Paperless orchard management
Farmable, an exclusive orchard management tool, can be used for recording crop treatments, capturing field observations including scouting work, and collaborating with advisors and operators.
Considering the switch to solar energy? Read this first!
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...
Bringing transparency to crop insurance
The Fourth Industrial Revolution can aid crop insurance, although the technology still has a long way to go to reach its full potential, according to Schalk Schultz of Santam Agriculture....
Succession planning: get expert help and understand your options
Even if succession seems straightforward, as when passing on operations to a single heir, several steps are needed to facilitate the transfer of the farm from one generation to the...
Family-owned abattoir on a quest to achieve zero waste
After a fire destroyed the Tomis Group’s meat-processing facility, the owners decided to reinvent the business as a market leader in meat quality and safety. Managing director Laurie Terblanche spoke...
Farmer’s passion for agriculture helps uplift her community
Vegetable farmer Mabel Dikobe’s story is a fine example of how equipping small businesses with the resources they require can empower them to support entire communities.
Succession planning: the time to talk is now
In this first article in a new series on how to run a family farm successfully, Trevor Dickinson, CEO of specialist consultancy Family Legacies, writes that the key to a...
Meet the Western Cape’s stock theft hero
In 2020, Sergeant Thabo Moletsane won the Western Cape Stock Theft Committee’s award for Best Member of a Stock Theft Unit for the fourth year in a row. Glenneis Kriel...
New hope for failed land reform farm
A group of subsistence farmers in the Western Cape have put their differences aside and come together to realise their individual dreams of owning a farm. Glenneis Kriel reports on...
Finally, a grocery alternative to single-use plastic!
Freshpact’s range of paper punnets is the ideal alternative to single-use plastic. These punnets are recyclable and reusable and do not compromise the shelf life of fresh produce.
SA distillery leading the way in sustainability
James Sedgwick Distillery is the only commercial whisky distillery in Africa. Jeandré van der Walt visited the facility in Wellington to learn how it turns waste to wealth through green...
Fixing the problems facing SA agriculture
A group of recent graduates from the Syngenta Leadership Academy believe the factors that give farming a poor public image could be resolved through developing a better understanding of the...
Online training gives wings to developing poultry farmers
The COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns in South Africa have profoundly disrupted education and training of all types in the country, and agriculture is no exception. The KwaZulu-Natal Poultry Institute is adapting...
Boerseep from Bothaville
Making boerseep takes hours, and the combination of ingredients and timing are crucial to the process. After years of searching for a traditional recipe, Esmarelda van der Walt of Bothaville...
The global standard for gold coins
First minted in 1967, the South African Krugerrand set the global standard for collectable and investment gold coins and is still the most extensively collected and traded bullion coin in...
The risks of owning haulage vehicles
Most farmers are entirely dependent on the safe haulage of their produce to market. The effects of disrupted transport on individual producers, as well as on the rest of the...
A model for agricultural extension
Agriculture is rife with complaints that extension services are poor, with this blamed as a key factor in many failed farmer-development initiatives. However, William Gillepsie and Felicity Mitchell, authors of...
One agripreneur, two enterprises. Success despite the odds!
When the COVID-19 lockdown forced Ncumisa Mkabile to shut down her catering business, she put her entrepreneurial spirit to the test by starting two small-scale farming businesses on a piece...
Hard work pays off for canned fruit business
After losing their farm, Isa Basson and her husband, Sonnie, established a preserved fruit brand. She spoke to Glenneis Kriel about how they have thrived by keeping faith and adding...
A beekeeper’s perfect balance between nature and nurture
With bee populations dwindling globally, beekeepers are looking for ways to improve the resilience of their colonies. Albertus van Zyl spoke to Glenneis Kriel about how he achieves this.
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