Global farming concerns
Last month, I spent two days in Milan, Italy, with farmers and journalists from all over the world. The event was part of a New Holland social media initiative and...
Protecting a precious resource
CropX, PowPow and mOasis each offer ways to get the most out of your water, says Greg Miles.
SA farmers are ‘agropreneurs’
Local farmers seek to create sustainable business ventures out of agro-commodities, goods and services with other role players in the value chain. They are not mere landowners, according to Christo...
Time for a second attempt at a single voice
Never before in the 21 years since South Africa’s transition to a democracy has the ruling party placed so much faith in the contribution that agriculture can make to the...
Helping to put farmers first
The ‘Farmers Business Network’ enables members to share valuable information, says Greg Miles.
Breaking down the barriers of silence
Free State Agriculture (FSA) is committed to ongoing engagement with government in order to build trust and remove racial stereotyping, according to its president, Dan Kriek. Addressing the recent 2015...
DAFF female farmer award winner fiasco
The agriculture department is insulting the many hardworking, successful and deserving female farmers in South Africa by saying that Hlengiwe Hlophe is the best commercial female farmer we have.
Tracking your produce
Better traceability secures more customers for food producers, says Greg Miles.
Conserving the last lions
The king of the beasts may not survive the 21st century. Conflict with livestock owners in Africa, a growing demand in the Far East for large felid bones, shrinking habitat,...
Lessons from Europe
The heartbreaking image of the lifeless Syrian toddler washed up on a Turkish beach has got many people looking at immigrants in a new light.
How virtual reality is going to change the world as we know it
All over the world, techies are counting down the days to the 2016 launch of the Oculus Rift, a portable, user-friendly virtual reality (VR) headset that is expected to bring...
Enough is enough! – TAU SA
Louis Meintjies, president of TAU SA, draws a line in the sand on how far commercial farmers can be pushed, and calls on other farmers to join him in order...
Advice fresh from the farm
Getting advice from fellow farmers, agronomists and specialists in all areas of agriculture is never a bad thing.
We need each other to make this work
Wildlife ranching SA’s target for game meat exports this year is 12 000t. This would generate at least R1,5 billion – a boost the industry could inject into SA’s struggling...
A collective stance is needed
Margareet Visser of the Labour and Enterprise Research Group, UCT, and Stuart Ferrer, director of the Agricultural Policy Research Unit, UKZN, discuss producer-level collective bargaining.
Automation in the dairy industry
This system allows you to feed and milk your cows at the touch of a button.
Good science to fuel the future
Dr Charlie Reinhardt, a botanist from the University of Pretoria, says the challenge of global food security can only be addressed with sound scientific research and development.
Recession fears and resilient farm prices
The South African economy has seen better days. First, the rand nose-dived to a record low of R14/US$, which put a damper on cuts to local fuel prices for September...
Farming competitively – it can be done!
Despite facing serious challenges, South African agriculture can nonetheless increase its competitiveness, both locally and internationally. Prof Gerald Ortmann, head of Agricultural Economics at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, explores some...
Breaking down the communication barrier
A new app from Skype enables real-time translation of foreign languages.
