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.
OVK increases turnover despite ‘challenging conditions’
The agribusiness, OVK Group, has announced an increase of 8, 55% in turnover for the 2018/2019 financial year compared with the previous year.
New system shows benefits of deep root irrigation
A locally developed irrigation system designed to transport water directly to plants’ roots and thus eliminate evaporation has achieved outstanding success in trials.
Police continue to illegally occupy lodge in Zimbabwe
The Bembezi Wildlife Conservancy and Portwe farming concern in Zimbabwe remained illegally occupied by the Zimbabwe Republic Police, despite claims by Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa that the country “was open for business”.
Optimism about state-subsidised crop insurance scheme
There is cautious optimism that a government-subsidised crop insurance scheme will materialise in the near future, according to Jannie de Villiers, CEO of Grain SA.
Indigenous crop seed bank for North West
The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DARD) recently expanded its seed bank project to the North West. This was the third seed bank project in the country, with other sites located in Gumbu, Limpopo and Sterkspruit, Eastern Cape.
‘New tax can help SA agriculture reduce carbon emissions’
The Carbon Tax Act that was recently signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa, and came into effect on 1 June, could create opportunities for the local agriculture sector to invest in environmentally friendly practices and reduce its carbon footprint.
Carbon tax ‘bad news for farmers’
It is expected that the new carbon tax to be levied on fuel, coupled with the expected local diesel price increase, would result in diesel consumers paying 20c/l more from Wednesday.
Free State farmers urged to prepare for wildfire season
The Free State Umbrella Fire Protection Association (FSUPA) has developed a fuel danger rating to ensure the most effective assessment and fire suppression and prevention operations possible in the province.
Drought devastates Namibia in first quarter of 2019
The devastating effect of the drought in Namibia is clearly illustrated in the Namibia Agricultural Union’s (NAU) first quarter review for 2019.
SA cannot afford ‘ostrich politics’ with land reform
Although land and land reform played a lesser role than expected in the recent election, these matters needed to be resolved urgently, according to Theo Venter, a political analyst from North-West University.
Higher than normal temperatures expected for early winter
Indications are that higher than normal temperatures can be expected for most parts of South Africa from May to July this year, according to Cobus Olivier, long-term weather forecaster at Weather South Africa.
SA’s licensing ‘debacle’ leaves firearm owners stranded
Firearm owners are being left stranded by the firearm licensing “fiasco” currently playing out in the country.
Zimbabwean traditional chief denounces white farmer eviction
The Paramount Chief of the Ndiweni people in Zimbabwe’s Matabeleland province, Chief Nhlanhla Felix Ndiweni, has condemned the government’s latest eviction of white farmers in that country.
Zimbabwe to compensate white commercial farmers
The Zimbabwean government’s decision to compensate white commercial farmers who lost their land as part of former president Robert Mugabe’s land reform programme was precipitated by pressure from the international community, according to Dr Johan Willemse, independent agricultural economist.
Recent rainfall expected to aid summer grain production
The rain that recently occurred over the western part of the summer grain production region of South Africa will be of great value to the crops still on the land, according to Grain SA (GSA).
Zimbabwean farmers claim R1,9 billion from SA government
A group of former commercial farmers in Zimbabwe recently lodged a R1,9 billion compensation claim against the South African government and presidency for presiding over the dissolution of the South African Development Community’s [SADC] regional human rights court, the SADC Tribunal.
Grass-fed beef: the trend that favours communal farmers
Joseph Kau, an agricultural economist at the Agricultural Research Council, spoke to Annelie Coleman about the grass-fed beef movement in South Africa and the opportunities it presents for communal farmers, as well as the obstacles thwarting progress.
Over 700 exhibitors expected at Nampo 2019
Grain SA received 425 new applications for exhibition space for the 2019 Nampo Harvest Day, which was taking place from 14 to 17 May.
‘Drought has created a perfect storm for SA banks’
Finding solutions to the challenge of financing farmers during drought has become extremely difficult.
Nematodes’ negative impact on African leafy vegetables
Plant parasitic nematodes pose a serious threat to food security in Africa as they damage crops and hamper production. Dr Nancy Ntidi, a nematologist at the Agricultural Research Council, spoke to Annelie Coleman about the effects these pests have on African leafy vegetables, and how they can be effectively managed.
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