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Gawie Steyn, an organic raisin producer of the Orange River Valley, has proved that organic production can be commercially viable. He spoke to Glenneis Kriel about his production practices.

To make the best of their land and remain financially viable, farmers need to know the potential of their soil. Karabo Puswe, agricultural specialist at FarmSol, explains how this knowledge is gained.

Farmers face the most serious risks experienced in the total value chain of food production. In this first part of a new series, PJ Mommsen, a freelance strategist, looks at the less common of these risks.

Despite having diversified into mining, construction, civil contracting, and heavy equipment hire, the ALS Group remains at heart a family farming business characterised by attention to detail, professionalism and integrity. Magda du Toit recently visited some of the agricultural and other business ventures in which the award-winning ALS Group is involved, and filed this report.

After my grandfather was retrenched in his mid-50s, he used his pension payout to buy a farm in the Karoo near Uniondale, where he farmed ostriches, goats and sheep. He didn’t know much about farming when he began, and this was exacerbated with the outbreak of bird flu in the late 1990s, which led to the ban on ostrich meat exports.

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault’s purpose is to ensure that humankind can continue producing a diversity of food crops, even in the case of a ‘Doomsday Event’.

Agronomic advances, breeding, and biotechnology have increased yields to new heights. The intensive cultivation, increased nutrient demand, and farming practices can lead to multi-micronutrient deficiencies.

A large part of farming is keeping track of the condition and health of animals. Janine Ryan reports on the current apps available to make this process easier and more efficient for farmers.

Growing your own seedlings requires experience. Mistakes are inevitable and you’ll need to adjust your system accordingly, says Bill Kerr.

In the 28 July issue of Farmer’s Weekly we focus particularly on equipment and technology that can help improve the production of smaller farmers.

Diversification enables farmers to spread risk and add additional income streams, but within the opportunities lie some hazards. Lindi Botha spoke to farmers who have successfully integrated their current operations through multicropping and other methods about how to tackle this juggling act without dropping the ball.

Mohair production is a valuable farming option even outside the Karoo. This is being demonstrated at two studs in North West’s Wolmaransstad district, as Annelie Coleman found out on her visit to three brothers-in-law: Petrus Marx, Reco Pieterse and Stephan Erasmus.