Growing Brussels sprouts: Part 2
Irrigation, fertilization, and weed control all play a crucial role in the success of this crop. It’s also important to harvest at the right time when the heads are bright green, firm, and large enough.
2 min |
September 17, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Exploring the beauty of a small seaside town on SA's West Coast
Yzerfontein is home to stretches of beautiful fynbos. Atlantica, with its panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean, is the ideal place to stay while visiting this tranquil harbour town, says Brian Berkman.
4 min |
September 17, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Preventing and fighting veld fires
Fire protection associations play an integral part in managing fire risk during the dry winter season. Pieter Dempsey spoke to Johann Breytenbach, general manager of the Free State Umbrella Fire Protection Association, about the importance of these organisations and how they can grow their capacity and capability.
4 min |
September 17, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
New feed waste solution for dairy farmers
The UK-based agriculture solutions company, JF Hudson, has designed a first for the dairy industry: an attachment that can help to greatly reduce feed wastage in dairy sheds and save farmers money.
2 min |
September 17, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Training a yearling
Your horse doesn’t have to be a racehorse to follow the training programme employed for starting Thoroughbred yearlings, says Dr Mac.
3 min |
September 17, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Complying With SA's Demanding Labour Laws
Western Cape pome fruit producer Steven Versfeld earlier this year became the first farmer to achieve platinum status with no non-compliances from the Sustainability Initiative of South Africa for his workforce management. He spoke to Glenneis Kriel about this accomplishment.
6 min |
August 13, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Breeding Chickens For The Show Ring
What started out as a hobby for Helene Roodt six years ago has since turned into a full-time and surprisingly intricate and successful show chicken breeding business. Annelie Coleman visited Roodt to find out more about her enterprise.
6 min |
September 10, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Zondo Commission: a line in the sand, or not?
The Zondo Commission, South Africa’s ambitious project to unravel the networks of state capture in the country, is wrapping up its work. Theo Venter, an independent political and policy specialist and lecturer at the North-West University Business School, takes a look at some of the achievements of the commission thus far, and how its work may influence the future of the country.
5 min |
September 10, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Mohair price up 75% year-on-year
The 99% sales clearance achieved at the first winter season sale of mohair was a good indication of healthy demand for mohair. There were 88 723kg on offer.
1 min |
September 10, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Market access initiative for beef farmers launched
A new livestock initiative is set to provide a platform for the formal selling and buying of cattle for Eastern Cape beef cattle producers. This was according to Roelie van Reenen, supply chain executive at the Beefmaster Group.
2 min |
September 10, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Dexter cattle are ideal for experiments
This article explored how Dexters, being the low-maintenance and inherently docile cattle they are, were ideal material for animal scientists operating in certain fields of research.
3 min |
September 10, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Area planted to wheat in England up by 28%, but canola production down
The area planted to wheat in England alone for the current harvest has increased 28% from 2020 to 1,62 million hectares. This was according to the provisional results of the UK’s agriculture ministry’s latest survey.
1 min |
September 10, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Dealing With Abortions In Sheep And Goats
Abortions and deaths of newborn sheep and goats reduce lambing and kidding percentages, and hence your profits.
5 min |
September 03, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Breeding Natural Enemies To Control Pests
Limpopo insectary Insectec was founded to develop a secure and steady supply of biological pest control solutions for producers of a variety of fruit and vegetable crops. Magda du Toit reports.
6 min |
September 03, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Dealing With The ‘Orphan Disease'
Neurocysticercosis, caused by a tapeworm that cycles between humans and pigs, is a leading source of serious neurological disorders such as seizures in people living in certain rural settings, writes Roelof Bezuidenhout.
2 min |
Farmer's Weekly 20 August 2021
Farmer's Weekly
What You Should Know About Mosquitoes
Not all mosquitoes are created equal, say Shüné Oliver and Jaishree Raman of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases of South Africa. However, people should be sure to protect themselves when visiting regions known for mosquito-transmitted diseases.
4 min |
September 03, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Increasing Your Nut Crop: Diversity Is Key
When choosing a macadamia nut variety to plant, farmers could be tempted to stick with one variety throughout the farm to make management easier. However, diversity is key to obtaining a superior nut crop, as cross-pollination between varieties can lead to a yield increase. Lindi Botha reports.
8 min |
August 27, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Chief Kama: the Christian collaborator
The Ann Shaw Mission Church in the Eastern Cape’s former Ciskei is known in Xhosa as KwaKama (Kama’s place) in reference to the nearby grave of the 19th century Xhosa chief William Kama. Mike Burgess tells the story of this devout Christian and controversial collaborator with the British.
3 min |
September 03, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Feed conversion testing brings greater profits
More meat per herd per year is the golden thread that runs through a profitable cattle enterprise, and genetics play a crucial role in the herd’s advancement. While DNA testing is useful for genetic selection, it can’t determine feed conversion rates. This is where Phase D performance testing comes in. Lindi Botha reports.
7 min |
September 03, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
How SA farmers can benefit from Israeli tech
Israeli technology in agricultural production can be hugely useful to South African farmers. These technologies range from decreasing water usage to improving propagation. Wouter Kriel and Susan Marais report.
6 min |
September 03, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Riding with hounds
Training your dog and horse to accept each other is vitally important for them to co-exist and work together on the farm, says Dr Mac.
2 min |
September 03, 2021
Farmer's Weekly
Growing onions: Part 10
Keep an eye on the potassium, nitrogen and zinc levels of your crop to ensure optimal yield, says Bill Kerr.
2 min |