Annelie Coleman
Annelie Coleman represents Farmer’s Weekly in the Free State, North West and Northern Cape.
Agriculture is in her blood. She grew up on a maize farm in the Wesselsbron district where her brother is still continuing with the family business.
Annelie is passionate about the area she works in and calls it ‘God’s own country’. She’s particularly interested in beef cattle farming, especially with the indigenous African breeds.
Call to reopen abattoirs in KwaZulu-Natal
More than 3 000 head of livestock have already been tested for foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in KwaZulu-Natal after the outbreak of the disease in the Mtubatuba area of the uMkhanyakude District Municipality in May.
Bid for removal of Namibia’s veterinary fence a risk for SA
A recent application submitted to the High Court to have the veterinary cordon fence (VCF) in Namibia declared unconstitutional is misguided, according to Thinus Pretorius, chairperson of the Namibian Livestock Producers’ Organisation.
2021 Nampo Harvest Day cancelled
The 2021 Nampo Harvest Day scheduled for August this year has been cancelled. In 2020, the event that was to be held in May that year was also cancelled, and the decision was then taken to reschedule this year’s Nampo Harvest Day to August.
Cold weather helps contain Free State locust outbreak
The current cold spell being experienced across the Free State has greatly contributed to containing the severe locust outbreak in the Bultfontein area.
Botswana bans livestock imports from SA due to FMD outbreak
Botswana’s Department of Agricultural Development and Food Security announced on Monday, 31 May that import restrictions have been placed on the importation of live cloven-hoofed animals from South Africa.
Farmers must brace for sharp rises in agrochemical prices
Agrochemical prices in South Africa continued on an upward trajectory during the past year, and should this trend continue, farmers could expect to pay much more for inputs during the 2021/2022 summer grain production season.
Aerial application of glyphosate on maize illegal
South African farmers have been warned that glyphosate-containing products used in the aerial spraying of maize are currently not registered.
‘Proposed new gun legislation bizarre and incongruous’
Agricultural stakeholders have strongly condemned the possibility that, under a newly-revived legislative proposal, South Africans would not be allowed to own guns for self defence.
SA locust outbreaks ‘a frightful scene’
The brown locust infestations across South Africa during the 2020/2021 season have obliterated all previous records, according to Nicol Jansen, Agri Northern Cape president.
North West farmers welcome repair of flood-damaged roads
The North West farming community has welcomed an announcement by the province’s premier Prof Tebogo Job Mokgoro that a total of R36,7 million has been spent in the first quarter of 2021 to repair roads that had been damaged by recent flooding.
Commercial farmers also need government support – Agri SA
South Africa’s commercial agricultural sector needs the same support as “new farmers”. This was the opinion of Christo van der Rheede, executive director of Agri SA, responding to the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (agriculture department), Thoko Didiza’s budget address delivered in Parliament on Thursday, 13 May.
Brown locust outbreaks threaten Southern Africa
Dr Gerhard Verdoorn, operations and stewardship manager at CropLife South Africa, has warned that the recent huge outbreaks of brown locusts (Locustana pardalina) in Southern Africa could cause a humanitarian crisis.
SA set to export record volume of maize
South Africa is expected to export a record 2,8 million tons of maize in the 2020/2021 marketing season, according to the latest estimate of the National Agriculture Marketing Council (NAMC).
Jannie de Villiers to step down as Grain SA’s CEO
After serving as CEO of Grain SA (GSA) for a decade, Jannie de Villiers has announced that he is stepping down and will be leaving the commodity organisation on 31 August.
Ban on captive lion breeding could backfire – expert
Should the recommendation to halt the breeding of lions in captivity, among other practices, be implemented, poaching of free-roaming lions could increase as a result.
Drought crisis deepens in Northern and Eastern Cape
The marathon drought in the Northern and Eastern Cape is escalating into a humanitarian crisis. The western part of the Eastern Cape and adjacent parts of the Northern Cape have been suffering from drought for at least the past seven years and farmers are in the depths of despair, according to Doug Stern, Agri Eastern Cape president.
Farmers urged to report crime along the SA-Lesotho border
The time has come for the citizens of Lesotho and South Africa to take hands and act against criminals surreptitiously crossing the border between the two countries.
New partnership aims to address agri labour problems
South African farmers will now have direct access to advice and assistance with labour matters, while being represented on several national labour forums.
Great scope for expansion of Namibia’s poultry industry
The poultry industry in Namibia didn’t escape the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to René Werner, chairperson of the Namibia Poultry Producers’ Association (PPA).
Free State farmers renew calls for more crime task teams
Additional task teams need to be deployed in the Free State as a matter of urgency to act as a buffer against the rising crime rate, specifically to combat the high incidence of livestock theft along the Lesotho border.
