Yield breaks competition record

Dirk Lesch of the farm Elim, just outside Malmesbury, recently won the 2007 Swartland Canola Competition with a yield of 2,32t/ha. He attributed his success to the fact that he doesn’t plant canola merely to add a crop into his rotation plan. “Some farmer

Dordrecht Cheese Factory – closure shocks community

The R7,5 million Dordrecht Cheese Factory was closed on 29 February with financial and operational mismanagement under investigation. Speculation is rife about the reasons for the closure, and whether the factory will be resuscitated or shut down for good

Wool farming gain in communal areas

“To farm successfully today, farmers need knowledge,” Peter Hardie, chairperson of the Eastern Cape’s National Wool Growers Association told the annual congress in Cradock. “Like the motor industry, where researchers are already planning models 10 years a

Hatchery project to stabilise EC broiler chick supply

Emerging broiler farmers in the North-Eastern part of the Eastern Cape have been guaranteed a consistent supply of good quality and reasonably priced day-old broiler chicks after the recent launch of a pilot emerging farming hatchery project in Pietermari

Overberg gets an agricultural forum]

Agricultural roleplayers in the Overberg recently launched the Overberg Agricultural Forum. Their primary aim is to develop a strategy for landownership and black economic empowerment that will uplift and contribute to the rural community.
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Citrus black spot caution

The Department of Agriculture recently called on citrus producers to be extra cautious to ensure that fruit with citrus black spot (CBS) doesn’t land in sensitive markets. SA, wanting to comply with EU regulations, has been trying to prove that CBS is not

Free State warned of anthrax outbreak

An outbreak of anthrax in Lesotho was reported to the agriculture department in the Free State at the beginning of April, for fear that it could cross the border.
Issue date: 04 April 2008

World News – 04 April 2008

NZ drought costs millions According to forecasts, New Zealand’s national drought will cost dairy farmers NZ$894 million and beef and sheep farmers $345 million...

Farmers reject SAB barley price

Southern Cape barley producers indicated they won’t accept South African Breweries Limited (SAB’s) latest producer price of R3 011,22/t. This is almost 50% higher than prices attained for malting barley last year, but Leon Groenewald, chairperson of the B

Drought affects mohair market

For the first time this season mohair sellers felt the full benefit of a weaker rand, when the market increased 3,6%.
Issue date: 04 April 2008

Wool buyers get cautious

The last sale before Easter SAW THE market remaining virtually unchanged, with Cape Wools’ Merino indicator closing the day down just 0,6% at R69,52/kg (clean).
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Grain handlers ready for big maize harvest

“We are on the eve of a big grain crop,” said Annatjie Loio, president of the Grain Handling Organisation of SA (GOSA) in her annual report, presented to the GOSA symposium. “This is good news for the industry. We are geared to handle the expected crop of

Clover denies collusion

Clover, South Africa’s biggest dairy producer, will largely deny any wrongdoing or involvement in price-fixing, at the preliminary arguments to be heard by the Competition Commission tribunal on 2 May.
Issue date: 04 April 2008

Satansbos is taking over

Silverleaf Nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium), also known as satansbos in Afrikaans, is threatening the sustainability of agriculture in South Africa, according to Weber Truter from the Herold Agricultural Association. He predicts that satansbos will ren

No RVF vaccine for pregnant animals

Livestock farmers and veterinarians are concerned about the unavailability of vaccine for Rift Valley Fever (RVF), following three outbreaks of the disease in South Africa’s northern provinces.
Issue date: 04 April 2008

Lulu vows to sue over “sex scandal” claims

Land and agriculture minister Lulama Xingwana plans “suing all the parties” accusing her of an affair with former Land Bank boss Phil Mohlahlane. “I believe this is a smear campaign. It has no basis. I’m talking to my lawyers,” she told City Press.
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New wave of land sector suspensions

The Land Bank’s chief financial officer Xolile Ncame and Limpopo land claims commissioner Mashile Mokono join the long list of land officials facing suspension, dismissal or disciplinary action.
Issue date: 04 April 2008

The unintended consequences of restitution

Over the past few years, the Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE) has worked intensively on land reform, identifying key issues and obstacles and presenting government and other stakeholders with alternative ways of achieving the land reform goal

Future’s potentially bright for renewable energy

The current energy crisis is a powerful incentive for the renewable energy (RE) industry, but the regulatory framework is hampering rapid progress. This is according to Kevin Nassiep of the SA National Energy Research Institute. He was speaking at a wave

GRAIN SA CONGRESS

ANC president Jacob Zuma’s address at the Grain SA Congress was big news, but it wasn’t the only topic on the Congress’s agenda. Annelie Coleman reports on the gathering and its plans for the future.
Issue date: 28 March 2008

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