Sabrina Dean
Multimedia journalist active in print, radio and online platforms.
5 200 weaner calf net R54 million in video sale
What is being described as possibly the largest ever weaner calf sale in the country, has highlighted how a digital sales platform can be used to trade large numbers of cattle quickly and easily.
Low CPI reflects sluggish economy – economist
Consumer price inflation increased slightly from November to December 2019, but still remained at its lowest level in nearly a decade, and was expected to remain low throughout 2020.
Court case to lift ban on auctions to be heard on Tuesday
A court application filed by two auction companies, a co-operative, a commercial farmer and a group of 50 emerging farmers to lift the national ban on auctions will be heard in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on 14 January.
Breeding a million-dollar bird
Pigeon breeding and racing remains a popular pursuit, with some fanciers aiming for the ultimate goal of turning their hobby into a career. Sabrina Dean visited brothers Daniel and Justin King of Kingslea Lofts in Bloemfontein to find out more about the demands, and thrills, of the sport.
Costs mount as FMD infections spread across Limpopo
The ban on livestock auctions due to the recent foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak in Limpopo is resulting in mounting costs, with BKB confirming it had suffered a R350 million drop in turnover during November and December.
Cold-pressed sunflower oil: a hot new product
Vergezocht Plant Oils is the first factory in Africa to produce cold-pressed, high-oleic sunflower oil. Sabrina Dean visited the plant in Bloemfontein in the Free State to find out more about Vergezocht’s business plan, which is built around using a niche sunflower cultivar to produce a high-demand product in a world moving towards healthier lifestyles.
Foot-and-mouth disease now confirmed in 10 locations
Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) cases have now been confirmed in 10 locations in Limpopo. This was according to the latest report on the outbreak issued by the Directorate of Animal Health at the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development.
Intensive lambing system produces better weaning percentages
Theron Swanepoel of AM Swanepoel Boerdery near Smithfield in the Free State began converting his extensive lambing operation into an intensive system more than a decade ago. At the Free State National Wool Growers’ Association Congress, Swanepoel explained why the system works so efficiently.
Foot-and-mouth disease spreads to four feedlots in Limpopo
In an attempt to curb the spread of the latest foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak, the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (agriculture department) has called on role players in Limpopo, North West, Gauteng and Mpumalanga to adhere to safety protocols.
SA’s top sheep and cattle farmers announced
All problems can be solved as long as you have access to good feed. This was according to Cobus and Magdel van Coller, the husband-and-wife team who won the Sheep Farmer of the Year award at the recent Best of the Best Sheep and Cattle Farmer of the Year Awards in Bloemfontein.
Diarrhoea in lambs: prevention and treatment
Thousands of lambs and calves have died in South Africa and Botswana in recent years due to a virulent, fast-spreading Cryptosporidium and Escherichia coli disease complex. Veterinarian Dr Liezel Wasserman, who has been investigating the problem, spoke to Sabrina Dean.
Tuli stud cattle flourish in Karoo small-stock environment
Tuli breeder Ben Raath believes his indigenous cattle hold their own against top feedlot breeds in terms of profitability on a weight per hectare basis. Sabrina Dean visited his farm near Britstown to learn about the commercial potential of the cattle, particularly with worsening climate change.
New foot-and-mouth disease case confirmed in Limpopo
A case of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) has been confirmed in a herd of cattle on a farm in the Molemole district of Limpopo.
Feeding cattle during and after a drought
During a cattle information day hosted by the Berg Farmers’ Association in Barkly West, Johan Mouton, manager of research and development for ruminants at RCL Foods, shared some advice on how to manage feeding for livestock after a drought.
Concerns raised over state of SA’s wheat crop
Weather-related challenges are expected to negatively impact the prospects for South Africa’s wheat harvest, with some dryland producers in the Free State expressing concern that they will not harvest even 1t/ha.
The future of Boer goats in South Africa
Boer goat stud breeders from across the country were in Bloemfontein at the start of May to participate in the annual Boerbok, Kalahari Red and Savanna World Show. Sabrina Dean spoke to Boer goat breeders Kobus Lötter, Andries Vollgraaff, Casper Byleveld and Lukas Burger about the current state of the Boer goat industry, and what the future holds for it.
Potato farmer’s virgin soil strategy to reduce disease risk
Potato production is a high-risk, high-reward industry. Farming seed potatoes is even more so. Sabrina Dean visited Gerhard Bruwer of Genade Boerdery in the Northern Cape to find out more about this component of the family farming operation.
Meatmasters: bred for tough conditions and good meat
Jean du Plessis refers to himself as a ‘bush breeder’, someone who selects with the eye and farms in harmony with his natural environment. Sabrina Dean visited him in the arid Northern Cape to find out more about his extensive Meatmaster sheep farming operation.
Below-normal summer rain predicted as dam levels decrease
Although water supply scenarios for much of the country are currently deemed comfortable, forecasts of a chance of below-normal rainfall for early summer do not bode well for parts of the Eastern Cape and Limpopo where rivers are reportedly drying up.
Thabethe did not want investigators to meet Estina alone
Former HOD of the Free State department of agriculture Peter Thabethe was questioned by Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo on Friday about why he was not willing to give permission for National Treasury investigators to meet with Estina role players.
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