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.
Boer goat ram ‘Formula One’ sold for over R1 million
The Boer goat stud sire Formula One was recently sold for R1,05 million, the highest price ever paid in South Africa for a stud goat.
Pioneering carrot producer Vito Rugani mourned
Leading South African carrot producer Vito Rugani (64) passed away on Monday. Rugani was the co-owner of Greenway Farms in partnership with Vincent Sequeira.
Maize theft in Free State raises serious concern
The large-scale theft of maize in the Free State is being carried out by highly organised crime syndicates, resulting in severe losses for maize producers so far this year. This is according to Dr Jane Buys, Free State Agriculture’s (FSA) safety risk analyst.
UN pledges R37 billion towards Zimbabwe’s drought crisis
The UN has pledged to support Zimbabwe’s call to mobilise more than R37 billion after President Emmerson Mnangagwa recent declaration of a national State of Disaster following the devastating El Niño-induced drought.
Agritourism kept farm afloat during drought
While tourism plays an important role in the Namibian economy, agritourism adds considerable value on a farm level in this arid country. Annelie Coleman visited the Mount D’Urban camping site near Helmeringhausen to find out more about tourism’s contribution to the business.
DA urges government to provide drought relief
The drought in South Africa is a societal challenge and not just an agricultural problem, according to Noko Masipa, the DA’s Shadow Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development.
Zimbabwe sees decline in crop production due to drought
El Niño continues its severe impact on Zimbabwe, with a marked decline in crop production. The total area planted to crops in Zimbabwe in the 2023/24 season declined 6% when compared to the previous season, that of cereals declined 6% and maize grain declined 12%.
Farmers need help to survive the drought
The devastating drought, coupled with the grave impact that extreme temperatures have on agricultural producers, calls for government support, Grain SA said in a statement.
Zimbabwe’s tobacco producers earn less despite increased exports
Zimbabwe’s tobacco exports increased markedly in the first two months of 2024. A total volume of 56 500t of tobacco was exported in January and February.
The oldest SA Beef Shorthorn herd excels in the coldest place
The Beef Shorthorn is probably as close to a perfect beef cattle breed as you can get, Barry Stretton, owner of the Brotherlea stud in Molteno, told Annelie Coleman.
Kenya’s black rhino numbers quadruple since 1984
Black rhinos in Kenya were on the brink of extinction three decades ago, but their numbers have since quadrupled from 240 in 1984 to 966 in 2024.
Zimbabwe’s Tuli cattle make financial sense and are easy to farm
The Tuli is an iconic beef breed of Zimbabwe that will make any breeder proud, according to Kerry Stewart, Tuli stud breeder and chairperson of the Zimbabwe Tuli Breeders’ Society. Annelie Coleman spoke to her and other breeders about the advantages of farming Tuli cattle.
Nearly R2 billion spent on failed land reform
Despite the South African government acquiring 432 038ha of land in the Free State under various land reform redistribution programmes since 1994, at a cost of R1 881 billion to the tax payer, this land was not being used for commercial food production. This was according to Dr Roy Jankielsohn, the DA’s caucus leader in the Free State.
Wesgro says chicken feet export deal in place
A Western Cape company recently announced that it had made a deal worth R300 million per year to supply chicken feet to China. The deal was apparently forged through a collaboration with Wesgro, the official tourism, trade and investment promotion agency for Cape Town and the Western Cape.
Limit on animal feed imports from SA hampers Namibian livestock farmers
The strict regulations introduced by the Namibian government on the importation of animal feed from South Africa pose a serious challenge for livestock producers in the southern region of the country, according to Rina Hough, commodity analyst of the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU).
China markedly reduces import duties on rooibos
Government has welcomed a decision by the People’s Republic of China to substantially reduce tariff rates on imports of South African rooibos.
Alert farmers and workers reduce incidence of stock theft
Although stock theft remained rife in the Free State over the 2023 Christmas season, without the involvement and attentiveness of farming and local communities the situation would have been much worse.
Largest vulture relocation ever well on track
The largest relocation of vultures ever undertaken reached an important landmark when approval was granted by the Department of Forestry Fisheries and Environment to move 158 birds to a new home in the Eastern Cape.
Wool growers look forward to a positive 2024
The past year has not treated the South African wool industry as well as initially expected. Wool prices remained on the conservative side while the breeding animals achieved average prices.
Zimbabwe’s 2024 maize harvest expected to shrink by 50%
Zimbabwe's staple maize harvest is expected to halve to 1,1 million tons in 2024 due to an El Niño-induced drought, Reuters recently reported.
