Farming for Tomorrow

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.

Researchers from the Grootfontein Agricultural Development Institute studied the effect of the early growth environment on the development of Dorper lambs.

Herbicide and pesticide resistance are leading to an increased use of these chemicals.

Reducing the height of forestry trees through genetic modification has advantages, say US researchers.