Crops

Mossie Basson, conservation manager at Graham Beck Wines in Robertson, has developed a conservation plan that has rehabilitated poor soils and decreased chemical and water use, while increasing the natural resilience of vineyards. All this is helping the vines to produce better quality grapes. Denene Erasmus reports.

The local wine industry is undergoing a slow but steady revolution, with traditional thinking making way for daring new ideas. Ken Forrester spoke to Denene Erasmus about the growing popularity of Rhône grape varieties.

A careful expansion strategy and optimum risk management has earned Johan van Zyl the title of Free State Potato Farmer of the Year in 2007 and 2013. Lindi van Rooyen finds out what it takes to stay ahead in the potato game.

It’s important to get the timing right for post-planting nitrogen, cultivation and irrigation if you want to optimise Cucurbit production.

In the past, this column carried numerous appeals for government assistance in saving South Africa’s fresh produce markets.

I wonder how many farmers appreciate the work involved in selling their produce? When you walk onto a busy market floor, you’ll see agents engaged in animated debate with buyers and the whole scene looking and sounding decidedly chaotic.

The beautiful city of Verona, situated in the northern part of Italy, plays host to the country’s largest and most important wine expo, Vinitaly. The annual event attracts almost 150 000 visitors and has become a hub for the international trade in Italian wines. Denene Erasmus reports.

In frosty areas, growers usually want to start planting as soon as it’s safe to do so. But due to late frosts, the timing isn’t always easy to determine.

While it’s well-known that the vast majority of South Africa’s land reform transfers have failed due to factors such as inadequate post-settlement support, in Mpumalanga the opposite is happening, thanks to TSB Sugar’s proactive approach. Lloyd Phillips reports.

Controlling weeds has become a big issue with the increasing cost of labour. Fortunately, when it comes to the cucumber family, there are several options to reduce weed growth as well as your need for labour.

Lufuno Managa, a young farmer from Limpopo, found that big dreams don’t only come true in big cities. He left Pretoria to return home where he is now growing tomatoes and vegetables and living his dream. Peter Mashala spoke to him.

Readers of this column will know that I have written many times about the ‘oil’ that drives the fresh produce engine – that all-important trust between the farmer and the market agent.

Quality beer needs quality barley and there’s not enough of it in South Africa. RD Erasmus, well-known Western Cape barley producer, spoke to Jacques Claassen about how he has optimised his farming practices and geared his production towards improving quality and yield.

The challenges of agriculture and the highly competitive nature of international trade make it absolutely essential for us to have support services that supply statistics, information, research, market access, transformation, education and training so we can stay abreast of developments – and even forge ahead on occasion.

With an estimated R1 billion spent on expanding and building new soya bean processing facilities, the South African soya industry is poised to unlock value for farmers and processors.

Cold areas will soon get their first winter frosts. Minimise the damage by taking certain measures. Most often, a light frost will occur about a week into May in cold areas.

The concept of a farmers’ market is probably the oldest version of agricultural marketing we know and remains a popular choice for many all over the world.

You don’t fertilise cucurbits solely according to the plant’s requirements – you also have to take into account the soil’s fertility.

Irrigating in the correct quantities and at the right frequency are key to greater production in a hydroponic greenhouse system. Greenhouse specialist Martin von Holdt shared his knowledge on the ideal irrigation strategy with Lindi van Rooyen.

This year, top honours in the Hex Valley Table Grape Association Block Competition went to Hannes du Toit, who successfully manipulated the tricky and relatively new Sugrasixteen grape variety to produce a good quality, high yield crop with big berries. Denene Erasmus reports.