Weed control and ridging of potatoes

Management of the potato crop after planting depends on various factors. One is weed control. The procedure you use will depend on what sort of weeds you can expect in the particular land.

Changed maize market outlook

The probability of producer prices remaining at current levels, or even increasing somewhat in the next year, remains strong.

Karoo small-scale wine producer excels

Garagiste winemaking is growing in popularity in South Africa. Denene Erasmus visited Herman and Susan Perold on their award-winning 1ha wine estate in the Great Karoo to find out more about this movement and the advantages of small-scale winemaking.

Putting a price on goodwill

When a business is sold, there’s an important intangible element, over and above the assets of the company and the income stream, that has to be taken into account.

Illegal khat trade on Eastern Cape farms

The protected Catha edulis tree (khat) has long been a medicinal plant, first among the Bushmen and then the Xhosa. But since the mid-1990s, Somali immigrants have boosted the trade in this illegal drug, leading to increased trespassing on Eastern Cape farms, worrying crime-wary farmers. Mike Burgess reports.

Superstars – and super neglect

While our government ministers pass the buck and get their priorities wrong, our rural children suffer.

Thinning the crop

Removing one in three maize plants shortly after emergence will give you a higher yield.

Disaster relief in the lower Orange region

Payment of disaster aid to farmers affected by the 2010/11 floods in the Lower Orange River region has commenced.

Farmers well prepared for winter weather

Farmers in the Western Cape suffered minimal damage and livestock losses due to heavy rainfall, snow and bitter cold conditions experienced in most parts of the province during July.

SA’s Foot-and-Mouth Disease Protection Zone likely to be reduced

South African government veterinary authorities are likely to reduce the area of the Foot-and-Mouth Disease Protection Zone in Northern Zululand.

Dow AgroSciences denies import of 2,4 D resistant maize

Commodity clearance has been granted for Enlist, a 2,4 D tolerant maize, yet the product has yet to be approved in the United States (US).

Milk market misleading

Many producers have walked away from Dairy Belle following drastic price decreases and rumours abound that the company is running out of milk.

Lofty objectives

A reader emailed me recently about his fruit being rejected at the market by a department of agriculture inspector because the cartons weren’t properly marked with all the information required by law.

When SA froze over

With snow falling and heavy rains in other parts of the country, the weekend of 14 and 15 July saw a huge cold front move over the country. Farmer’s Weekly reporters took stock of the aftermath.

Follow the sun

Jonno helps design a cottage on a private complex near the Kruger Park.

Illegal grazing infuriates Free State farmers

Uncontrolled livestock grazing around the Knellpoort Dam in the Free State could seriously impact on the dam’s water quality and the adjacent commercial farming.

How to manage piglets

Care is essential to avoid piglet mortality in the first three days of life. Here's a list of tips on how to manage piglets.

Zille gives bicycles to farm children

Children of farm workers who have benefited from the Western Cape Department of Agriculture’s farm worker development programme have been treated to new bicycles...

Build on a strong foundation

The plant/soil ecosystem is crucial to agriculture. Failure to recognise this fact and build upon it has brought about the demise of many farms.

Stamping out aflatoxins

International scientists are close to launching ground-breaking technology that will revolutionise disease control in crops.

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