CATEGORIES

Guava industry looks for growth and improved cultivars
Farmer's Weekly

Guava industry looks for growth and improved cultivars

Despite a marginally lower crop predicted for this season, plenty of opportunities await guava producers in South Africa. Glenneis Kriel reports on the industry's recent annual general meeting.

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3 mins  |
July 14, 2023
Traveller arrested with lion bones in his luggage
Farmer's Weekly

Traveller arrested with lion bones in his luggage

The slaughtering and smuggling of captive-bred lions in South Africa to meet the demand for lion bones is an abomination, according to Dr Gerhard Verdoorn, CropLife South Africa’s operations and stewardship manager.

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1 min  |
July 14, 2023
Achievers at the National Wool Growers AGM
Farmer's Weekly

Achievers at the National Wool Growers AGM

The wool industry acknowledged its top achievers at the National Wool Growers’ Association (NWGA) AGM held recently in Gqeberha.

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1 min  |
July 14, 2023
Land as a production factor
Farmer's Weekly

Land as a production factor

This article described how farmers could optimise utilisation of their lands.

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3 mins  |
July 14, 2023
Let's go riding in Southern Greenland!
Farmer's Weekly

Let's go riding in Southern Greenland!

The world offers many remarkable locations for riding adventures. One of the more unusual, and dramatic, is Greenland. Dr Mac has a look at the island’s breathtaking scenery and its tough, well-adapted horse breed

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2 mins  |
Farmer's Weekly 7 July 2023
Inside Ford's state-of-the-art Silverton assembly plant
Farmer's Weekly

Inside Ford's state-of-the-art Silverton assembly plant

Ford recently allowed members of the media to get a hands-on experience at its Silverton assembly plant in Pretoria. Here, 4 700 employees (and platoons of robots) bring the Ranger and Amarok bakkies to life

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1 min  |
Farmer's Weekly 7 July 2023
The basics of growing lupins
Farmer's Weekly

The basics of growing lupins

Lupins are planted in both the winter and summer rainfall regions of South Africa. They are particularly popular in the coastal areas of the Western Cape, where they are used as a pasture crop for sheep production

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4 mins  |
Farmer's Weekly 7 July 2023
Controlling bollworm in cabbage: he who hesitates is lost!
Farmer's Weekly

Controlling bollworm in cabbage: he who hesitates is lost!

When this pest burrows into a cabbage plant, eradicating it becomes far more difficult and costly. So don’t delay

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2 mins  |
Farmer's Weekly 7 July 2023
Farming 'is not a get-rich-quick scheme'
Farmer's Weekly

Farming 'is not a get-rich-quick scheme'

Koketso Baloyi Mofokeng started full-time farming in 2018 after encouragement from her husband, Katiso. Despite facing many challenges, the young photographer-turned-farmer remains passionate about the cabbage, green beans, peppers and spinach she produces

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6 mins  |
Farmer's Weekly 7 July 2023
Remembering a bloody and decisive battle
Farmer's Weekly

Remembering a bloody and decisive battle

Fear and conflict were grim realities of life on the Cape Colony’s Eastern Frontier during the 19th century. At the same time, inspirational bravery shone through the violence. Makhanda (formerly Grahamstown) saw its fair share of both in a crucial battle that took place here in 1819

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2 mins  |
Farmer's Weekly 7 July 2023
A cosy lodge, breathtaking sea views and beach restaurants at the very tip of Africa
Farmer's Weekly

A cosy lodge, breathtaking sea views and beach restaurants at the very tip of Africa

Brian Berkman recommends a visit to Cape Aghulas to admire South Africa’s second-oldest working lighthouse, admire the endless sea views, stay in a delightful lodge, and simply unwind and relax

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3 mins  |
Farmer's Weekly 7 July 2023
Half of Africa's white rhinos in private hands
Farmer's Weekly

Half of Africa's white rhinos in private hands

Hayley Clements, a researcher at Stellenbosch University, Dave Balfour, a freelance conservation ecologist, and Enrico Di Minin, an associate professor in Conservation Geography at the University of Helsinki, explain how and why the approach to rhino conservation on the continent has to change

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4 mins  |
Farmer's Weekly 7 July 2023
Growing great fruit may not be enough
Farmer's Weekly

Growing great fruit may not be enough

A paper on the performance of South Africa’s fresh fruit exports has been released by Henley Business School Africa in collaboration with the Gordon Institute of Business Science and Stellenbosch University. It emphasises that maintaining strong exporter-importer relationships could be critical to keep the industry on top

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4 mins  |
Farmer's Weekly 7 July 2023
Award-winning gin from Namibia's dry interior
Farmer's Weekly

Award-winning gin from Namibia's dry interior

The innovative Naute Kristall Distillery is situated near Keetmanshoop in Namibia’s arid southern region. Established by Michael and Katrin Weder, it has become renowned for its outstanding, prizewinning gin

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4 mins  |
Farmer's Weekly 7 July 2023
Watchdogs: a bark in time can save you
Farmer's Weekly

Watchdogs: a bark in time can save you

A watchdog can alert its owner to potential threats or intrusions. Janine Ryan looks at some of the best watchdog breeds to consider for farmers and even city dwellers

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5 mins  |
Farmer's Weekly 7 July 2023
Uphill road from small to commercial farming
Farmer's Weekly

Uphill road from small to commercial farming

Driven by passion and a dream to develop his business to its full potential, livestock farmer Petros Sibanyoni is persevering despite trials and tribulations. He spoke to Lindi Botha about the challenges faced by emerging farmers, many of whom seem stuck in the proverbial development freezer

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6 mins  |
Farmer's Weekly 7 July 2023
Helping unemployed graduates to find work
Farmer's Weekly

Helping unemployed graduates to find work

Armed with a degree and youthful vigour, many a graduate has faced the stark reality of being unable to secure a job despite their qualifications. Lindi Botha spoke to Jenny More, director of RecruitAgri, about why this scenario keeps playing out, and how to solve it.

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7 mins  |
June 30, 2023
Cheaper, crowdfunded solar energy for farmers
Farmer's Weekly

Cheaper, crowdfunded solar energy for farmers

Sun Exchange uses crowdfunding to help schools, farms and other organisations switch to solar power. Abe Cambridge, the founder of Sun Exchange, spoke to Glenneis Kriel about this solution.

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7 mins  |
June 30, 2023
Harvesting 'grey water' for drip irrigation
Farmer's Weekly

Harvesting 'grey water' for drip irrigation

Irrigation is an essential part of producing good crops, even in a vegetable garden or home orchard. Here's a cost-effective way of ensuring that your fruit and vegetables get enough water, says Shane Brody.

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3 mins  |
June 30, 2023
Foreign currency: now business risk number one!
Farmer's Weekly

Foreign currency: now business risk number one!

The challenges associated with foreign currency transactions have escalated sharply and become arguably the greatest risk for farmers. Get expert advice and take action to limit your exposure, advises Peter Hughes.

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2 mins  |
June 30, 2023
Royal Show to focus purely on agriculture
Farmer's Weekly

Royal Show to focus purely on agriculture

The Royal Show was held for the final time at Pietermaritzburg's Royal Show Grounds from May 26 to June 4.

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1 min  |
June 30, 2023
A bumper crop of agricultural college graduates
Farmer's Weekly

A bumper crop of agricultural college graduates

A larger than usual number of students graduated recently from the Taung Agricultural College (TAC), based in Taung in North West.

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1 min  |
June 30, 2023
British fruit farmers' concerns grow over shortage of seasonal workers
Farmer's Weekly

British fruit farmers' concerns grow over shortage of seasonal workers

Farmers in the UK are concerned about a shortage of workers as harvest season approaches.

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1 min  |
June 30, 2023
App allows rapid reporting of coastal issues
Farmer's Weekly

App allows rapid reporting of coastal issues

World Wide Fund for Nature South Africa (WWF-SA) recently launched an app that allows the public to report incidents, ranging from poaching to pollution and marine wildlife strandings, in the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve, which extends from Gordon's Bay to the Bot River Estuary in the Western Cape.

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1 min  |
June 30, 2023
Elephant-human conflict a peril to Namibia's FMD status
Farmer's Weekly

Elephant-human conflict a peril to Namibia's FMD status

The Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) welcomed the Meat Board of Namibia's purchase of approximately R900 000 worth of energisers and other accessories to protect the Namibia-Botswana border fence against elephant encroachment.

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1 min  |
June 30, 2023
Census aims to improve knowledge on cheetahs
Farmer's Weekly

Census aims to improve knowledge on cheetahs

Landowners have been asked to participated in the Free-Roaming Cheetah Census launched by the Cheetah Outreach Trust, Ashia Cheetah Conservation and Stellenbosch University.

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1 min  |
June 30, 2023
A 'flop' that flourished
Farmer's Weekly

A 'flop' that flourished

This article described how tobacco seedlings, from a shaky start in trays, ended up larger, healthier and hardier than those grown in seedbeds.

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3 mins  |
June 30, 2023
Farmed meat versus lab-grown alternatives
Farmer's Weekly

Farmed meat versus lab-grown alternatives

Precision fermentation will be unlikely to disrupt the livestock industry but may provide high-value products for niche markets, says Prof Paul Wood of Monash University Clayton Campus, in Victoria, Australia.

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3 mins  |
June 30, 2023
Some common grapevine diseases in South Africa
Farmer's Weekly

Some common grapevine diseases in South Africa

In this article, Janine Ryan looks at the symptoms, treatment and prevention of some of South Africa's most common fungal, bacterial and viral diseases of grapevines.

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8 mins  |
June 30, 2023
Veld fires and livestock: advice on animal treatment decisions
Farmer's Weekly

Veld fires and livestock: advice on animal treatment decisions

Dr Claudia Cardoso, lecturer in Ruminant Health and Production, and Dr Rhoda Leask, senior lecturer in Ruminant Health and Production, both of the Department of Production Animal Studies in the University of Pretoria's Faculty of Veterinary Science, offer some advice on treating livestock affected by veld fires.

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5 mins  |
June 30, 2023