Caxton Magazines
Making land reform farms work
Swimming against the tide of low investor confidence in South Africa's land reform processes, Futuregrowth Asset Management has created a R3 billion agri fund, and believes it has a model for investing in failed farms. Fund manager James Howard explained how it works to Sean Christie.
Why holistic management needs better PR
Controversial Zimbabwean rancher Johann Zietsman has championed severe grazing and high-animal impact since 1995. He responds to our recent feature on Allan Savory’s revolutionary approach of combining high stocking rates with veld rehabilitation.
Sandveld exposed to climate change
Southern Africa is likely to be severely affected by climate change, especially in arid- and semi-arid regions, such as the Sandveld in the Western Cape, one of South Africa's top potato and seed potato producing areas, warned Dr Emma Archer of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research at the 12th annual Seed Potato Growers' Forum in Cape Town.
Ruling takes heat off dairy companies
The recent ruling in favour of dairy firms Milkwood and Woodlands by the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) could bring to a close the Competition Commission's five-year case against them.
Illegal harvesting to be thing of past
A drastic drop in the poaching of fauna and flora in farms and national parks in South Africa could be on the cards if a project started in KwaZulu-Natal by white sangoma Anthony Martin, Kwazulu-Natal stock pounds manager Bruce "Buster" Matheson, and Wildlands Conservation Trust programme manager Dr Roelie Kloppers has any success.
Red Meat Producers should brace for crisis
Red meat producers were warned of a looming crisis at the 23rd national congress of the Red Meat Producers' Organisation.
Mahanjana resigns as Nerpo managing director
Aggrey Mahanjana, National Emergent Red Meat Producers' Organisation (Nerpo) managing director, has announced his resignation from his position effective March 2011.
Sharp drop in sales
The wool market declined sharplyat the last sale as a very strong rand exerted downward pressure on prices, and the merino indicator shed 4,1% to close at R54,53/kg (clean), according to Ona Viljoen of Cape Wools.
E Cape road plan starts with Nieu Bethesda
The tarring of the main road to Nieu Bethesda (MR0605) from the N9 will be completed by early October, at a cost of R26 million.
Illegal pesticides en route to SA
Farmers should beware of illegal pesticides which are expected to arrive in South Africa by the end of the year, from India, Pakistan, China and Turkey, warned the Association of Veterinary and Crop Associations of South Africa (AVCASA).
Agriculture not to blame for poverty
"Unemployment and poverty in South Africa is a reality," said TAU SA president Ben Marais at the organisation's recent annual congress. "But agriculture doesn't have the capacity to accept responsibility for this."
‘Show a united front’, warns Zim farmer
Addressing farmers at the TAU SA congress in Pretoria, Deon Theron, president of the Commercial Farmers' Union in Zimbabwe, urged South Africa's farmers to show a united front to the government and not to allow politicians to take advantage of farmers' differences.
Land reform no different to nationalisation – TAU SA
While farmers are often threatened with what could happen when the masses are denied access to land, the question we should be asking is if government can contain a revolution when the masses are denied access to food, said TAU SA president Ben Marais.
WWF shocked over arrest of vets
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), internationally respected for its fight against rhino poaching, has expressed its shock over the recent arrest of two Limpopo veterinarians for suspected involvement in hundreds of rhino poaching incidents.
Winemaker and Land Bank faceoff in Con Court
The Constitutional Court granted well-known Tulbagh winemaker Nicolas Krone and his company, Twee Jonge Gezellen, the opportunity to challenge the principle of "paying up before arguing the validity of a debt" in a dispute with the Land Bank.
Issue date: 1 October 2010
Issue date: 1 October 2010
Department splurges over R17 million
The Agriculture Department spent R3,6 million on the provincial farmworker summits earlier this year and an extra R13,5 million on the National Farm Worker Summit in Somerset West in July.
DG bunks AgriBEE hearing
Agriculture portfolio committee members and agribusiness representatives were angered on 17 September when Langa Zita, the newly appointed director general (DG) for the agriculture department, didn't return from lunch to listen to presentations on BEE developments in agriculture.
SA maize for the Saudi Arabian market?
A technical analysis by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) has indicated that Saudi Arabia could be a possible export market for South African maize.
Union to be resuscitated
The National African Farmers Union of South Africa (NAFU SA) has unanimously resolved to undergo restructuring to revitalise its mandate, with an emphasis on providing members at grass-roots level with better leadership, announced its president Joe Gondo.
Mines closing before receiving water licences
The Umcebo Nowesco mine at Brakfontein, which was established by the BEE company Umcebo Holdings, was abandoned in November 2009 before a valid water licence had been issued by the Department of Water Affairs, according to Secunda-based DA councillor James Harris.
