News

The organisers of Nampo, one of the largest agricultural exhibitions in South Africa, say the premises near Bothaville in the Free State are already a hive of activity as exhibitors begin setting up for the annual show, which runs from May 15 to 18.

The South African government should first tackle the illicit trade in tobacco products before considering implementing legislation intended to severely restrict the marketing and use of legitimate tobacco products in the country, says the Tobacco Institute of Southern Africa (TISA).

High soil acidity in parts of the Free State are a concern, according to attendees at the recent Fertiliser Association of Southern Africa (FERTASA) annual congress.

Farmers will likely harvest 12,82 million tons of maize in 2018, which is nearly 3% higher than the previous estimate, released in March.

Part of the solution to land reform and transformation lay with agricultural commodity organisations, Agri SA president Dan Kriek said at the recent launch of the Agri SA 2018 Transformation Report in Pretoria.

The decimation of Namibia’s kudu population due to rabies, especially on game-fenced farms, poses a severe and long-term threat to the country’s game industry.

Mike Mlengana said he could not wait to get back to work after a high court ruling found his suspension as Director-General of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) to be unlawful.

The R610 000 that was raised at the annual VKB agribusiness Annual Golf Day was vital to ensure the Free State Agriculture (FSA) VKB Safety Desk could continue to offer ongoing service to the province’s agricultural sector.

Livestock producers in the Western Cape are facing numerous challenges around fodder flow, say industry experts.

South Africa is regarded as the leading macadamia nut producer in the world, producing 44 610t nut in shell (NIS) in 2017.

Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services has welcomed a commitment by Public Protector (PP) Busisiwe Mkwhebane to take a closer look at the involvement of politicians in the Vrede dairy farm scandal.

Zeder Investments Limited has experienced a tough financial year, with its sum-of-parts value per share decreasing 8% to R7,85, and total underlying investment portfolio declining from R15,2 billion to R14,2 billion for the period ended 28 February 2018, the company has announced in a statement.

It is believed that large-scale purchases by the South African government were what contributed to the dramatic increase in the country’s tractor sales during March 2018.

Red meat prices in South Africa have increased at the highest rate of all food products year-on-year, despite a marked slowdown in food inflation, according to a statement by Statistics SA.

Money intended to establish a Veterinary Science Faculty at The University of Fort Hare (UFH) in Alice in the Eastern Cape could be better spent on Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP), or the Faculty of Veterinary Science (Onderstepoort) at the University of Pretoria.

The North West Department of Rural, Environment and Agricultural Development (READ) has alerted farmers about a possible outbreak of fall armyworm (FAW) in the province.

After a long and extremely wet winter, farmers in Ireland are being faced with a fodder crisis, as they do not have nearly enough feed to supply their herds this spring.

Northern Cape farmers in drought affected districts of the province were overjoyed to finally start receiving financial aid from government to help them weather the dry times.

Video footage of live sheep being exported from Australia has emerged, showing animals being transported in appalling conditions.

The Free State Agriculture (FSA) safety and security mobile app, ‘Die Plaaswag (The Farm Watch)’ has already been downloaded by hundreds of users since its launch last month, according to FSA safety and risk analyst Dr Jane Buys.