Field Crops

Sakkie van Zyl, Agri North West’s 2014 Young Farmer of the Year, is so positive about the economic prospects of SA agriculture that he left the corporate world to join his family’s enterprise near Bloemhof.

By embracing new technology to ensure a greater yield and utilising resources efficiently, South African apple producers can look forward to a bright future.

Olyfberg Olive Estate, one of SA’s original commercial olive producers, is renowned for its award-winning blended extra virgin olive oil. Estate manager Pieter Kruger stresses that this success begins in the orchards.

Argentina is engaged in comprehensive research on no-till – and its crop farmers benefit directly from its results. Lloyd Phillips spoke to a number of no-till farmers operating under various production conditions.

Argentina’s commercial crop-farming sector is a world leader in no-till practices, ensuring that the country can be confident of a sustainable and productive agricultural future.

A KZN husband and wife team are growing and distributing the highly nutritious Moringa tree amongst the poorest of the poor.

Introducing best-farming practices to developing agricultural communities heavily reliant on manual labour or outdated methods, can dramatically increase productivity, sustainability and job opportunities.

Wesselsbron maize farmer Boeboe Louw is the Free State Young Farmer of the Year for 2014. He shares his farming philosophy with Annelie Coleman.

The global sugar industry is often slammed for wasting freshwater resources. In SA, sugar farmers and processors have found practical ways to improve water use efficiency.

Paddy de Vries, national technical advisor for Hygrotech, talks to Nan Smith about basic fertigation techniques for tunnel farming.

Supported by the Swazi government, the EU, Illovo and traditional chiefs, a smallholder sugarcane farming project is alleviating poverty in its area of operation.

American farmer David Hula holds the current world record for maize grain yield. On a recent lecture tour of South Africa’s principal grain farming areas, he shared some of the methods he uses to maximise his yield.