Intelligence & observation
How to progress in your farming operation and increase your wealth, especially when it comes to biological farming.
Empowering the veld!
Improve productivity all round, especially in mixed farming regions, by looking after your veld.
The dangers of overgrazing
Ignore basic grass management principles and you’ll destroy the grazing potential of your veld for seasons to come.
Veld can produce high quality forage
We all experience defining moments from time to time that change the way we think. I recently had such a moment. It radically changed my perception of the value of...
Keeping the mines out and the Marico’s water pure
The struggle to save one of South Africa’s last untouched free-flowing rivers from the clutches of mining companies has seen commercial and communal farmers standing shoulder-to-shoulder. Jaco Visser visited the...
Sheep farmers, get wise!
Add value to your lambs with quality forage – and increase profits by finishing them to market.
What you get , what you pay for
Biological farming will help you prosper, but you also need to change your attitude when it comes to acquiring the necessary knowledge.
Getting transplants ready for planting
If your transplanted seedlings don’t perform according to expectations, the tendency is to blame the condition of the plants. The nursery is then accused of providing old or ‘root bound’...
Escaping the nitrogen trap
Want to cut down on a major input cost? Don’t be held hostage by the fertiliser companies; produce your own nitrogen.
Don’t forget silicon!
Silicon, in the form of silica, is a mineral that plays an important role in plant health and production. There’s a way of applying it without buying it.
Boron’s big job
Not for nothing has boron been described as the pump that pushes that all-important calcium up in the plant. Yet farmers rarely apply it, and their forage suffers the consequences.
Two minerals you can’t do without
Forage quality depends on the soil having the right mineral balance, and getting this right starts with calcium and magnesium.
Lime according to soil tank size
To correctly balance lime and other soil minerals, follow the prescripts of Professor William Albrecht.
Why it’s time to change to sericea
The stage is set for sericea lespedeza to transform forage production in the crop growing regions of South Africa. In fact, the transformation is already under way and proving to...
Transforming useless soil
If you have land on your farm with a near-zero production history, you need sericea - but it has to be the right cultivar, writes John Fair.
Winning with sericea
The issues preventing more widespread acceptance of sericea among farmers have been solved - so get planting.
Big Hopes for Biserrula
Extremely drought-tolerant, this amazing legume might be a great way of growing your own nitrogen in areas where dryland winter wheat can grow, saving you money in the process, writes...
Ploughing virgin land What the law says & why
Strict laws governing the cultivation of virgin soil have angered many farmers. But that’s because there’ve been few explanations of why these laws are necessary. Odette Curtis, project manager of...
Measuring soil Nitrogen status
Farmers can cut nitrogen costs if they know how much nitrogen their soil already has, and how much it still needs to maximise yields. This week, John Fair discusses how...
The Waainek Wildflower Reserve
This reserve, established by Philip Erasmus on the Bosberg, is an excellent example of a private initiative in biodiversity conservation, writes Cameron McMaster.
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