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.
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.
Strict selection the key to Boer goat meat production
Award-winning stud breeder Gerald Calitz runs a 200-strong Boer goat stud on his 70ha farm near Ventersdorp in North West. He spoke to Annelie Coleman about his breeding techniques.
Call to support Namibian drought disaster fund
The Namibian Dare to Care Disaster Fund is currently standing at R2,2 million. Ryno van der Merwe, president of the Namibian Agricultural Union (NAU), said the fund had made it possible to subsidise more than 40 000 bags of animal feed to date.
Wrongdoing denied in DAFF’s R27 million private legal fee probe
Chubaka Xulu, a representative of the law firm B Xulu and Partners Incorporated in Cape Town, has strongly denied that there was anything untoward about the legal services the firm rendered to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF).
Slight first quarter increase in agribusiness confidence
The overall improvement in business sentiment during the first quarter of 2019 is a welcome development, but confidence levels in the agricultural sector are still at levels below the neutral 50-point mark.
Serving SA farming for 108 years!
As a proud member of the South African media and agricultural landscape for the past 108 years, Farmer’s Weekly is celebrating a significant milestone today.
‘Urgent overhaul of land reform process needed’
South Africa’s land reform process in its current form needs to “sink like the Titanic”, according to Nick Serfontein, member of the advisory panel created to support the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Land Reform.
Cotton can be more profitable than maize!
Cotton production in North West can be extremely lucrative, according to Arno Janse van Vuuren, manager of agricultural management at agribusiness NWK. A comprehensive survey by the company shows that the province is well suited to cotton cultivation if production is managed effectively.
Grain SA’s farmer development programme bears fruit
The number of participants in Grain SA’s Farmer Development Programme in the Eastern Cape is growing every year, with 3 581 smallholder grain producers in the province currently participating in the programme.
Smallholder support to be expanded in Southern Africa
Solidaridad Network Trust, an international organisation working towards achieving sustainable regional production of agricultural commodities, has announced that it would be expanding its programme for smallholder sugar cane producers to other countries in Southern Africa.
‘Research needed to mitigate food insecurity in Africa’
The rise in global food insecurity is a serious cause for concern, given the ever increasing global population, especially on the African continent.
Better biosecurity needed to fight African horse sickness
Horse owners have been cautioned to implement strict biosecurity measures in an effort to contain the current outbreak of African horse sickness (AHS) in South Africa.
Weeds: the biggest threat to SA’s crop production
The impact of weeds on crop production is often underestimated, despite the fact that it is the world’s biggest threat to crop production.
Bonsmaras bring success for small-scale farming couple
The Barui-Driehoek Co-op was the ARC’s 2017 National Small-Scale Commercial Livestock Producer of the Year. Annelie Coleman visited the owners, husband-and-wife team Kabelo and Matshidiso Mooketsi, to learn more about their top-performing Bonsmara cattle
