Bringing the farm to the city

Under the theme "Spring Fever", this year's Pretoria show promises to have something for every interest.
Issue date : 29 August 2008

SA farmers buying bigger and newer tractors

A agricultural MACHINERY SALES trends watcher, Agfacts, recently revealed that over the past 13 years, the country's farmers have been buying more powerful and newer tractors.
Issue date : 29 August 2008

Wait and see attitude prevails for new wool season

The new wool season is about to open amid speculation about how the slower global economic growth will affect consumer demand for clothing, according to Ona Viljoen of Cape Wools.
Issue date : 29 August 2008

SA company contracted to control Namibian borders

"Better control at neighbouring countries' borders, means that we can better protect our local industries against illegal imports and trade.
Issue date : 29 August 2008

Janovsky tells farmers: ‘invest to survive’

To survive high input costs and price volatility in the current agricultural market farmers have to invest and expand their operations, Ernst Janovsky, head of Absa's agribusiness division, told farmers at an Agri Lephalale meeting in Limpopo recently.
Issue date : 29 August 2008

Bela Bela Municipality breaks all the tax rules

The WaterbErg District Agricultural Union (DAU) has rejected the Bela Bela municipal budget for 2008/09 and has asked the minister of Provincial and Local Government, Sidney Mufamadi, to intervene by putting an end to the municipality's unlawful implementation of the Municipal Property Rates Act.
Issue date : 29 August 2008

Lands officials backtrack on price agreements

Land Claims Commission officials in Limpopo are reneging on signed purchase offers for properties under claim and threatening owners with expropriation if they object to revised offers far below market value, according to reports from landowners and documents in Farmer's Weekly's possession.
Issue date : 29 August 2008

Farmers take Telkom to court

Victoria West farmers in the Northern cape are taking court action against Telkom, because they say it refuses to repair a vital telephone line in the area.
Issue date : 29 August 2009

Free market has almost 10% of land transferred

Farmers' unions want an official audit on the amount of agricultural land available in the country and the number of hectares already transferred to black farmers. "How will we know where we stand if we don't know how much farmland we have?" said TAU SA general manager Bennie van Zyl.
Issue date : 29 August 2008

Pleasures pitfalls& of embryo transfer in horses

This breeding season many horse breeders have started considering embryo transfers. The technique is well known to cattle breeders. Initially met with suspicion and reservations about its high cost, it's become a relatively common procedure in SA in both dairy and beef breeding. You have an elderly Bonsmara with an excellent record that's getting too long in the tooth?
Issue date : 22 August 2008

Reflective eartags

Dusk and dawn are notoriously dangerous times of the day for motorists. With low visibility, obstacles are often spotted too late to avoid collisions.
Issue date : 22 August 2008

The integrated approach to organic vegetables

The title is perhaps misleading, as "integration" would prevent growers from certifying their products organic. For public confidence organic growers have to comply with restrictions that make crop production tricky, especially regarding pest control.
Issue date : 22 August 2008

A lesson from a stranger in the platteland

'It's government's task to worry about the creation of jobs. Not yours. Your job as a manager is to keep your head down and make a profit.'
Issue date : 22 August 2008

Fighting the Big Five Plagues

Ecological economist Prof James Blignaut of the University of Pretoria Economics Department, says the country is exceeding its biological carrying capacity, threatening biodiveristy. South Africa's future development will have to overcome resource constraints and political schizophrenia. Roelof Bezuidenhout spoke to him.
Issue date : 22 August 2008

How to address the high food price problem

'Government would do well to resurrect Johann Kirsten's food price committee rather than form yet another government agency to study issues and come up with recommendations.'
Issue date : 22 August 2008

Government needs a reality check

Chris du Toit, honorary president and co-opted director of Agri Western Cape, says while government has a responsibility to ensure food security, their bad policy decisions have actually shrunk farmers' profit margins.
Issue date : 22 August 2008

Soil Sodium: the salt of the earth

Most farmers disregard the sodium level in their soil, unless there is too much. Sodium problems can, however, impact on production. International soil expert Neal Kinsey unpacks the importance of sodium and ways to address imbalances. Glenneis Erasmus reports.
Issue date : 22 August 2008

BEE: an investment in people

Three years down the road and Rekopane Estates MD Peu Bezuidenhout has no regrets about entering into a BEE partnership with his farmworkers. He urges farmers to embark on BEE and explains what he would do differently the second time around. Annelie Coleman reports.
Issue date : 22 August 2008

Managing predators

The impact of predators on livestock production is no longer debatable - the challenge now is to find sustainable solutions. So says Prof HO de Waal, director of the African Large Predator Research Unit at the University of the Free State. Annelie Coleman spoke to him at the Free State RPO conference in Bloemfontein.
Issue date : 22 August 2008

How to manage weaning shock

Angora goat farmers have to strike a delicate balance between early weaning and the risk of weaning shock, and weaning their kids in time for the mating season. However, a new study indicates an unweaned kid doesn't necessarily hurt a ewe's reconception rate. Roelof Bezuidenhout spoke to Grootfontein researcher Jan Hoon.
Issue date : 22 August 2008

Caxton Magazines