Farmer's Weekly 26 November 2021

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 flat tyre. The beaches of places such as the Silaka and Hluleka nature reserves are, quite possibly, some of the most beautiful in the world. And the things you can see in the wilderness areas and along hiking trails in the Mkambati Nature Reserve will take your breath away. You can see one of the few waterfalls on Earth that drops straight into the ocean, as well as the Msikaba Cape vulture colony, where a hundred or so pairs of this critically…

“Worldwide, government support given to farmers currently relies strongly on measures that are distorting and harmful to nature, the climate, nutrition, health and equity. An urgent overhaul of agricultural support policies is required to achieve healthier, more sustainable, equitable and efficient food systems. Between 2013 and 2018, governments spent an average of nearly US$540 billion [about R8,3 trillion] a year on direct support to individual farmers, which accounted for 15% of agricultural production value. Approximately US$245 billion [R3,7 trillion] of support for farmers was provided in the form of fiscal subsidies, most of which were linked to the production of specific commodities or the use of specific inputs (coupled subsidies). This type of support leads to negative social, environmental (through overuse of agrochemicals and natural resources, and the promotion of monoculture) and…

CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS AND EXPOS 25 TO 26 NOVEMBER Drone and Unmanned Aviation Conference 2021, Emperors Palace, Johannesburg. Email Harriet Gumbo at info@byssynet.co.za, or phone her on 067 611 0365. 29 NOVEMBER TO 1 DECEMBER 2nd Drone Users Conference: Conservation and Agriculture, Elsenburg, Stellenbosch. Email the event organiser, africaMASSIVE, at drones@africamassive.co.za. COURSES AND TRAINING 22 TO 26 NOVEMBER Beef Cattle Management Introductory Course, ARC Irene Campus, Pretoria. Email Mpho Makhanya at makhanyam@arc.agric.za. 22 TO 26 NOVEMBER Introduction to Piggery Management, Buhle Campus, Delmas. Visit buhle.org.za. 24 TO 26 NOVEMBER Broiler and Layer Management Course, Groenkloof, Pretoria. Phone AgriSkills Transfer on 012 460 9585 or 0860 10 36 35. Visit agriskills.net. 29 NOVEMBER TO 3 DECEMBER Pig Farming Management and Production Course, George. Phone Rothman Livestock Training Services on 078 546 7985. 1 TO 3 DECEMBER Piggery Course, Groenkloof, Pretoria. Phone AgriSkills Transfer on 012 460 9585…

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 would not only eat less, but would also reach slaughter weight sooner than anything available today. The perfect pig is a dream we are not likely to encounter on our farms in the foreseeable future, but there are pig breeders who occasionally get close to the ideal. One such breeder is S. Joubert Cillie of the farm Vrugbaar, in the Wellington Bovlei. Joubert Cillie will be remembered as the wine farmer who made the bold experiment about six years ago of bringing in some expensive new Dutch Landrace blood from Holland.…

North West MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development Desbo Mohono has acknowledged the hard work and dedication shown by the founders of the Batlhako Temo project, which she officially launched at an event on 25 October 2021. The project, which began in 2010, is now one of the major producers of citrus fruit in the province, and three of its five members are women. It farms various citrus products, which are supplied to major citrus companies in South Africa and exported to international markets in Taiwan, the Middle East and China. The project has previously been funded by the national Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development through its Proactive Land Acquisition Strategy programme in 2012; and the North West Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, which assisted the project on…

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 strategies to materialise. The same goes for organised agriculture structures such as Agbiz. The engagements about many issues that constrain agribusinesses can be discussed with government leadership in Pretoria. Still, the execution is typically dependent on the co-operation of the provincial governments and municipalities. This does not mean that national government has no impact; quite the opposite. It sets the tone and focus for policy and takes the lead in important programmes such as land reform and blended finance. But with most other policies, the details are often left to the provinces to execute. The levels of administrative efficiencies in…