Business
Farmer's Weekly
From Our Archives
Miniature horses – not just for aesthetics and pleasure
3 min |
30 June 2017
Farmer's Weekly
SA Macadamia Production Set To Triple By 2025
Production volumes of South African macadamias are expected to increase from 46 000t in 2015 to 70 718t by 2021. Based on current plantings, this figure could further rise to 125 980t by 2025. Such an increase, however, would require significant investment in processing capacity.
3 min |
30 June 2017
Farmer's Weekly
The Premium Beef Business
Gary Jackson of Jackson’s Real Food Market, Chris Paulsen of the Bull and Bush butchery, restaurateurs Steve Maresch and Llewy Mateza of The Local Grill, and Roelie van Reenen of Beefmaster, are determined to offer the finest traceable, aged and ethically produced beef to discerning clients. But doing so is not without challenges, writes Gerhard Uys.
4 min |
30 June 2017
Farmer's Weekly
Olive Oil Success Through Innovation
The Greenleaf Olive Company near Cape Agulhas in the Overberg planted its first trees in 2006. Just 10 years later, the olive oil produced here is one of South Africa’s premium local brands.
5 min |
30 June 2017
Farmer's Weekly
Dealing With Fluorine Poisoning
This condition is difficult to diagnose due to the natural levels of fluoride that occur in all animal tissue. The highest levels are found in teeth and bones.
2 min |
30 June 2017
Farmer's Weekly
Agriculture Is Changing And So Must Agri Economist
It’s not only farmers who have to adapt to the fundamental changes occurring in world agriculture, or go out of business. Agricultural economists also have to adapt. This is the warning from Bongiswa Matoti, president of the Agricultural Economists’ Association of South Africa. The views expressed in our weekly opinion piece do not necessarily reflect those of Farmer’s Weekly.
3 min |
27 October 2017
Farmer's Weekly
Pests And Drought Hamper 2017 Canola Yields
Pests And Drought Hamper 2017 Canola Yields
1 min |
27 October 2017
Farmer's Weekly
A Farmer's Passion Carrying A Family Legacy Forward
It takes a fine balancing act for Grain SA chairperson, Jaco Minnaar, to serve the interests of members while still leaving enough time to pursue his true passion – being a farmer. Sabrina Dean visited him recently on his family farm near Hennenman in the Free State.
4 min |
27 October 2017
Farmer's Weekly
Treating Summer Skin Problems
Summer may mean more time to spend with your horse, but it’s also the season for sweet itch, mange and ringworm, cautions Kim Dyson.
2 min |
27 October 2017
Farmer's Weekly
Beef Cattle Conformation Basics
When performing a visual evaluation of the animal, note the following features in particular: frame size, muscle and body structure, and breed character.
3 min |
Farmer's Weekly 8 September 2017
Farmer's Weekly
Indigenous Trees
South African landowners should become more involved in propagating and using indigenous trees to ensure their survival and increase biodiversity.
1 min |
Farmer's Weekly 8 September 2017
Farmer's Weekly
Make The Right Connection
Seamless connectivity between machine and operator is at the heart of John Deere’s latest FarmSight precision farming solutions. Joe Spencer reports.
1 min |
Farmer's Weekly 8 September 2017
Farmer's Weekly
The Beef Master In Limpopo
The growing popularity of the Beefmaster among livestock breeders in Limpopo is indicative of the breed’s ability to adapt to extensive farming conditions. The Hardus Steenkamp Beefmasters stud in Limpopo has proven just how well the breed can perform.
2 min |
Farmer's Weekly 8 September 2017
Farmer's Weekly
Bumper Maize Harvest Set To Restore SA's Net Export Status
The record crop that the Crop Estimates Committee has forecast for local maize producers will place South Africa firmly back on the export map.
3 min |
19 May 2017
Farmer's Weekly
Understanding Crop Rotation
Vegetable growers everywhere seem to think it a crime not to practise crop rotation.
2 min |
19 May 2017
Farmer's Weekly
Performance Chipping
Aftermarket computer chips are available to override a vehicle’s air:fuel ratio and other settings to squeeze more power from the engine. Jake Venter explains.
2 min |
19 May 2017
Farmer's Weekly
No Room For Favourites
Gugulethu Zondi, the Agricultural Research Council’s 2016 National Emerging Beef Farmer of the Year, says that farming should be treated like any other business, and that beef farmers should choose their breeds based on performance rather than preference.
6 min |
Farmer's Weekly 4 May 2018
Farmer's Weekly
Brafords Prove Their Worth On Traditional Sheep Farm
Although Van Aardt Greyling from the farm Ricksuhill near Lady Grey in the Eastern Cape is better known for his SA Mutton Merinos, his Beefpower Braford Stud is nevertheless home to the 2017 ARC National Best Elite Braford Cow.
4 min |
Farmer's Weekly 4 May 2018
Farmer's Weekly
Pecans: High Cost, Big Returns
The boom in nut prices in recent years is expected to continue as consumers opt for healthier foods. This has increasingly led to farmers replacing their crops with nut trees. While pecan farming can be a lucrative venture, aspiring nut growers must begin with a solid foundation, says Shane Eva, farm manager for Halls and Sons.
4 min |
Farmer's Weekly 4 May 2018
Farmer's Weekly
Some Bacterial And Parasitical Pig Diseases
An overview of eperythrozoonosis, Clostridium perfringens Type C, ascariosis and Glasser’s disease.
3 min |
Farmer's Weekly 4 May 2018
Farmer's Weekly
The Basics Of Pigeon Pea Production
Pigeon peas have the ability to survive and provide good economic returns in a drought-prone environment and low input farming systems.
3 min |
Farmer's Weekly 4 May 2018
Farmer's Weekly
Improve Water Management; Don't Make New Laws
Implementing existing laws could have averted South Africa’s water crisis, yet the minister of water affairs has failed to do this, according to Mike Muller, visiting adjunct professor at the University of the Witwatersrand.
4 min |
Farmer's Weekly 23 February 2018
Farmer's Weekly
Viable ‘Refuge Areas' To Reduce Pest Resistance In Sugar Cane
To curb the development of resistance in pests to the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) in genetically modified sugar cane, refuge areas would have to be so large that production might not be financially viable at this stage. This is according to Dirk Human, a master’s student at Stellenbosch University researching refugia in Bt sugar cane.
1 min |
Farmer's Weekly 23 February 2018
Farmer's Weekly
Maize Price Expected To Decrease Further
White and yellow maize prices are expected to decline by between R150/t and R200/t over the next few months due to high global and local supply levels and the strengthening rand, according to agricultural economist Prof Johan Willemse.
1 min |
Farmer's Weekly 23 February 2018
Farmer's Weekly
Amendments To Oriental Fruit Fly Control Measures
The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) has released amendments to the control measures for the oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis) in South Africa.
1 min |
Farmer's Weekly 23 February 2018
Farmer's Weekly
What Lessons Has SA Learnt From the Drought?
Dawie Maree of FNB Business reviews the recent drought, which caused suffering, but also taught us several valuable lessons.
3 min |
24 March 2017
Farmer's Weekly
The Gift of Self-seasoning
Thai cuisine blesses you with the liberty of self-seasoning in the form of dipping sauces. So let’s cook supermarket fish straight from the box and then elevate it into the culinary stratosphere.
2 min |
24 March 2017
Farmer's Weekly
New Breeding Techniques: Effective And Affordable
New Breeding Techniques (NBTs) are a broad range of methods used for the modifying of genomes and gene expression. Hennie Groenewald, executive manager of Biosafety SA, says that NBTs have an important role to play in developing countries such as South Africa, where the lower costs of the technology make it a viable solution in a competitive market.
4 min |
March 16, 2018
Farmer's Weekly
Land expropriation fears unfounded – Prof Ruth Hall
The motion recently adopted by the National Assembly, in Parliament, to establish an ad hoc Constitutional Review Committee to review and amend Section 25 of the Constitution to allow for the expropriation of land without compensation has been met with both great anxiety and elation by South Africans.
1 min |
March 16, 2018
Farmer's Weekly
A 27% Decline In Maize Production Expected For 2017/2018 Season
The Crop Estimates Committee (CEC) has released an estimate of about 12,2 million tons for South Africa’s commercial maize crop for the current season, down 27% on the 16,8 million tons produced in 2016/2017.
1 min |