Caxton Magazines
Maximum yield with rainfed soya beans
A wise farmer adapts his production methods to his farm’s environment. Gerhard Keeve, an award-winning soya bean producer, shares his approach to obtaining the maximum yield under rainfed conditions with Lloyd Phillips.
Still the best option
This week I want to discuss orderly marketing on the local fresh produce commission markets. This can be a harsh school for the unwary, but it can also be beneficial for those who understand how local markets work.
Know your seedling needs
Vegetable seedlings vary quite a bit, so make sure you tell your seedling grower what you need.
Why we need more ubuntu
Instead of competing against each other, small-scale farmers should work together to earn more.
Buying your first horse
Owning a horse can be a wonderful experience, but you need to do your homework before taking the plunge, writes Kim Dyson.
Off season preparation
What you do now to prepare your race team will affect its performance in the upcoming season, writes Thomas Smit.
Why time is money
Planting your crops at the right time for your region is extremely important. If you fail to make the deadline, your yield will suffer greatly.
Dealing with Mastitis
This is a potentially fatal disease, and needs prompt and careful attention.
Retire in style
Carol and Barry called to discuss their new home to be built near Thabazimbi in Limpopo. Carol had a layout of a double storey house with three more bedrooms upstairs she’d taken from a magazine.
Profit from pigs
Mahuhudi Masipa of Zuurbekom in Johannesburg’s West Rand left the corporate world to become a pig farmer in 2009. She says farming is a business just like any other and should be approached as such. Peter Mashala spoke to her.
A piece of land
The recent report of organised land grabbing in Mtubatuba in KwaZulu-Natal raised eyebrows. Apparently a landowner’s land was sold off at the local taxi rank and he was threatened with death if he dared interfere.
The question of hybrid vigour
I refer to the article ‘Cross-breeding with Beefmaster bulls for hybrid vigour’ (6 & 13 January 2012, pg 86).
The fight against pigeon cruelty is alive and well
I respond to Vyfer Krog’s letter ‘No substance to cruelty lawsuit’ (23 & 30 December 2011, pg 10) as a counter to his ‘talking unabated’.
Escaping the nitrogen trap
Want to cut down on a major input cost? Don’t be held hostage by the fertiliser companies; produce your own nitrogen.
Kings & queens of the jungle
Throughout the ages, lions have evoked fear and fascination and endured being ‘tamed’. Rather conserve big cats in the wild, writes Jo Hedges.
Northern Cape groundwater under mining pressure
Farmers in Northern Cape are highly concerned about the effect of the mining industry on the province’s water supply.
Pickled Cucumber
Pickling is a great kitchen experience, producing crunchy, exquisitely sour snacks. I suspect that there’s nothing organic that can’t be pickled. For many diners, crunchy pickled cucumbers are a constant favourite. That said, here’s the basic kit to get you going ...
Weather, biofuel policies to determine commodity prices – Barclays
Biofuel policies and weather will be the two biggest influences on the availability and prices of agricultural commodities.
Starting afresh on a farm in Zambia
Keith Clubb, drawn by low land prices and the favourable climate, moved to Zambia in 1997.
Stocking rates and Karoo veld
Trials by Free State University’s Department of Animal, Wildlife and Grassland Sciences question the ecological sustainability of high stocking rates on Karoo veld. Roelof Bezuidenhout reports.
