Conservation agriculture

Farmer’s Weekly brings you the latest conservation news and updates from South Africa and the rest of world.

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’ seedlings.

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 be a great success, writes John Fair.

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 John Fair.

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