Caxton Magazines
Land Bank pins its hopes on co-ops
The Land Bank has been talking about turnaround strategies for years with no visible results. Stephan Hofstätter asked the bank’s newly appointed chief operations officer Saki Zamxaka what’s different about its new business model.
Issue date: 01 Febr
Issue date: 01 Febr
Bell Equipment’s new tractor-loader-backhoe
Now in its third year of local production, the tractor-loader-backhoe (TLB), made by Bell Equipment at its Richard’s Bay manufacturing facility, has captured a major share of the South African market, and the latest J-series model should strengthen this p
Promise of the Oasis can be deceiving
The 42ha farm Ostrich Oasis in Hammanskraal near Pretoria was once a thriving business, offering unique tourism opportunities and a ready source of meat and chicks. However, since 2006, when emerging farmer Isaac Banda and his group applied for a loan fro
Getting it right with sable
With the hunting industry stimulating the market for rare species, many farmers tried their hand at intensive farming of sable antelope. Many burned their fingers and sables got the blame. “They’re finicky. They die for nothing,” people said. Over the las
The sturdy bloodline of the SA Boerperd
The Boerperd is a tough, versatile horse with a proud history. It is also considered the fastest-growing recognised breed in South Africa, according to breeder Michael van Rensburg. Annelie Coleman reports.
Issue date: 01 February 2008
Issue date: 01 February 2008
A thriving country market
In early 2004 Karen Moerdyk and her husband Leedert settled on a small farm not far from East London with little idea of what to do. Now Karen has successfully reinvented the dated concept of a country market into a successful business – and an alternativ
Golden rice passes first test
Golden rice, genetically biofortified to contain beta-carotene (pro-vitamin A), has shown its efficiency in uptake and conversion in the initial nutritional study with humans.
Issue date: February 2008
Issue date: February 2008
Seeing more boom than doom and gloom
The past five years have seen the exponential growth of an agricultural and equipment sales and service centre, Malcomess Tempe, in the somewhat derelict industrial zone of Butterworth. Mike Burgess reports on how this business has benefited from governme
Seeing more boom than doom and gloom
The past five years have seen the exponential growth of an agricultural and equipment sales and service centre, Malcomess Tempe, in the somewhat derelict industrial zone of Butterworth. Mike Burgess reports on how this business has benefited from governme
Land activist faces down fraud claims
Nosey Pieterse, the activist preacher behind the Porterville land invasion, who habitually uses mass action to highlight farmworker grievances, has been drawn into the financial scandal over misuse of wine industry empowerment funds. Stephan Hofstätter sp
First black CEO of the PPECB
At the end of December last year, Former chief operating officer at the Department of Agriculture Luvuyo Mabombo was appointed CEO of the Perishable Products Export Control Board (PPECB)
Issue date: 25 January 2008
Underberg’s best Holsteins for 2007
Underberg recently held a very successful Go Black and White Holstein competition for the second year running. Judges Herman Duvenage, general manager of the SA Holstein Society, and Brett Puttergill, of Puttergill Holsteins in the Eastern Cape, looked fo
KZN murder not linked to land
The man allegedly responsible for the murder of David Green is reported to have said that his motive was robbery. This has put an end to speculation that Green’s assassination-style shooting might have been linked to the unresolved land claim issues on hi
Police arrested for farm murder
Three Eastern Cape policemen have been arrested for the murder of a Seymour farmer. Investigators looking into the matter found conflicting police and postmortem reports and then uncovered evidence implicating the three policemen.
Issue date: 25 Jan
Issue date: 25 Jan
Missing millions a ‘misperception’
The Board of provincial conservation agency Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife has called media and public speculation about an alleged loss of R22 million from its coffers, a misperception. This emerged at a press briefing held by the board at Ezemvelo’s headquarters
Crafcor closes its doors for good
One of South Africa’s largest livestock production and meat processing businesses, the Crafcor Group, has closed down most of its operations. Founded in 1980 the KwaZulu-Natal-based Crafcor Group had a turnover of over R1 billion a year in its feedlots, a
December tractor prices down
December sales of tractors onto the South African market, excluding exports, totalled 261 units. This was roughly 7% lower than the 279 units sold in December last year. For the 2007 calendar year sales were also about 7% lower than they were in 2006.
French GM Maize in limbo
On 11 January French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced France will invoke an EU safeguard clause that will allow it to suspend the growing and marketing of a genetically modified (GM) crop that has EU authorisation.
Issue date: 25 January 2008
Issue date: 25 January 2008
Phibro wins interdict against Animate
Multinational company Phibro Animal Heath have succeeded in an interdict application preventing Animate Animal Health and its owner, Hugo Hattingh, and Phibro’s country manager Johannes Groenewald, from continuing with allegedly unlawful, anti-competitive
World news (Issue date: 25 January 2008)
Drought causes record-high exports
NZ meat processing plants face shutdown
Americans may soon eat cloned animals’ offspring
Issue Date: 25 January 2008
NZ meat processing plants face shutdown
Americans may soon eat cloned animals’ offspring
Issue Date: 25 January 2008
