Agri SA to farmers: be realistic, yet positive
The past year in agriculture has been fraught with labour unrest and tense negotiations between organised agriculture and the state. Speaking at Agri SA’s annual congress in Pretoria, the organisation’s...
Yes, but where’s our money?
I’ve tried and tried and tried again to find something positive to blog about this week. I’ve watched the news like a hawk and read every newspaper I could lay...
Managing change – FW de Klerk
According to Charles Darwin, the success of a species is not determined by its relative strength or intelligence, but by its ability to adapt to change. The same applies to...
How to feed 9 billion people
There are seven billion people on earth today. It is estimated that by 2050, this will have increased to nine billion. Aidan Connolly of Alltech and Kate Phillips-Connolly of the...
Askies baas Jannie & voracious appetites
I stand corrected! Grain SA’s Baas Jannie has pointed out that he never implied that Agri SA is jealous of Grain SA.
Farmers must secure their destiny
Addressing the Kwanalu congress last month, chairperson Brian Aitken urged farmers to share their skills with staff and developing farmers. This would help to create greater security and certainty in...
Ranching by the (law) book
Game ranchers are unhappy with the idea of treating certain indigenous species as aliens, writes Roelof Bezuidenhout.
Grain SA vs Agri SA
Agh nee man! Why the remarks about Agri SA in the latest Grain SA newsletter? Baas Jannie, you might have had very good reasons for saying that Grain SA’s relationship...
Is this the end of the line for freshwater fishing?
Trout, carp and bass, introduced to SA more than 100 years ago, are now listed as invasive alien species. Fly fisherman Ian Cox talks about the impact of this on...
Game from the veld to the table
Demand for healthy protein has put game meat on the menu. It’s leaner than domestic livestock meat and has other health benefits, says Dr Maretha van der Merwe, consultant to...
Farming is all about making money
Do you think it’s at all possible to take emotion out of the agriculture equation?
GM crops: let sanity prevail
At a recent symposium on the safety of genetically modified (GM) crops, Dr Pieter Mulder, deputy agricultural minister, asked that views on the technology be based on sound scientific facts...
New ethics for a changing game
Rearing high-value game animals under intensive conditions has both pros and cons, writes Roelof Bezuidenhout.
Spirit of renewal in commercial agriculture
Spring has arrived in more ways than one! After the recent Agri North West congress I feel as if commercial agriculture is moving into a spring time of its own,...
Adapt now to ensure a watertight future
South Africa is expected to lose its self-sufficiency in food within a decade. Environmental advisor and author Dr Anthony Turton recently laid out his expectations.
South Africa’s beef industry: what does the future hold?
The SA beef sector must improve production efficiencies to remain viable, according to former FNB agricultural advisor Jan de Jong. Speaking at a Brangus Information Day in KwaZulu-Natal, he pointed...
Sugar industry ready to produce renewable energy
South Africa’s sugar industry has finally been given the go-ahead to submit formal proposals on their plans to produce renewable energy on a large scale. The SA Sugar Association’s Dr...
Has SA exceeded its limits?
Without first determining a country’s carrying capacity, it’s no use in speaking enthusiastically about ‘growth’ and a ‘sustainable future’, says Ritchie Morris.
Increase the efficiency of livestock production
Increased emphasis will be placed on the reduction of methane gas emissions from livestock in the future, according to Prof Michiel Scholtz, ARC Specialist Researcher: Applied Animal Breeding. He says...
Beware of wildewragtigs!
I call upon our farming community, commercial or otherwise, not to spend any sleepless nights on the Malemas of our country.
