Staff Reporter

Farmers’ organisations have expressed their concern that the 16% increase in the minimum wage for farmworkers, which will come into effect from 1 March 2021 and see the minimum wage of farmworkers increase to R21,69/hour, will result in job losses in the sector.

Africa’s rapidly growing urban food markets offer significant opportunities for the continent’s farmers and agribusinesses. Yet, according to the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa’s ‘Africa Agriculture Status Report 2020’, food can often be imported at lower cost from international suppliers. African farmers will have to become globally competitive if they hope to successfully supply growing domestic markets.

A comprehensive and all-inclusive budget is critical to the success of any production operation, according to Anche Suurd, an agricultural economist at NWK. Without this basic financial tool, it is extremely difficult to obtain a clear idea of the actual performance of the business, or sustainably create and build wealth.

The Case IH Axial-Flow 4088 proved its suitability to tough African farming conditions, and specifically to the needs of emerging field crop farmers, during extensive field tests conducted recently on a variety of crops in Kenya. The machine’s rugged simplicity also won it praise.

Unreliable power supply by Eskom presents a considerable threat to farming businesses. Fortunately, producers have a number of options available to mitigate the impact of both scheduled and unscheduled outages.

Cover crop residue leaches allelochemicals, which help control weeds. But to achieve good, prolonged results, you will still need to implement effective weed control.

Since diversifying into accommodation and fine dining in 1991, Free State Merino farm De Oude Kraal has become a landmark. Brian Berkman recently visited it and soon understood why it has gained its excellent reputation.

Dominique Marchand says her recipe for tiramisu was inspired by Table Mountain. This tiramisu needs only a few ingredients, requires no baking and can be made in a jiffy!

Nature is essential for human existence, providing and sustaining the air, freshwater and soils on which we all depend. It also regulates the climate, and provides pollination and pest control. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature’s (WWF) ‘Living Planet Report 2020’, while more food and energy than ever before are supplied, overexploitation of plants and animals is increasingly eroding nature’s ability to provide these in the future.

The common cutworm is a prominent maize pest in South Africa. Professors Johnnie van den Berg and Hannalene du Plessis, researchers at North-West University’s Integrated Pest Management Research Group, provide some useful tips on identifying and controlling this pest.

Farmer’s Weekly celebrates its 110th anniversary this year and this is your chance to get involved and be featured in the collectors’ commemorative edition.

The following document sets out the terms and conditions for those interested in becoming a strategic partner of Milk Afric, a start-up enterprise in Lobatse, Botswana.

In a major step towards achieving complete autonomous driving for agricultural machinery, Valtra has joined forces with a telecommunications company to develop technology that enables tractors to be controlled remotely on the 5G network.

This long-legged breed has a smooth, white hair coat with a black or red head.

The following guidelines and recommendations for cattle breeding seasons are applicable to a summer rainfall region and should be adapted accordingly for a winter rainfall region.

The latest edition of the ‘State of food security and nutrition in the world’ has found that the number of people affected by hunger globally has been slowly on the rise since 2014. The report, published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, estimates that almost 690 million people went hungry in 2019, an increase of almost 10% over the past five years. The high costs and low affordability of healthy and nutritious diets also continue to contribute to the malnutrition of billions of people.

Tongaat Hulett’s ailing fortunes in recent years appear to be on a trajectory of recovery, judging by its recently released interim financial results for the first half-year ended 30 September 2020 (H1 2020).

Wheat is an important grain crop in South Africa, ranking second after maize in terms of area planted and production. This article explores the structure and growth of the wheat plant.

Sharing their report on the latest iteration of the Expropriation Bill (B23-2020), Free State Agriculture (FSA) held a media conference on 11 December, highlighting their concerns should the Bill succeed in Parliament.

Earthworms play a crucial role in improving soil quality, and every farmer should try to maintain a healthy population of these remarkable creatures.