Supervision is all
In the 22 June issue of Farmer’s Weekly, Paul Lynch, chairperson of the SA Wool & Mohair Buyers Association, bemoans the lowering of wool classing standards, saying: “Farmers are not spending as much time in shearing sheds as in the past.”
Controlling nitrogen application is important
Your basic fertilisation of the potato crop should have been done according to a soil analysis, leaving the main variable, nitrogen, to be managed as circumstances require.
Protecting the soil
Hopefield entrepreneur, Francois Turner, hasn’t ploughed his potato lands since 2007. He explained to Keri Harvey how the no-till method of farming potatoes works and why he believes it’s the way forward for potato farmers.
Small-scale farming booms in Kenya
Seed research, a special training model and financial support are helping to transform small-scale farming in Kenya, improving both yields and returns. Bob Koigi reports.
Food safety
A market may not process food, but it can surely be classified as a ‘food distribution facility’, the food here being ‘fresh produce’.
Weed control and ridging of potatoes
Management of the potato crop after planting depends on various factors. One is weed control. The procedure you use will depend on what sort of weeds you can expect in the particular land.
Karoo small-scale wine producer excels
Garagiste winemaking is growing in popularity in South Africa. Denene Erasmus visited Herman and Susan Perold on their award-winning 1ha wine estate in the Great Karoo to find out more about this movement and the advantages of small-scale winemaking.
Lofty objectives
A reader emailed me recently about his fruit being rejected at the market by a department of agriculture inspector because the cartons weren’t properly marked with all the information required by law.
Running a tight ship
Diversifying from sugar cane into macadamias and tunnel tomatoes demanded careful monitoring of data and water quality by Stuart Borchers in order to generate a valuable weekly income. Robyn Joubert spoke to him.
Why potato irrigation is so important
As potatoes can have a confined and intense root system, together with a fairly large leaf area, it stands to reason irrigation requirements will differ from other crops.
Now’s the time!
While I’m on a roll about the positive developments taking place on markets, there’s another issue which I believe needs attention in the sector.
West Coast’s natural veggies
Werner Brand is growing vegetables successfully, using organic methods, on the arid, windy West Coast – an almost unheard-of achievement. Keri Harvey visited him to find out how he does it.
