Gladiolus- the winter rainfall species

Gladioli occur naturally in South Africa in most soil types and on most topographies. Of the 165 local species 110 occur in the winter rainfall region, writes Cameron McMaster.
Issue date: 23 May 2008

Spicing up chicken in record time

The BASCKIN grilling machine is nothing more than a cast-iron grilling pan to which I've fitted a stainless steel lid from one of my frying pans.
Issue date: 23 May 2008

Working cowhorses in feedlots

It is quite surprising to see horses on a modern feedlot - in between the mechanised feeders and computerised feed mixers and tractors with radio-controlled trailers.
Issue date: 23 May 2008

townie at butt-end

Of all the vocations I could have chosen in my youth, becoming a vet was never one of them. Science and biology weren't my strong points at school. Come to think of it, neither were maths, geography or history.
Issue date: 23 May 2008

Monitor for early pest detection

The strict control of certain pests is sometimes only necessary if that pest is a vector for certain viruses, and one can tolerate low populations of some pests if they have natural enemies to keep them under control.
Issue date: 23 May 2008

“If you want loyalty get a dog – I work for money”

'If you mess up the "hygiene factors", the "true motivators" never get a chance to work, and the single most important hygiene factor is pay. No good results will ever be achieved without paying people the right way.'
Issue date: 23 May 2008

Kitchenbrand: a study in pigeon loft quality

Mark Kitchenbrand bought most of the top-scoring pigeons at the Sun City Million Dollar Pigeon Race (SCMDPR) for the past two years, for nearly R3 million. These quality importations are occasionally crossed with locals.
Issue date: 23 May 2008

Farmers must be seen as the solution

DA parliamentary leader and farmer's wife Sandra Botha says the time has come for commercial farmers to reposition themselves in the South African context, and take their rightful place in society - and that a concerted PR campaign to change their image, particularly the way they are portrayed in the media, is urgently needed. Annelie Coleman spoke to her.
Issue date: 23 April 2008

Morgenster:The Ferrari of olive oil

Giulio Bertrand has distinguished Morgenster as one of the best olive oil producers in the world. He tells Glenneis Erasmus how he produces 80 000â„“ of high-quality olive oil per year.
Issue date: 23 May 2008

Turning wine into water

If Lutzville Vineyards can get their waste water to meet government quality standards for irrigation, they can turn 8ha of Matzikama municipality wasteland into farmland. Production manager Johan Schreuder spoke to Wouter Kriel.
Issue date: 23 May 2008

‘Export for jobs,’ says Harvard group of economists

In 2005 the National Treasury appointed an international advisory panel known as the Harvard group of economists to help identify binding constraints on shared growth, and propose policies to overcome them and monitor development. a recently released report of their findings, the group warned that the growth acceleration seen since 2004 may not be sustainable.
Issue date: 23 May 2008

Make the most of wine shows

AT a Wine Cellars SA meeting held in Stellenbosch recently, it was agreed that wine exhibitions are one of the most powerful marketing tools and can be as successful as whiskey exhibitions have been.
Issue date: 23 May 2008

Tractors sell like hot cakes as rand weakens

Agricultural machinery sales for April reflect the strong demand for new equipment. April sales of tractors into the market, excluding export sales, were 660 units, more than double the 288 units sold in April last year. On a year-to-date basis, tractor sales were almost 68% up on last year. This is according to Charles van Niekerk, chairperson of the South African Agricultural Machinery Association.
Issue date: 23 May 2008

Free State gets SMME training facility

The national Department of Agriculture (DoA) has appointed the Centre for Agricultural Management in the Department of Economics at the University of the Free State (UFS) to roll out a model for small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) for farmers.

‘Land a millstone around beneficiaries’ necks’

According to CDE executive director Ann Bernstein, the country now faces two depressing scenarios: “nobody wins” or “everyone loses”.“The future of South African commercial...

Cosatu shelves food strike plans

Cosatu's plans for rolling mass action to protest escalating food prices were shelved after a meeting on 25 April between Cosatu, Business Unity South Africa and the government.
Issue date: 23 May 2008

Production slides as state ignores agriculture

Many of the comModities imported into South Africa over the past year could have been produced locally. This is according to Prof Johan Willemse from the University of the Free State's Department of Agricultural Economics.
Issue date: 23 May 2008

Eskom’s tariff structure like apples and pears

While Eskom waits for a decision from the National Energy Regulator of SA (Nersa), on its request for a 53% electricity price increase, new information has emerged which shows uneven charging of tariffs between large industrial and commercial users compared with residential and rural customers.
Issue date: 23 May 2008

Lulu says the Land Bank shambles is over

Land and agriculture minister Lulama Xingwana promised parliament that the rudderless Land Bank will have an executive team in place by early next month that will bring an end to the shambles at the embattled parastatal.
Issue date: 23 May 2008

Top dollar to spin doctors but peanuts for vets

Advertisements placed in weekend newspapers as part of the agriculture department's recently announced recruitment drive raise serious misgivings about its priorities.
Issue date: 23 May 2008

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