Jeandré van der Walt
Jeandré Du Preez is the newest addition to the Farmer’s Weekly team. Originating from a Riversdal farming family, she has farming in her blood. After school she furthered her studies at Stellenbosch and has been working as an agricultural journalist for the past two years.
She says she feels privileged to write about an industry paramount to the survival of all South Africans and is inspired by the innovative solutions with which the farming community bridges the many challenges they face. She enjoys being able to combine work with travel and appreciates the modesty and friendliness with which South Africa’s farmers share their accomplishments.
She enjoys being able to combine work with travel and appreciates the modesty and friendliness with which South Africa’s farmers share their accomplishments.
If she is not writing or visiting farms, you’ll find her relaxing with a good mystery novel or exploring her other passions: travelling and cooking.
Witlof: a new entrant to SA’s leafy vegetables market
Witlof, also known as Belgian endive, is a notoriously difficult vegetable to grow, but Koue Bokkeveld grower Fanie van der Merwe has mastered the art, producing 1t of witlof a week. Jeandré du Preez visited him on his family farm, Bronaar, to discover how he does it.
Bright future awaits Grain Academy class of 2018
Syngenta recently launched its 6th annual Grain Academy Programme. The ceremony was held at the Arabella Country Estate in Kleinmond.
Western Cape dam levels below 20%
There was growing concern about the water crisis in the Western Cape as dam levels continued to decline.
Farmers not under any threat in South Africa, government
South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) has dismissed allegations by Australia’s Minister of Home Affairs, Peter Dutton, that the white minority in South Africa is in any danger.
Agriculture takes the lead in GDP growth
South Africa's gross domestic product (GDP) increased at a better than expected rate in 2017, with the agricultural sector playing a leading role in this regard.
Western Cape agriculture set to lose billions
The Western Cape’s agricultural sector is set to lose an estimated R5,9 billion in the 2017/2018 season due to prevailing drought conditions across the province.
Top female entrepreneur winning over the wine industry
Berene Damons, the department of agriculture’s 2017 Female Entrepreneur of the Year in the agro-processing category, started work at the Hamilton Russell Vineyards 17 years ago. Promoted almost immediately to a marketing assistant, she soon developed an interest in winemaking, and went on to produce an award-winning, export-quality Pinot Noir wine, Tesselaarsdal.
Land expropriation process gets go ahead
A revised motion brought by the EFF to launch a process to change the Constitution to allow for land expropriation without compensation was passed in the National Assembly on Tuesday.
How the agri sector can secure its water usage rights
Farmers should be proactive about establishing their water allocations, says James Brand, senior associate at ENSafrica. Jeandré du Preez spoke to him about the legalities of water usage.
Wine industry disappointed about ‘sin tax’ increase
Members of the South African wine and brandy industry have expressed disappointment about the announcement made by Minister of Finance, Malusi Gigaba, in his first budget address that there will be an 8,5% increase in excise duties on wine, sparkling wine and brandy, and a 6% increase on fortified wines.
Charles Back still positive after brutal farm attack
Messages of support have been flooding in for 2017 Agricultural Writers SA National Farmer of the Year, Charles Back, owner of Fairview near Paarl, following a brutal attack by three assailants in the early hours of Wednesday morning, 14 February.
Slight relief for Kouga Dam following good rainfall
Good rainfall less than two weeks ago in the catchment area of the Kouga Dam near Patensie in the Eastern Cape, has resulted in an increase in the dam’s water level, but was not nearly enough to turn the dam’s dire water supply challenges around.
New motors from old: Boland entrepreneurs to the rescue!
Replacing a burnt-out electric motor can cost a great deal, whereas rewinding it can return it to tip-top condition at much lower cost. Rashad Williams and Fa-eez Appollis spoke to Jeandré du Preez about how their rewinding business saves farmers money and production downtime.
Waste management: How Spier Estate turns trash into cash
Worldwide, waste generation is fast overtaking landfill availability. Heidi Newton-King, sustainability and human resources director at Spier Wine Estate, recently shared how the estate has succeeded in reducing its proportion of landfill waste to total recycled waste to less than 2%.
Day Zero fast approaching for Cape Town residents
Cape Town residents have fewer than 80 days until taps are expected to run dry. Due to a further drop in dam levels, Day Zero for the city has been moved forward to 12 April 2018.
A grim glimpse into the winter rainfall region’s future
The good news is that rainfall conditions for most of the summer rainfall region are likely to improve from mid- to late summer. The bad news is that drought conditions are expected to continue in the winter rainfall region. This is according to Johan van den Berg, manager of Specialised Crop Insurance at Santam Agriculture.
Drop in fuel price as agri activity decelerates
According to Wandile Sihlobo, agricultural economist and head of agribusiness research at Agbiz, current forecasts indicated that the petrol and diesel prices could decrease by 34c/ℓ and 19c/ℓ respectively in February.
Vredendal table grapes volumes down due to December heatwave
Current assessments put the damage suffered by table grape producers in the Olifants River production region following the heatwave experienced during December last year, at about 500 000 cartons of 4,5kg each.
Rwanda bans imports from SA due to listeriosis outbreak
Rwanda has banned imports of meat, dairy products, vegetables and fruit from South Africa as a result of the recent outbreak of the foodborne disease, listeria, across the country.
Travellers urged to declare agricultural products
With the summer holiday season in full swing, travellers to the country are urged to declare all agricultural products to avoid exotic pests and diseases being introduced to South Africa that could threaten the agriculture sector and the environment.
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