South Africa

Instead of making more money available for land reform and the reopening of claims, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan has cut the budget by more than half a billion rand.

The Tree Lucerne Organisation (BLO) is planning a farmers’ day on Thursday, 7 November, at the Outeniekwa Farmers’ Association hall outside George in the Western Cape.

The Obaro Feedlot and Livestock Improvement Project has secured a sponsorship to reward this year’s carcass competition winner with a stud bull worth over R40 000.

The no-show of both SA’s deputy president, Kgalema Motlanthe, and ANC deputy president Cyril Ramaphosaat at the AGM of the African Farmers’ Association of South Africa (Afasa) in Pretoria recently, has disappointed the organisation.

Pressure is mounting for the EU to overturn control measures imposed for citrus black spot (CBS).

Approximately 20 000 jobs in agriculture were shed between March and June this year.

Northern Cape farmer Attie Scholtz has been named the 2013 Agri SA/Toyota SA Young Farmer of the Year.

President Jacob Zuma officially launched Fetsa Tlala at Batlharos Stadium in Kuruman, Northern Cape, on October 24.

Free State premier Ace Magashule released the first fully tradable title deeds to black home owners in the Ngwathe municipality on 22 October.

Over the next three years South Africa will have more electricity, rail and roads to support growth.

South Africa’s economy has expanded over the past three years, but the rate of progress has steadily declined, with little hope of imminent robust growth over the next three years, said finance minister Pravin Gordhan, who presented the 2013 Medium Term Budget Policy Statement in parliament today.

Commercial farmers in Africa should not look for solutions to their unique problems in the US, Australia or elsewhere in the world, but rather find ways to adjust to the changing political and economic landscape in which they find themselves, said Ryno van der Merwe, former chairperson of the Namibia Agricultural Union.

Two brutal farm attacks have taken place within five days of each other. In the first incident, Underberg forester Dan Knight (55) was beaten to death on 17 October, then Vryheid dairy farmer Willem Weites (78) was shot two times on 21 October.

According to the SA Agricultural Machinery Association (SAAMA), retail sales of agricultural equipment during September2013 were as follows:

Showers with rain of up to 50mm have been reported in the Free State over the weekend. Some 50mm was measured in Koppies, 40mm in Bloemfontein, 30mm in Bultfontein and 20mm in Wesselsbron.

The Agricultural Writers Association, northern branch, has announced its farmer, agriculturalist and new entrant to commercial farming of the year for 2013.

A batch of 14 ‘punk’ chickens have become celebrities in KwaZulu-Natal after hatching from supermarket eggs.

Samuel Kgonono has been named the KwaZulu-Natal’s Wildlife Rancher of the Year for 2013 by the KZN chamber of Wildlife Ranching South Africa (WRSA).

A call centre to answer farmers’ questions and help them with agriculture-related queries has been launched by SA Agri.

Poor management of irrigation schemes is hindering expansion and economic development.