How to Business

When business-owning parents leave their children equal shares in the operation, a battle can erupt between those who work for the company and those who don’t. There are better ways to fairly distribute wealth to heirs, writes Trevor Dickinson.

Navigating your way through the numerous rules and regulations of workplace health and safety can seem a daunting prospect, but labour consultants are there to guide you. Jeandré van der Walt spoke to a number of experts in the occupational health and safety industry about the key aspects of farmworker safety.

Very few family farming operations transition effortlessly from one generation to another. The process requires careful planning, hard work and a lot of patience. Annelie Coleman spoke to several experts about the factors that drive success, and found that timeous succession planning, a family constitution, and a willingness to allow new entrants topped the list.

A comprehensive and all-inclusive budget is critical to the success of any production operation, according to Anche Suurd, an agricultural economist at NWK. Without this basic financial tool, it is extremely difficult to obtain a clear idea of the actual performance of the business, or sustainably create and build wealth.

Maximising water-use efficiency in South African undercover crop farming operations has become both a financial and moral imperative. But selecting the most appropriate undercover irrigation technologies can be a challenge in itself. Three local experts shared their advice on this increasingly complex topic with Lloyd Phillips.

Retirement is not a single event; it involves both emotional and financial considerations, writes Roelof Bezuidenhout.

Mobile applications make life more convenient for farmers while enabling them to be more productive. Glenneis Kriel reports on a number of apps that are changing the way farms are run.

At times, new developments might seem to come like a bolt out of the blue. But if you keep up with trends, you’ll be forewarned of change and have time to adapt, writes Roelof Bezuidenhout.

The number of grazing camps on a farm should be weighed against the escalating cost of fencing material, writes Roelof Bezuidenhout.

Roelof Bezuidenhout, who farmed with his father for 20 years, explores what is needed for a healthy and productive parent-child partnership.

At the start, it’s better to erect less fencing than what is indicated by the initial farm plan.

Chicken farming is the only type of animal production that can provide an income in the short as well as the long term.