Farming Basics

Grown on dry, unirrigated land, Darling Wines of Origin produce wines with intense flavour and have proven to be as popular locally as abroad.

The drastic increase in the cost of agricultural inputs, among others, has resulted in an increased demand for alternative production finance, according to Prof Sanlie Middelberg, associate professor at North-West University’s Potchefstroom campus’s School of Accounting Sciences. Annelie Coleman asked her about the provision of production finance in the sector.

Chief Land Claims Commissioner Nomfundo Ntloko-Gobodo recently shared the commission’s successes with Luyolo Mkentane. She detailed how the commission intended achieving its aims and engaging with organised agriculture to ensure that restituted land was used for the benefit of all.

Farmer Tom Turner runs an unsual mixed farming operation with his father Frank Turner near Wellington in the Western Cape. By working with and for the sake of nature, Bontebok Ridge Reserve is seeing success both economically and ecologically.

Although Zambia has a thriving agricultural sector, much of the industry still lags in the implementation of modern practices and technologies for improved productivity and profitability. One operation, however, is setting the trend for being a progressive and diversified farming business.

Gugu Mlipha is the SA Agricultural Writers’ New Entrant to Commercial Farming for 2015. She farms vegetables on 6ha in Walkerville, Gauteng, and also runs a vegetable processing business. She has plans to further diversify her business.

A study by Dr Lourens Swanepoel, a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Venda, focuses on carnivore conservation and management. Its author spoke to Gerhard Uys about his extensive research on leopards.

Leading UK potato producer Tony Bambridge was recently sponsored by Syngenta to give a presentation at the Potatoes SA Congress on potato production and market trends in his home country. He spoke to Glenneis Kriel about the lessons that had been learnt in the industry.

The Namibian Agricultural Union’s Production-Cost Index is a valuable tool for determining and monitoring price trends in the country’s livestock production industries, according to Jaco Hanekom, the union’s assistant manager of commodities. The index has lately shown an alarming negative price trend in cattle production.

The cost of transportation has become an ever-greater burden for SA farmers. There are several reasons, for this. Transport consultant Alistair Christison and Prof Jan Havenga, director of the Supply Chain Management Centre at Stellenbosch University, gave Gerhard Uys insights into the road and rail situation – and what can be done to improve matters.

The definition of successful production is changing. Where high output and farm profits were the main measures of farming success in the past, today what matters just as much is the impact of farming on nature and others when measuring it. Kobus Pienaar spoke to Glenneis Kriel about this trend.

Manfred Venter, agricultural economist at Syngenta, shares some insights with Luyolo Mkentane on the current drought situation and suggestions on how to mitigate losses.

Little progress has been made to improve knowledge about the brown locust, a super-herbivore along with which the Karoo evolved, says Dr Joh R Henschel, Arid Lands Node, South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON), and Centre for Environmental Management, the University of the Free State. By Roelof Bezuidenhout.

Within four years of its launch, a micro cheese enterprise in Darling is experiencing macro demand from gourmet outlets across the Western Cape for its soft European-style cheeses – a rarity in South Africa. Jay Ferreira visited Carla Bryan of Udderly Delicious Cheese to find out more.

Money cannot be lent responsibly without collateral, a constraint that has long hobbled the ability of commercial banks to lend money to communal farmers. The Land Bank is now exploring alternative models of funding these farmers. Its CEO, TP Nchocho, spoke to Luyolo Mkentane about its strategy.

A South African company, CLC Solar Wind Energy, has recently developed a cost-effective gasifier to allow farmers to generate electricity from wood or stone fruit pits. Chris Coetzee, project manager of the company, told Glenneis Kriel more about the technology.

In 1997, father-and-son farming team Keith and Chris Clubb moved from their Gauteng-based farming operation to establish what is now a large commercial mixed farming operation in Zambia. Chris, a veterinarian, shares their experiences on the subject.

Water has become a political issue and the quality of South Africa’s water resources needs to be addressed, says Prof Anthony Turton, a scientist specialising in water resource management. He spoke to Gerhard Uys.

If the South African food industry wishes to compete successfully on a global scale, a viable and workable traceability system must be introduced and adopted, says Anné Calitz, research assistant at the University of the Free State’s Department of Agricultural Economics.

Until about two decades ago, SA racehorse breeders tended to purchase stallions that were very good, but not exceptional. In more recent years, the stallions used in South Africa are world-class. The Taberer family, owners of the Avontuur Wine Estate near Stellenbosch, have made an important contribution to the sport.