South Africa

The agricultural journalism and farming communities are mourning the loss of Alita van der Walt, former editor of Farmer’s Weekly, who passed away on 12 August in Tzaneen, Limpopo.

South African cotton prices are still declining, despite the second largest cotton yield on record. 

Wagyu beef is a “curve bender” in terms of fatty acid composition, and the breed has the ability to actually change the way fatty acids are manufactured in an animal’s body.

It has been estimated that as much as 1 000ha of farmland near the town of Alma in Limpopo have been destroyed after allegedly being set alight during a community protest this week.

While the traceability of retail items in the consumer goods industry has been in place for some time, the industry is now moving to serialised and unique identification at item level instead of only at batch level.

Livestock owners are being urged to vaccinate livestock proactively against vector-borne diseases such as Rift Valley fever (RVF), rather than reacting after an outbreak.

A recent three-day operation between the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the Lesotho government saw more than 230 head of stolen livestock recovered in an area stretching from Bergville in KwaZulu-Natal to Phuthaditjhaba in the Free State.

Time was running out to secure quality wool rams for distribution next year in a development programme targeting wool growers in communal areas.

The participation of women in the agricultural sector should be promoted, in order to create much-needed employment opportunities and ensure food security.

The South African government will in future be legally obliged to consider animal welfare in all its wildlife conservation decisions, according to a judgment handed down by the Gauteng High Court on Tuesday.

Hundreds of small-scale broiler and layer hen farmers across South Africa are benefitting from training provided through collaboration between international and national organisations and experts.

One of the most exciting developments in the food technology sector is how the plant-based food movement is changing the way in which traditional agricultural businesses operate.

Young people looking for a foot in the door in the agriculture sector and farmers looking for a way to provide such opportunities could now come together at a new facility launched in the Free State on Thursday.

The agriculture sector is one of two sectors that contributed to an increase in employment in South Africa, with 5 000 people employed in the second quarter of 2019, according to Statistics South Africa’s quarterly labour force survey.

The Crop Estimates Committee’s (CEC) sixth report for South Africa’s 2018/2019 summer season grain and oilseed production is a mixed bag, with maize and sunflower seed figures rising, and those of soya bean and sorghum decreasing.

The final report by the Expert Advisory Panel on Land Reform and Agriculture, which was recently published for public comment and was intended to guide the future dialogue around land reform in South Africa, has not been met with overwhelming support from organisations representing commercial farmers and agribusinesses.

Allegations of murder, death threats and state capture have been in the spotlight during testimony on the Vrede Dairy project, also known as the Estina project, at the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture since 22 July.

The South African Reserve Bank’s (SARB) recent 25-basis point reduction in the repo rate to 6,5%, coupled with a lowering of fuel prices and a stronger rand, will go a long way to provide some relief to farmers who are struggling in the current tough economic environment.

Two-a-Day, a fruit growing, packing and marketing company in Grabouw, recently launched a wellness programme and day clinic for its employees, which will enable them to receive medical treatment and minor surgery on the premises.

Free State Agriculture (FSA) has welcomed the deployment of 48 additional vehicles made available by the South African Police Service (SAPS) to ensure rural safety in the province.