Crops

The GridCON research project and its electric cable powered tractor are part of John Deere’s continued efforts to electrify agricultural machinery, and offers new opportunities for farms to supply their own energy.

The accounts of a business must reflect all transactions, whether physical or cash, that take place during the accounting period. If they don’t, beware, especially if someone assures you the company is profitable!

New technological developments have triggered a demand for more sophisticated machine operators as well as improved training.

The fact that many of us still do not understand the basics of accounting is a harsh indictment of the quality of education we received at school.

It is the role of a skilled financial planner to identify potential financial risks that clients are faced with, and provide tailor-made solutions to mitigate its financial impact on the client. This article proposes an unlikely solution to a common, yet often forgotten, risk: ill-health and non-specific absence from duty, and how the use of a power of attorney may protect businesses in these situations.

Agricultural tyres are essential to food and fibre production, yet their importance is often overlooked. Dilip Vaidya, president and director of technology for off-highway tyre manufacturer BKT Tires, speaks to Lloyd Phillips about global trends in the requirements for agricultural tyres.

Whatever you choose to call it – brinjal, aubergine or eggplant – there is nothing as magical as converting three of these wondrous things into a sesame influenced, za’atar-enhanced, smoky spread.

Global livestock production is increasingly under attack from certain societal groupings who claim that the sector is causing unnecessary environmental harm. Dr Jude Capper, of UK-based Livestock Sustainability Consultancy, explains how livestock farmers can change this perception.

Costs under your control such as yield and product quality are what determine farming success. Don’t waste time on costs you cannot influence or control.

This carrot cake loaf, with its delicious, zesty cream-cheese icing and chopped walnuts, is soft and full of flavours.

Succession planning is a process that occurs over time, which ultimately involves the transfer of the farm business assets. It depends on the needs and wishes of the owner.

Total’s TRACTAGRI HDX 15W-40 high-performance motor oil has been specifically designed for turbocharged and naturally aspirated engines, and can be used in tractors and other agricultural machinery.

Digital technologies and innovations have the potential to revolutionise the world’s food systems. This is why agricultural education and training, particularly in South Africa, needs to be revisited as a matter of urgency, writes Dr Kobus Laubscher, agricultural economist and fellow of the World Academy of Productivity Science.

Over the past 10 years, the fresh produce market value chain was estimated to have generated over R140 billion worth of turnover in the agriculture sector.

Largely failed land reform initiatives are leading to increased tension and uncertainty in the agriculture sector as a whole. Veteran rural development expert Jimmy Lonsdale believes commercial farmers have a key role to play in turning this situation around.

Development in a natural area should maintain the integrity of the environment and never compromise the proper functioning of the ecosystem within the landscape.

New Holland recently received an international award for its concept tractor, which offers huge savings in running costs.

When he called his bakkie an ‘asset’, and took 30 minutes to find an unread set of management accounts, I realised where the root of the problem lay.

A new class of emerging farmer working the land on municipal commonages have similarities to the ‘kulaks’, the highly productive, early 20th century entrepreneurial Russian farmers drawn from the peasantry. Researchers Doreen Atkinson and Mark Ingle explore this phenomenon and its implications for land reform.

This company’s latest development saves time, effort and fuel, and will be welcomed by all farmers who carry out haymaking and silage operations.