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.
‘Sin tax’ for sugar will cause job losses – SASA
The health promotion levy (HPL) on the sugar content of sweetened beverages will be announced by Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba in his budget speech for the 2018/2019 financial year.
KZN urban farming project aims to combat crime
Stakeholders in an urban agricultural development in KwaZulu-Natal’s Pinetown area are hoping to reduce local crime by converting an overgrown green belt into productive farmland.
Technology to turn you into a truly smart farmer
Production data is invaluable for enhancing farm management and improving profitability. However, collecting and analysing this information efficiently can be daunting. Western Cape farmer Wolfgang von Loeper explains why this need not be the case.
Potato farming: Award-winning farmer, Zama Buthelezi, shows us how
Zama Buthelezi from KwaZulu-Natal, began her farming career in 2011. Her business, She Creative House, leases the 116 ha Glentworth Farm on which Zama grows a variety of vegetables, sugar cane, and is in the process of developing fruit orchards.
Agri SA condemns ‘false reporting’ in farmworker shooting case
Tensions are reportedly running high in the Tarlton area in Gauteng, following the shooting of a farmworker on Saturday. The 43-year-old victim, whose identity has not yet been made public, had allegedly taken a tractor without the permission of the owner.
Delving into the mysteries of Kaltbach’s subterranean cheeses
Switzerland has long been famed for what some describe as ‘stinky and holey’ cheeses. However, as Lloyd Phillips discovered, there is much more to Swiss cheeses. Some, for
example, are produced and matured under highly unconventional circumstances.
Land expropriation without compensation – ‘economic suicide’
The ANC’s resolution to amend Section 25 of the Constitution to allow for land expropriation without compensation, taken in December, will lead to “economic suicide” for the country.
Coordinated effort needed to speed up land reform
Government should put aside its concerns that speeding up land reform might deter potential and existing investors. Prioritising land reform, albeit in an “orderly manner”, was necessary to address imbalances in the country’s land ownership.
Commercial GM crops: 20 years of success
In the two decades since their introduction, commercially produced genetically modified (GM)crops have revolutionised global agriculture. Love them or hate them, they are here to stay. Dr Hennie Groenewald, executive manager of Biosafety South Africa, provides an overview of the past, present and future of GM crops.
African agribusinesses seek stable investment environments
While many African agribusinesses are keen to expand their operations into other countries on the continent, they reportedly remain wary of doing so.
2020 & beyond: a vision for the SA beef industry
If South Africa’s beef industry wants to become a serious competitor on the world stage, it must replace exports of ‘cheap meat’ with higher-value cuts, says livestock genetics consultant, Dr Michael Bradfield. He spoke to Lloyd Phillips about the way forward for the industry.
#WorldSoilDay: Soil conservation is everyone’s responsibility
It is the daily responsibility of every South African farmer and resident to conserve the country’s precious soil resources.
EU approves glyphosate use for only five years
European Union farmers have expressed disappointment at a recent final decision by the European Commission to allow the use of glyphosate-based herbicides there for only a further five years.
EU glyphosate vote moved to November
The European Commission has issued a statement saying it would vote on 9 November 2017 on a proposal to renew approval for glyphosate use, at the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed.
SA scientist’s maize weevil control breakthrough
Protecting stored grain from insect pests is essential for Africa’s future food security. University of KwaZulu-Natal doctoral candidate, Mohamed Saeed, describes his successful tests with a widely known fungus to
help achieve this.
Fuel price increases hitting farmers hard
The price rise of inland diesel – from R11,42/ℓ to R12,12/ℓ since the beginning of 2017 – has had a cumulative effect on production input costs that has affected the profitability and sustainability of most SA farmers.
SA company aims to improve Mozambican chicken production
A 50/50 partnership between South Africa’s Philafrica Foods and Mozambique’s Novos Horizontes was aiming to improve chicken production and supply within the borders of Mozambique.
Biorefining: a value-adding opportunity for SA agriculture
Science is increasingly finding ways to convert what was historically considered waste from agriculture, into beneficial products from renewable resources. Prof Annegret Stark outlines the opportunity that biorefining biomass presents for South Africa’s agricultural value chain, creating what she calls a ‘circular economy’ in which waste is continuously recycled.
2017 tractor sales could surpass 6 000 units
Despite the softening of South Africa’s agricultural machinery sales last month, national tractor sales for 2017 could top the 5 855 units of 2016, and even exceed 6 000 units, according to a statement by the South African Agricultural Machinery Association (SAAMA).
Cattle painkiller found toxic to vultures
Conservationists are urging SA farmers not to feed the carcasses of cattle and other animals containing traces of the painkiller, carprofen to vultures…
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