Ugly fruit and veg can be beautiful
The move to stock ‘almost perfect’ fruit and vegetables has for many years been an obsession in supermarkets abroad.
Better plant survival and germination in hot, dry conditions
Previously, I described how the high mineral content of borehole water could cause mineral build-up on leaf surfaces, with consequences for the application of chemicals.
Integrated systems for optimal results
All the production processes in the Uys family’s mixed farming enterprise, from grazing management to cash crops and cover crop production, occur in rotation to benefit one another as well...
Never a dull moment in the fresh produce sector!
I’ve often written in this column about how stimulating the fresh produce sector can be.
Growing in hot and dry conditions – Part 1
Here are some guidelines for growing vegetables under drought conditions.
Learn from history
Fresh produce markets have an interesting history. Go back more than 150 years and you’ll find a person called the market master who worked for the local municipality and also...
Secrets of a visionary fruit farmer
Western Cape fruit farmer Aat Hoekstra (85) recently received the South African fruit industry’s OSH Reinecke Industry Leader Award for 2015. The British Journal of Fresh Produce has also referred...
There’s more to crop rotation than meets the eye
Just about every farmer would agree that crop rotation is a good thing – and the more diverse the crops in the rotation, the better.
The Karsten Group: International fruit giant
Recently named the Agricultural Writer of SA’s Farmer of the Year for 2015, Piet Karsten has built a farming empire on the Orange River, where some of SA’s top export...
The Codes of Best Practice (CoBP) for National Fresh Produce Markets
The ‘Codes of Best Practice (CoBP) for National Fresh Produce Markets’ prepared by the Project Rebirth Steering Committee (chaired by the department of agriculture) will bring our fresh produce markets...
A practical use for no-till farming
No-till is highly practical for small-scale vegetable farmers and organic farmers, while conventional commercial vegetable growers will find some aspects of the practice useful.
Where size counts
I suppose that being in the fresh produce business makes it inevitable that I classify markets according to their size – not unlike potatoes or certain fruit.
ADVERTISEMENT
MUST READS
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
