Business
Farmer's Weekly
Turning a hobby into an award-winning stud
What started off as a hobby for Theuns Bruwer and Pierre Veldhoen seven years ago has turned into the registration of an Angus stud with successful and highly respected breeding stock. Jeandré van der Walt visited their stud, Windmeul Angus, outside Paarl in the Western Cape.
6 min |
January 17, 2020
Farmer's Weekly
STRONG GROWTH FOR POLISH POULTRY SECTOR
The Polish National Agricultural Support Centre recently hosted Farmer’s Weekly news editor Julinda Schroeder on a four-day study tour to Poland, where she had the opportunity to have a closer look at the country’s poultry industry.
5 min |
January 17, 2020
Farmer's Weekly
Strict selection sees Beefmaster stud thrive
Dawie du Plessis of the Magmar Beefmaster stud in KwaZulu-Natal implements strict selection criteria based on Beefmaster founder Tom Lasater’s six essential traits.
3 min |
January 3 - 10, 2020
Farmer's Weekly
Smithfield's capricious cannon
Ou Grietjie, a cannon in the Smithfield Museum that was used in the Free State-Basotho Wars, is linked by name to another famous Boer gun and a European siege cannon.
2 min |
January 3 - 10, 2020
Farmer's Weekly
Harnessing the dual-purpose potential of Merino ewes
Matthew Morgan of Tarkastad has developed his family farms vertically by establishing permanent mixed pastures for his 3 000 Merino ewes to lamb on. The excellence of his farming won him the title of 2019 Toyota-Agri Eastern Cape Young Farmer of the Year.
4 min |
January 3 - 10, 2020
Farmer's Weekly
Growing garlic: Part 2
Garlic (Allium sativum) can be grown in a wide range of soil types.
2 min |
January 3 - 10, 2020
Farmer's Weekly
Cotton prospects for the new season remain promising
In the November 2019 Cotton Report released by Cotton South Africa (Cotton SA), the US-China trade dispute was again cited as a contributor to the challenges faced by the industry.
1 min |
January 3 - 10, 2020
Farmer's Weekly
Transformation project stands as an example
Despite ongoing delays and red tape, Merino stud breeder Eddie Prinsloo and eight of his employees have begun farming in partnership in a business known as the Donkerhoek Farming Project. Sabrina Dean visited them on Prinsloo’s Free State farm to learn about the venture.
5 min |
December 20, 2019
Farmer's Weekly
Tough times need tougher cattle
Cattle farmers in Southern Africa have had a difficult year, with on going drought and foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks. Louis Steyl, CEO of the Bonsmara Cattle Breeders’ Society of South Africa, says that the Bonsmara, with its adaptability and high functional efficiency, has proved itself the ideal breed to cope with, and thrive in, these challenging conditions.
1 min |
December 20, 2019
Farmer's Weekly
TEN YEARS IN AGRICULTURE: the winners and the losers
As another decade draws to a close, clear winners and losers have emerged on the agricultural front. While the industry is in a better position overall than 10 years ago, a bumpy road lies ahead. Lindi Botha reports.
8 min |
December 20, 2019
Farmer's Weekly
Large-scale composting turns waste into healthy soil
Over the years, composting guru Redge Jelliman has produced thousands of tons of compost as organic fertiliser for his crop farming enterprise in the Free State. Now semi-retired from farming, and a soil health consultant, he shared his experiences with Lloyd Phillips.
7 min |
December 20, 2019
Farmer's Weekly
How farming is making South Africa a better place
The South African farming sector deserves to be acknowledged by politicians and citizens in general for the overwhelmingly positive impact it is having on the future of all who live here. Farmer’s Weekly editor Denene Erasmus looks back at how farmers did their part this year to promote transformation and social cohesion while ensuring food security.
7 min |
December 20, 2019
Farmer's Weekly
Autonomous equipment rivalry
A number of autonomous agricultural machinery concepts have been revealed at international agricultural shows in recent years, and several are in the testing phase. The question is, when will this equipment become commercially available?
4 min |
December 20, 2019
Farmer's Weekly
ANIMAL ANTICS
From tool-using goats and brilliant baboons to big, angry bulls, animals can amuse, amaze and sometimes scare us. A number of people related their favorite animal stories to Glennis Kriel.
6 min |
December 20, 2019
Farmer's Weekly
A plan for reducing food loss and wastage
In a recent study, published by the World Resources Institute, researchers explored 10 scaling interventions that could help reduce food loss and waste across supply chains and geographies. According to the report, ‘Reducing Food Loss and Waste: Ten Interventions to Scale Impact’, governments, businesses, farmers, consumers, and everyone in between need to play a role in implementing these interventions.
4 min |
December 20, 2019
Farmer's Weekly
The fundamentals of fertility in beef cattle
Llewellyn Angus, an animal scientist, Simbra/Simmentaler breeder, and SA Interbreed Judges Association examiner, says that grazing and fertility management are both crucial to profitable beef cattle farming. Here he shares the basic principles of managing fertility in a beef herd.
4 min |
December 13, 2019
Farmer's Weekly
World's ‘smartest tractor' coming to SA in 2020
John Deere’s 8RX tractor, which recently won the ‘Tech for a Better World’ category in the CES Innovation Awards held in the US, will be brought out to South Africa next year.
2 min |
December 13, 2019
Farmer's Weekly
THE BEEFMASTER When only the best will do
Tabbie du Plessis, who runs the Janmarck Beefmasters stud in the Free State, says the Beefmaster breed has lowered the birthweights and increased the weaning weights of calves in his herd. He adds that the future of the breed is bright, as breeders are constantly improving their herds through the use of exceptional animals in breeding programmes.
4 min |
December 13, 2019
Farmer's Weekly
Ultra-high-density grazing for sustainable beef production
There are a number of tools that can contribute to successful sustainable agriculture, provided farmers use them strategically. Danie Slabbert, one such South African farmer, explains how he is using ultra-high-density grazing to help ensure that he and future users of the land all benefit. Lloyd Phillips reports.
5 min |
December 13, 2019
Farmer's Weekly
Quality counts in the business of big beef
The Beefmaster Group’s abattoir in Kimberley can process up to 800 cattle a day. Roelie van Reenen, the group’s supply-chain executive, spoke to Sabrina Dean about how the group operates and maintains its high standards.
5 min |
December 13, 2019
Farmer's Weekly
Tomato pests to look out for
This crop is targeted by a wide range of pests. Infestation will vary from place to place, and from season to season, but some form of pest control will invariably be necessary.
5 min |
December 13, 2019
Farmer's Weekly
Industrialise first. Free trade will follow.
Michael E Odijie, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Cambridge’s Centre o African Studies, argues that implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement will not catalyse industrialisation on the continent. Rather, governments should start with regional industrialisation.
4 min |
December 13, 2019
Farmer's Weekly
Shifting paradigms to make SA sugar cane farming more sustainable
The negative effects of more than 170 years of monocropping with sugar cane in South Africa are starting to appear. KwaZuluNatal sugar cane farmer Deon Schröder explains what these are, why they should be changed, and how he is going about this on his farm.
7 min |
December 13, 2019
Farmer's Weekly
Carbon tax may cost farmers dearly
In a world increasingly focused on climate change, farmers have little choice but to reduce their carbon footprint. If they fail to do so, they stand to lose both market access and money. David Farrell, founder of agricultural consultants Blue North, spoke to Lindi Botha about the urgent need for farmers, particularly exporters, to carry out their calculations and take action.
4 min |
December 13, 2019
Farmer's Weekly
Bean pests & soil diseases
One pest that every bean farmer knows is the African bollworm. This tends to appear sporadically, rather than building up its population gradually.
2 min |
December 13, 2019
Farmer's Weekly
The case for a national agri insurance plan
South African farmers are finding their businesses increasingly at risk due to the effects of climate change. Broad-based access to a state-supported agricultural insurance scheme would enhance food security in the country, writes Dr Sifiso Ntombela, a senior agricultural economist at the National Agricultural Marketing Council.
3 min |
December 06, 2019
Farmer's Weekly
Herb farmer spices up his business with value-adding
Basil Williams, the managing director of Herbal View Hydroponics, cultivates 3t of various herbs per month on just 1ha of land. Recently, he also tapped into the enormous potential of value-adding. Jeandré van der Walt visited him on his farm in Simondium, near Paarl.
4 min |
December 06, 2019
Farmer's Weekly
Wagyu sets the example for traceability in South Africa
The Certified Wagyu Beef system is a leading example of livestock traceability, which would allow South African producers access to lucrative export markets.
4 min |
December 06, 2019
Farmer's Weekly
Feeding your crop properly
You can own all the machinery in the world, but if each planted seed does not receive adequate nutrition to ensure the highest possible yield, you’re on a hiding to nothing. Dr Benard Ngwene, agricultural advisory manager for AGCO Africa, explains how to achieve optimal nutrient levels.
3 min |
December 06, 2019
Farmer's Weekly
KALAHARI RED GOATS: HARDY AND PROFITABLE
The proven economics of the Kalahari Red breed motivated Cobus Meyer to branch out into goat production on the family farm near Leeudoringstad. He told Annelie Coleman that establishing his Greenstone Kalahari Red Goat stud had been the best business decision he had ever made.
6 min |