Animals

A word of warning for start-up producers

Prospective fish producers should consider all the hurdles that stand in the way of making a profit.

Southeast Asia’s formula for top ornamental fish

To produce quality ornamental fish, a breeder must establish a habitat that is as natural as possible, with food sources such micro-algae and insect larvae.

How to safeguard your fish against the cold

A severe drop in water temperature can kill tilapia fish stock in an aquaculture system, and a proper heating system is the only solution.

Breeding top-performing Dohne Merino on 95ha

The fertility factor in mohair success

Unlocking the potential of the Merino Landsheep

Meet one of SA’s top Merino wool producers

Harnessing the dual-purpose potential of Merino ewes

Breeding a million-dollar bird

Pigeon breeding and racing remains a popular pursuit, with some fanciers aiming for the ultimate goal of turning their hobby into a career. Sabrina Dean visited brothers Daniel and Justin...

Young pig farmer shares lessons learnt during her first five years

Award-winning piggery owner Khulile Mahlalela says that to maximise profits, a farmer must get the pigs market-ready as rapidly as possible, and produce a low-fat carcass with tender meat.

Dealing with colic during COVID-19

Colic is the leading killer of horses around the world, and COVID-19 has made it harder for vets to go out to stables to diagnose horses. Virtual diagnosis and colic...

Plough for more

Ground-breaking judgement in environmental misuse case

York Timbers will appeal a R450 000 fine meted out by the Nelspruit Regional Court on 4 April. The company was fined for widening a forest road at its sawmill...

Eskom tariff increase to add millions to stone fruit production costs

An Eskom tariff increase of 9,4% has been approved by Nersa, and could add millions to production costs for stone fruit farmers.

Sugar industry awaits government’s bio-ethanol policy

With government having set October 2015 for the introduction of mandatory blending of bio-fuels into existing fossil fuels, the country’s sugar industry is interested in seeing where it can play...

New Land Bank CEO appointed

Cabinet on Wednesday approved the appointments of Tshokolo Petrus Nchocho as the new CEO of the Land Bank and Mabotha Arthur Moloto as chairperson of the bank’s board.

Humane, eco-friendly cultured meat products

A company called, SuperMeat, is aiming to revolutionise the meat industry with a system it has developed to produce cultured meat on a small-scale, in collaboration with Yaakov Nahmias, a...

Setting the record straight

In a letter to Farmer’s Weekly, the secretary general of the African Farmers Association of South Africa (Afasa), Aggrey Mahanjana, has objected to comments that were attributed to him in...

‘Angus is a farmer we look up to’

A phenomenal 200 000+ men attended this year's Mighty Men Conference. Led by renowned preacher, farmer and Farmer's Weekly columnist Angus Buchan at his family's Shalom Farm outside Greytown in...

The art of world-class popcorn

Producing popcorn is a highly specialised industry that differs from conventional maize production, says Johann Kriek, CEO of the Bigfoot Trading Company. Annelie Coleman reports.

Goats revive rural farming project

A rural development project aimed at empowering female farmers is reaching new levels of success.

Oxford Freshmarket graduates from the Bluff

With one supermarket successfully established on the Bluff, Oxford Freshmarket is looking to ramp up turnover with four new store openings in the next two years. Even though Oxford buys...

Estate cultivates its greatest asset: its workforce

Farmers have been suffering accusations of human rights violations of employees. However, an Agri Wes-Cape survey last year revealed that most farmers in the Western Cape invest more in their...

Oyster farming in Saldanha Bay

Oyster farming offers several advantages: it’s sustainable, has low-impact, and produces naturally organic and healthy food.

Lamb curry

Curries are an old Indian delicacy filled with a mix of herbs and spices and tantalising aroma. Find out how you can cook up a mouthwatering lamb curry.

Chilli con carne

In South Africa, we all know about braai competitions. Back in the USA, chilli con carne competitions are the big thing, particularly in the southern states along the Mexican border....

A home by the lake

Dear Jonno I have been reading and looking at your sketches in Farmer’s Weekly for years. I recently saw a home on the cover of a magazine (I have attached the...

Designing a block of flats

Dear Jonno I need your help as I would like to build several one- and two-bedroom flats on a 1ha piece of land. I would like these to be double-storey...

Hunting traditionally with the Khomani San

The Khomani San of the Kalahari are revered for their intimate knowledge of bush lore. Now they’re practising these skills commercially and offering hunting packages on the vast tracts of...

Prawn Breyani

Here are two fabulous tastes in one meal: prawns and a glorious breyani. Feel free to drop the prawns and let the plain breyani become a side dish.

How to distinguish similar-looking juvenile cichlids

Approximately 15 cichlid species occur in South Africa. To the untrained eye, several appear confusingly alike, especially as juveniles. So make sure you get the right tilapia species for your...

Auction turnover breaks the billion-rand barrier

Game auctions showed a rising trend showed last year says Dr Flippie Cloete of the Unit for Environmental Science and Management at North-West University.

Poisonous plants

Horses generally avoid toxic plants, but owners need to know how to identify them in order to avoid serious mishaps, writes Kim Dyson.

The many uses of Epsom salts

Magnesium sulphate has a wide range of medicinal uses for humans, from easing inflammation to acting as a laxative. And it’s no less useful on horses, says Kim Dyson.

Boran crosses produce fine weaners for the feedlot industry

Quentin and Marisa de Bruyn from Ladybrand in the Free State have ‘fallen head-over-heels in love’ with Boran cattle, and see the breed as a top contender in South Africa’s...

Caring for farm horses – Part 2

Sugar and honey are useful for treating minor problems in horses, says Dr Mac.

Are you in or out?

The industry-related initiative to help improve markets launched by the Institute of Market Agents of SA (IMASA) last year seems to have gained a lot more momentum than expected.

Litchis & avos: using precision farming to improve yields

Demand for litchis and avocados has soared and encouraged producers to embrace precision farming methods. Stephan Schoeman, owner of Soetkalmoes Consultation in Nelspruit, an advisory service for the tree crops...

Eelworms love carrots

By far the biggest carrot pest is the root knot eelworm (Melodogyne spp). In many other vegetable crops, these nematodes are not much of a problem, but in carrots they...

Managing weed resistance to glyphosate

Dr Charlie Reinhardt of the University of Pretoria’s SA Herbicide Resistance Initiative offers the following ‘5 Golden Rules’ for managing weed resistance to glyphosate and other herbicides.

Choose your markets

Younger farmers might find it hard to believe that their fathers had essentially one marketing option for fresh produce – the markets.

Potato pieces

Sports medicine expert Dr Tim Noakes caused a minor flurry recently when he referred to the exclusion of carbohydrates, which includes potatoes, in an athlete’s diet.