Did irrigation wheat beat the heat in 2015?
The ARC-Grain Crops Institute’s recently published 2015 National Irrigation Wheat Cultivar Evaluation trial results suggest a considerable number of cultivars produced profitable yields, despite high temperatures.
Simonsig: SA wine route pioneers
Wine estate Simonsig pioneered Méthode Cap Classique – a traditional style of producing sparkling wines – in South Africa. The method has since been adopted by a number of estates....
Taking control of the apple value chain
Five Mpumalanga apple farmers have pooled their resources to establish their own packhouse, but each producer is independently responsible for producing a quality product in the orchard. Producers Jan Grey...
Increase wine grape profits with successful mechanisation
Izak de Beer may be one of only a few farmers in Olifantsriver in the Western Cape who is making a profit out of wine grapes. Creative use of mechanisation...
Strawberry trial passes with flying colours
Drought in the northern Eastern Cape played havoc with this season’s raspberry crop of the Berrynice Berry Company. Fortunately, a small land of strawberries planted as a trial provided a...
The link between Arrested Ear Syndrome and chemicals
Arrested Ear Syndrome, which causes partial or complete failure of the maize ear, has recently begun to appear in local maize crops. Grant Pringle, agronomist from Pannar Seeds, details possible...
Finding the fig niche
Hanro and Karin Knoetzen produce two varieties of figs on 8ha of their 600ha mixed-crop farm near Porterville in the Western Cape. While most of the crop is bound for...
Table grape farmer shares his netting production secrets
In 2000, farmer Wilfred Stephan became one of the first producers in the Western Cape to grow table grapes under nets, a system that offers a multitude of benefits. He...
Free State apple farmers’ climate-smart management
Pitso Sekhoto and his daughter Nono farm apples near Senekal in the Free State. The Sekhotos spoke to Gerhard Uys about orchard production, climate change and drought.
Dieback: root of the problem
Dying trees in plum orchards, just a few years after planting, recently sparked alarm among Western Cape farmers, especially those in the Berg River region. Prof Piet Stassen, a private...
What’s good for apples, is good for wine
The Ceres Plateau, only recently incorporated into South Africa’s Wine of Origin scheme, is establishing itself as one of the best wine-producing regions in the country. Kallie du Plessis and...
Pride in potatoes
Stephan Fourie, who produces potatoes near Frankfort in the Free State, believes that three pillars support success in farming: an excellent product, sound management and good labour relations.
Precision farming a must for the future – O’Neill
Sugarcane farmer Brad O’Neill won the 2015 Nedbank Eston Show’s Farmer of the Year and Best Milling Cane award in the category 10 000t to 20 000t delivered in the...
Reduce losses with this drought strategy
Fruit farmers in the Ceres Valley will have to manage their water strategically this season, as parts of the region received less than half the annual rainfall. Louis Reynolds of...
The value of nets in citrus and table grape production
The farm Matroozefontein has the most westerly citrus orchards and table grape vineyards in Southern Africa. In this arid area, farming under nets has proved a success.
Integrated systems for optimal results
All the production processes in the Uys family’s mixed farming enterprise, from grazing management to cash crops and cover crop production, occur in rotation to benefit one another as well...
The Karsten Group: International fruit giant
Recently named the Agricultural Writer of SA’s Farmer of the Year for 2015, Piet Karsten has built a farming empire on the Orange River, where some of SA’s top export...
Putting the soil first
Soil quality determines the quality of produce, the volume of water needed to produce it and ultimately the production cost. Restoring degraded soil takes time, but thereafter production costs plummet....
Seeing the drought in context
Viewing the current drought in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal within its historical context allows us to understand it better – and forecast more accurately what is to come. This...
Serious about seed potatoes
CEO of Agrivan Farming in North West, Werner du Plessis, spoke to Gerhard Uys about farming seed potatoes and how his business has remained at the top of its game...
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