Crops

The Produce Marketing Association (PMA) recently announced the resignation of Marianne van der Laarse as its Southern Africa representative.

What should you ask yourself when deciding which vegetables to plant? Vegetable expert Bill Kerr explains.

Having already addressed bollworms, this week we discuss the control of aphid, cutworm and leaf miner in lettuce crops.

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. Winemaker Johan Malan spoke to Jeandré du Preez about Simonsig’s heritage.

I’ve heard rumblings from on high that it should be compulsory for bigger farmers to allocate, say, 20% of their produce to a black-owned market agency.

One pest has caused severe damage on almost every lettuce farm at some time or other: the African bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera).

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 and Ryk Pretorius spoke to Gerhard Uys about the advantages of this operating model.

In his Managing for Profit column of 5 February, Peter Hughes tells how leadership expert Fred Kiel found that businesses managed by people of character made returns up to five times higher than businesses whose leaders indulge in questionable behaviour.

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 is one of the reasons for his success. Glenneis Kriel spoke to him about his production methods

The manner in which lettuces are transplanted makes all the difference to the profitability of a crop, as all subsequent practices and expenses up to maturity remain the same.

I recently attended the annual producers and market agents’ information day hosted in Ceres by Korkom.

When planting lettuce, it is very important to ensure that the soil is sufficiently moist to reduce transplant shock.

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 good harvest and inspired the company to continue the crop commercially. Grant Hollins met with Mandy Aukamp in Molteno to learn more about their experience.

The other day, I met with two young people from the subtropical fruit sector. As we settled down around the table, they brought out their smartphones.

The trend nowadays is to feed the soil and not the crop.

The latest South African Table Grape Industry (SATI) crop estimate makes for interesting reading, and reminds me once again of just how complex the fresh produce business can be.

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 causes, effects and treatment.

Lettuce growing has changed much over the past 30 years or so.

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 the export market, surplus ripe figs are transformed into fig-based products for the local market.

Over the past year or so, several new market agencies have opened on some of the bigger markets.