What motivates your labour?

Managing a farm is a busy, multitasked operation with the unexpected always cropping up to disrupt well-made plans.
Issue date : 12 September 2008

Building trust with your people

'What he was saying was: "I trust you completely to run this business in accordance with the budget we've agreed upon. I don't need to look over your shoulder". There was no way I could let him down.
Issue date : 12 September 2008

Quality pigeons make the difference

Last week we covered the story of the super-breeder, Emma, owned by Johann Grobbelaar & Son, competitive members of the Sandton Racing Pigeon Club, which falls under the Transvaal Pigeon Federation. Thanks to a crop of superior pigeons in their lofts the partnership is highly successful in races.
Issue date : 12 September 2008

Bringing German lessons home

South Africa desperately needs committed youngsters like Zahke College graduate Sifiso Ntshiza, if land reform is to succeed. Having just returned from a 12-month apprenticeship on a German dairy farm, facilitated by well-known KZN dairy farmer Judy Stuart, Robyn Joubert caught up with Sifiso to hear how the experience has changed his life, and what he thinks about the future of South African farming.
Issue date : 12 September 2008

Export opportunities are knocking

Don't think in terms of surplus and shortages - produce as much as you can because the African export market beckons.
Issue date : 12 September 2008

Letter dated : 12 September 2008

Issue date : 12 September 2008

Saving water from field to fork

Targeting food losses along the supply chain can generate multiple gains, including water saving, says the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI).
Issue date : 12 September 2008

Sulphur: vital but mostly lacking in soil

Sulphur is the fourth major nutrient required for optimal production after nitrogen, phosphates and potassium. However, it's often disregarded in soil applications. Glenneis Erasmus reports.
Issue date : 12 Setember 2008

A youngberry vintage

SA is the world's biggest youngberry producer, but many growers prefer more robust, less labour-intensive fruit. This puts a premium on the products of liqueur producer Natalie Turck and grower Dirk Steyn, but youngberries' extra juice, high nutritional value and unique tart taste shouldn't be underestimated, writes Wouter Kriel.
Issue date : 12 September 2008

Can Namibian beef cross the thin red line?

Namibia's dwindling beef supplies are approaching a crisis even as export markets offer huge opportunities to Southern Africa. More than ever, their industry needs to cross the "thin red line" into the Northern Communal Areas, and bring foot-and-mouth vulnerable beef in line with export standards. Servaas van den Bosch reports.
Issue date : 12 September 2008

Tinder box

Most of SA's commercial forests face land claims that have been dragging on for years, creating uncertainty and the potential for violent conflict. This year government and the industry are finally thrashing out solutions. Stephan HofstÃ¤tter reports.
Issue date : 12 September 2008

Namibia rocked by conflict over elephants

A row has broken out over the culling of elephants in Namibia's northwest. outcry started after the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) gave out trophy hunting permits for three problem bulls
Issue date : 12 September 2008

Mohair world to converge on the Karoo

Following the demise of the International Mohair Association the first-ever Summit, scheduled to coincide with the international year of natural fibre, is expected to be the biggest and most important gathering of the global industry in years.
Issue date : 12 September 2008

Climatologist warns against more cold fronts

The cold front that passed over the country over the Last few days of August and on Spring Day is not unusual for this time of year, particularly when taking into account the weather over this period in previous years, said Johan van den Berg, Santam Agri's product development manager.
Issue date : 12 September 2008

Safex works, but it needs attention, says Marketing Council investigation

Despite the fears of Western Cape farmers that Safex is biased towards grain buyers, the National Agricultural Marketing Council (NAMC) has found that the index is a well-functioning instrument for price formation in SA's grain and oilseed markets.
Issue date : 12 September 2008

Is this about land claims?

The most serious wildfires of the 2008 KwaZulu-Natal fire season has so far seen injuries, the loss of human life, livestock, buildings and agricultural infrastructure, and thousands of hectares of timber plantation, grazing and cropland razed to the ground.
Issue date : 12 September 2008

Food inflation hits platteland hardest – NAMC report

Food is still getting more expensive, with the prices of products such as peanut butter having increased by 20,5%, spaghetti by 53% and margarine by 50% since July 2007 to July 2008. Sunflower oil is up 99% up, dairy products up 18%, meat 14% and vegetables have increased by 16% over the same period.
Issue date : 12 September 2008

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