South African avocado production: a success story

Avocado production in South Africa has expanded markedly since the industry’s humble beginnings over 80 years ago. From a small grove planted in 1938 in what was then Nelspruit, the...

What growers gain by having a seedling germination room

A germination chamber set at about 25°C leads to a high germination percentage and shortens the time span before seedlings are placed out in the nursery, saving the grower money.

New farmers’ seedling pitfalls

Inexperienced farmers may be tempted to grow seedlings from seed themselves, but they have much to gain by trusting a seedling grower at a nursery to perform this task for...

Use the correct growing medium for safe seedling production

Instead of buying expensive growing mediums for seedlings, farmers can make their own mixtures from local resources, such as manure, which are economical and produce excellent results.

Canola: a growing force in South Africa’s agricultural landscape

Zander Spammer, an agricultural resource manager at Southern Oil, spoke to Zunel van Eeden about the growth of the canola industry in South Africa and the main uses for this...

Cherry production in Gauteng: challenging, but possible

Growing cherries in a suboptimal climate requires manipulating trees and temperatures. But with a considerable market advantage, it is worth the effort. Lindi Botha visited ZZ2’s Toscana farm, which for...

Learn to solve your own crop problems

So-called experts often tell farmers what the problems are with their crops without being sure and just hoping for the best when suggesting solutions. Rather use your own experience to...

Optimal macadamia production requires an investment in soil

Macadamia farming is a long-term investment that could keep paying off for decades to come if a solid foundation has been laid. Farmer Johan Swanepoel spoke to Lindi Botha about...

Increasing the nutrient use efficiency of potatoes

In today’s agricultural playing field, the focus is being directed at sustainably producing crops for a growing world population. Concepts like ensuring food security, soil quality and fertility, nutritional value...

The pitfalls of gambling with vegetables on the market

The decision of what to plant should be based on average market prices in the long term, which enables vegetable growers to calculate what the market price fluctuations will be,...

Blueberry production: a steep learning curve but worth the effort

Blueberries have been identified as an ideal crop for boosting agriculture’s contribution to South Africa’s gross domestic product. Given the labour-intensive nature of this crop and its lucrative export market,...

How quality and marketing drive success for small farms

It is one thing to have a good product, but we need to bring its outstanding features to the attention of the purchaser, writes Bill Kerr.

Why a dairy farm turned to producing pineapples

In 2019, dairy farmer Jonathan Willows and his business partner, Laine Collett, launched a pineapple operation on a dairy farm in the Eastern Cape. They spoke to Mike Burgess about...

From the corporate world to macadamia cultivation

With the support of his wife, Andrew Doré has changed his approach to macadamia farming by adopting organic practices. He spoke to Sinenhlanhla Mncwango about his farming experience, challenges, and...

Optimising stone fruit production with biological control

Featuring an array of delicious fruit from peaches to cherries, stone fruit is attractive to a variety of bugs that can be effectively controlled with integrated pest management, writes Zunel...

Sorghum: boosting rural economies and enhancing soil health

Sorghum can transform rural economies by boosting food security, supporting local processing, and enhancing soil health. Nate Blum, CEO of Sorghum United, spoke to Octavia Avesca Spandiel about the potential...

How to build up humus in your vegetable crop

The importance of building up humus in vegetable fields cannot be overstated. Without achieving this, the soil will not become self-sustainable, writes Bill Kerr.

Bacterial diseases in beans are your crop’s biggest threat

Bill Kerr says he can’t overemphasise the importance of making sure that the bean seed you purchase is disease free.

Ways in which soil microbes and plants interact

A very important part of the success of this project is an understanding of the soil food web, in other words, how organisms that live in the soil interact with...

Pomegranates: easy to grow in the right climate

As unfussy as they come, pomegranates are a relatively easy crop to cultivate. With market conditions picking up, the fruit offers first-time, part-time and long-time farmers an attractive option should...

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