African livelihoods at risk, says AU summit report

Hunger and malnutrition rates remain high in Africa, with extreme weather conditions destroying livelihoods and exacerbating Africa’s food insecurity.

Slight decrease in fuel prices

The wholesale price of diesel will decrease by nearly 4c/l on Wednesday next week, the department of energy announced today. The retail price of petrol will be 8c/l cheaper.

KZN police pounce on rhino poachers

Following an unprecedented onslaught by poachers against KwaZulu-Natal’s besieged rhino population during May, KZN police have been able to make a number of arrests in an effort to dam this scourge.

Party politics trump agriculture at DAFF budget vote

A number of challenges facing the agriculture sector were highlighted during the recent Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries’ budget vote debate in parliament.

Land reform a complete failure – Vink

“Land reform has been a failure in every single respect and this failure will haunt South Africa for the next 20 years,” said Prof Nick Vink of the Department of Agricultural Economics at Stellenbosch University, at the recent Red Meat Abattoir Association conference in Stellenbosch.

First private agri-college in South Africa

A private agricultural college, the first of its kind in South Africa, has been announced for Bothaville in the Free State.

SA minister lauds Zimbabwe land reform

Minister of Public Works Thembelani Nxesi praised Zimbabwe’s land reform process at a recent function attended by farm workers and labour unions in Mbombela, Mpumalanga.

Monsanto wins patent court case against US farmer

Multinational seed company Monsanto has won a landmark court case against a US farmer, after he failed to pay royalties for the patented genetically modified (GM) seed he planted.

Theft rampant in timber industry

Theft of equipment and timber in the industry is rampant – and escalating. The theft of chainsaws in Mpumalanga alone amounted to more than R10 million in the past two years.

A dry start to Western Cape wheat season

Many parts of the Swartland region have yet to receive significant winter rain, so an average wheat harvest is expected, according to Koos Blanckenberg, a grain farmer from Philadelphia and Grain SA’s representative for the Swartland areas in the Western Cape.

Biggest wine grape crop ever

Final intake figures show the 2013 harvest season will see the biggest wine grape crop ever produced in SA, while wine exports have also rebounded to reach an all-time high.

On-farm silos mean greater profits

The age of on-farm silos has dawned and manufacturers are having a hard time keeping up with demand.

Does Pieter Mulder harm SA farmers’ public image?

The impact of having a deputy minister of agriculture representing a “rightwing political party” could have a detrimental effect on perceptions about commercial farmers.

Bees in the EU given two-year breather

The European Commission’s decision to impose a two-year restriction on the use of pesticides linked to declining bee populations has been praised by South African beekeepers.

Updated database of farm attacks released

People older than 50 and living in rural Gauteng are more vulnerable than any others of being victims of farm attacks, according to Solidarity.

Kruger National Park confirmed as haven for amphibians

A study by the Water Research Commission (WRC) has confirmed that South Africa’s Kruger National Park (KNP) is a biodiversity haven for the country’s most important amphibians.

Pushing ahead to change the face of potatoes

Plans are being formulated to get players in the potato value chain more invested in the success of black growers, Potatoes SA (PSA) CEO André Jooste said at the organisation’s recent transformation symposium at Cedara in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands.

Rare breeds should keep value

Colour variant game animals – currently in high demand – will soon be in oversupply, pushing prices down. This is according to leaders in the industry who attended the recent Trophy Breeders Seminar in Pretoria.

New Holland hits the road for baby rhinos

New Holland planned to traverse 3 000km in a tractor to raise funds to build a rhino orphanage.

‘SA farmers are not getting their money’s worth’

South Africans pay more than four months’ salary a year to fund government. While those living in cities receive their money’s worth – more or less – farmers get the short end of the stick.

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