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Almost two decades ago, Heather van Zyl began baking rusks in her kitchen for neighbours and friends. Today she sells 60t across five provinces. Mike Burgess visited her recently on the farm Van Zylsrust near Lady Grey in the Eastern Cape to better understand her secret to success.

Some species of nematodes, or roundworms, can become a serious problem, says Dr Driekie Fourie, technical product lead for Syngenta Seedcare in Africa and the Middle East.

The Prinsloo family have added five comfortable cottages to their working farm to provide a delightful getaway for city dwellers. Riaan Hattingh paid it a visit, and came away well rested and highly impressed.

Business books provide a wealth of guidelines for business success, but are often too complicated. Raynor and Ahmed boil it down to three essential rules, says Peter Hughes.

Tara Felix, an extension beef specialist, and Nathan Briggs, a former beef extension educator, both from Pennsylvania State University in the US, provide guidelines as hypothetical scenarios that show dietary comparisons across a singular system for growing beef cattle.

Cotton production in the North West has proved to be a viable alternative to maize and soya bean, with the profitability of cotton exceeding that of maize and soya bean despite extremely high input costs. Annelie Coleman attended a cotton information day in Schweizer-Reneke and compiled this report.

Dr Patrick Aust, conservation scientist for People for Wildlife, looks at how reptiles can help improve food security in Africa.

The Shallow Pig, a family cottage nestling in the Vredefort Dome, offers the perfect place to unwind, says Riaan Hattingh. And if you want a diversion, the nearby town of Parys offers good food and fun activities.

Magda du Toit looks at the interconnectedness of more traditional pest control and the newer integrated pest management. Some experts also give advice on how to keep pests and diseases down to acceptable levels.

There is no quick or cheap way to remove seed from mohair, but good management helps, according to Pierre van der Vyver, general manager of The House of Fibre. He outlined his tips to Roelof Bezuidenhout.

The award-winning Koperkop Hugenoot stud has proved the breed’s economic value in the exacting farming conditions south of the Soutpansberg. Owners Henk and Gerda van Rensburg told Annelie Coleman how the breed fares in an area where animal diseases such as redwater, heartwater and anaplasmosis are rampant.

Sun Exchange uses crowdfunding to help schools, farms and other organisations switch to solar power. Abe Cambridge, the founder of Sun Exchange, spoke to Glenneis Kriel about this solution.