Crops

Consumer tastes in fruit are becoming increasingly sophisticated and varied across the world, and a future trend will be growing demand for new eating experiences and exotic flavours. Riaan van Wyk, one of the directors of the fruit breeding company, re:inc innovation, spoke to Glenneis Kriel about his views on these trends.

I recently made my third visit to the relatively new Mooketsi Regional Market north-east of Polokwane in Limpopo, and came away almost in awe.

Humus is arguably one of the most important contributors to sustainable life on our planet, yet it remains largely unappreciated. Graeme Sait, CEO of Nutri-Tech Solutions in Australia, explains why humus is so important and how we can help to produce it.

Exotic Sharon fruit was introduced to South Africa in the late 1990s, but it took years to establish in which regions the trees would produce optimally. Over the past five years, the industry has been consolidated and is now taking advantage of new export markets.

I often chuckle inwardly when I’m on a market floor listening to a negotiation between the salesperson and a buyer. The exchange frequently differs dramatically from what I teach about customer relations.

Bacterial diseases are a menace to all crops, because unlike the case with fungal diseases, we have few means of controlling them.

Given the high cost of labour, using chemicals is the only realistic option for weed control in most crops.

Southern Cape conservation farmers are continually looking for new ways to improve their operations. The latest technological advance in planters, the Tobin Bullet disc planter, now allows them to move from minimum till to no-till.

In the Farmer’s Weekly of 17 April 2015 there is an article on the new complaint process envisaged for consumers of agricultural products.

Harvesting is one of the big expenses in bean production and consequently needs to be done efficiently.

The relationship between producer and market agent remains at the core of a fresh produce market.

SA soya bean production has increased markedly over the past couple of years. As drought hits our western production regions, farmers expect to harvest marginally less of the oil seed than last year. Jaco Visser analyses the domestic and world outlook for soya bean production and prices.

Local small grain producers must optimise production through precision farming in order to stay competitive in globalised markets. Through a recent merger, the Tweekop farming enterprise in the Southern Cape has done just that. Jacques Claassen visited the farm and reports.

The local macadamia nut industry has been taken aback by a recent crackdown on illegal traders in China procuring nuts for their domestic market....

Although beans are generally a quick and easy crop to grow, problems can occur before the plant emerges.

Recently, I wrote about the eight marketing options available to a fresh produce farmer and the need for these to give value for money.

Canola is no longer a crop that farmers can neglect. It is a valuable cash crop that can achieve high yields, provided that producers make careful cultivar selections and manage the crop correctly. Jacques Claassen reports on what is expected of the 2015 season.

Beans are a quick, easy crop – provided all the precautions are taken.

A few years ago, there was a flurry of interest from Namibia, Mozambique and Botswana, among others, to establish fresh produce markets.

Green bean farming in South Africa has changed considerably over the past twenty years or so. Not long ago, beans were planted and weeded by hand.