Farming for Tomorrow

A novel approach to controlling a destructive root parasite has produced good results with sorghum in Ethiopia, according to Robyn Joubert.

Scientists have identified a virus found in US vineyards as the culprit, and are certain it will be found worldwide.

‘African leafy vegetables’ is a term used to describe indigenous, indigenised and recently introduced plant species collected by African women as a source of food for their families for centuries.

UK researchers find that crop fuels produce more pollution than the plants they replace.

Scientists have discovered that supplementing cattle feed with flaxseed results in less saturated fats.

An inexpensive new test may soon allow farmers to manage crops better and ascertain crop sizes accurately.

Research has shown that spiders are the first predators to colonise newly planted lands. Best of all, they are pest control specialists, says Dr Ansie Dippenaar-Schoeman, specialist scientist at the ARC’s Plant Protection Research Institute.

A bacterium provides energy to pigs during weaning which helps boost their immune systems and reduce infections.

The venom from Anthopleura may soon be used to develop environmentally friendly pest control and new medicines.

This unique design, using hay bales with fire-retardant cladding, can withstand the heat of the fiercest bushfire.

Cape fox and bat-eared fox numbers are strongly influenced by fluctuations in the population of black-backed jackal, according to research conducted near Kimberley by Dr Jan Kamler of Oxford University. This conclusion holds implications for conservation of the two species, writes Roelof Bezuidenhout.

A conventional, non-GM breeding programme by the University of KwaZulu-Natal is developing high-yielding, virus-resistant crop varieties specifically for African small-scale farmers.

Precision camera technology offers automated weed control – and an intelligent means to tell the good guys from the bad. Robyn Joubert reports.

Phosphorus is a vital nutrient in livestock production, but what is the best source? Multi-national animal nutrition company DSM provided answers at EuroTier 2012 in Hanover, Germany.

Increasing energy costs have cut into many a farmer’s profitability. With more increases from Eskom on the cards, producers need an action plan to cut usage wherever possible. Koos Bouwer, an industrial engineering consultant, gives practical advice on reducing a farm’s electricity bill. Lindi van Rooyen reports.

Prof Hennie Snyman warns that slangbos (also known as bankrupt bush, bankrotbos or vaalbos) is steadily eroding farm values. So the expense of chemical control is well worth it. Roelof Bezuidenhout reports.

US researchers have found that there are no significant differences between organic and conventional milk. Alan Harman reports.

US experiments demonstrate that the carbon in compost kick-starts the natural organic cycle.

Karoo lamb is a sought after product but consumers think twice before paying more for it, according to a survey by researcher Henriëtta du Plessis.

Midlands poultry producer Chris Slater is using plump, live fly grubs to replace expensive poultry feed. His story, which first appeared in Farmers Weekly on 19 October, generated such positive reader response that Robyn Joubert revisited the Slaters to find out more.