Coping with nutsedge
Officially, the world’s number one weed is nutgrass, more correctly called ‘nutsedge’, as it’s not a grass but a sedge. (Sedges don’t have nodes as do true grasses.)
A man of soil
Umkomaas Valley farmer Johnny Sfaelos forged a farming career for
himself 52 years ago – and the cost-effective ways of his generation
have helped him cap his costs. Robyn Joubert visited him at Valley View.
Watch out for weeds
The appearance of one or two unknown weeds on my land has reminded me of the danger of leaving them unattended just because they appear to pose no threat due to their low numbers.
Mentor & motivation – a winning formula
Successful farming comes not only from hard work and attention to detail, but also through taking good advice, says DAFF’s female entrepreneur of the year Pam Fyfie. Lloyd Phillips spoke to her.
Benefits of CA
Trials conducted by the Agricultural Research Council at its Zeekoegat experimental farm in Roodeplaat have compared conventional farming practices with conservation agriculture, and have identified many benefits to CA. Peter Hittersay reports.
Adding value
Marketing fresh produce is a competitive and frequently expensive business as producers seek ways to improve margins.
Getting rid of paspalum
A type of kweek grass, called couch paspalum (Paspalum distichum), is gaining a foothold on many vegetable farms. Also known as ‘kweek paspalum’, many farmers confuse it with common kweek (Cynodon spp.).
Commitment is all
Since I seem to be lambasting politicians and bureaucrats all the time, permit me to illustrate the sort of situation I come across almost without exception in markets.
Making a point
Recently, I wrote about the necessity of ensuring vegetable transplants have enough nitrogen in the plug or in the plant to stimulate root growth and ensure an early start as well as uniform growth.
Planting tomatoes brings hope to orphans
Investing R1,5 million in a technologically advanced greenhouse has
increased tomato yields and profit at Valley Fresh, a social profit enterprise supporting abandoned and orphaned children.
Growing Brussels sprouts
Brussels sprouts is a luxury item not part of our daily cuisine and usually reserved for special treats. It is generally well known that this crop is a dedicated winter crop requiring cold for good performance.
Leave it to business
“It is the height of conceit for the government to believe it can devise a system that will work better than an unimpeded market.”
Adding value to olives
Ben Visser is one of the first and most succesfull olive producers in the Northern Cape. His steadfast insistence on value adding at farm level has resulted in an award-winning business. Annelie Coleman spoke to him.
Understanding spray mixtures
With spray adjuvants, many farmers think that mixing a sticker and a wetter/spreader into the water are the same thing. This is certainly not true.
It takes passion
During a recent early morning walk through the massive sales halls of the Johannesburg Fresh Produce Market I was yet again struck by the uniqueness of such a market.
Do it yourself
Some of us have a tendency to blame the government for many of our country’s woes and then, in the same breath, expect the government to fix almost every imaginable ailment in the country.
Removing the hazards from transplanting
We’ve covered the requirements for the most suitable seedlings in the past few articles. It doesn’t stop there, though, as all this good work can be undone during transplanting – and shortly thereafter.
Farming for the next generation
Diversification and crop rotation keep Petrus van der Walt busy 12 months of the year. But the bottom line has been worth the effort for this 2011 Limpopo Farmer of the Year. He tells Lindi van Rooyen about sustainable farming and handing over the business to his children.
Markets and jobs
There’s been a lot of hype in the media recently about creating employment opportunities in SA. However, seldom is anything said about the role of agriculture in creating jobs.
