Caxton Magazines
Get a grip on Aids in agriculture
Reminding us that more than 500 000 South Africans could die of Aids this year, Victor Thindisa of the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Limpopo looks at the pandemic's effect on household farm labour in rural communities.
Fendt Vario tractors grow slowly but surely
The Fendt tractor brand is relatively unknown in South Africa. The only enthusiast that I know of is Manfred Wild, formerly of the Tala Valley in KwaZulu-Natal, who has farmed vegetable crops with Fendt Tool Carrier models. Fendt is one of the market leaders in Germany where it has more than 17% of the market.
Issue Date: 30 March 2007
Issue Date: 30 March 2007
Mycorrhizae: a nutrient and water transport system for roots
If you believe natural is best, then inoculate your soil with the right mix of root fungi or mycorrhizae, says habitat planner Ben Breedlove. They can help in crop production, land-use applications such as roadside management, and also veld rehabilitation. Roelof Bezuidenhout reports.
Issue Date: 30 March 2007
Issue Date: 30 March 2007
A smart start for future farmers
At Penny Birch's farm school Smartstarts on Amersham farm in Dordrecht in the Eastern Cape, children learn how to rear, feed and sell sheep at production sales. They also get the chance to ride horses, quad bikes, tyre swings, bicycles and a calf or two. Besides these wonderful farm experiences, the academic side of schooling is not neglected.
Have SA’s reservoir scientists been sold down the river?
Looking after South Africa's dams could be more important than finding new sources, but the country's pool of reservoir science has degenerated within a decade from being world-renowned to being almost non-functional. If the situation isn't corrected soon, the freshwater system could collapse, with catastrophic consequences. Roelof Bezuidenhout reports.
Issue Date: 30 March 2007
Issue Date: 30 March 2007
Cool it – dealing with heat stress in dairy cows
Dr Jan du Preez, managing director of the Institute for Dairy Technology at the Milk Producers' Organisation and Michael Hutjens from the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Illinois in the US, recently discussed the impact of heat stress, and ways to deal with this problem in South African dairy herds
Issue Date: 30 March 2007
Issue Date: 30 March 2007
Could jatropha fuel biodiesel production?
Jatropha is a hardy, high oil content crop with serious potential for biodiesel production in South Africa. But as it is classified as a noxious weed, large-scale cultivation has also raised environmental concerns. Chesney Bradshaw investigates the merits and drawbacks of jatropha as a possible employment driver that holds no threat to food security, as is the case with other biodiesel crops.
Issue Date: 30 March 2007
Issue Date: 30 March 2007
Renosterrivier study – enough for policy changes?
Almost a year ago, a group of prominent Afrikaner business leaders launched a study aimed at breaking the current vicious cycle of land reform failures.
Issue Date: 30 March 2007
Issue Date: 30 March 2007
Renosterrivier study – enough for policy changes?
Almost a year ago, a group of prominent Afrikaner business leaders launched a study aimed at breaking the current vicious cycle of land reform failures.
Issue Date: 30 March 2007
Issue Date: 30 March 2007
W Cape fights weed attack
The Herbicide Resistance Action Committee (HRAC) recently held an emergency meeting in Paarl to address the increased occurrence of herbicide resistance in the Western and how it plans to tackle it.
Issue Date: 30 March 2007
Issue Date: 30 March 2007
Wool highest in four years
A weak currency and keen demand pushed wool prices to their highest levels in four years, with the Cape Wools market indicator rising 4,8% to close at R41,90/kg clean.
Issue Date: 30 March 2007
Issue Date: 30 March 2007
Call for info on smallstock loss
An appeal has been made by Prof HO de Waal of the African Large Predator Research Unit for farmers to supply Free State University's Canis-Caracal Programme with information about smallstock losses on their farms.
Issue Date: 30 March 2007
Issue Date: 30 March 2007
Sappo launches pig farming guide
In an effort to improve its support for emerging pork farmers, the SA Pork Producers' Organisation (Sappo) has launched a manual aimed at the informal sector, small-scale pig producer who wishes to upgrade to a commercial operation.
Issue Date: 30 March 2007
Issue Date: 30 March 2007
Climate change to hit Africa
On a recent visit to Cape Town, Sir Nicholas Stern, the head of the UK government's economics service, said the effects of climate change would be felt globally, but would hit Africa, the continent with the least capacity to cope, the hardest.
Issue Date: 30 March 2007
Issue Date: 30 March 2007
Nerpo asks govt to regulate pricing of agricultural land
The National Emergent Red Meat Producers' ORGANISATION (Nerpo) has called on government to regulate the pricing of agricultural land.
Issue Date: 30 March 2007
Issue Date: 30 March 2007
NGOs slam ‘biased’ consultations on biofuels strategy
A group of South African citizens and non-governmental organisations have declared the country's Draft Biofuels Industrial Strategy flawed after finding government consulted extensively with industry on the document while not giving them the same opportunities.
Issue Date: 30 March 2007
Issue Date: 30 March 2007
Hotline planned for farm evictions
One the key measures being taken by government to protect farmworkers is establishing a Land Rights Management Facility “that will provide legal representation to victims of all forms of land rights infringements”, land and agriculture minister Lulama Xingwana told parliament recently.
Issue Date: 30 March 2007
Issue Date: 30 March 2007
No bail for farmer’s suspected killers
Three men accused of killing an elderly Mpumalanga farmer during a robbery in January have been denied bail.
Issue Date: 30 March 2007
Issue Date: 30 March 2007
Group wins compensation for slaughtered dairy cows
The Port Elizabeth High Court has ruled in favour of the Grasslands Group of dairy farms which recently took the Department of Agriculture to court over alleged irregularities in compensation for dairy cows slaughtered under Animal Disease Act No 35 of 1984.
Issue Date: 30 March 2007
Issue Date: 30 March 2007
PERSPECTIVE – 30 March 2007
Workers offload Angora goat carcasses from a flatbed trailer in the Eastern Cape.
Issue Date: 30 March 2007
Issue Date: 30 March 2007
