Agricultural machinery sales expected to spike on back of weakening Rand

A weakening Rand to the US Dollar is expected to hasten farmers’ plans to invest in capital equipment.

Minister’s award garners mixed reactions

There have been mixed reactions from organised agriculture over an award bestowed on Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Tina Joemat-Pettersson, by the French government.

Small-scale farmer unions make their mark

Smallholder farming’s contribution to agriculture has been recognised at the Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU).

WC Farmers not happy with predation management protocol

Western Cape livestock farmers and provincial authorities are getting closer to finalising an agreement on the management of damage causing animals, particularly black-backed jackal, caracal and bushpig.

Investors cautions, but still interested

Foreign direct investment in local agriculture and agro-processing has come under pressure lately due to political uncertainty.

‘Don’t dehorn, educate the people’

Should a decision be taken to dehorn rhinos it would send a negative message to the rest of the world that South Africa is losing the battle against poaching, Dr...

Food prices bite poor the hardest

Annual food price inflation stood at 8,7% between April 2011 and April 2012, while headline inflation increased by 6,1% over the same period.

Agriculture job creation questioned

The most recent quarterly labour force survey conducted by Stats SA shows that employment in agriculture increased by 8,8% over the past year.

Concern about land use bill

The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform will most likely miss the submission deadline for the long-anticipated Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Bill. Denene Erasmus reports.

Land expropriation unlikely – analyst

The FW de Klerk Foundation says the Green Paper on Land Reform is ‘racial mobilisation against white farmers’. Political analyst Prof Steven Friedman disagrees. Lindi van Rooyen reports.

ANC’s land reform policy ‘socialist’

Capitalism in South Africa is under attack by a ruling party that is moving towards socialism and away from private property ownership.

North West farmers suspicious of R155 million projects

The announcement by North West’s MEC for agriculture and rural development, Desbo Mohono, that she budgeted R155 million for the implementation of a number of agricultural projects in the 2012/2013...

Government curbs growth in poultry industry

Government needs to implement a blanket duty on all chicken imports for the local industry to survive the onslaught of chicken dumping.

A fracking change of heart

Right up until three months ago, Prof Gerrit van Tonder was convinced that hydraulic fracturing (fracking) to explore for shale gas would not contaminate the groundwater of the Karoo.

Beneficiaries invade own land on land reform game farms

A study looking at the experience of communities that were awarded game farms as part of the land restitution process has shown that beneficiaries could be forced to ‘invade’ their...

FPA’s feeling ‘twitchy’ over this season’s fire risk

Fire Protection Associations in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga are anticipating a challenging fire-fighting season this year.

DAFF denies that OBP vaccines are faulty

Agricultural minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson has left farmers baffled after denying that there was ever a question over the efficacy of Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP) vaccines.

Agriculture jobs creation questioned

The most recent quarterly labour force survey conducted by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) show that employment in agriculture increased by 8,8% over the past year.

Land reform policy likened to socialism