Avocado production– Part 3: Planning your orchard
The hedge-type tree-row layout is best for irrigation and the use of implements.
Dairy farming: a beginners guide
As the fifth-largest agricultural industry in South Africa, milk production provides a regular income for thousands of small and large producers. If you wish to enter the sector, make sure...
Growing avocados: know your soil
It is important to determine in advance the suitability of the soil for avocado production.
Improved efficiency with heat pumps
If managed correctly, a heat pump can be an affordable and effective alternative to the hot water cylinder or geyser.
Animal identification: when to brand livestock
Marking livestock can deter thieves. It is also a legal requirement. Gerhard Uys provides a brief overview of the process.
Growing avocados
Rich in protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, avocados are always in demand.
Vaccinate your livestock!
Most of the cases of infectious diseases reported to the Ruminant Veterinary Association of South Africa every month can be prevented if livestock are vaccinated properly.
Bananas: Pest control and harvesting
Want a good crop of healthy bananas? Follow these simple guidelines.
Understanding risk assessment
Good risk assessment can help decision-makers see more clearly, writes Roelof Bezuidenhout.
Advice for growing bananas
Farming bananas can be profitable, if production is planned and carried out carefully.
Understanding Estimated Breeding Values
Estimated breeding values provide the most reliable information on how an animal might breed, says Amari Bornman, animal scientist at Simmentaler SA.
Cabbages: a step-by-step beginner’s guide
Producing this crop is relatively easy, provided you follow a few simple steps, says Bill Kerr.
Energy efficiency: the easiest way to save
South Africans are blasé about how they spend energy. However, saving energy is always cheaper than generating it.
Agendas and minutes: commonly used meeting procedures
Whether you’re in a co-op or one of a few farmers getting together to buy inputs at a better price, knowing how to run a meeting will contribute to your...
Turning veld assessment upside down
It’s not only the growth on top that counts, says Prof Hennie Snyman of the Department of Animal, Wildlife and Pasture Sciences at the University of the Free State.
Advice on how to conduct a meeting
Whether you’re in a co-op or just one of a few farmers getting together to buy inputs at a better price, knowing how to run a meeting will contribute to...
Selling a papaya crop
Papayas need to be handled with considerable care throughout the harvesting and packing processes.
Slaughtering cattle with brucellosis
Animals that test positive should be slaughtered to prevent the spread of disease and to eradicate it.
Permanent pastures
Exploring the benefits and value of establishing dryland and irrigated permanent pastures.
Determining and battling acaricide resistance
While finding active ticks on your cattle after dipping may indicate a pest species with pesticide tolerance, this is not always the case.
