Business

The South African dairy industry is currently in turmoil, with milk producers complaining of poor milk prices, milk buying companies being charged with anti-competitive activities, and retailers being accused of playing suppliers off against one another.
Issue date:23 March 2007

To most people Gauteng would not bring to mind the image of lush crop fields or technologically advanced agriculture. Yet the Gauteng Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Environment (GDACE) has a range of projects that aim to promote economic growth and job creation, fight poverty and build strong, sustainable communities through agriculture.
Issue Date 16 March 2007

Poor profitability due to high input costs and low producer prices is having a devastating impact on South Africa's dairy industry, causing almost 30 producers to leave the industry per month. Producers are even slaughtering dairy cows, as meat has become more profitable than milk. However, a survey by David Beca, managing director of Red Sky, has shown that South Africa's dairy profitability compares favourably with that of New Zealand and Australia.
Issue Date 16 March 2007

Farmers have been suffering accusations of human rights violations of employees. However, an Agri Wes-Cape survey last year revealed that most farmers in the Western Cape invest more in their labourers than required by law. Glenneis Erasmus reports on one farming family's commitment to uplift and empower its workers.
Issue Date: 9 March

Ever-mounting anxiety about global warming is sparking consumer concerns, particularly in the UK, that carbon dioxide emitted while transporting food over long distances can contribute significantly to global warming. Wilma den Hartigh talks to experts about concerns over 'food miles'.

Young South Africans appear to be in high demand in the United States, especially as seasonal farmworkers.

Sheep farming in KwaZulu-Natal is reeling from the effects of rampant stock theft, and as a result many farmers have either switched to cattle farming or left agriculture altogether. Issue date: 23 February 2007

Too often the South African dream of a united, prosperous farming sector has turned into a nightmare of land invasions, boundary disputes and farm murders. Now a small community of grape exporters in North West is showing the dream can come true if a few simple rules are followed. Issue Date: 9 February 2007

This is the first in a series of five articles on habitat planning in which habitat designer and wildlife biologist Ben Breedlove explains how to create a fully functional and optimised habitat when farming on a ­fragment of land, thus getting the most out of animals and visitors.

Surplus wine in global markets is squeezing the profitability of many South African wine farmers. It has been proposed that a derivative instrument should be introduced for the wine industry to help stabilise bulk wine prices and create transparency for all industry role-players. In principle this would be similar to the futures market on which SA grain farmers can trade to hedge price risks.

A law privatising millions of hectares of communal land has been held up for years by court action and opposition from traditional leaders. In the meantime, pressure on adjacent commercial farming districts keeps increasing, with tensions reaching breaking point in some areas.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) should announce how it intends determining whether a farming business is characterised as large, medium or small for the purposes of AgriBEE by the end of the month

Issue Date: 2 February 2007