Crops

Many of the techniques described for cabbage and cauliflower apply to broccoli.

Grain farmer David Maleleka ascribes his success to hard work, perseverance and mentorship. He was chosen as a beneficiary of the Omnia New Business Development project because of his proven record as a grain producer and his commitment as a farmer.

In the 1940s, there were about 135 fresh produce markets scattered around South Africa. Almost every dorp had a market.

The sugarcane industry contributes 11% to agri-employment, and creates around 79 000 direct jobs. The crop is resilient, with the ability to bounce back despite tough growing conditions.

Growing cauliflower is very similar to growing cabbage. Nevertheless, there are some important points that need to be considered to ensure successful production of cauliflower.

Grain SA recently hosted a conservation agriculture promotion day for smallholder farmers growing crops on communal lands in parts of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape. A number of knowledgeable speakers shared their tips with the farmers and spoke about why they too should join the CA implementation movement – and how.

Farmers around the world use some form of co-operative marketing to sell their fresh fruit and vegetables.

Award-winning table grape farmer, Pieter Joubert from De Doorns, says that attention to production detail and a professional and dedicated workforce are equally important in successful grape farming.

As if a cabbage farmer does not have enough to contend with, a destructive new disease is currently doing the rounds.

A senior manager at a large market said to me the other day that market managers (MMs) “need to get out of their fancy offices and on to the market floor – that’s the only way they can get a real feel for what a market is all about”.

Reliability, performance and tradition in one unique lamp.

Willem Kilian and Ernest Dube of the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) Small Grain Institute in Bethlehem, and Henzel Saul of the institute’s branch in Stellenbosch, report on trials conducted on two new wheat cultivars for the winter rainfall region.

A pathological condition in plants is caused by disease, whereas a physiological condition is caused by non-living (abiotic) factors such as physical injury, frost, water stress or something similar.

Some pundits maintain that our fresh produce markets are over-regulated. I confess that I cannot make up my mind on the issue.

It is very important to recognise and correct mineral deficiencies as soon as the first signs appear. Any delay is likely to have a profound influence on yield.

Dissie Kruger established his wheat, maize and soya bean farm on undeveloped land among the barren hills around Orania in the Northern Cape – and created an economically sustainable model farm.

Act 12 of 1992, which regulates market agents, places strong emphasis on what a market agent may and may not do with a producer’s money.

The Lower Orange River, the country’s second-largest table grape-producing region, is known for its extreme summer temperatures during the peak harvesting season. Farmers have to plan carefully to optimise water usage without wasting this resource. Jaco Visser spoke to table grape and raisin producer Stefaans Zaaiman.

White blister (Albugo candida) is also sometimes referred to as white rust.

The ARC-Grain Crops Institute recently published its 2013/2014 National Maize Cultivar Trials results. Farmer’s Weekly presents the results for the best-yielding hybrids in South Africa’s eastern maize production region.