How to Business

Unfavourable climatic conditions, poor commodity prices and rising production costs are making it increasingly difficult for farmers to stay productive and run profitable enterprises on their farms. Glenneis Kriel asked three experts for tips that could help farmers weather the financial storms.

Drought seems to have become a permanent part of Southern Africa’s weather patterns, but many farmers are still caught unaware, and suffer accordingly.

Based on his extensive experience in representing mostly KwaZulu-Natal landowners in labour tenancy claims lodged against them, attorney Rob McCarthy of McCarthy and Associates believes the process is inherently biased in favour of claimants. He speaks to Lloyd Phillips about this challenge, and gives landowners advice on how best to fight false labour tenancy claims.

Fickle power supply and ever-increasing tariffs are spurring South Africa’s agriculture sector to look at alternative sources of electricity. Jacobus Treurnich, the land rights manager of G7 Renewable Energies, spoke to Jeandré van der Walt about wind farms and the opportunities that farmers will have to rent out their land for wind-generated power.

There are many signs that both the supply and quality of water in South Africa are likely to decrease. This poses a host of challenges for the country’s farmers.

To be truly effective, biosecurity has to be part of the farm’s ‘culture’, so that every employee and visitor is motivated to adhere to the procedures.

Investing in an end-to-end employee health, risk and well-being solution can result in considerable savings for the employer, while ensuring that valued staff members are retained.

A farm can only produce according to its potential and what’s invested in it, says Roelof Bezuidenhout.

Gaps in insurance cover can be addressed by structured risk financing policies that allow for the funding of risks not feasibly covered by traditional policies.

It is the role of a skilled financial planner to identify potential financial risks that clients are faced with, and provide tailor-made solutions to mitigate its financial impact on the client. This article proposes an unlikely solution to a common, yet often forgotten, risk: ill-health and non-specific absence from duty, and how the use of a power of attorney may protect businesses in these situations.

Succession planning is a process that occurs over time, which ultimately involves the transfer of the farm business assets. It depends on the needs and wishes of the owner.

Development in a natural area should maintain the integrity of the environment and never compromise the proper functioning of the ecosystem within the landscape.

The message is clear: in terms of both quantity and quality, water is a declining resource, and dedicated management is required to make the most out of every drop. Dr Heinz Meissner and Hylton Cruse outlined the advantages of efficient water storage to Lindi Botha.

Despite being continually under the spotlight, rural crime in South Africa continues to plague farmers. Some respond by leaving the sector; others struggle on after having lost property or even loved ones. However, studies show that while the justice system receives much of the blame, farmers should be doing more to secure themselves.

For many people, the yearning to spite their spouses by excluding them from their wills is irresistible. They see this as a way this as a way of settling long-standing grudges or posthumously punishing spouses for past indiscretions.

When drafting a will, the focus is often only on compliance with the formalities of drafting it, and sometimes we fail to consider the practical aspects involved.

A will is a legal document that contains the free and independent wishes of the testator regarding the distribution of the assets in his or her estate at the time of death.

Farmers must spell out to workers what their duties are and regularly review their performance against set goals.

It’s important to learn as much as you can about the marketing of livestock and other agricultural commodities.

Succession planning of the family farm is often taken for granted as the transition to the next generation is assumed to be an uncomplicated process. Little or no thought is given to planning and grooming of a successor.