Groundwater conservation: a long-term investment
Groundwater resource conservation should be the most important aspect of any irrigation farming concern in South Africa, say geohydrology consultant JL van Vuuren and drilling contractor Marnus Nel. A lack...
The electric car: not squeaky clean
An electric car is environmentally expensive to manufacture, and its ‘fuel’ is only as clean as the nearest power station.
Turnerland equipment for onions
Turnerland Manufacturing has developed equipment that allows onion growers to harvest their crops directly from the land with minimum labour.
Hippo Mills turn 90!
The Hippo hammer mill was launched at the 1928 Pietermaritzburg Royal Show. Joe Spencer takes a closer look at the company.
Factors that influence the adoption of smart agriculture in SA
Smart technology is a hot topic these days – and notably so in agriculture, where there are many uses, from drones and remote water monitoring, to soil analysis, animal tracking,...
Smart designs from Amazone!
Four Amazone machines received the world-renowned Design Label at this year’s iF Design Awards.
Termites and grazers: a complex, subtle relationship
After a number of farmers near Middelburg in the Eastern Cape expressed concern about increasing termite activity, James Hagan, an MSc student in ecology, conducted a study on the effects...
100 years of John Deere tractors
One of the greatest success stories in the agricultural machinery industry started a century ago with the launch of the Waterloo Boy tractor in the US Midwest.
Case IH introduces a new Patriot sprayer
Northmec is conducting a series of demonstrations of the latest addition to the Case IH Patriot self-propelled sprayer range.
The need for variable valve timing
Air has inertia, which creates breathing problems in an engine with traditional fixed valve timing. Many of today’s engines employ variable valve timing to solve this difficulty, explains Jake Venter.
Do you know how healthy your ‘soil skin’ is?
The crucial link between soil health and optimal, sustainable crop yield is well established. Dr Neil Miles, a soil scientist with the South African Sugarcane Research Institute, explores this subject,...
Smart seeding from Clean Seed
The latest seed drill from the Clean Seed Capital Group in British Columbia, Canada, takes seeding technology to new heights.
The autonomous electric tractor, Yanmar
Yanmar has joined Case and other companies by introducing an autonomous tractor. So, is the day of the autonomous electric tractor drawing near?
Top innovators at LAMMA 2018
There were more than 80 entries for the ‘Awards for Innovation’ at the annual LAMMA Show in the UK in January. Joe Spencer takes a look at the winners.
A spread of innovations from Amazone
Two new ideas from Amazone have attracted much attention. One is the precise operation of two spreaders on one tractor, the other is a machine that compensates for crosswinds when...
Shaydan inclinometer: safety on the slopes
A tractor-mounted slope alarm that improves operator safety and prevents expensive accidents is now available.
Smart Farming in South Africa
A South African farmer was amongst a number of producers selected by the German Agricultural Society to highlight the success that smart farming can achieve.
Harvesting the ‘Hands-free Hectare’
The ground-breaking Hands-free Hectare project, which sought to grow a crop using only autonomous vehicles, has come to an end with a successful harvest.
Pöttinger Multiline: The new all-rounder
The Pöttinger Multiline concept is a combination of either a compact disc harrow or a stubble cultivator, and a seed drill.
Correct feeding can slash dairy cows’ methane emissions by 30%
Josef van Wyngaard, a doctoral student at the University of Pretoria, has found that South African dairy cattle emit less methane than initially thought, and there is room for significant...
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