Caxton Magazines
Competition Commission backs off small dairies
The Competition Commission withdrew its application for permission to appeal against the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA's) recent ruling in favour of Woodlands and Milkwood dairies.
Blackleg fungus in cabbages
Blackleg is a fungal disease that affects cruciferous crops and can do a lot of damage. Look out for it and take precautions so you won't get caught out.
The art of stirfrying
First, the equipment. Ideally buy a wok, this is the definitive stirfry pot which also doubles as a serving dish. That's two items for the cost of one with high speed washing up to match.
The golden oldies
Some 145 pacing pigeons went under the hammer at Gauteng champion Harry Willson's pigeon auction at the Alberton Racing Pigeon Club recently. He's been involved with racing pigeons on and off since 1985.
Mentorship beats government money
Dirkie Willemse, an emerging farmer from Suurbraak, and his mentor Dirk van Papendorp, a livestock and crop farmer, have learnt through experience that the state's land reform and farmer support programmes don't take timeliness in agricultural production into account.
Major conservation win for famers
'KwaMandlangampisi' might be a bit of a mouthful, but it's a name to savour because it's the country's first Protected Environment, and it bars an important catchment area from mining. Heather Dugmore finds out how this giant step for conservation in South Africa carries a range of other benefits for farmers.
Fears of KZN’s corridor disease spreading
Corridor disease isn't new to KZN, and respected KZN wildlife vet Dr Dave Cooper says the increasing appeal of stocking African buffalo on private game farms could be one of the factors contributing to the spread of this disease to the province's cattle.
Giving your animals inoculations – part 2
Some medicines and vaccines can only be given to animals by injection. But you must know what you're doing, otherwise you can hurt the animal.
Using manure on acidic soil
If your soil is acidic, simply applying manure won't improve your yield, so you need to add lime or wood ash.
How to set up a co-op
Cooperatives are popular with government and group projects. We look at the requirements for registration and why you need professional help.
Down memory lane
I got a call from Dallas (not the city in the US) to have a look at his house in Durban that needs upgrading. The house is located in one of the original suburbs of Durban, where in the early days some 45 years ago, I was senior property salesperson for a well-know estate agency.
South African farmers just aren’t appreciated
South Africa's 30 000 commercial farmers provide affordable food, earn foreign currency and contribute massively to the national economy. Despite this, they regularly face threats to their survival.
issue date: 19 November 2010
issue date: 19 November 2010
New environmentally friendly ‘styrofoam’
An ultra-light biodegradable styrofoam substitute may put an end to plastic pollution and overburdened landfills, writes Alan Harman.
Healthy monola set to be a winner
With consumers growing ever more health-conscious and the food industry under pressure to get rid of "bad" cooking oils, this new speciality canola couldn't have been launched at a better time. Demand is only likely to increase, and so will farmers' bottom line. Kobus van Tonder reports.
Conservation implements at KZN No-Till Conference
Distributors and their dealers demonstrated machines from the ever-increasing range of conservation agriculture implements at the KZN No-Till Club's 2010 annual conference near Bergville. Peter Hittersay reports on some new products.
Spend on technology, save on water
Gamtoos Valley's three-year drought meant farmers were only allocated 40% of their annual water quota this year. And the catchment area of the Kouga Dam got little relief, despite recent good rains.
Eastern Cape farmer wins Zegna wool competition
The winner of the 2010 Ermenegildo Zegna fine-wool competition is Stuart Dewing of the farm Highlands in the Eastern Cape's Cathcart district. His winning fleece measured 15,1 microns.
Mohair back on track
The mohair market made a turnabout on the 5th sale, with the indicator gaining 10% to close on R77,61 - and 94,5% of the small, mixed offering was cleared. Mohair SA's general manager, Deon Saayman, said, "Good after-sales will improve this figure."
Wool takes slight drop
BKB's merino wool indicator dropped 1,6% to end at R60,59/kg (clean) at the 10th sale of the season. This is still 5% higher than the comparative sale a year ago, with the rand appreciating by 10% against the US dollar over the same period.
Prison sentence for those caught with illegal poison
Experts on poisons, together with community policing forums across the country, have applauded the prison sentence recently handed out to Johannes Mashego in Heidelberg, Gauteng, for the illegal possession of the highly toxic pesticide, aldicarb.
