Staff Reporter
Poultry litter to biogas: adding more value to farm waste
The benefits of using chicken litter as fertiliser are well known. As the poultry industry grows, however, other uses for it must be found. Dr Idan Chiyanzu and Primrose Magama of the Agricultural Research Council’s Institute for Agricultural Engineering explain how energy can be generated from litter.
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Russian wheat aphid: sustainable solutions to fight resistance
Russian wheat aphid is showing increased cultivar and pesticide resistance, according to entomologist Dr Astrid Jankielsohn of the Agricultural Research Council. She has identified a new biotype, bringing to five the number seen in South Africa.
The importance of having a breeding season
Optimal reproductive performance is crucial to the success of a beef cattle enterprise. A defined breeding season can help to achieve this.
Unlocking Africa’s agribusiness potential with platform thinking
Ecosystem and platform thinking are the latest trends coming out of international research This kind of thinking could help unlock Africa’s smallholder and agribusiness potential.
Breeding a resistant and resilient Sussex stud herd
John Viedge of the Lehana’s Pass Sussex Stud has been breeding cattle that survive in some of the harshest redwater disease areas in South Africa. Wayne Southwood spoke to him about how he manages animal health, breeding and selection in his resilient Sussex stud.
Connect all your farm equipment with a single device!
The company FieldMicro has released a digital connectivity device that can be used to control a wide range of connected infrastructure, such as farm gates, irrigation equipment and machinery.
SA must take a ‘bold step’ towards fiscal sustainability
The re-evaluation of government spending, although much needed, will not be enough to address South Africa’s immense economic challenges. There also needs to be stronger political will and leadership to address poor implementation, writes Dr John Purchase, CEO of the Agricultural Business Chamber.
Cutting the waste from the agriculture department’s budget
Tshepo Moloi and Prof Johann Kirsten of the Bureau for Economic Research at Stellenbosch University suggest that a zero-based budgeting approach could offer an opportunity to reassess the role of the state in rural development.
Why SA needs commercial and smallholder farmers
While growth and development initiatives have tended to focus on growing the commercial farming sector, a new school of thought argues for the coexistence of smallholder and commercial farmers to achieve household-level food security in South Africa, writes Dr Sifiso Ntombela, chief economist at the National Agricultural Marketing Council.
The basics of the Bapedi breed
These fat-tailed sheep, which are smaller than average, are kept for meat. They appear in various combinations of white, brown, red and black.
Episode 16: The value of cotton
Cotton is a unique crop as it is the only agricultural commodity that provides fibre and food for human and animal consumption.
How Beefmaster Group helps cattle farmers
In these times of uncertainty, cattle farmers can rely on the Beefmaster Group to help them overcome short-term challenges and access markets, says Roelie van Reenen, supply chain executive at the group. Beefmaster Group helps emerging and commercial cattle farmers that farm various breeds of cattle.
Higher temperatures increase risk of apple scab infection
The dramatic increase in South Africa’s average winter temperature over the past 40 years has altered the susceptibility of apples to fungal disease, with fungi showing a much faster adaptation rate to changing temperatures than apples, writes Dr Julia Meitz-Hopkins, a researcher in the Department of Plant Pathology at Stellenbosch University.
Growing Chinese cabbage
While deemed a ‘weed’ in countries such as Kenya and Zimbabwe, Chinese cabbage is a popular vegetable on local markets.
Standard Bank leverages specialised knowledge to assist local agribusinesses
COVID-19 has caused many disruptions to the agriculture sector, despite the sector being declared an essential service. It is because of events like these that Standard Bank employs a team of agricultural experts to better meet the needs of its agribusiness clients.
Episode 15: The economy and agricultural financing
The South African economy was already in trouble before the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic struck, and the situation didn’t improve much from there.
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The Case IH JXE-Series: A tractor for every application
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Biosecurity measures on an animal farm
With the increasing spread of infectious diseases, biosecurity needs to be taken seriously on every livestock farm.
The good farmers do
South African farmers are often reliant on the communities in which they operate as a source of labour, and their fate is intertwined with these communities.
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