KwaZulu-Natal’s iSimangaliso Wetland Park, Africa’s largest estuarine system, is a Unesco World Heritage Site. The uMfolozi River, long artifically separated from the lake, is again flowing into it, restoring the...
Greg Butler, Australian conservation agriculturalist, recently spoke to SA farmers about smart production strategies and innovation in a competitive farming environment. Jacques Claassen reports from the Conservation Agriculture Western Cape...
Leopard populations are at risk across their range. Research conducted by the Limpopo Leopard Project has resulted in an adaptive management system for leopard conservation. Carnivore ecologist, Ross Pitman, spoke...
Government has invested around R10 million in dryland maize on 954ha in the arid Northern Cape. Planting started in January and is part of a project aimed at benefiting smallholders in...
Classes at the Elsenburg Agricultural College are set to resume this afternoon (2 September) following student protests over the Western Cape institution’s language policy.
A total of 23 Wimpy outlets in Pretoria East have pledged support to the Funky Cappuccino promotion aimed at raising funds for Agri SA’s drought relief fund, initiated in 2015...
Establishing partnerships between government, the private sector and foreign investors is an important step to launching biofuels projects through innovative financing models in South Africa.
Received wisdom says that for a fresh produce market to be successful, it must be located where the buyers are and not where the producers are. But a new market...
If South Africa’s beef industry wants to become a serious competitor on the world stage, it must replace exports of ‘cheap meat’ with higher-value cuts, says livestock genetics consultant, Dr...
Citrus is a major exportable commodity for Morocco, and that country’s government has aimed various initiatives at improving its production of this fruit.
With solar energy becoming increasingly affordable and reliable, more and more farmers are using it to reduce their electricity costs and dependence on Eskom power. Claude Peters of RenEnergy spoke...
There comes a time in the family entertainment schedule when a bowl of peanuts or processed, oil-enhanced, orange-dyed maize by-products just don’t come up to scratch. In the first episode...
Stephen, for whom I had previously done design work, recently approached me with a further request for cost-effective tourist accommodation in a rural, farm-style design.
I would like to build a house and have designed a plan. It is, however, incomplete, so I require your help. I need you to also include the approximate costs.
I had a call from a previous client who had bought an old farmhouse in the foothills of the Drakensberg. The farm was being sectionalised and he wanted a house...
Steak, in my singular view, should be redefined as a staple. While bread and even mealie meal have their place, a well-aged piece of prime beef is very difficult to...
As every chicken producer can attest, keeping the birds in optimal health is a finicky task, and failure can lead to serious losses. This means that a meticulous biosecurity plan...
Simmentaler stud breeder, René Krafft from Dordabis in Namibia, maintains stringent selection criteria for fertility and productivity. Wayne Southwood visited him on his farm, Ibenstein.
We have to face facts: politics plays a disproportionate role in fresh produce markets. I use the word ‘disproportionate’ because what politics contributes in perceived benefits is far outweighed by...
Leafroll virus is a serious threat to South Africa’s viticulture industry: it shortens the lifespan of vineyards and has a negative impact on wine quality.
In terms of its cost-benefit ratio, silage maize is arguably the best-value stored green feed for milk production systems in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. However, to maximise the nutritional quality and...
Seed companies are outdoing themselves in developing new maize cultivars.The national maize cultivar trials, conducted by the Agricultural Research Council, looked at newcomers and old favourites to give maize producers...
