Cathcart fine wool takes top honours

A fine wool Merino ewe on Highlands farm, Cathcart, has brought international recognition to father-and-son team Bruce and Stuart Dewing, after being awarded second place in the prestigious Ermenegildo Zegna Vellus Aureum Challenge in Australia.
Issue Date: 31 October 2008

The danger of high prices

The US and SA experienced A PROPERTY boom that lasted till 2007. Property prices grew at very high rates and homeowners were encouraged by banks to use the higher value of their properties to take out more credit. During a boom, it's easy to forget that in the economy, as in nature, everything that goes up must come down again.
Issue Date: 31 October 2008

Written in rock

It was a very clear morning. You could see to where the Atlantic Ocean disappeared over the horizon, almost 100km away. The view from 600m up Constantia Berg slope was stunning. We were making our best speed along the twisting 9km Chapman's Peak road with its 114 curves, to be in time for our film shoot at Simonstown.
Issue Date: 31 October 2008

The cloud catchers:netting water from mist

Nets drawing water down from the sky by capturing condensation from mist could revitalise water-starved areas. Wouter Kriel reports.

A robotic dairy

The robotic dairy frees owners and operators to better use their time, with the system accurately managing cows, writes Allan Harman.
Issue Date: 31 October 2008

Farmers report on bacterial benefits

With harsh farming practices depleting soil microbial life, how much good can a product offering a bacterial infusion do your soil? Farmers Henry van der Westhuysen, Ian Gerber and La Grange Volschenk found out first-hand. Glenneis Erasmus reports.
Issue Date: 31 October 2008

Sustainable agriculture depends on diversity

Thomas L Dobbs, professor emeritus of economics at South Dakota State University and WK Kellogg Foundation Food and Society Policy fellow, says monocropping is a thing of the past. Agriculture in the 21st century will depend on sustainable practices.
Issue Date: 31 October 2008

‘We should take a firmer stand’

At the recent Agri SA congress, Johannes Möller was elected as the new president. Rudi Massyn spoke to him about the challenges of unifying the various farming organisations, as well as Agri SA's role in the future.
Issue Date: 31 October 2008

A new dean at Stellenbosch University

One of the country's leading water researchers, microbiologist Prof Eugene Cloete, has been appointed as the new dean of the Faculty of Science at Stellenbosch University.
Issue Date: 31 October 2008

Pannar celebrates 50 years in seed industry

Pannar recently marked its 50th anniversary of seed distribution in the ballroom of the Wanderers Club in Johannesburg.
Issue Date: 31 October 2008

South Africa elected to world conservation council

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has elected three councillors from Africa to serve on its council. They are the chief executive officers of the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) Yolan Friedmann of South Africa, Dr Hillary Masundire of Zimbabwe and Dr Brahim Haddane of Morocco.
Issue Date: 31 October 2008

Capespan crowned Exporter of the Year

Fruit exporter Capespan was recently announced as the Absa/Cape Town Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry Exporter of the Year.
Issue Date: 31 October 2008

Griffons still in danger

DURING THE EASTERN CAPE'S FIRST-EVER VULTURE awareness day in September, about 296 Cape Griffon vultures (Gyps coprotheres) were counted with two good counts coming from Stonehenge near Thomas River and Collywobbles near Idutywa.
Issue Date: 31 October 2008

SA Sheep-shearers cream world champs

South African blade-shearers made a clean sweep at the 13th Golden Shears World Shearing and Wool Handling Championships held in Norway recently. I n the individual blade-shearing category, Zweliwile Hans, a previous world champion, was placed first when he finished 10 lambs in 21 minutes and 20 seconds.
Issue Date: 31 October 2008

Dowry approves drug programme for workers

The Western Cape Minister of Agriculture, Cobus Dowry, has approved a framework and coordinating structure for the Western Department of Agriculture's Mini-Drug Master Plan (MDMP)
Issue Date: 31 October 2008

SA’s best grain farmers

Schalk Stapelberg is Grain SA's top grain farmer. He Farms on 2 820ha in Piet Retief, Mpumalanga and has 1 000ha planted to maize and soya as well as pastures on which he has 605 Holsteins.
Issue Date: 31 October 2008

Crispy Group posts R11 million profit

The Du Toit Group's empowerment company, Crispy Group, has declared a consolidated nett profit before tax of R11 million for 2008 up to May, said Gys du Toit, Crispy's chairperson.
Issue Date: 31 October 2008

Wool indicator below R50

Wool prices declined for a second week in a row on the back of uncertainty caused by the turmoil in global financial markets and the Merino indicator ended 5,1% softer at R49,18/kg (clean), according to Ona Viljoen of Cape Wools.
Issue Date: 31 October 2008

Tough times ahead for wool farms

Laurence Modiano, the owner of one of the biggest early-stage wool processors in the world, has urged wool growers to "grit their teeth and plough on" in the face of plummeting demand for the fibre, despite lower supplies in Australia.
Issue Date: 31 October 2008

Export fruit inspection costs to go up

The deciduous fruit industry will have to stomach a 10,5% increase in the APS Act inspection fee for the 2009/10 season while all other fees will be reviewed in April 2009, said Luvuyo Mabombo, CEO of the Perishable Products Export Control Board (PPECB).
Issue Date: 31 October 2008

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