Caxton Magazines
Water weeds could cost farmers millions
Water weeds, both exotic and indigenous, have a phenomenal capacity to reproduce and spread, and uncontrolled, they could have serious negative effects on water quality and price, warned Dr Christo Marais, acting head for operations support at Working for Water (WfW).
Grahamstown to be ostrich hub again
Ostrimark SA plans to restore Grahamstown to its position as one of the country's leading ostrich industry hubs by establishing a leather processing factory in the town.
Parmalat advert milks debate
The latest Parmalat advertisement has left a sour taste in the mouths of numerous SA dairy farmers.
Swifts & jets
Over the years I've rehabilitated many birds of prey. Most of them have survived as I never released any raptor that was unfit. Only a super-fit hawk or eagle can stay alive and only a falconer can train them to this level. It's a wonderful feeling: giving a doomed bird a second life.
The Narnia of braai techniques
Steak on a fire
Choosing the right bit
Riders must choose a bit to suit their young horse's shape and development.
Common element deficiencies in cauliflower
This subject has been covered to some extent in a previous article on cabbages, but as cauliflower is more prone to certain deficiencies, I will discuss these in greater detail.
Gold for Cyril Leibach
Cyril Leibach is a distinguished SA pigeon fancier who takes pleasure in racing pigeons from an orderly loft complex in the garden of his Boksburg residence.
Wanted: overseas street-smarts
We're streets behind New Zealand and Australia when it comes to marketing our agricultural produce, says Mohammad Karaan (right), chairperson of the National Agricultural Marketing Council, and government should take responsibility for this.
Let the farmers enjoy higher prices
'A decrease in import tariffs will only result in lower consumer prices in a perfectly competitive market.'
Will SA’s aquaculture industry float?
Yolan Friedmann, deputy CEO and conservation manager of the Endangered Wildlife Trust, warns that SA must radically change its attitude towards overexploitation of its fishing stocks if it wants to save them.
From big to small, an implement for all
IT SEEMS THAT EVERY YEAR THE EXHIBITORS AT NAMPO CATER FOR A WIDER VARIETY OF FARMERS, growing a greater assortment of crops, some of which require very specialised equipment. There was also a greater selection of general-purpose tractors and implements at the show.
Clean green salads all year round
Growing salad crops in hydroponic systems boosts production and creates a year-round supply. However, the system is capital-intensive and requires careful monitoring. Glenneis Erasmus spoke to hydroponic lettuce producers Duncan and Karen Napier about the pros and cons.
Sub-Saharan African agriculture in a crisis: is CA the solution?
Sub-Saharan African agriculture is in a crisis. Declining yields, impoverished soils and massive soil erosion are common problems in rural areas. Peter Hittersay attended the FAO Emergency Operations and Rehabilitation Division's recent two-day regional conservation agriculture (CA) workshop, and reports on the urgent change in agricultural practices required and the CA solutions mooted.
Reluctant killers: what hunters are really after
The mention of hunting brings to mind pictures of men with guns posing proudly amid a sea of animal carcasses. But the truth is somewhat different. Roelof Bezuidenhout reports on a study that found that often being merely outdoors is a greater consideration than actually killing animals.
Dohne’s versatility impresses Australians
It was in 2006, the driest year Australian sheep farmers have ever experienced, that the SA Dohne Merino came into its own, delivering excellent lamb crops and wool clips. Former South African Dohne Merino breed director Cameron McMaster gives a first-hand account of the phenomenal success of this South African breed in Australia.
Qamata: how deep is the rot?
Farmer's Weekly's efforts to get to the bottom of the Qamata irrigation scheme's failure to rise from the ashes, despite millions of rand being lavished on its revival, have raised more disturbing questions than answers - including why Eastern Cape MEC Gugile Nkwinti appears reluctant to heed an auditor's recommendation for a forensic probe into the scheme's finances. Stephan Hofstätter investigates the root of the rot.
Avitourism: birds are a free attraction
Alongside natural vegetation, insects and small mammals, birds are the most underrated and underdeveloped resource in agricultural tourism on farms and game ranches. With skill and imagination and very little input, this resource can contribute significantly to the income of an enterprise.
Low-stress livestock handling the Texas way
Texas is widely known as some of the best cattle country in the world. It evokes images of whooping and hollering cowboys on horseback herding vast herds of Longhorn cattle across trackless terrain, and the art of roping and branding calves without the benefit of a crush.
SA ostriches get a foothold in Russia
South African ostrich products might soon be exported to Russia. Anton Kruger, CEO of the South African Ostrich Chamber, recently went on a trade mission to Moscow on behalf of the ostrich industry as part of an initiative of the Department of Trade and Industry to create new market opportunities for South African products.
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