Caxton Magazines
Good rains lift spirits
Good summer rains have left SA agriculture optimistic overall, even though the economy finds itself in uncertain waters. The Agricultural Business Confidence Index, compiled by the Agricultural Business Chamber (ABC)/Independent Development Commission (ID
Transport and infrastructure
The price of petrol and diesel is to increase by 11c/ℓ from 2 April. This includes a 6c/ℓ increase in the general fuel levy (a 5% increase in petrol tax and 5,7% on diesel) and another 5c/ℓ increase in the Road Accident Fund levy.
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World news : 07 March 2008
Rains boost Aussie crops
International beef exports
International beef exports
Budget goes green
The 2008 budget takes concrete steps to protect the environment. The biodiesel fuel tax concession was raised from 40% to 50%. Bioethanol will remain outside the fuel tax net although it’s subject to VAT at the standard rate.
Issue date: 07 March 2008
Issue date: 07 March 2008
Proactive land plan loses steam
Government’s Proactive Land Acquisition Strategy (Plas), a flagship programme meant to fast-track flagging land redistribution, is being scaled back. Plas allowed provincial land reform offices to buy large numbers of farms, then lease them to newly settl
Trevor stays the course in stormy seas – Doyer
Head of Santam’s agricultural business unit, Tobias Doyer, believes finance minister Trevor Manuel’s budget speech was a stinging rebuke to his leftist critics.
Issue date: 07 March 2008
Issue date: 07 March 2008
Legal action taken against state conveyancers
After waiting a year and half for state-appointed transfer attorneys to pay over money outstanding after a land restitution transfer, a group of Limpopo farmers have decided to initiate civil action against the attorneys.
Issue date: 07 March 2008
Issue date: 07 March 2008
Treasury won’t cough up for land reform
Scaling back on land reform spending, half a billion more for extension officers, VAT red tape relief, more sin taxes and a fuel levy hike were some of Trevor Manuel’s budget announcements that will affect the farming sector. Stephan Hofstätter reports.
Location differentials for maize rising
The differentials for white and yellow maize will increase 16,5% for the road component and 18% for the rail component in the 2008/09 marketing season, according to Rod Gravelet-Blondin, senior general manager of the Agricultural Products Division.
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Prices threaten food security in Sub-Sahara
Food security in Sub-Saharan Africa will decline in the next decade. In South Africa, government will have to take quick action if they want to prevent food shortages and the resulting political instability.
Issue date: 7 March 2008
Issue date: 7 March 2008
Lay down your weapons!
t was like looking into the sun. The driver of the oncoming car refused to dim his headlights. The next moment my Land Cruiser station wagon hit a huge, unseen pothole. The trailer I had in tow swayed dangerously. I was alone and although it was night, I
Expert fights poor kidding
With low kidding averages and tight profit margins, mohair farmers must take care of their flocks, Dr Antonie Geyer told Roelof Bezuidenhout.
Issue date: 7 March 2008
Issue date: 7 March 2008
Let tractors put carbon back into the ground
We are bombarded with suggestions about how we can reduce our “carbon footprint” and help save the planet, but a breakthrough by a Canadian farmer may have a real impact in reducing the discharge of greenhouse gases and, at the same time, effect considera
Private ownership makes for ostrich success
Zimbabwean refugee farmer Martin Fick of Salem Agribusiness Company, together with Christian organisation Khula Sizwe, have kick-started an ostrich production programme that’s transforming the lives of small-scale farmers in the former Ciskei. As Mike Bur
Does compost tea work?
The use of compost tea in South Africa is a relatively new fertiliser innovation and has been met with huge scepticism by some agriculturists. Those who have incorporated it into their production cycles are convinced it really makes a difference. Glenneis
The Biowatch legal battle: setting the record straight
Biowatch director, Leslie Liddell points to omissions in the views expressed by advocate Donrich Jordaan on the recent High Court rulings on a dispute over access to information about GMOs.Issue date: 7 March 2008
Sugar growers in a pickle
Small-scale cane grower numbers are down by almost 23%. Robyn Joubert asked SA Canegrowers’ chairperson Tim Murray why, and what the industy is doing about it.
Issue date: 7 March 2008
Issue date: 7 March 2008
Townie’s leap year
The dams are full to the brim, The veld knee-high and green, cattle thriving and fat, my borehole pump fixed and the house water tank full. The lucerne is thriving with another cut and bale due shortly. The roads department is fixing our broken cattle gri
Glazed kassler ribs
A perfectly smoked kassler rib chop is one of the all-time great pork experiences, and lends itself so well to good eating. And if there�s one thing that adds to a kassler rib, it�s a highly flavoured sticky glaze. This recipe � perfect for the beginner cook keen to extend his repertoire � shows you how to do it �
Issue date: 29 February 2008
Issue date: 29 February 2008
Sucking poison from a bite
Venomous bites and stings are dangerous to humans. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), out of 5 million bite and sting victims from snakes, scorpions or venomous insects annually, 100 000 die.
Issue date: 29 February 2008
Issue date: 29 February 2008
