Caxton Magazines
Boosting kikuyu pasturage
Kikuyu is a perennial summer grass that can be over-sown by other pasturage in winter.
The key to successful honeybee farming
Former minister of agriculture Dr Kraai van Niekerk’s honeybee hobby, which he started after quitting politics in 2009, has grown into a fully-fledged farming enterprise. It is now among the top 20 honeybee operations in the Western Cape.
Israelis’ agricultural partnership with Eastern Cape mooted
The Israelis are hosting an agribusiness seminar in East London today a day after meeting Eastern Cape Rural Development and Agrarian Reform MEC Mlibo Qoboshiyane about a possible partnership to develop agriculture in the province.
Fewer options on share options
A recent ruling reveals how SARS views the matter of the exercising of company share options.
Selling produce: the best options
I always remind the market agents whom I train that when it comes to marketing options, they are one of eight available to a farmer.
Crisp greens in a wok
For years, vegetables were simply annoying competitors for real estate on my plate. I needed the room – all of it – for meat. Then I learned how to cook the green things. No boiling to a flavourless pulp: just a moment at high heat in a wok.
Wildlife ranching: WRSA’s Dr Peter Oberem explains
Wildlife ranching continues to be a fast-growing industry with a bright future, notwithstanding recent negative press that its practices harm conservation, says Dr Peter Oberem, president of Wildlife Ranching SA.
Strict price control needed
Higher input prices are on the cards. Farmers who in many cases also face lower crop yield will have to manage costs diligently to survive a difficult year.
DoL confirms that forestry wages apply to 9-hour day
In response to an enquiry from Forestry South Africa (FSA), the Department of Labour (DoL) has confirmed that the new minimum wages for workers in the country’s commercial forestry sector are based on a nine-hour working day.
Understanding pesticide resistance
Why pesticide resistance is a serious problem, and how farmers can help to prevent it. Paul Donovan explains.
Afasa, Nerpo ask for clarity on land ceilings
While Afasa and Nerpo agreed with Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development, Gugile Nkwinti’s land ceiling of 5 000ha, stakeholders needed to be engaged further on the matter as there were still “more questions than answers”, the two organisations said during a media breakfast in Pretoria today (18 May).
Teamwork: farmers’ strongest weapon against crime
Farm attacks are a grim, ever-present reality in South Africa. But farmers have started to work together to fight the scourge – and the results are beginning to show.
Transformation? ‘We’re on it’
Upon returning from a visit to the Bosveld Sitrus group in Letsitele in Limpopo with the Agricultural Writers of South Africa, I was infused with optimism about the future of agriculture in the country.
Energy-saving efficiency
Grain farm operating expenses have increased steadily over the past decade, with the high costs of inputs, especially electricity, becoming one of the most serious challenges facing farmers. But the sector has great potential for efficiency improvements, says Andrew Etzinger, senior general manager at Eskom’s Integrated Demand Management department.
Drought and disease development in maize
Adverse environmental conditions and disease are placing increasing pressure on maize crops in South Africa, says Dr Belinda Janse van Rensburg, researcher at the ARC-Grain Crops Institute.
Will this tyre be worth the wait?
Mitas, known in South Africa for its Continental brand tyres, continues to develop the PneuTrac concept, writes Joe Spencer.
Colostrum: it’s about quality and quantity
It is crucial that a foal gets enough good quality colostrum, and harvesting can be a practical solution, says Dr Mac.
Zokwana ‘must stop telling farmers to calm down’ – opposition leaders
The ANC wants land reform to fail as part of its plot to gain state control over all land. And agriculture minister Senzeni Zokwana, is misleading farmers, playing a game of cat and mouse, when he tells them not to worry about the radical plans put forward by land reform minister Gugile Nkwinti.
Beetroot pests and diseases
How to deal with root rot, downy mildew, cutworm and other pests.
Still emerging – but getting there!
Input costs are biting hard, but Matla-Gamede Farming’s owners are determined to turn their operation into a fully-fledged commercial business.
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