Most Popular
Cultivating ginger is costly on all fronts: time, labour and water. But managed correctly, the crop adds good cash flow...
The strip of land spanning just over 900km along the Lesotho-South Africa border remains a source of economic loss and...
The R1,7 million winning bid for an eight-year-old bull sold recently at the National Boran Sale, set a new South...
New protest action planned to draw attention to rural crime
Members of the Northern Cape agriculture sector and the wider community took part in a second protest this week in Hartswater, coordinated by Agri Northern Cape following the murder of...
Mycotoxins in water may have caused Botswana elephant deaths
No definitive answers have yet been found for the mass die-off of elephants in Botswana since May this year. Early research results have suggested, however, that the deaths could be...
Record production puts pressure on global grain prices
US grain and oilseed prices traded slightly lower during trade in the first week of August as global forecasts predicted a record global grain crop.
Traceability: beyond the tag
Any farmer who thinks that a tag in the ear represents a traceability system for a beef herd is far off the mark; it simply links the animal to a...
Sound animal health ensures success for top emerging beef farmers
Piet Phahlane and Aaron Makena, the Agriculture Research Council National Emerging Beef Farmers of the Year 2019 winners, say one of the most valuable lessons they have learnt as farmers...
How to deal with mites on poultry
Chickens are often targeted by mites, external parasites that can harm the birds and cause a farmer substantial financial loss. The problem occurs in summer, and is made worse when...
Producing well-balanced animals for maximum profit
Well-balanced stud animals are crucial to the profitability of a commercial beef cattle enterprise, say Jean van der Merwe and Willie Landman, owners of the Black Hills Drakensberger stud near...
Choosing the best time to breed your mare
There are pros and cons to breeding your mare at different times of the year, says Dr Mac.
Uncompromising standards pay off for Bonsmara farmer
Award-winning cattle farmer Tian Kruger does not believe in shortcuts or compromising on the principles that brought him success. This has earned him a solid reputation for his commercial Bonsmara...
Family farm harvests 50t of carrots a day all year round
Bloemfontein farmer Johannes Griesel started producing carrots on 0,5ha. Today, he grows thousands of tons of this staple crop, harvesting it on every working day of the year.
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.
The importance of timing to strawberry production
Professional Horticultural Consulting, a nursery-turned-strawberry producer, has become one of South Africa’s leading strawberry exporters, thanks in part to its expertise at analysing plant and soil nutritional requirements. Dr Gavin...
Polysulphate an ideal fertiliser for potatoes and other crops
Polysulphate is a new, multi-nutrient fertiliser that has been introduced to South Africa by ICL.
Protecting South Africa’s trees from the shot hole borer
The polyphagous shot hole borer threatens over 150 South African tree species. If left unchecked, it could cause huge damage to citrus and avocado orchards, amongst others. Prof Wijnand Swart...
Make the most of the free market
Fresh produce growers often try to plan production to capitalise on high prices.
Undercover farming: big investment, greater returns
With its reduced land and water requirements, tunnel farming is a viable option for farmers with little access to natural resources, says Suzanne Oosthuizen, managing director of the Undercover Farming...
Fencing system wins gold at LAMMA 2020
The LAMMA Show’s innovation awards recognise some of the best advances in agricultural manufacturing and provide a well-attended platform for exhibitors to introduce ground-breaking innovation.
This deadly zoonosisis a real threat to all warm-blooded animals.
Foot-and-mouth disease has drastically reduced South Africa beef exports, as importing countries buy animals and animal by-products only from FMD-free...
The sweet thorn tree has been appearing in increasing numbers. Yet this ‘invader’ should be welcomed by farmers, as it...
This article examines how to breed and feed chickens properly, as well as how to maintain good hygiene in order...
This indigenous fat-rumped meat breed does well in arid semi-desert, savanna bushveld and coastal spekboom veld. The lambs mature early.
Keeping sheep and cattle in top shape requires careful management and a balancing act between eliminating vectors and avoiding resistance...
This sexually transmitted disease could be the reason your lamb crop is smaller than expected. Roelof Bezuidenhout offers advice on...
Chickens must be provided with a warm, dry sleeping area, and plenty of fresh, clean water.
Special focus
Township vegetable garden empowers women
The Siyazama Community Garden in Khayelitsha has changed the lives of a group of women in the township. During a media tour to the garden hosted by Coronation Fund Managers,...
The long, hard road to profiting from potatoes
In 1998, at the age of 45, Frans Vlok left his job as head of Kynoch fertiliser services in the Western Cape to pursue his lifelong dream of farming full-time....
It doesn’t rain grass!
As I write this, it's been about four months since South Africa went into a national lockdown in an attempt to contain the spread of COVID-19.
Farm shop with food and entertainment
Jonno designs a farm shop that includes a shisa nyama/braai area; an entertainment hall/restaurant, a car wash and filling station.
How a Klein Karoo wine and fruit farm became a tourist mecca
Instead of competing with the giant wine brands, Jacques and Saretha Conradie take advantage of the location of Vogelsang farm to put their wines and estate on the map.
Videos
Demonstration: Artificial insemination (AI) of a cow
10:09
Potato farming: Award-winning farmer, Zama Buthelezi, shows us how
01:59
Message to young women in agriculture: "be innovative"
01:05
Taltec systems for cattle handling ease
04:02
Firefighting demonstration
01:52
Livestock production series: How to dehorn cattle
02:15
KZN farmer demonstrates cattle dipping process
01:19
Drought conditions affecting SA’s bee population
00:44
iSimangaliso hippos sparring
01:37
Pinzgauer bull scoops ARC award
01:01
Making barbed wire at The Royal Show
02:03
Harvesting soya beans in KZN's Kamberg Valley
01:27
Agri minister calls on farmers to engage with government
01:29
Farm workers sing for change
02:18
The advantages of traceability systems
01:52
SA no-till legend, Ant Muirhead explains the value of soil cover
14:41
Cat and cow play
00:18
Do you have conversations with your animals?
00:40
