Fine fruit: the heart of top olive oil
Olyfberg Olive Estate, one of SA’s original commercial olive producers, is renowned for its award-winning blended extra virgin olive oil. Estate manager Pieter Kruger stresses that this success begins in the orchards.
Raising capsicum seedlings
Capsicum seedlings need to be treated differently from other kinds of seedling.
Grassroots no-till in Argentina
Argentina is engaged in comprehensive research on no-till – and its crop farmers benefit directly from its results. Lloyd Phillips spoke to a number of no-till farmers operating under various production conditions.
Fresh produce news
I never cease to be amazed at the versatility of fresh fruit and vegetables, and this week I want to move away from the market floor for a moment and share some news snippets I’ve come across recently.
Producing capsicum seedlings in soil beds
The usual way to grow chillies and peppers is to plant the seed in cavity seed trays with a good growing medium.
Prices continue upwards
High(er) prices might sound like good news for farmers, but it certainly won’t be for beleaguered consumers (who include all of us) as they struggle with increases on a wide front.
Doing the tango with no-till in Argentina
Argentina’s commercial crop-farming sector is a world leader in no-till practices, ensuring that the country can be confident of a sustainable and productive agricultural future.
Understanding chilli pungency
The pungency or ‘burn’ of a chilli is the result of a complex combination of capsaicinoids that have a different effect depending on which are present and in what combination.
Moringa: superfood for the hungry
A KZN husband and wife team are growing and distributing the highly nutritious Moringa tree amongst the poorest of the poor.
Making smallholder farming work
Introducing best-farming practices to developing agricultural communities heavily reliant on manual labour or outdated methods, can dramatically increase productivity, sustainability and job opportunities.
(Mis)managing Markets
Regular readers of this column will know that I’m ascerbic in my criticism of municipalities controlling and managing fresh produce markets.
Chillies, how to make the right choices
Whether dealing with chillies or peppers, you should know what your market requires before choosing a variety.
Diversification and value-adding rewarded
Wesselsbron maize farmer Boeboe Louw is the Free State Young Farmer of the Year for 2014. He shares his farming philosophy with Annelie Coleman.
Practical transformation
In his budget, former Minister Pravin Gordhan allocated large sums to improve the lot of small-scale farmers, while Fetsa Tlala will supposedly “boost domestic food production and reduce reliance on imports”.
Mooketsi Market
It seems that one of my steadfast beliefs about markets has just suffered a blow to the solar plexus, so to speak.
Improving water usage efficiencies in sugarcane
The global sugar industry is often slammed for wasting freshwater resources. In SA, sugar farmers and processors have found practical ways to improve water use efficiency.
Common pepper species
This week, we take a look at the most important Capsicum species. Some of these vary a great deal from each other, while a number share similar characteristics.
Who will best serve our markets?
Prior to previous elections, I’ve taken the opportunity to offer what I thought was wise counsel concerning the upgrading of SA’s fresh produce markets.
Irrigation for protected crops
Paddy de Vries, national technical advisor for Hygrotech, talks to Nan Smith about basic fertigation techniques for tunnel farming.
Changeable chillies
There are approximately 22 species of Capsicum, of which five are grown commercially. However, some of these can be crossed with one another to produce different varieties.
