News

The past year has not treated the South African wool industry as well as initially expected. Wool prices remained on the conservative side while the breeding animals achieved average prices.

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife is appealing to visitors to refrain from bringing their own firewood to Ezemvelo Reserves.

Zimbabwe's staple maize harvest is expected to halve to 1,1 million tons in 2024 due to an El Niño-induced drought, Reuters recently reported.

The Agricultural Research Council recently presented its 45th instalment of its annual National Beef Performers Awards, which recognises outstanding achievements across seven categories of beef cattle performance and production. Farmer’s Weekly is the proud sponsor of the National Best Elite Cow category, the winners of which are presented below.

The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development has issued an alert to residents and holiday travellers, particularly in areas where rabies is common including KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Limpopo and Mpumalanga, as well as the border between Free State Province and Lesotho.

The year was characterised by a roller-coaster ride of highs and lows for farmers. We spoke to a group of Farmer’s Weekly readers to get their take on 2023 and the road ahead.

Agri North West expressed its concern after a second incidence of livestock being wilfully poisoned, this time in the Tosca area of the province.

In their attempt to reach consensus about the action to be taken against global warming, negotiators at the UN climate summit, COP 28, basically skipped over food and agriculture while compiling a final statement on climate adaptation.

The December holidays present a prime opportunity for thieves to take advantage of farms, often left vacant as farmers head out for the festive period. But with a proper security strategy in place, farmers and their assets can remain safe.

South Africa’s real gross domestic product (GDP) contracted 0,2% in the third quarter (July to September) of 2023, after two consecutive quarters of growth, with the agri-sector showing a 9,6% decline.

The Agbiz/IDC Agribusiness Confidence Index deteriorated to its lowest level since the second quarter of 2020, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to Christo van der Rheede, adjunct professor at the University of the Free State’s Business School, the interim results recently published by Senwes is testament to the resilience of the South African agribusiness sector and the far-sightedness of its leaders.

Many South Africans driving past pine forest plantations in South Africa would have asked themselves why the forestry sector is not capitalising on live Christmas tree sales with their ample forests.

The Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill introduced in the UK parliament on 4 December has been met with a backlash from the farming community.

South Africa’s agriculture sector has registered an increase in international trade despite issues plaguing our ports.

In spite of Tongaat Hulett's legal efforts, the company remains responsible for its financial obligations in the sugar industry, as ruled by the High Court of South Africa, Durban Local Division.

Botswana has extended its import ban on fresh produce from South Africa, continuing to defy the free trade agreement that is in place.

The theme for this year’s World Soil Day, which is celebrated on 5 December, is ‘Soil and water: A source of life’, and aims to raise awareness about the importance and relationship between soil and water in achieving sustainable and resilient agrifood systems.

The Namibian meat industry recorded a top performance during the third quarter of 2023 in comparison with the third quarter of 2022.

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 Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), has ascribed this increase to extreme weather and escalating energy prices.