Consumer Protection Act
In the Farmer’s Weekly of 17 April 2015 there is an article on the new complaint process envisaged for consumers of agricultural products.
Bean management as it affects harvesting
Harvesting is one of the big expenses in bean production and consequently needs to be done efficiently.
Training your ‘sales manager’
The relationship between producer and market agent remains at the core of a fresh produce market.
What to do after planting your green beans
Although beans are generally a quick and easy crop to grow, problems can occur before the plant emerges.
Giving value for money
Recently, I wrote about the eight marketing options available to a fresh produce farmer and the need for these to give value for money.
Preparation and planting of green beans
Beans are a quick, easy crop – provided all the precautions are taken.
SADC markets?
A few years ago, there was a flurry of interest from Namibia, Mozambique and Botswana, among others, to establish fresh produce markets.
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.
