Animals

Dairy farmer, Tshilidzi ‘Chilli’ Matshidzula, the Eastern Cape’s Agri SA Toyota Young Farmer of the Year, manages and partly owns a dairy operation near Alexandria in the Eastern Cape. Mike Burgess spoke to him about his contribution to resurrecting a failed empowerment initiative.

As always, the warmer weather has brought a crop of pests. Kim Dyson provides a useful list of plants that act as natural insect repellents.

Mike Burgess visited Christo Nowers at the state-run Dohne Agricultural Development Institute near Stutterheim to better understand how the herd has achieved an average calving percentage of 83,8% since 2000, and an average herd ICP of 380 days.

Want cost-effective heating for your aquaculture system? Nothing beats greenhouse tunnels.

The health of dairy cows is directly related to their conception rates and milk production.

Improved cow productivity reduces greenhouse gas production, according to specialist Agricultural Research Council researcher Prof Michiel Scholtz, who gave a presentation on the topic at the 1st International Conference on Tropical Animal Science and Production in Thailand. For this reason, he says, it is important to understand the basics of cow productivity.

The enclosed sleeping area for pigs should take up about a third of total pen size.

Eye infections and injuries should always be regarded as emergencies and treated accordingly. These problems can swiftly worsen and even cause blindness, warns Dr Mac.

Danie Thomas, a young Dormer stud farmer in Kroonstad, achieved the highest prices ever in South Africa for in-lamb and open ewes at the Kairos production sale this year. His stud also consists of some of the finest Dormer sheep genetics in the country.

This is the 100th aquaculture column to appear in Farmer’s Weekly, and to mark this milestone, I’d like to explore how far the industry has come since my first article in September 2012.

Many riders have been inspired to try the musical kur after watching the recent Olympics, says Dr Mac.

Alternative feed options can help to buffer the impact of rising costs, especially when prices increase due to adverse climatic conditions. Mauro Delle Donne of Zandam Farm explained to Glenneis Kriel how he lowers production costs by using software technology and whey from his cheese factory.

More correctly known as cutaneous habronemiasis or Draschia infestation, these lesions are most common in tropical or temperate climates, warns Kim Dyson.

Cloete Afrikaners takes the increasing consumer demand for grass-fed beef seriously. Adrian Cloete spoke to Gerhard Uys about the challenges of doing so in an industry currently geared to the interests of feedlots.

Certain non-negotiable measures are needed to make small, community-run fish farms successful.

There are several key factors to consider before deciding to farm pigs, whether intensively or free range, says Shane Brody.

When a visiting mare is introduced to your stud, it could bring in fatal diseases. Don’t take a chance – ensure that the horse is thoroughly examined beforehand, says Dr Mac.

Enzootic bovine leukosis currently represents one of the largest threats to SA’s dairy industry. If nothing is done to prevent and control new infections, it is possible that in future there will be no uninfected dairy herds in South Africa, writes Dr Jan du Preez, managing director of the Institute of Livestock Technology.

Keeping rearing conditions clean and sourcing fingerlings from reputable hatcheries will help contain outbreaks.

This is the first question you have to ask yourself when considering raising pigs, says Shane Brody.