Lloyd Phillips
Lloyd Phillips joined Farmer’s Weekly in January 2003 and is now a Senior Journalist with the publication. He spent most of his childhood on a Zululand sugarcane farm where he learned to speak fluent Zulu.
After matriculating in 1993, Lloyd dreamed of working as a nature conservationist. Life’s vagaries, however, had different plans for him and Lloyd ended up sampling various jobs in South African agriculture before becoming a proud member of the Farmer’s Weekly team.
Machinery trends defining the future of farming
It is unlikely that South Africa’s commercial agriculture sector would have achieved its internationally respected status were it not for the investment that farmers have made in mechanisation. Lloyd Phillips spoke to a number of experts about some of the main agricultural machinery sales trends.
How to make a success of bananas
The humble banana is usually taken for granted by consumers, but growing this popular fruit can be tricky, expensive and involve considerable risk. Having top-performing banana plantations starts with the proper establishment of the crop. Brothers Riaan and WJ Heystek shared their experiences of setting up their banana enterprise with Lloyd Phillips.
Precision farming pays off for KZN potato producer
Growing and marketing potatoes for maximum profit can be complex, as there is a narrow window for obtaining the highest prices. To ensure his business gets its timing right, GoldenGrow owner Graeme Jarvie employs a ‘less is more’ approach, where the business stays well within its capabilities and so runs smoothly.
Getting a silage maize crop into the bunker chop-chop
In terms of its cost-benefit ratio, silage maize is arguably the best-value stored green feed for milk production systems in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. However, to maximise the nutritional quality and quantity of this crop, it is important to harvest and handle it at the correct time and in the correct way.
Calf health: the foundation of a productive cattle herd
Prevention is better than cure, and this mindset is especially applicable when it comes to preparing calves for their productive adult lives. Dr Schabort Froneman, technical manager for ruminants at Zoetis, provides some pointers on how to raise healthy calves that can become healthy adult animals.
Murder-accused Mpumalanga farmers granted bail
The four farmers and one farm manager arrested for, among other charges, the alleged murder of two men in Mpumalanga’s Dirkiesdorp area near Piet Retief in the Mkhondo Local Municipality on 9 April, were released on R10 000 bail each by the Piet Retief Magistrate’s Court on 30 April.
Lease-to-buy farmer receives title deed after 20 years
The case of an 80-year-old Limpopo farmer, David Rakgase, who recently received the title deed for the 3 000ha farm he had been leasing from government for at least 20 years, has highlighted the failures in South Africa’s land administration systems.
Dragon fruit: a weapon to fight food insecurity
With hunger and food insecurity a reality for thousands of South African households, any effort to reduce this problem should be welcomed. Retired business owner Frikkie Adams is convinced that dragon fruit is ideal for growing at home, as its high nutritional content can benefit families. He showed Lloyd Phillips his experiments at propagating the plant.
Mpumalanga Agri urges restraint in farm shooting case
Mpumalanga Agriculture has expressed concern about some government leaders and members of the public pre-judging the five accused who have appeared in the Piet Retief Magstrates’ Court in connection with the killing of two men on a farm in the district earlier this month.
Online training gives wings to developing poultry farmers
The COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns in South Africa have profoundly disrupted education and training of all types in the country, and agriculture is no exception. The KwaZulu-Natal Poultry Institute is adapting to the new normal to ensure that aspirant and existing poultry farmers, as well as their employees, continue to receive top-class training in all aspects of poultry production.
Guidelines for livestock exports by sea now open for comment
Interested parties have until 30 April to submit written comments on draft guidelines aimed at enhancing the ethical transportation of livestock from South Africa by sea.
Extension of Land Bank negotiations ‘a cause for concern’
It is concerning that negotiations between the financially embattled Land and Agricultural Development Bank of South Africa (Land Bank), the National Treasury, and the bank’s lenders, have exceeded the 31 March 2021 deadline to develop a mutually acceptable Commitment Agreement for the Land Bank’s operational restructuring and settlement of its substantial debt repayment requirements.
Land Bank debt negotiations nears deadline
If the Land and Agricultural Development Bank of South Africa (Land Bank) and National Treasury cannot reach a mutually acceptable plan with the bank’s creditors on how its approximately R40 billion debt will be restructured and its misfortunes sustainably turned around, the agricultural sector faces an uncertain future.
Calls for urgent investigation after cows ‘starve to death’
Political and agricultural entities are calling for an urgent investigation into how 350 cows at an Eastern Cape dairy farming project were allegedly allowed to starve to death last year.
A model for agricultural extension
Agriculture is rife with complaints that extension services are poor, with this blamed as a key factor in many failed farmer-development initiatives. However, William Gillepsie and Felicity Mitchell, authors of a manual on the training of extension services, are showing how proper skills development is setting emerging farmers on the road to success.
SA agribusiness confidence continues its positive trend
Positive sentiment in South Africa’s agriculture sector continued improving in the first quarter of 2021 (Q1 2021) after Q4 2020’s sentiment was initially deemed the most positive since the second quarter of 2014.
Tobacco companies ‘show true colours’ in illicit trade spat
There is probably truth in all allegations that South Africa’s multinational and smaller tobacco companies have been levelling against each other regarding their supposed involvement in the burgeoning illicit tobacco products trade in both South Africa and other parts of Africa.
Tractor sales still strong, combine harvesters take a dip
New tractor sales continued their strong trajectory nationwide during February, a trend which has been evident since the beginning of the year. However, last month’s combine harvester sales were somewhat below those of February 2020.
SA farmers to be hard-hit by sharp increase in diesel price
With the Brent Crude oil price now trading at more than US$60/barrel (about R901,60/barrel), the South African agriculture sector can expect to bear the brunt of ongoing increases in fuel prices, and the prices of other crude-oil derivatives such as fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides.
Mboweni must cut spending ‘without fear or favour’
With the Minister of Finance Tito Mboweni due to present his 2021/2022 National Budget Speech on Wednesday, 24 February, stakeholders in South Africa’s agriculture sector have expressed their expectations for this year’s budget.
- ADVERTISEMENT -
MUST READS
- ADVERTISEMENT -
- ADVERTISEMENT -
