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.
‘Never give up on your farming dreams’ – SA’s top dairy producer
Over almost three decades, Foundation Farm in KwaZulu-Natal has evolved from a small dairy operation to winner of the Agricultural Research Council’s 2019 Master Dairyman of the Year. The farm’s founders, Alan and Frances Webster, hope that their success story will motivate aspiring and existing farmers to persevere with their agricultural vision.
Good news for landowners defending ‘vexatious’ land claims
South African landowners who previously had to personally foot the bill for legal fees to successfully defend themselves against vexatious or frivolous land claims, will now have the option to request a court to award costs orders against the state or its legal representatives.
Biltong hunting resumes, but industry fears further losses
While government approval for subsistence, or biltong, hunting, during Level 3 of the national lockdown has been widely welcomed, South Africa’s wildlife ranching industry continues to struggle financially due to the wider impact of the global coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
NSPCA achieves temporary halt to livestock exports
The Grahamstown High Court recently approved an urgent interim interdict to temporarily ban livestock exports by sea from South Africa until at least 16 July.
Approval of PepsiCo’s acquisition of Pioneer Foods explained
The Competition Tribunal (CompTrib) recently published a comprehensive report detailing why it had approved PepsiCo’s approximately US$1,7 billion (about R28 billion) acquisition of Pioneer Foods.
Toilet paper saves timber industry amid print media closures
South Africa’s graphic paper value chain has expressed uncertainty about the future, as well as local demand as the economy gradually reopens from the hard lockdown to contain the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
Free State farmer shares lessons on ultra-high-density grazing
There are a number of tools that can contribute to successful sustainable agriculture, provided farmers use them strategically. Danie Slabbert, one such South African farmer, explains how he is using ultra-high-density grazing to help ensure that he and future users of the land all benefit.
Black tobacco farmers left without income by ongoing ban
Initiatives to develop and grow South Africa’s black tobacco farmers may come to naught, due to government’s ongoing ban on the manufacture and retail of tobacco products.
Tiger Brands prepares for ‘extraordinary business landscape’
After experiencing some significant financial knocks during its first half-year ended 31 March 2020 (H1 2020), Tiger Brands is reportedly undergoing major strategic changes to keep the company viable in a very difficult future trading environment.
Avocado export estimate down 13% due to COVID-19
Despite having taken an initial knock in demand on international and local markets as a result of global trade and movement restriction to contain the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, South Africa’s avocado growers are now seeing a steady, positive turnaround.
Game farmers ‘losing out on billions’ due to lockdown
South Africa’s private wildlife ranching value chain, worth well over R15 billion annually before the national lockdown to contain the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic brought it almost to a standstill, is now on the brink of collapse.
Tongaat Hulett and Barloworld at impasse over acquisition
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in yet another upheaval in South Africa’s agricultural value chain.
More than 1 500 complaints filed of food price gouging
Entities responsible for protecting South African consumers from unscrupulous practices are sorting through an unprecedented number of public complaints related to alleged excessive pricing of food products by retailers during the national lockdown to contain the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
Cash-strapped KZN farmers open their hearts to less fortunate
Numerous KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) farmers have been directly or indirectly involved in donating food and other resources to increasingly poverty-stricken residents in their local communities.
Sugar cane farmer’s five steps to bring his soil back to life
The negative effects of more than 170 years of monocropping with sugar cane in South Africa are starting to appear. KwaZulu-Natal sugar cane farmer Deon Schröder explains what these are, why they should be changed, and how he is going about this on his farm.
Large-scale composting turns waste into healthy soil
Over the years, composting guru Redge Jelliman has produced thousands of tons of compost as organic fertiliser for his crop farming enterprise in the Free State. Now semi-retired from farming, and a soil health consultant, he shared his experiences with Lloyd Phillips.
Reports of food price gouging during lockdown on the rise
The sellers of foodstuffs, who exploit South Africans currently under lockdown restrictions by unjustifiably hiking prices of high-demand staples, will face serious consequences, such as hefty fines and imprisonment.
Big names in agri value chain contribute to COVID-19 fight
Agricultural companies and entities in South Africa and other parts of the world are repurposing parts of their operations to manufacture products to bolster the fight against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
African states urged not to restrict cross-border food trade
The widespread negative socio-economic impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic globally is likely to include a 2,6% to 7% contraction in sub-Saharan Africa’s agricultural production.
African armyworm outbreak pose threat to KZN cattle farmers
If it spreads further afield, the African armyworm [Spodoptera exempta (Walker)] outbreak in KwaZulu-Natal’s (KZN) Nkandla and Msinga areas could be the final nail in the coffin for many livestock farmers in the province.
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