Farmer's Weekly

Having never been to the Wild Coast before, I was lucky enough to visit the area twice in as many months this year. It is tough travelling on dirt roads to get to some of the coastal nature reserves, but the stunning scenery is worth every bump and f

Editor Denene Erasmus, [email protected] Managing editor Janine Ryan, [email protected] News editor Julinda Schroeder, [email protected] Art director Louis Kruger Designer Madeline Teles Chief copy editor Paul Sulter Copy editors Fanie de Vi

Drone and Unmanned Aviation Conference 2021, Emperors Palace, Johannesburg. Email Harriet Gumbo at [email protected], or phone her on 067 611 0365. 2nd Drone Users Conference: Conservation and Agriculture, Elsenburg, Stellenbosch. Email the event o

This article delved into the search for the perfect pig, and described one farmer who came quite close to breeding such an animal. Every pig farmer has dreamt about the perfect animal. Long, cigar-shaped and rounded in the right places, this pig woul

The South African local government election that took place on 1 November this year was an exceptional affair, but the final outcome was even more unusual than anticipated. This election was a special case due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with a court d

Most of national government’s agricultural policies and programmes depend on implementation by provincial governments and municipalities for their success. The policies crafted in Pretoria have to find their way into various local agricultural strate

The fact that members of the South African farming community are lax about reporting stock theft incidences makes them partly responsible for the often poor service delivery from the South African Police Service (SAPS). This was according to Dr Jane

While it is still too early to tell, people should temper their expectations of what the newly elected local government representatives will do for them, cautions former politician Roelf Meyer, director of the In Transformation Initiative. Interviewe

While fertiliser prices are reaching record highs, online solutions are emerging that promise to improve the fertiliser-use efficiency of undercover crop farming. Haifa SA agronomist Gerrit Burger said at the recent Undercover Farming Conference, hel

Despite a few areas in the Klein Karoo that are still in the grip of severe drought, and hail and frost damage suffered recently around Calitzdorp and the Koo Valley region, canning fruit producers seem to have entered a new climatic phase, which bod

Poultry producers in Botswana have warned that small-scale broiler chicken farming in that country could collapse due to the poor quality of day-old broiler chicks from local hatcheries. Speaking to Farmer’s Weekly recently, the producers said they h

Complaints from farmers in India about the excessive prices of imported carrot seeds have now resulted in an antitrust investigation by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) into suspected price collusion by a number of large global agricultural

The Irish government recently released a plan aimed at cutting that country’s greenhouse gas emissions by 51% by 2030. To reach this target, public and private investment of about €125 billion (around R2,2 trillion) was needed. The 200-page plan stat

The wine industry’s recovery can be shortened from five years to around two, but this will take a lot of effort, according to Vinpro executive director Rico Basson. Speaking at a recent wine industry discussion hosted by Vinpro in Stellenbosch, Basso

Despite improved producer prices, pineapple farmers are feeling the pinch of rising input costs. Former Agricultural Writers South Africa’s farmer of the year Fred Visser, owner of Gwanzi Queen Pineapples near Hluhluwe in KwaZulu-Natal, told Farmer’s

Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Thoko Didiza recently announced the permanent appointment of Mooketsa Ramasodi as director general of the department. Didiza said that Ramasodi had more than a decade’s experience working in

It is hoped that at least 25 000 jobs will be created by developing and growing the South African cannabis industry through the Cannabis Master Plan, according to Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (agriculture department) Tho

The ongoing drought in the Northern Cape has had an overwhelming impact on every person in the region, according to Sybil Visagie, coordinator of the Save the Sheep relief organisation, headquartered in Sutherland. And children have suffered alongsid

The details of what state custodianship means and how it will be implemented are very unclear at this stage. This was according to Annelize Crosby, head of land and legal affairs at Agri SA, who recently facilitated a webinar on the economic and lega

The International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) has announced in its first global wine production estimate that international wine production will be below average for the third year in a row. At between 247,1 million and 253,5 million hectolit

Global prices of vegetable oils increased 9,6% month-on-month (m/m) at the end of October, reaching a record index of 184,8 points. These price increases were driven by persistent labour shortages in palm oil-producing Malaysia, as well as increased

Economists are generally a pessimistic lot who tend to be more ready to forecast that things will deteriorate than to report that they will improve. When the COVID-19 pandemic made its appearance in 2020, economists were quick to explain how hard the

Greenhouses or indoor cultivation, along with their respective technologies, make it theoretically possible today to produce cannabis in any environment, including in regions that experience extreme humidity, temperatures and rainfall. But the cost o

Farming is done in, with, and sometimes despite nature. When it’s time to plant, producers base their decisions on what they have learnt over the years and what they were taught by their parents and grandparents. They also take note of what academics

Sunburn is a major reason why fruit is rejected as unsuitable for export and ends up on informal markets or as juice. Granny Smith, Golden Delicious and Fuji are the worst-affected apple cultivars, notes Anna Mouton in the March 2020 issue of Fresh Q

Vegetable growing has its fair share of hazards! To begin with, input costs tend to be very high. Income can be too, but it is highly unpredictable, being subject to the law of supply and demand. Farmers have no control over the price they will get o

1½ cups crushed ginger biscuits½ cup finely chopped pecan nuts⅓ cup butter, melted480g cream cheese¾ cup white sugar1 tsp vanilla extract3 eggs1 cup puréed pumpkin¾ tsp ground cinnamon¼ tsp ground nutmeg • Preheat the oven to 175°C. • In a medium bow

It is an old ploy of some farmers to split their loads to the market from time to time, sending some produce to one agent and the rest to another. Their reasoning is that this keeps agents on their toes. The reality is usually very different, and you

The threats posed by overindulging in sugary food and drinks are numerous. Research shows that the short-term results of eating too much sugar are acne, weight gain, and low energy levels. In the long term, a high-sugar diet can lead to an increased

by Qaanitah Hunter, Kaveel Singh & Jeff Wicks (Tafelberg, R280) “Who knew what, when?” has been one of the most frequently asked questions about the eight days “that set South Africa alight”, as this deeply researched retelling puts it. All three wri

HOW TO PLAY: Fill in the grid so that each row and column, as well as each of the 3 x 3 squares, contains all the digits from 1 to 9. Look out for the answers to this week’s Sudoku puzzles in next week’s magazine. ■