Featured Home Image

In this article, Dr Louis du Pisani, national manager for production advice and development at the National Wool Growers’ Association, explains how to carry out post-drought recovery and reconstruction of a livestock enterprise to achieve optimal, lasting results.

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket; if you fall, you run the risk of not having breakfast. Farmers should spread their risk by adding a second component to an existing farming operation, or even by investing in industries unrelated to agriculture, says Dawie Maree, head of information and marketing at FNB Agriculture.

A lack of experience prevents many qualified young people from finding their first jobs in agriculture. Recruitment specialist Marianne van der Laarse explained the situation to Glenneis Kriel and called for internships and more practical exposure for students.

Black smallholder farmers are often excluded from the supply chain due to high barriers of entry. A fund established by Tiger Brands is now trying to address this problem. Mary-Jane Morifi, chief corporate affairs and sustainability officer at Tiger Brands, spoke to Jeandré van der Walt about the company’s plans to empower these farmers, as well as black suppliers and distributors.

While mares generally gestate for 11 months, this may vary. With this in mind, you should be on the lookout for signs that your mare is close to foaling, says Dr Mac.

Something needs to change, otherwise Africa and the people who live on this continent will experience another decade of poverty, hunger and hardship.

At times, new developments might seem to come like a bolt out of the blue. But if you keep up with trends, you’ll be forewarned of change and have time to adapt, writes Roelof Bezuidenhout.

Kleiheuwel Trust, based in Bredasdorp, recently achieved one of the top 10 best prices in the history of South African wool sales, and the highest price during the previous season’s BKB wool auctions. Pam and André Christie-Smith spoke to Glenneis Kriel about their production approach.

As I write this, it's been about four months since South Africa went into a national lockdown in an attempt to contain the spread of COVID-19.

With its reduced land and water requirements, tunnel farming is a viable option for farmers with little access to natural resources, says Suzanne Oosthuizen, managing director of the Undercover Farming Expo. She spoke to Lindi Botha about the unique benefits of undercover farming.

Any farmer who thinks that a tag in the ear represents a traceability system for a beef herd is far off the mark; it simply links the animal to a production unit. A farm or feedlot should have good management practices across the entire production system, writes Dr Danie Odendaal, a veterinary herd health consultant and director of Veterinarian Network.

The LAMMA Show’s innovation awards recognise some of the best advances in agricultural manufacturing and provide a well-attended platform for exhibitors to introduce ground-breaking innovation.