Business
Farmer's Weekly
Pig welfare in South Africa: balancing ethics and economics
Dr Arnold Kanengoni, veterinarian in porcine health at the University of Pretoria, spoke to Octavia Avesca Spandiel on how South Africa's pig industry is balancing ethics, welfare and economics in production.
6 min |
October 10-17, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
The latest tech in pig farming
Digital technologies and artificial intelligence are transforming pig production across the world, rendering production more efficient, less labour intensive and friendlier to animals while improving traceability and food safety. Glenneis Kriel highlights some of the latest technologies.
6 min |
October 10-17, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
Lower grain quality affecting farmers' bottom line
The year 2025 will go down as one of the worst years in terms of grain quality. While the country is expected to deliver a bumper crop, concerns over the quality have put a damper on the year's performance.
1 min |
October 10-17, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
Reviving South Africa's grasslands
Eastern Cape villagers explain the challenges they face when it comes to rangeland degradation to Mhlangabezi Slayi, a research fellow for the Centre for Global Change at the University of Fort Hare.
4 min |
October 10-17, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
South African Breweries celebrates farmers at 130th anniversary event
South African Breweries recently celebrated its 130-year anniversary by thanking farmers for their continued hard work in producing high-quality barley for its beer.
3 min |
October 10-17, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
Optimal swine nutrition: don't feed more, but feed better
A one-size-fits-all diet for pigs can lead to overfeeding or underfeeding, producing varying results, and lost production. Instead, JD Mostert, independent swine nutritionist, advocates for a stronger focus on digestible amino acids to get the most from feed rations. Lindi Botha reports.
4 min |
October 10-17, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
Wine farmers need to adopt climate-smart choices
At the Vinpro Regional Information Session held near Worcester in the Western Cape, experts highlighted the urgent need for farmers to adapt to climate change and embrace sustainability to remain competitive and resilient.
2 min |
October 10-17, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
Recognising the value of manure and organic waste
Bearing in mind the inhibiting cost of commercial synthetic fertilisers to communal farmers, Shane Brody highlights the significant benefits of using animal by-products.
2 min |
October 10-17, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
Bee-Tech launches South Africa's first commercial bio-pesticide dispensers
Bee-Tech's Jaimee Harris spoke to Octavia Avesca Spandiel about the first commercial rollout of bee-vectoring bio-pesticide dispensers at Limberlost, protecting strawberries from Botrytis while reducing chemical reliance.
2 min |
October 10-17, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
How US tariffs impact the SA blueberry industry
The South African blueberry export sector is currently experiencing heightened challenges arising from macroeconomic developments, most notably in its evolving trade relationship with the US, writes Zama Sangweni, an agricultural economist at Absa AgriBusiness.
2 min |
October 10-17, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
The employee vs independent contractor divide
South African labour legislation has very few grey areas, including the rights of contract workers. As LWO Employers' Organisation training and compliance manager Hannes Latsky explains, the laws are very explicit.
2 min |
October 10-17, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
Bumper maize and soya bean harvest offers relief
South Africa's maize and soya bean farmers should expect lower prices in the medium term as commodity prices are expected to soften.
2 min |
October 10-17, 2025
Farmer's Weekly
Driverless sprayers set for South African orchards
South Africa's fruit growers will soon see the country's first autonomous spraying technology in action when Orchard Agri launches the OSAM S500 PRO Autonomous Multi-Function Sprayer by LJ Tech in November.
1 min |
26 September - 3 October 2025
Farmer's Weekly
India's apple industry hit by floods
Recent floods in Jammu and Kashmir have caused major supply-chain disruptions, according to FreshPlaza.com.
1 min |
26 September - 3 October 2025
Farmer's Weekly
Ghana races to protect banana crop from the threat of Fusarium wilt
Ghana has taken a crucial first step to protect its banana crop from the threat of Fusarium wilt tropical race 4 (TR4), according to an article by FreshPlaza.com.
1 min |
26 September - 3 October 2025
Farmer's Weekly
Farming with friends: Marman's companion planting philosophy
Angelo Marman is a farmer with big dreams for himself and his community. He knows, however, that these dreams will only bear fruit with the help of the right companions, both in his vegetable beds and in his business ventures.
5 min |
26 September - 3 October 2025
Farmer's Weekly
Spring braai quartet
With spring well under way, now's the time to fire up the braai with these four super-tasty recipes that will have everyone coming back for seconds.
2 min |
26 September - 3 October 2025
Farmer's Weekly
Capsicum transplanting and aftercare
The seedlings should ideally be prepared for the conditions that they will experience in the land after transplantation
2 min |
26 September - 3 October 2025
Farmer's Weekly
Merinos: the cornerstone of South Africa's sheep industry
Grant Naudé, president of Merino South Africa, spoke to Octavia Avesca Spandiel about the Merino breed's adaptability, dual-purpose strengths and vital role in sustaining South Africa's wool and meat industries.
6 min |
26 September - 3 October 2025
Farmer's Weekly
Grain SA's research roadshow highlights farmer-led innovation
Grain SA’s 2025 Western Cape Research Roadshow connected farmers and researchers, sharing advances in plant breeding, pest control, climate tools, and economics to strengthen resilience and profitability in South Africa’s grain industry.
3 min |
26 September - 3 October 2025
Farmer's Weekly
Broccoli: winter crop in year-round rotation
Among the Brassica genus types, broccoli has been one of the popular choices for farmers in cooler climates.
4 min |
26 September - 3 October 2025
Farmer's Weekly
Hampshire Down: mutton sheep fast gaining in popularity
Hennie Jonker, an award-winning Hampshire Down stud breeder from Kroonstad, describes this sheep breed as a topmost mutton producer that provides sterling terminal sires for commercial and crossbred flocks. Annelie Coleman visited his Zorro stud to find out more about the breed.
4 min |
26 September - 3 October 2025
Farmer's Weekly
Zimbabwe's blueberry industry shows potential
Zimbabwe has the potential to become a global powerhouse of blueberry production.
1 min |
26 September - 3 October 2025
Farmer's Weekly
Essential technologies to improve soil health
Soil degradation is a major challenge for farmers, as poor soil health and quality impact the overall health of a crop. Fortunately, technology has provided various solutions to the problem, with a host of new tools designed to provide farmers with real-time data on their soil and crops.
4 min |
26 September - 3 October 2025
Farmer's Weekly
Better days ahead for dairy farmers
Dairy farmers can look forward to better days as retail dairy demand increases and feed prices trend lower
2 min |
26 September - 3 October 2025
Farmer's Weekly
The English Thoroughbred in South Africa
Bred predominantly for racing, these horses can also be profitably integrated into other farming systems
2 min |
26 September - 3 October 2025
Farmer's Weekly
Gauteng's role in the undeniable jostle for 2027 ANC leadership
Early in September, President Cyril Ramaphosa was invited to open the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show in Harare, and in his speech he emphasised the need for the two countries to work together.
3 min |
26 September - 3 October 2025
Farmer's Weekly
SA's favourite relishes produced in the heart of the Letsitele Valley
If you think holiday or snacks before a braai, chances are good that crunchy and fresh cocktail-sized gherkins pickled in a sweet and tangy-flavoured vinegar brine are on the menu.
6 min |
26 September - 3 October 2025
Farmer's Weekly
Nitrogen supplementation in cattle
A recent study, published in the journal Discover Animal, focuses on how the amount and frequency of nitrogen supplementation affect cattle that consume medium-quality tropical forage.
1 min |
26 September - 3 October 2025
Farmer's Weekly
African swine fever explained
Dear Prof McCrindle, The newspapers reported on an outbreak of African swine fever in the Western Cape a few days ago.
2 min |