Getting your green beans off to a good start
Green bean farming in South Africa has changed considerably over the past twenty years or so. Not long ago, beans were planted and weeded by hand.
Selling produce: the best options
I always remind the market agents whom I train that when it comes to marketing options, they are one of eight available to a farmer.
Green beans: the basics
Green and dry beans are the same species, Phaseolus vulgaris. The scarlet runner (P.coccineus) which is still popular in many countries as a home garden variety, is a different species and will not cross with P. vulgaris by conventional methods.
Career path in agriculture
Agriculture has never been considered a ‘sexy’ career choice for young people. So full marks must go to the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) for its initiative, launched a few years ago, to attract young people into the broader agricultural community.
The Bathsheba Syndrome
Recently, I read an interesting article entitled ‘The Bathsheba Syndrome: the ethical failure of successful leaders,’ by Dean Ludwig and Clinton Longenecker.
How to grow broccoli
Many of the techniques described for cabbage and cauliflower apply to broccoli.
Can the fresh produce markets survive?
In the 1940s, there were about 135 fresh produce markets scattered around South Africa. Almost every dorp had a market.
Advice on how to grow cauliflower
Growing cauliflower is very similar to growing cabbage. Nevertheless, there are some important points that need to be considered to ensure successful production of cauliflower.
Co-operative marketing
Farmers around the world use some form of co-operative marketing to sell their fresh fruit and vegetables.
A new, very dangerous cabbage disease
As if a cabbage farmer does not have enough to contend with, a destructive new disease is currently doing the rounds.
Needed: good managers
A senior manager at a large market said to me the other day that market managers (MMs) “need to get out of their fancy offices and on to the market floor – that’s the only way they can get a real feel for what a market is all about”.
Physiological disorders in cabbage
A pathological condition in plants is caused by disease, whereas a physiological condition is caused by non-living (abiotic) factors such as physical injury, frost, water stress or something similar.
Too much regulation?
Some pundits maintain that our fresh produce markets are over-regulated. I confess that I cannot make up my mind on the issue.
Mineral deficiencies in cabbages
It is very important to recognise and correct mineral deficiencies as soon as the first signs appear. Any delay is likely to have a profound influence on yield.
Fiduciary responsibility
Act 12 of 1992, which regulates market agents, places strong emphasis on what a market agent may and may not do with a producer’s money.
Be informed about Albugo (white blister)
White blister (Albugo candida) is also sometimes referred to as white rust.
Politicians and the markets
We have to face facts: politics plays a disproportionate role in fresh produce markets. I use the word ‘disproportionate’ because what politics contributes in perceived benefits is far outweighed by the very real disasters it brings to markets. (I’m happy to supply examples on request.)
Combating clubroot in cabbage
Clubroot is an extremely serious disease; if it gets into your lands, it can destroy the entire crop.
Price discovery at the markets
Many small-scale and other farmers seem to believe the only way to sell their fruit or vegetables is directly to a supermarket or wholesale buyer.
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