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.
Free State MEC promises to address poor Ficksburg roads
Free State Agriculture (FSA) president, Francois Wilken, has expressed the hope that the Free State MEC for Roads, Sam Mashinini, will honour his promise to attend to the poor state of the roads in the Ficksburg area.
Ficksburg protest highlights impact of poor rural roads
Several organisations took part in protest action, organised by the Ficksburg community forum, Sechaba sa Ficksburg, that saw the closure of a number of roads in the district on Wednesday, 17 March.
World’s freshwater supply dwindling fast
The increasing restraints on freshwater supplies is threatening global food security. Urgent action is therefore needed to make water use in agriculture more sustainable and equitable.
Kudu rabies epidemic in Namibia drives up trophy prices
The Namibian Livestock Producers’ Organisation (LPO) has welcomed the encouraging results of new research being conducted on the ongoing epidemic of kudu rabies in Namibia.
Solution needed for SA’s ‘complex’ communal land tenure
Almost a third of South Africa’s population lives in remote rural areas on communal, subsistence agricultural land.
Watchdog needed to regulate SA’s grain industry
The South African grain industry is currently riddled with debates about the availability and credibility of market information, despite the fact that the available industry information is trustworthy.
How to keep the family business in business
Very few family farming operations transition effortlessly from one generation to another. The process requires careful planning, hard work and a lot of patience. Annelie Coleman spoke to several experts about the factors that drive success, and found that timeous succession planning, a family constitution, and a willingness to allow new entrants topped the list.
Speculators blamed for recent African swine fever outbreak
A limited outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) on a farm near Potchefstroom earlier this month has been confirmed by the South African Pork Producers’ Organisation (SAPPO).
Farmer swindled out of 1 300 sheep in R4,9m deal
Following the arrest of two suspects who allegedly defrauded a Free State farmer out of sheep to the value of R4,9 million, Free State Agriculture has reiterated its warning to farmers to remain vigilant, and to be scrupulous when verifying the bona fides of people with whom they conduct business.
Namibian dairy industry in fight for survival
The Namibian dairy sector is battling to survive, with production decreasing and the price-cost squeeze forcing producers to exit the sector.
Farming sector warns of job losses due to minimum wage hike
Minister of Employment and Labour Thembelani Nxesi recently announced that the minimum wage for farmworkers has increased by 16% to bring it in line with the national minimum wage.
Deadline extended for comment on new Expropriation Bill
The Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure has announced that the deadline for written submissions by interested parties on the Expropriation Bill [B23 – 2020] has been extended from 10 to 28 February.
Expropriation bill ‘will limit property rights’ in SA
Free State Agriculture (FSA) remains vehemently opposed to certain clauses in the Expropriation Bill and seriously questions government’s sincerity with regard to the issue of land expropriation and ownership, according to Francois Wilken, FSA president.
Didiza explains delay in annual reports for agri entities
The Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Thoko Didiza, said she had noted with concern claims by the EFF regarding the submission of annual reports from the former Department of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR) and its entities.
Farmers say ‘not worth their while’ to report stock theft
Stock theft remains one of the greatest threats to the long-term sustainability of livestock production in North West.The scourge was being compounded by poor reporting of incidences of stock theft, poor policing, and a failing judicial system in the province.
Free State Agriculture condemns attack on farm manager
Free State Agriculture (FSA) has strongly condemned the latest farm attack in the province in which a farm foreman, Simon Mokhala (77), was attacked and nearly drowned in a septic tank.
Meat board takes charge to control FMD outbreak in Namibia
The recent foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak in Namibia at the end of 2020 was largely contained and did not pose a threat to areas south of the veterinary cordon fence in the north of the country, according to Thinus Pretorius, chairperson of Nambia’s Livestock Producers’ Organisation (LPO).
Heavy rain devastates grain lands in the western Free State
It is too early to determine the extent of the damage caused to grain plantings following extremely high rainfall in parts of the western Free State during the past two weeks, but it can be assumed that the damage is extensive.
International award for Free State stock theft researcher
The executive board of the International Society for the Study of Rural Crime (ISSRC) recently bestowed the prestigious Joseph F. Donnermeyer New Scholar Award on Dr Willem Lombard, an agricultural economist at the University of the Free State.
Good rains raise risk of insect-borne livestock diseases
South African livestock producers need to vaccinate animals against insect-borne diseases such as lumpy skin disease, three-day stiff sickness, Rift Valley fever, and bluetongue disease as soon as possible.
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