Agribusiness

A South African company, CLC Solar Wind Energy, has recently developed a cost-effective gasifier to allow farmers to generate electricity from wood or stone fruit pits. Chris Coetzee, project manager of the company, told Glenneis Kriel more about the technology.

In 1997, father-and-son farming team Keith and Chris Clubb moved from their Gauteng-based farming operation to establish what is now a large commercial mixed farming operation in Zambia. Chris, a veterinarian, shares their experiences on the subject.

If the South African food industry wishes to compete successfully on a global scale, a viable and workable traceability system must be introduced and adopted, says Anné Calitz, research assistant at the University of the Free State’s Department of Agricultural Economics.

Until about two decades ago, SA racehorse breeders tended to purchase stallions that were very good, but not exceptional. In more recent years, the stallions used in South Africa are world-class. The Taberer family, owners of the Avontuur Wine Estate near Stellenbosch, have made an important contribution to the sport.

Soweto businessman Xolani Ndzaba has always had an entrepreneurial spirit. He spoke to Luyolo Mkentane about how he founded Lethabo Milling, SA’s first black-owned milling company.

Four years ago, Simply Bee was selling bottled honey from 240 hives. Today, the company manufactures more than 50 products from over 600 hives, selling them at 163 outlets across South Africa and exporting them to several countries. Yet every item is still handmade in Hopefield.

The big grocery retailers in the UK underwent considerable growth between 1990 and 2010. In more recent years, this trend has reversed, with most of these supermarkets experiencing a slump in sales. Justin King, former CEO of Sainsbury’s UK, explains the shift in consumer behaviour driving this phenomenon, and the implications for the rest of the retail world.

Macadamia nuts are in huge demand internationally, yet global production is nowhere near meeting this. A teamwork strategy in KwaZulu-Natal is aiming to take full advantage of the growth potential of South African macadamia production.

Over the past three years, Durbanville Hills wine cellar has saved thousands of rands simply by changing the way it uses electricity. Cellar master Martin Moore talked to Glenneis Kriel about these changes.

An Eastern Cape distributor is marketing a unique maize seed pack to communal homestead maize producers with notable success. Mike Burgess visited Border Seed Distributors to investigate why this product is revolutionising household maize yield in the former Transkei.

Retired broker, Hennie Lamprecht, runs a profitable, free-range chicken farming operation.

Careful financial planning is required before moving off the grid. Prof Alan Brent from the Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies shared some crucial cost calculations with Glenneis Kriel.

German-born Ludwig Taschner is SA’s best-known rose grower and breeder. Mike Burgess visited his nursery, Ludwig’s Roses, north of Pretoria, to learn about the building of a business that defines the country’s rose industry.

Producing above the norm is attainable with well-managed hens, says poultry and mixed farming producer Erik Naudé.

A successful lease-back transformation project in Limpopo run by South Africa’s 2014 National Farmer of the Year, the Bosveld Group, proves that not all old land reform plans need to be totally discarded in favour of new models.

The drought during the past summer grain production season could result in cash flow restraints for grain producers. At the same time, livestock management has become increasingly important for mitigating the effects of the drought, Annelie Coleman reports.

The farm Lushof in the Koue Bokkeveld produces stone and pome fruit on 220ha.The operation has managed to reduce its annual electricity bill by about 20%, with the help of new irrigation technology and smart planning.

Hunger remains an everyday reality for 795 million people across the globe. The vast majority of these – 780 million – live in developing regions. This year’s Universal Expo, hosted in Milan, Italy, focuses on finding sustainable solutions to end world hunger. Denene Erasmus attended the event.

Johan Tijssen, owner of Dicla Farm and Seed and a first-generation South African of Dutch descent, demonstrates how it’s possible to generate a multi-million rand annual turnover from just 260ha.

There is still confusion in the agriculture sector about the need for water-use licences, says Desmond Visser. Now the application process has been streamlined.