First snowfalls of the season
Temperatures dropped to below freezing in the second weekend of June as a cold front moved over South Africa, bringing snow and cold weather to many parts of the country.
Save our lions!
With lion bones replacing tiger bones in Asian ‘medicines’, we could be facing another serious poaching problem.
Agricultural machinery sales expected to spike on back of weakening Rand
A weakening Rand to the US Dollar is expected to hasten farmers’ plans to invest in capital equipment.
Minister’s award garners mixed reactions
There have been mixed reactions from organised agriculture over an award bestowed on Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Tina Joemat-Pettersson, by the French government.
Small-scale farmer unions make their mark
Smallholder farming’s contribution to agriculture has been recognised at the Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU).
WC Farmers not happy with predation management protocol
Western Cape livestock farmers and provincial authorities are getting closer to finalising an agreement on the management of damage causing animals, particularly black-backed jackal, caracal and bushpig.
Investors cautions, but still interested
Foreign direct investment in local agriculture and agro-processing has come under pressure lately due to political uncertainty.
‘Don’t dehorn, educate the people’
Should a decision be taken to dehorn rhinos it would send a negative message to the rest of the world that South Africa is losing the battle against poaching, Dr...
Food prices bite poor the hardest
Annual food price inflation stood at 8,7% between April 2011 and April 2012, while headline inflation increased by 6,1% over the same period.
Agriculture job creation questioned
The most recent quarterly labour force survey conducted by Stats SA shows that employment in agriculture increased by 8,8% over the past year.
Concern about land use bill
The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform will most likely miss the submission deadline for the long-anticipated Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Bill. Denene Erasmus reports.
France bestows Knight of the National Order of Merit on Minister Tina-Joemat Pettersson
The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister, Tina Joemat-Pettersson, has been bestowed the highest order by the French Minister of Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and Rural Policy, Mr Bruno Le...
Win a million competition produces five winners and five satisfied organisations.
A total of five Senwes customers found out on 31 May 2012 which part of the R1 million discount on their summer production account they could put in their pockets.
Land expropriation unlikely – analyst
The FW de Klerk Foundation says the Green Paper on Land Reform is ‘racial mobilisation against white farmers’. Political analyst Prof Steven Friedman disagrees. Lindi van Rooyen reports.
ANC’s land reform policy ‘socialist’
Capitalism in South Africa is under attack by a ruling party that is moving towards socialism and away from private property ownership.
North West farmers suspicious of R155 million projects
The announcement by North West’s MEC for agriculture and rural development, Desbo Mohono, that she budgeted R155 million for the implementation of a number of agricultural projects in the 2012/2013...
Government curbs growth in poultry industry
Government needs to implement a blanket duty on all chicken imports for the local industry to survive the onslaught of chicken dumping.
A fracking change of heart
Right up until three months ago, Prof Gerrit van Tonder was convinced that hydraulic fracturing (fracking) to explore for shale gas would not contaminate the groundwater of the Karoo.
Reitsma resigns from SANSOR as General Manager
SANSOR, the South African National Seed Organization, has announced that Gerrie Reitsma has resigned as general manager, effective 30 June 2012.
Beneficiaries invade own land on land reform game farms
A study looking at the experience of communities that were awarded game farms as part of the land restitution process has shown that beneficiaries could be forced to ‘invade’ their...
