News-making headlines in FW – 29 May
Farmer's Weekly news editor Jaco Visser spoke to OFM's agri-editor Sabrina Dean about the top articles in the 29 May issue of Farmer's Weekly:
Carl van der Merwe wins WC Young Farmer of the Year 2015
A fruit farmer from the Koue Bokkeveld, Carl van der Merwe, was named the Western Cape Young Farmer of the Year.
Standard Bank advises farmers to ‘cut the dead wood’
Farmers should avoid the risk of placing too much emphasis on economic and global issues they have little or no control over, according to Nico Groenewald, Standard Bank’s head of agribusiness.
Total stock theft figures could be underestimated
Stock theft figures in South Africa might currently be underestimated by four times if University of the Free State (UFS) research is accurate.
Glyphosate poses minimal cancer risk
There is no proof that the chemical glyphosate caused cancer in humans and animals under normal veld conditions, according to Dr Gerhard Verdoorn, head of the Griffon Poison Information Centre.
News making headlines in FW – 22 May
Land reform is the top news maker this week, after Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform Gugile Nkwinti made a surprise announcement that government is considering lowering the land cap from 12 000ha to 5 000ha.
Israelis’ agricultural partnership with Eastern Cape mooted
The Israelis are hosting an agribusiness seminar in East London today a day after meeting Eastern Cape Rural Development and Agrarian Reform MEC Mlibo Qoboshiyane about a possible partnership to develop agriculture in the province.
Harvesting soya beans in KZN’s Kamberg Valley
Farmer’s Weekly journalist, Lloyd Phillips, recently attended the 96th AGM of the Kamberg Valley Association in KwaZulu-Natal.
DoL confirms that forestry wages apply to 9-hour day
In response to an enquiry from Forestry South Africa (FSA), the Department of Labour (DoL) has confirmed that the new minimum wages for workers in the country’s commercial forestry sector are based on a nine-hour working day.
Afasa, Nerpo ask for clarity on land ceilings
While Afasa and Nerpo agreed with Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development, Gugile Nkwinti’s land ceiling of 5 000ha, stakeholders needed to be engaged further on the matter as there were still “more questions than answers”, the two organisations said during a media breakfast in Pretoria today (18 May).
Zokwana ‘must stop telling farmers to calm down’ – opposition leaders
The ANC wants land reform to fail as part of its plot to gain state control over all land. And agriculture minister Senzeni Zokwana, is misleading farmers, playing a game of cat and mouse, when he tells them not to worry about the radical plans put forward by land reform minister Gugile Nkwinti.
Help to find SA’s best steakhouse
Where in South Africa have you eaten your best steak? Which steakhouse serves the juiciest char-grilled beef?
