Health programme benefits employees

A number of illness-related deaths and low productivity in the workforce spurred poultry producer Astral to implement a wellness programme that reduced fatal illnesses and significantly improved overall health and...

Eastern Cape berry project shows great promise

Amathole Berries near Stutterheim expects to yield 3 000t of blueberries per season by 2020. Mike Burgess spoke to acting CEO Ryan Davies about the company’s challenges and its place...

Getting the basics right: courses in hands-on skills

Major agricultural products supplier, Dicla Farm & Seed, recently established a training centre near Tarlton, north-west of Johannesburg, to equip new small-scale farmers and farm workers with practical skills and...

The key to running a top broiler business

Sound management and investing in human resources has brought Gilbert Phalafala swift success.

A ‘soft’ revolution in dried tree fruit

Dried fruit company, At Source Handmade Foods, was founded in 2002 and just over a decade later it is one of the three largest local dried tree fruit businesses, capturing...

GFNC’s Macadamia Market expansion

SA’s biggest macadamia processor, Green Farms Nut Company, has entered into a joint venture with its Australian counterparts to become the world’s largest macadamia marketing company.

Value-adding in the eastern Free State

Agribusiness VKB has stabilised the Free State grain market by establishing a chicken broiler project and building a state-of-the-art chicken abattoir in Reitz. Sas Kasselman of Grain Fields Chickens says...

The pick of Porcini

Big timber companies may not consider porcini mushrooms to be worth much effort, but an Italian mushroom picker has made a meaty business out of this gourmet food. Robyn Joubert...

Romac rolls with the times

A father and daughter team from Zimbabwe bought a hydroponic farm and packhouse in Ballito in 2008. They positioned their business for growth by embracing government’s desire to advance black...

Teach farming skills before it’s too late!

Too few SA youngsters are interested in agriculture as a career. Puso Segoe feels this is due to farmers failing to expose their children to farming from an early age....

Tobacco farming – the growers’ view

New proposals from the World Health Organisation’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to regulate international tobacco farming have raised concerns among Africa’s tobacco growers and processors. Francois van der Merwe,...

Orchids of Eden

Duckitt Nurseries was initially built on passion and four orchid species, but it is now the biggest cut flower and Cymbidium orchid farm in South Africa with a few hundred...

Diversification: spreading the risk on a Tanzanian farm

Having too few production divisions can cause financial stress if markets fail. A Tanzanian operation has minimised the risk by launching a variety of enterprises in a relatively short time....

Swazi pots of gold

Eswatini Kitchen Honey is re-invigorating Swaziland’s honey industry through the promotion of bee-keeping as an income stream for poor communities. Robyn Joubert reports.

Local food markets: are they the answer?

Go big or get out is the current trend as farmers chase economies of scale. But any system which relies on shedding jobs and increasing monopolisation in order to reduce...

Rewarding productivity lifts performance

Training and performance monitoring are key to encouraging productivity in the workforce. Labour consultant Walter Blore shifts the paradigm and puts farming businesses on track. Robyn Joubert reports.

Hands-on grass farming

It’s a hard day’s work for the team as livestock farmer Gary Mitchell runs his commercial Drakensbergers and stud Dorpers in the KZN Midlands with minimal labour.

Alternative energy: Throwing caution to the wind?

Clean renewable energy or an imperfect solution? Are wind turbines the magic bullet for energy problems? Roelof Bezuidenhout reports.

Herding tractors: managing a large machinery fleet

Agricultural machinery and implements are vital to any commercial farming operation. It’s equally important that this equipment is well managed and maintained. Lloyd Phillips reports.

Game or the stock exchange?

Johan Rabie compares the investment performance of high value game species – with specific reference to buffalo and sable antelope – with investing on the JSE and other prominent stock...

Agribusiness