Veggies boost the bottom line
By including vegetables in their diversified farming business the Mongs have been able to make better use of machinery and labour already at their disposal, thus lowering the fixed input cost for each division. Denene Erasmus reports.
Wheat farming in the Western Cape
Pierre Heydenrych, a fourth generation wheat farmer in the Western Cape, talks about the difficulties of the weather and the low wheat price.
Putting worms to good use
Moving from pigs to earthworms is not a typical business move – but that’s what Umhlali farmer Barry Milstead did. It’s part of his efforts to farm his subtropical orchards more in tune with nature. Robyn Joubert reports.
Protecting the soil
Hopefield entrepreneur, Francois Turner, hasn’t ploughed his potato lands since 2007. He explained to Keri Harvey how the no-till method of farming potatoes works and why he believes it’s the way forward for potato farmers.
Small-scale farming booms in Kenya
Seed research, a special training model and financial support are helping to transform small-scale farming in Kenya, improving both yields and returns. Bob Koigi reports.
Karoo small-scale wine producer excels
Garagiste winemaking is growing in popularity in South Africa. Denene Erasmus visited Herman and Susan Perold on their award-winning 1ha wine estate in the Great Karoo to find out more about this movement and the advantages of small-scale winemaking.
Running a tight ship
Diversifying from sugar cane into macadamias and tunnel tomatoes demanded careful monitoring of data and water quality by Stuart Borchers in order to generate a valuable weekly income. Robyn Joubert spoke to him.
West Coast’s natural veggies
Werner Brand is growing vegetables successfully, using organic methods, on the arid, windy West Coast – an almost unheard-of achievement. Keri Harvey visited him to find out how he does it.
Putting old ideas to pasture
How we can use grasses as an intercrop to improve water-use efficiency and yield stability in semi-arid conditions. Rohan Orford reports.
Sweet success: from miner to jam maker
In the deeply rural area of OR Tambo District Municipality in the Eastern Cape, a fruit tree project is changing lives. Jaco Visser visited a farmer who is benefiting.
Up your game for higher kiwi fruit yields
South African kiwi fruit growers can lift yields by following best management practices, as well as by exploring new high-yielding gold varieties. Robyn Joubert reports.
World-class maize seed
How does maize seed breeding in South Africa work? Annelie Coleman visited Pannar’s research facility in Klerksdorp and spoke to seed breeders Dr Willie Venter and Chris van Zyl to find out more.
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