Violence takes a toll on farmers – agri associations
Agri SA and the African Farmers’ Association of South Africa (AFASA) have called on government to step up action against escalating violence currently evident across South Africa.
Assistance for landowners to eradicate invasive alien plants
Clearing invasive species from a hectare of land could easily cost a landowner between R12 000 and 15 000, according to Cobus Meiring of the secretariat of the Southern Cape Landowners Initiative.
Agriculture performs poorly despite 3,1% GDP growth
Statistics South Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP) data for the second quarter of the year showed a growth of 3,1%, driven by mining, finance, trade and government services.
Government leaders intervene in KZN community land conflicts
Leaders in both national and provincial government spheres have stepped in to try to resolve ongoing conflicts within two separate KwaZulu-Natal communities over agricultural land acquired through the land restitution programme.
Calling all small-scale black sorghum farmers
Grant funding is now available from the Diageo Empowerment Trust South Africa (DETSA) for developing black sorghum farmers across South Africa to supply United National Breweries.
SA consumers set to face further food price pressure
Food inflation is set to increase in the short term due to various macro-economic indicators, which means that South African consumers can expect further food price increases.
Small-scale operations most susceptible to African swine fever
The South African government and the organised pig farming sector are working closely together to prevent highly contagious and often fatal African swine fever (ASF) from potentially wiping out the pig population of informal and small-scale producers.
‘Civil servants lax to assist drought-stricken farmers’
Almost the entire western part of the Eastern Cape was being affected by devastating drought conditions that started five years ago, said Doug Stern, president of Agri Eastern Cape.
Agri industries record far better growth than SA economy
The growth of the primary agriculture sector in South Africa is far outstripping the economic growth of the country as a whole.
New African swine fever outbreak in Gauteng
Gauteng’s Department of Economic Development, Agriculture and Environment is scrambling to contain yet another outbreak of African swine fever (ASF).
Empowering small-scale women farmers in SA
The Women Farmers Programme, piloted in 2018 by the Vodacom Foundation in partnership with UN Women and South African Women in Farming (SAWIF), was formally launched in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
Farmer’s Weekly remembers former editor Alita van der Walt
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.
Global trade tensions and weak economy hamper cotton prices
South African cotton prices are still declining, despite the second largest cotton yield on record.
Wagyu beef has ‘unique fatty acid composition’
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.
1 000ha of Limpopo farmland burnt in protest action
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.
New traceability technology can give consumers peace of mind
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.
Farmers urged to vaccinate livestock proactively
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.
Over 200 stolen animals recovered in cross-border operation
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.
NWGA pleads for continued state support in communal ram project
Time was running out to secure quality wool rams for distribution next year in a development programme targeting wool growers in communal areas.
Women in agri can create jobs, ensure food security
The participation of women in the agricultural sector should be promoted, in order to create much-needed employment opportunities and ensure food security.
