Farming Basics

Master farming basics with practical tips on crop growth, livestock care, irrigation, soil management, and effective farm operations.

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 project’s success.

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 your project’s success.

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.

10 tips on how to safely move livestock

Steytlerville livestock farmer and Farmer’s Weekly contributor Roelof Bezuidenhout says, “The better you handle your animals, the more money they’ll earn for you.”

Growing papayas – Part 4

Using mulch and dealing with weeds, pests and diseases in a papaya orchard.

The benefits of insulation

Insulating is a relatively simple and affordable procedure. And it saves a significant amount of electricity.
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