South Africa

Part of the solution to land reform and transformation lay with agricultural commodity organisations, Agri SA president Dan Kriek said at the recent launch of the Agri SA 2018 Transformation Report in Pretoria.

Mike Mlengana said he could not wait to get back to work after a high court ruling found his suspension as Director-General of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) to be unlawful.

The R610 000 that was raised at the annual VKB agribusiness Annual Golf Day was vital to ensure the Free State Agriculture (FSA) VKB Safety Desk could continue to offer ongoing service to the province’s agricultural sector.

Livestock producers in the Western Cape are facing numerous challenges around fodder flow, say industry experts.

South Africa is regarded as the leading macadamia nut producer in the world, producing 44 610t nut in shell (NIS) in 2017.

Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services has welcomed a commitment by Public Protector (PP) Busisiwe Mkwhebane to take a closer look at the involvement of politicians in the Vrede dairy farm scandal.

Zeder Investments Limited has experienced a tough financial year, with its sum-of-parts value per share decreasing 8% to R7,85, and total underlying investment portfolio declining from R15,2 billion to R14,2 billion for the period ended 28 February 2018, the company has announced in a statement.

It is believed that large-scale purchases by the South African government were what contributed to the dramatic increase in the country’s tractor sales during March 2018.

Red meat prices in South Africa have increased at the highest rate of all food products year-on-year, despite a marked slowdown in food inflation, according to a statement by Statistics SA.

Money intended to establish a Veterinary Science Faculty at The University of Fort Hare (UFH) in Alice in the Eastern Cape could be better spent on Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP), or the Faculty of Veterinary Science (Onderstepoort) at the University of Pretoria.

The North West Department of Rural, Environment and Agricultural Development (READ) has alerted farmers about a possible outbreak of fall armyworm (FAW) in the province.

Northern Cape farmers in drought affected districts of the province were overjoyed to finally start receiving financial aid from government to help them weather the dry times.

The Free State Agriculture (FSA) safety and security mobile app, ‘Die Plaaswag (The Farm Watch)’ has already been downloaded by hundreds of users since its launch last month, according to FSA safety and risk analyst Dr Jane Buys.

Members of the Overberg branch of the South African Hunters and Game Conservation Association (SA Hunters) have donated 480t of feed to farmers in drought-stricken Sutherland in the Northern Cape, said a SA Hunters spokesperson.

In the second stage of the XTractor Around The World expedition, four of the latest generation McCormick tractors will cover 6 000km of South Africa’s toughest terrain in 48 days.

Wildlife Ranching South Africa (WRSA) has elected Tebogo Mogashoa as its new president at the association’s annual general meeting held in Polokwane recently.

Syngenta recently launched its 6th annual Grain Academy Programme. The ceremony was held at the Arabella Country Estate in Kleinmond.

A commercial farmer in the Free State, Eddie Prinsloo (63), is empowering his farmworkers through a land ownership initiative in which he sold a 1 500ha farm to the government on condition that his farmworkers be joint owners of the farm.

Although fuel prices are expected to decrease early in April 2018, any benefits that this may have had on consumer pockets, including those of farmers, will be cancelled out by increased government fuel levies.

A farmer-led committee in the Thabo Mofutsanyana District in the Free State has pledged to ensure that seven new Case tractors handed over by government to local developing farmers on March 23 would be utilised effectively.