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When should surplus animals be sold? This depends on their age and condition.

Dr Maryna de Wit and her team at the University of the Free State are studying commercially viable uses for the cactus pear. The researchers argue that although South Africa produces huge quantities of the crop, its many uses have never been fully exploited here. Annelie Coleman reports.

South African plantings of genetically modified crops are surging ahead without any evidence of ill-effects on humans, animals, or the environment, said Dr Pieter Mulder, deputy minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, at a recent biotech crop press conference in Pretoria.

Scientists are going to space to help farmers monitor drought and irrigate their crops.

Henk Conradie adopted no-till practices four years ago on the nine farms he manages in Mpumalanga. He tells Peter Hittersay how he converted to this system and why it has benefited the operation.

Biofuel policies and weather will be the two biggest influences on the availability and prices of agricultural commodities.

Trials by Free State University’s Department of Animal, Wildlife and Grassland Sciences question the ecological sustainability of high stocking rates on Karoo veld. Roelof Bezuidenhout reports.

The promise of drought tolerant maize may be just a few years from becoming a reality.

Tough, nutritious and requiring little care, this remarkable plant is invaluable for farmers, writes Roelof Bezuidenhout.

Agri Northern Cape Young Farmer of the Year finalist Johann Bekker says a reliable water supply is crucial for successful commercial sheep farming in the western Kalahari. Annelie Coleman visited his farms in the Mier district to see how he gets it right.

The idea of crop rotation – growing different crops on the same land each year – can be difficult to understand. After all, if...

The South African-developed African Delight plum cultivar has been enthusiastically welcomed by farmers and consumers, and promises to become the country’s third most-planted variety within five years. Denene Erasmus spoke to Culdevco’s Dr Leon von Mollendorff, one of the driving forces behind the new cultivar, and producer Anthony Dicey, to learn more.