Farming Basics

This composite breed, with its predominantly Damara genetics, is hardy and highly functional.

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.

Cover crop residue leaches allelochemicals, which help control weeds. But to achieve good, prolonged results, you will still need to implement effective weed control.

This long-legged breed has a smooth, white hair coat with a black or red head.

The following guidelines and recommendations for cattle breeding seasons are applicable to a summer rainfall region and should be adapted accordingly for a winter rainfall region.

Wheat is an important grain crop in South Africa, ranking second after maize in terms of area planted and production. This article explores the structure and growth of the wheat plant.

Earthworms play a crucial role in improving soil quality, and every farmer should try to maintain a healthy population of these remarkable creatures.

Precision irrigation requires a system designed with all your resources and production goals in mind, with the aim of ensuring optimal production.

As part of an animal’s stress response, its body releases cortisol, a hormone that provides energy to help the animal escape the stressor. If the stress persists, however, the animal’s health will suffer.

Logic seems to dictate that some livestock producers must suffer buyer’s remorse after purchasing an animal for an eye-watering price. Glenneis Kriel asked a few farmers whether their record-breaking acquisitions have paid off, and found the answer to be unanimous.

Soya rust is spread by windblown spores and results in significant crop losses in many soya bean-growing regions of the world, including South Africa.

South Africa’s increasingly common heatwave conditions pose a major threat to the country’s farmed cattle, sheep and goats, which often feed and live outdoors. Lloyd Phillips spoke to a number of experts in the field about the negative effects of extremely high temperatures on livestock, and practical methods a farmer can use to mitigate these.

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.

Optimal reproductive performance is crucial to the success of a beef cattle enterprise. A defined breeding season can help to achieve this.

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

To maximise kilograms of meat or wool produced per hectare, it is crucial to maintain a farm’s carrying capacity during winter. This invariably means producing high-quality stored fodder, and making sure there is enough of it. Deal Miles, a beef, mutton and wool farmer in the Cedarville area of the Eastern Cape, outlined his methods of achieving this to Lloyd Phillips.

These fat-tailed sheep, which are smaller than average, are kept for meat. They appear in various combinations of white, brown, red and black.

While deemed a ‘weed’ in countries such as Kenya and Zimbabwe, Chinese cabbage is a popular vegetable on local markets.

With the increasing spread of infectious diseases, biosecurity needs to be taken seriously on every livestock farm.