What is thrush?

If your horse has become reluctant to move forward and you can see no visible cause, he could be suffering from thrush. This is an infection found in the grooves on either side of the frog in the hoof.
Issue date: 28 March 2008

Advice for a new minister

The key to success in the agriculture and land affairs hot seat is to partner farmers and agri unions and focus on turning individual small-scale operations commercial.
Issue date: 28 March 2008

Changing the jackalï¿½s diet

Increasing numbers of small stock are prey to the black-backed jackal, posing a serious threat to small-stock farmers. Two scientists found the reintroduction of larger predators changes the jackalï¿½s role as superior predator and forces this omnivore to

Brids of war

In Pretoria it was an important day on the racing-pigeon calendar. Two days previously, hundreds of pigeons had been dispatched by train to the distant Karoo hamlet of Fraserburg, known today as Leeu-Gamka. They were to be released that morning at 7am for

Grazing amazing maize

Research shows that maize is a much more versatile crop than many believe. Roelof Bezuidenhout reports.
Issue date: 28 March 2008

The proof of the pudding

The team at Mahindra in Howick, KwaZulu-Natal is very enthusiastic about the Mahindra tractors that are now coming onto the South African market. To promote the brand, Toby Brown lent a demonstration model 6500 4WD to local farmer Clinton Stead, who farms

The challenge to schedule irrigation

Tests for the viability of a computerised irrigation scheduling system ï¿½ the MyCanesim system ï¿½ have produced positive results for small-scale sugarcane farms in KwaZulu-Natal. This despite the daily running of the trials being undermined by powercuts

Successful canola against all odds

Abrie de Wet recently won the Southern Cape Canola competition with a yield of 2,1t/ha and a gross income of R2 237/ha ï¿½ at a time when many other farmers in the region suffered huge losses due to insects, heavy rains and weed problems. Abrie talks

BEE: a marriage of partners

BEE deals are complex, emotional and a learning curve for both parties. There are serious considerations and stages that both sides must go through in order to achieve success says Vuyo Jack, CEO of Empowerdex.
Issue date: 28 March 2008

Why doesnï¿½t SA eat eggs?

SAï¿½s egg consumption lags far behind other countries ï¿½ what SA consumes in a year, China eats in a day. The Southern African Poultry Association (SAPA) has now embarked on an extensive marketing campaign to encourage higher income groups to eat more eggs.

The iconic cycads

The associated mystery and stately appearance of cycads makes them sought-after in gardens around the world. This demand makes wild populations vulnerable to poachers who illegally harvest cycads to sell on the black market.
Issue date: 14 March 2008

Power from water

Farmers with a stream on their property that offers about an 8m head of water, could generate their own electricity. Mike Clayton, a turner machinist and owner of Mesh Gear Manufacturers in Durban, has the other essential component ï¿½ a compact, sturdy water

When to practice early pruning

Even when a tomato crop is not intended for pruning, there are occasions when some pruning is justified.
Issue date: 14 March 2008

Townie on Dutch courage

We all know Holland is as flat a pancake. So you can imagine the reaction from Wifey Dearï¿½s Dutch relatives when we drove them from the airport to our farm, which is surrounded by mountains well over 2 000m high.
Issue date: 14 March 2008

Home-roasted coffee the African way

For coffee maniacs like me, the search for the perfect cup of coffee is an ongoing quest, filled with the restlessness of a perfectionist running on far too much caffeine.The answer is: do-it-yourself roasting, an adventure you can share just by reading this ï¿½
Issue date: 14 March 2008

Leaders versus followers

Your level of AMBITION, as well as how strongly your desire for success and recognition is connected to your ego, apparently determines the direction you take when pursuing a hobby.
Issue date: 14 March 2008

Medics links wheat & beef

Swartland wheat farmer Philip de Waal caused a stir scooping the 2007 National Cattle Farmer of the Year award in stiff competition with traditional beef producers. But, as three-year-in-a-row recipient of the ARC Western Cape Beef Herd of the Year award,

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