Growing apples in the Malutis
Maluti Fruit’s high-risk but focused decisions are paying off for producers, placing the eastern Free State firmly on the apple map.
Better soil with summer cover crops
Swellendam farmer Hoppies Uys has started a new farming trend in the Southern Cape by planting a summer cover crop directly after harvesting a silage crop in August. He talked to Glenneis Kriel about the principles involved and the results thus far.
Combating herbicide resistance
To combat herbicide resistance, farmers worldwide are having to become inventive in their herbicide application. Villa Crop’s Pieter le Roux offers practical solutions to the problem and looks at some do’s and don’ts.
Fruit trends: expect the unexpected
Consumer tastes in fruit are becoming increasingly sophisticated and varied across the world,
and a future trend will be growing demand for new eating experiences and exotic flavours.
Riaan van Wyk, one of the directors of the fruit breeding company, re:inc innovation, spoke to Glenneis Kriel about his views on these trends.
How humus can save the world
Humus is arguably one of the most important contributors to sustainable life on our planet, yet it remains largely unappreciated. Graeme Sait, CEO of Nutri-Tech Solutions in Australia, explains why humus is so important and how we can help to produce it.
Sharon fruit in SA – growing local and export sales
Exotic Sharon fruit was introduced to South Africa in the late 1990s, but it took years to establish in which regions the trees would produce optimally. Over the past five years, the industry has been consolidated and is now taking advantage of new export markets.
A planter for the next level of conservation farming
Southern Cape conservation farmers are continually looking for new ways to improve their operations. The latest technological advance in planters, the Tobin Bullet disc planter, now allows them to move from minimum till to no-till.
Soya bean prices propped up by surplus processing capacity
SA soya bean production has increased markedly over the past couple of years. As drought hits our western production regions, farmers expect to harvest marginally less of the oil seed than last year. Jaco Visser analyses the domestic and world outlook for soya bean production and prices.
Merger allows for investment in precision farming
Local small grain producers must optimise production through precision farming in order to stay competitive in globalised markets. Through a recent merger, the Tweekop farming enterprise in the Southern Cape has done just that. Jacques Claassen visited the farm and reports.
Chinese market remains firm despite crackdown on smuggling
The local macadamia nut industry has been taken aback by a recent crackdown on illegal traders in China procuring nuts for their domestic market....
Counting on Canola in 2015
Canola is no longer a crop that farmers can neglect. It is a valuable cash crop that can achieve high yields, provided that producers make careful cultivar selections and manage the crop correctly. Jacques Claassen reports on what is expected of the 2015 season.
Introducing guar – a resilient, versatile crop
Long grown in India and Pakistan, and more recently in the US, Australia and other parts of Africa, guar is now being introduced to South African crop farmers as a hardy and high-value legume crop for marginal soils.
