Agri department says no need to panic, buy eggs
The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development is urging consumers not to resort to panic buying eggs.
Record price for Kalahari Red buck in Botswana
The Kalahari Red sire ‘Sta Soft’ (777-20-051), bred and sold by Bushra Stud in Botswana, recently fetched a record price of R165 000 (BWP120 000) at the annual Trifecta Elite Sale held at the National Agriculture Showground in Sebele.
SA’s Soil Science Society turns 70
The Soil Science Society of South Africa (SSSSA) celebrates its platinum jubilee this year, making it one of the oldest soil science societies in the world.
Emphasis on collaboration highlighted at aquaculture conference
Africa should collaborate and share knowledge on agriculture best practices to nurture the aquaculture industry for enhanced and sustainable food security, says Zambia’s fisheries and livestock minister Makozo Chikote.
New Grain SA CEO described as ‘ideal choice’
Grain SA chairperson Derek Mathews has welcomed the appointment of Dr Tobias Doyer as chief executive officer of the organisation, describing him as the ideal choice.
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 Ireland to China had been suspended after a case of atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) was detected in a cow.
Agri sector shows robust performance in labour survey
The agriculture sector in South Africa continues to show its strength creating 61 000 new jobs in the third quarter of 2023.
Namibian livestock producers propose Meatco split
Namibian livestock producers called on that country’s government to seriously consider the creation of two Meatco entities that would service producers north and south of Namibia’s veterinary cordon fence (VCF) as two independent subsidiaries.
Clarity on BEE agricultural produce export rules
Various articles were published in the media over the past week that made it sound as if government had published “new rules” in the Government Gazette that would force farmers to meet black economic empowerment (BEE) requirements to continue exports to Europe.
US wheat exports reach 52-year low in November
The latest export inspection data in the US indicates that wheat shipments from that country reached a 52-year low in the first week of November.
Farmers optimistic about wine grape harvest
In spite of the limiting impact of the ever-decreasing national vineyard surface area, isolated cases of frost and extensive flood damage in some regions, the wine industry is optimistic about the new season’s potential, according to Rico Basson, CEO of South African Wine.
Good maize season for Zambia despite challenges
Zambia remains one of the main exporters of maize in Africa, following sustained output of the country’s staple food in recent years spurred by input subsidies, despite some climate change effects, invasion of pests, erratic rains, post-harvest losses and frustrated production in recent years.
More warthogs must be culled, say sheep farmers
Sheep farmers are at their wits end as damage caused by warthogs is threatening their livelihoods.
‘Blanket rebate on chicken imports could do more harm than good’
The South African Poultry Association (SA Poultry) recently voiced its concern over a suggested temporary rebate provision on broiler meat.
Encouraging successes achieved in tackling stock theft
Free State Agriculture (FSA), in collaboration with LGV’s PSiRA-registered Private Stock Theft Investigators, has retrieved more than a million rands’ worth of livestock since FSA announced its Private Livestock Theft Investigators initiative four months ago. Fourteen arrests in six cases of stock theft followed.
Many KZN farmers receive permits to cultivate cannabis
More than 600 KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) cannabis and hemp farmers were granted permits to cultivate, store and transport the product with a tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content of not more than 0,2%.
Mid-Term Budget blues: We don’t have money, says Godongwana
The Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) brought little good news when it was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday.
Scientists shed light on cause of mass elephant deaths
The cause of elephant deaths in Zimbabwe and Botswana in 2020 has been revealed by scientists. The detection and presence Bisgaard taxon 45, an unnamed close relative of Pasteurella multocida in the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area, which covers Zimbabwe, Botswana, Angola, Zambia and Namibia, was of great concern.
Wet and cold conditions hit large parts of South Africa
The South African Weather Service (Weather SA) has advised farmers to keep their animals safe from the bitter cold, wet and windy conditions that started on Saturday and are expected to last until Wednesday in parts of the Eastern Cape, Free State, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Limpopo and Northern Cape.
Low producer prices put pressure on the UK’s milk supplies
There are indications of a notable reduction in milk production on UK farms, with low farm-gate prices putting pressure on margins at a time of the year when production normally increases.
