Latest Agriculture News| Farmer's Weekly

The psychology of sales

At the recent Wagyu SA Conference 2023, held at Allee Bleue Wine Estate near Franschhoek in the Western Cape, Johan Strydom, the founder of Prime Wagyu, spoke about the way...

The quest for healthy food

The global food system is not broken but its resilience is threatened, according to researchers looking for answers to the problems around nutritional quality and inequalities in the food chains.

Could reptiles fill the food supply gaps?

Dr Patrick Aust, conservation scientist for People for Wildlife, looks at how reptiles can help improve food security in Africa.

Climate change and energy prices driving UK food inflation – report

Since 2021, household food bills in the UK have risen by an estimated average of £605 (about R14 419). A new report by an NGO in UK, the Energy and...

Dry weather puts serious strain on global sugar reserves

El Niño-induced dry weather conditions in India and Thailand, the second- and third-largest sugar exporters worldwide, are resulting in the highest prices for the commodity since 2011, with global sugar...

Exports of Irish beef to China suspended after confirmed BSE case

The recent suspension of Irish beef exports to China has been described as a blow to the industry. Ireland’s national public service media organisation, RTÉ, reported that beef exports from...

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News

Lower tractor sales reflect caution in market

Despite a positive market sentiment, SA farmers are wary about buying new tractors.

Southern Cape welcomes heavy downpours, despite damage

Although the heavy downpours accompanying the intense cold front system that made landfall in the Southern Cape on Wednesday, 5 May, have been welcomed, it resulted in some damage and...

Primestars celebrates nine years of youth entrepreneurship

Step Up 2A Start Up, the Primestars youth entrepreneurship initiative, celebrated its ninth year of operation at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) on Tuesday 5, September.

Vets and veterinary nurses back on SA’s critical skills list

Amid several calls to address the critical shortage of veterinarians in South Africa, veterinarians and veterinary nurses have finally been reinstated to the country's critical skills list.

AGRI SA calls for cool heads at ANC conference

Johannes Möller, President of Agri SA, says that he trusts that economic growth will be on the forefront of discussions during the conference of the ANC this week.

Grain transport differential increased by 9,8%

An intervention by Grain SA meant that maize farmers saved R100 million on transport differential costs. This was according to Grain SA CEO Jannie de Villiers.

Business

Innovative, sustainable aquaponics production in Berlin

With arable land under increasing pressure, there is a strong push to use urban space in new ways to help meet the demand for food and fibre. Lloyd Phillips visited...

Hoedspruit land claim: coming to fruition

Collapsed land reform farms are depressingly common in South Africa, but in Marulaneng (Hoedspruit) claimants and farmers have teamed up and their fruit estates are flourishing. In fact, the district...

Farm-to-fork broiler production brings success

Since the mid-1990s, Tony and Stuart Buchler of Stutterheim in the Eastern Cape have transformed a sideline broiler enterprise into their core business. Today, as Mike Burgess discovered, they control...

‘Know something about everything’

Petrus Bosman (31), the Santam-Agri Western Cape Young Farmer of the Year 2012, is the managing director of his family’s wine and vine farming business in Wellington. He spoke to...

How to sell careers in agriculture to millennials

Group manager for assurance services at NWK, 34-year-old Jacqueline Mathews, maintains that South Africa’s agriculture sector needs tech-savvy, curious young people.

Irrigation Focus-Pumps

Pumps: expert advice on solving problems before they start. Good selection, good maintenance and proper installation are all equally important to pump life, says Bob Mackie of APE pumps and...

Lifestyle

Retired farmer delves into Kei River’s rock art history

Fascination with South Africa’s rock art heritage has drawn Victor Biggs to more than 2 000 sites over the past 60 years. Amongst this number, three sites, all in the...

How to make samoosas with potato filling

Everyone has his or her favourite samoosa filling. For this case hardened foodie hack, a potato samoosa is the food of any numberof gods. The filling, called aloo (potato in...

Glamorising low-cost housing

I recently received a call from a regular Farmer's Weekly reader and acquaintance who likes the way I improvise on cutting building costs.

Plan your roof space

Daleen & Hennie from Lydenburg wrote in response to a house design in Farmer’s Weekly on 21 September 2012.

Pork belly: cooked twice, eaten often

Twice-cooked dishes are usually Chinese in origin, with the raw ingredients getting two treatments instead of one. While a little heavy on the cook, the effects on the diners make...

Sonja’s Pavlova

A Pavlova is one of the greatest desserts ever invented. Like all classic recipes, this one has gone through many versions and multiple derivations. Sonja is a great cook and...

Animals

Making waves

The pigeon families of third generation champion fancier Charles Carlson breed highly competitive ‘racing machines’, writes Thomas Smit.

Culling latecomers? Think again!

Many frustrated fanciers get rid of their under-performing pigeons. But is culling the best option? There are certain factors to consider before deciding to cull a weak pigeon, writes Thomas...

Co-existence: leopards & farmers

Farmers and leopards living peacefully together might sound impossible, especially if you’re farming in the Southern Cape, where predation seems rife. But a new study suggests that leopards in the...

Twin foals are not a good idea!

About 80% of twin foals are aborted by the eighth month of pregnancy, sometimes with negative consequences for the mare, says Dr Mac.

The not-so-easy business of making a profit from quail

While quail farming is an easy way to produce high-value meat with low start-up costs and in relatively little space, profiting from it is a totally different ball game. Arran...

Aquaculture: Can the concept of zoning work?

Grouping aquaculture activities on one site for administrative convenience simply won’t work.

Crops

Giving value for money

Recently, I wrote about the eight marketing options available to a fresh produce farmer and the need for these to give value for money.

Regenerative agriculture: “We learn from pioneers and our own mistakes”

Gert Janse van Rensburg produces vegetable crops on the family-owned farm, Langplaas, in North West. He spoke to Pieter Dempsey about the regenerative farming techniques he employs.

The many advantages of humus

The volume of organisms in any body of soil is dependent on the soil environment and supply of food for them; it is not a static amount.

Understanding genetic chimera in a crop

Farmers often draw my attention to ‘weird signs’ on a plant, fearing them to be the start of a devastating virus. A closer examination often reveals the cause to be...

Expert tips on producing better silage

Grant Pringle, an agronomist with Pannar Seed, tells Lloyd Phillips how a farmer can get the best out of a silage maize crop by using the correct planting and management...

Adding value to olives

Ben Visser is one of the first and most succesfull olive producers in the Northern Cape. His steadfast insistence on value adding at farm level has resulted in an award-winning...