Off season preparation
What you do now to prepare your race team will affect its performance in the upcoming season, writes Thomas Smit.
A piece of land
The recent report of organised land grabbing in Mtubatuba in KwaZulu-Natal raised eyebrows. Apparently a landowner’s land was sold off at the local taxi rank and he was threatened with death if he dared interfere.
Starting afresh on a farm in Zambia
Keith Clubb, drawn by low land prices and the favourable climate, moved to Zambia in 1997.
Optimal management in a big beef enterprise
To increase production and profit in a commercial beef enterprise, it’s essential to stick to tried-and tested management procedures.
Running more animals without buying more land
Soaring land prices in Limpopo’s Thabazimbi district forced Callie Lee to expand his irrigated pastures. Thanks to careful management, he achieves optimal land use and good weaning weights.
Horses for kids
Safety first is the essential consideration when buying a horse for a child to ride.
Prepare for a great racing season
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a new starter or an old hand at pigeon racing, without well-defined goals and proper preparation you’re not going to be a competitive fancier, says Thomas Smit.
Piebald or Pinto?
Piebald and pinto horses have large areas of white hair, with pink skin underneath, due to a lack of pigmentation, says Dr Mac.
Providing water in the Kalahari thirstland
Agri Northern Cape Young Farmer of the Year finalist Johann Bekker says a reliable water supply is crucial for successful commercial sheep farming in the western Kalahari. Annelie Coleman visited his farms in the Mier district to see how he gets it right.
Expanding a dairy enterprise
South Africans consume a mere 145ml of milk per person per day – so there’s room for expansion. But how? In fact, farmers have several options.
Racing the world
The Kitchenbrands are one of the oldest pigeon families in the South African pigeon racing fraternity. Now, fourth-generation champion Mark Kitchenbrand is racing pigeons both here and abroad, reports Thomas Smit.
Good nutrition, healthier horses
The modern horse lives a life far removed from that of its ancestors, and domestication imposes unnatural living conditions which can lead to disease. Kim Dyson tells us how to keep your horses healthy.
High Stocking rate on minimum veld
Backed up by 40 years’ experience in sustainable cattle production, Johann Zietsman consults with South African cattlemen on how to double, treble or quadruple their cattle numbers on the same land while improving the quality of the veld.
Marshall Charolais does it again
For the second year running, the Farmer's Weekly-ARC Best Elite Charolais Cow is from the same Botswana herd.
For the love of the landsheep
Trientjie and Gerhard Knoetze's Katryn Merino Landsheep Stud has been named the 2011 SA Studbook Sheep Stud of the Year after only being founded in 2005.
A truly Elite Nguni Cow for 2011
Following in the footsteps of her dam, AVM 96 0039 has taken this year's title of Farmer's Weekly-ARC Best Elite Nguni Cow.
Schooling a ranch horse
It's not necessary to own a fancy sand arena to school a working cow horse the cowboy way
World-class racing pigeons
There is no weak link in champion racer and renowned breeder Boet Troskie's racing pigeon stock. He recently sold all his superstar pigeons at three auctions. Thomas Smit reports on the first auction.
Are you smart enough to be a Brahman breeder?
Defying the common misconception that Brahmans are wild, temperamental and a problem to farm with, Johan Prinsloo selects only calm animals to maintain a desirable temperament in his PRI Brahman Stud.
