About bureaucracy

A bureaucracy is a “system of administration distinguished by its clear hierarchy of authority; rigid division of labour; written and inflexible rules and regulations; and impersonal relationships.

The 38-year-old Ronnie Smith and his wife Elbie Smith (35), from the farm Zem-Zem in Bothaville were released on R6000 bail by the Bothaville magistrate's court after the being arrested for alleged livestock theft.

Practical top dressing

Fertilising a maize crop after emergence.

New way to become more environmentally friendly

A tool was recently developed to help farmers calculate the carbon footprint of their crops.

Can we see some results?

Billions are spent on agricultural support programmes, but now MPs are asking why so little seems to have been accomplished. Denene Erasmus reports.

Bringing permaculture to SA’s schools

Launched at the Shikati School in Limpopo on 16 June, the Limani project will see permaculture food garden kits being donated to various schools in SA.

Livestock on the loose

Livestock on the roads of the former Transkei in the Eastern Cape have always been a challenge for motorists.

More money from Merinos

Good clip preparation is vital, and opens up an opportunity to add value to the product before it leaves the farm, says Roelof Bezuidenhout.

Buying shares

The tax consequences of purchasing private or closely held company shares vary depending upon one’s motive.

150 000ha of Free State grazing lost to veld fires

More than 150 000ha of grazing land was destroyed by veld fires in the Free State during the weekend of 11 and 12 August 2012.

Organised agriculture questions KZN job plan

Organised agriculture in KwaZulu-Natal has questioned where the money will come from to fulfil an ambitious plan by the KZN Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs (DAEA) to create 28 000 new jobs during the 2012/2013 financial year.

Refunds for mutant calves refused

New Zealand’s farmer-owned AI company, Livestock Improvement Corporation (LIC), is refusing to give refunds, or pay compensation, after semen it sold produced mutant calves.

A lifetime of waiting – in vain

In this open letter to Minister Gugile Nkwinti, farmer Gideon Morule argues that government land policy aimed at blacks is as oppressive as apartheid laws.

Farming without frontiers

Justin Stirk of Goodwoods Bonsmaras in the Eastern Cape is one of a group of Bonsmara breeders who present the annual Frontier Bonsmara sale in Grahamstown. Heather Dugmore talks to him about his mixed farming enterprise.

Horsch in South Africa

Terratill Implements, the exclusive distributors of Horsch equipment in Africa, recently hosted its first farmers’ day. Joe Spencer reports.

Raub’s racers

KwaZulu-Natal fancier Mark Raubenheimer talks to Thomas Smit about his imported pigeon racing lines.

At the show

A horse can become very stressed and difficult to ride at shows, especially if it is on a high energy diet and not getting enough exercise, cautions Dr Mac.

Sustainable mushroom growing

Mushroom farming is going green by replacing peat casing with sugar cane pith substrate. Linda Meyer spoke to Lindi van Rooyen at Mabu Casing Soils about how pith is saving peatlands.

Fish head soup with fennel

With a power failure without end at my sister-in-law’s Drakensberg timeshare, we had to take a meal with us from Durban that could be easily reheated over a camping stove. The answer, which was a long time coming, was fish head soup. And the result was truly a moveable feast.

No demand for land reform?

A lot has been said about black South Africans not being interested in farming and the sector not being ‘sexy’ enough to attract more farmers. Now two researchers have taken it further and say land reform has no support and should be done away with. Lindi van Rooyen reports.

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