Caxton Magazines
Getting to the bottom of cavity spot mysteries
Cavity Spot is a very destructive carrot disease that has been giving farmers and researchers sleepless nights all over the world. It has been determined that cavity spots on carrots are caused by the soil fungus Pythium.
Krone: EasyCollect 753, easy to transport
German company Krone began making forage harvesters in 1977, selling 5 000 “Corn Chopper” tractor mounted units. In the 1980s Krone introduced its first self-propelled harvesters. The latest range of Big X models includes monsters powered by twin engines with up to 750kW of power. Krone harvesters imported into South Africa by Rovic and Leers come with the new EasyCollect 753 maize header.
Smaller business options
Different business vehicles are taxed in different ways, which should guide your vehicle choice before you start up.
Developing an award-winning bed and breakfast on-farm
While the hospitality industry isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, an Mpumalanga farming couple has been able to successfully marry their farming business with a now internationally renowned and multi-award-winning, four-star
on-farm accommodation and dining establishment. Lloyd Phillips reports.
Red meat biodiversity plan
SANBI is starting pilot projects to develop biodiversity in the red meat industry, writes Roelof Bezuidenhout.
Getting over the winter slump on planted pasture
The selection of an appropriate base crop is vital for livestock farming on planted pasture. It forms a solid foundation for an ongoing fodder flow to ensure optimal production and profitability. The base crop will also determine additional pasture species that can be planted for the periods when its growth slows down. Jan Coetzer of Pannar explains the importance of appropriate base crops and how to use planted pasture in dairy, beef and sheep farming.
Certify your cows free-range
Father and son team Allan and Kevin Penderis from the Natal Midlands have developed the first legitimate, independent certification for free-range dairy in South Africa. Kevin tells Robyn Joubert that it couldn’t have come at a better time.
Agriculture can only do so much
Threats of nationalisation and expropriation will eventually stop the farming clock, writes Roelof Bezuidenhout.
Farming with pigs on a small scale
Farming with pigs on a small scale can be economically viable, but invest in proper infrastructure and good feed from the start. It's not easy to farm with pigs, but the industry offers a lot of support to emerging farmers.
Advice about borrowing money
With farming profitability under pressure, it often happens that a farmer works all year to produce a crop to sell, but at the end of the season does not have enough money to repay the production loan.
Saving a community’s chicken farm
A six-year-old, municipal-funded, community-based broiler project near East London in the Eastern Cape has struggled to survive due to poor management and chronic theft. But it achieved a R26 000 profit in the first production cycle after Red Crest Farms, one of the biggest commercial broiler producers in the region, took over the management of the project,
Drought-proof Ngunis
You have to confront sentiment about your livestock head-on when faced with drought, says Trenly Spence, a Nguni stud breeder and holistic cattleman who has weathered 25 months of drought in the Karoo. Heather Dugmore reports.
All that is green may not be healthy grazing
The seeds of Datura species can cause fatal impaction colic, warns Dr Mac.
It’s a tough road for vegetable farmers
Dear Bruce Roberts-Baxter, Your chillingly accurate letter to Farmer’s Weekly for the issue 26 February 2010, captures the plight of many farmers setting out to make a living from farming.
Pravin’s budget: a successful balancing act
Finance minister Pravin Gordhan has managed to balance income and expectations with his first budget, albeit without mentioning agriculture.
Here’s an opportunity to farm in Africa
Thanks to an established South African-based farming company, adventurous local farmers can now broaden their horizons with an opportunity to farm in other African countries.
A cutting edge agricultural information system for KwaZulu-Natal
The KZN Department of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs and Rural Development’s Bioresource Programme lays a firm foundation for improved farm decision making, reports Lloyd Phillips.
State to sieze SA’s land?
Though Government has assured farmers and other stakeholders that it doesn’t plan to nationalise farmland, its written policy implies otherwise. The consequences would be disastrous, writes Frans Cronje, deputy CEO at the South African Institute of Race Relations. This independent think-tank that has produced cutting-edge research and policy critiques on South Africa since 1929.
Nice horse, pity about the rider
Competitive behaviour is human nature. Deep inside all riders, there is a desire to compete in shows. You polish yourself and your horse, you practise until you’re sure that you’re ready.
Growing your own seedlings
If you don't want to buy seedlings from a commercial nursery, you can grow your own. If they are successful, you could maybe even sell them.
