Farming for Tomorrow

SA’s top 50 producers are performing well despite grim economic conditions. Robyn Joubert studies the 2012 VinPro/Winetech report and finds out why these producers are so successful.

In Costa Rica, farmers are paid to provide environmental services. This has helped to place the country in top spot in the ‘Happy Planet Index’, which measures environmental efficiency and people’s well-being. Can we learn any lessons, ask Roelof Bezuidenhout and Luke Metelerkamp.

Discovery may lead to new crops with extra-high levels of the vitamin.

Producers may soon have a tool to detect sub-fertile heifers and cows, allowing them to manage reproduction more efficiently.

A multi-disciplinary research team from the Institute of Natural Resources in Pietermaritzburg is experimenting with ways to improve banana production among small-scale growers in the Eastern Cape.

The indigenous fish of the Western Cape’s fynbos rivers are under severe threat from alien fish, which prey on them. In an attempt to save them from extinction, CapeNature, in co-ordination with the Cape Action for People and the Environment programme, has launched a project in the Rondegat River, Cedarberg. Denene Erasmus reports.

Feed efficiency is increased by adding crude glycerine, a by-product of biodiesel production, to feed.

A Swiss-produced biopesticide containing a virus targeting the African bollworm is currently on trial in South Africa – and is proving remarkably effective against this destructive pest. Robyn Joubert reports.

A step-by-step approach to soil preparation is key to ensuring the survival of beneficial micro-organisms and greater yields, writes Robyn Joubert.

Brix testing quickly indicates to a farmer how a plant responds to management changes, and provides an accurate picture of a crop’s health and taste. Jeff Joubert explains the method to Robyn Joubert.

The local deciduous fruit industry has developed a successful Mediterranean fruit fly control programme that uses environmentally friendly products, as well as the ‘sterile insect technique’. Denene Erasmus reports.

A genetic marker shows a pig’s susceptibility to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome.

The reproductive performance of a sheep flock can be improved significantly if farmers retain their best ewes for an extra year or two.

Dr Maryna de Wit and her team at the University of the Free State are studying commercially viable uses for the cactus pear. The researchers argue that although South Africa produces huge quantities of the crop, its many uses have never been fully exploited here. Annelie Coleman reports.

Professor Frikkie Neser, of the University of the Free State’s department of animal, wildlife and grassland sciences, says that breeders should aim for livestock suited to particular production environments. Lloyd Phillips reports.

This invasive alien plant is difficult to destroy, but trials at Nyoka Wildlife Conservation have shown good results, writes Dave Vanderspuy.

Scientists are going to space to help farmers monitor drought and irrigate their crops.

Research by two doctoral students the University of the Free State has shown that supplementing pig feed with conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) could add considerable value to the pork industry. Annelie Coleman spoke to Cobus Ferreira and Carina Bothma.

Predation can cause huge stock losses, yet farmers are under pressure to avoid methods such as gin traps and poison. A Karoo farmer’s invention might satisfy both farmers and environmentalists.

Farmers must use antibiotics more prudently to prolong their efficacy. Dr Maryke Henton, an Idexx Laboratories specialist veterinarian and Global Antibiotic Resistance Partnership member, tells Robyn Joubert why.