Farmer's Weekly 29 April 2022

The foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) situation in South Africa has reached a new level of urgency. While the country’s FMD-free status was suspended by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) a couple of years ago, it managed to reach agreements with its trading partners to continue the export of cloven-hoofed animals and their by-products. However, with FMD having now spread from Limpopo to other provinces, including the Free State and North West, the situation is becoming more dire by the day. It was recently reported that China had halted the import of cloven-hoofed animals and their by-products from South Africa (see page 16) after the OIE was informed of the outbreak of FMD in North West. Since then, as reported on the Farmer’s Weekly website on 7 April, there had also…

“Outbreak and recess phases of the brown locust (Locustana pardalina), which is endemic to Southern Africa, have been recorded for more than 200 years, and efforts have been made to control the pest since the founding of the Locust Research Unit of the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) a century ago. Surprisingly, after a good start to locust research, when careful observations recorded what happens before outbreaks commence, locust research neglected to do much more along these lines. Instead, scientists focused on refining methods of locust control, even though a workshop in the mid-1980s had clearly identified that research should concentrate on the functioning of outbreak centres. No effort has been made to protect crops, although such methods are being developed elsewhere using pheromones (natural substances that are repulsive to locusts but don’t…

25 to 29 April, George CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS AND EXPOS 12 TO 13 MAY Drone and Unmanned Aviation Conference, Emperors Palace, Kempton Park. Email info@bussynet.co.za. 25 TO 27 MAY Irrigation, Drainage and Water Management Summit, Radisson Blu Hotel, Cape Town. Email Charity Wockelmann at charity@irrigationfmi.co.za. COURSES AND TRAINING 20 APRIL Profitable Boer Goat Production, Potchefstroom. Phone Johan Steyn on 072 594 4626. 4 TO 6 MAY Poultry Course, Groenkloof, Pretoria. Phone AgriSkills Transfer on 012 460 9585, or email admin@agriskills.net. 9 TO 13 MAY Introduction to Poultry Production, Agricultural Research Council, Pretoria. Email Mpho Makhanya at makhanyam@arc.agric.za. 23 TO 25 MAY Tractor Operation and Maintenance, Delmas. Phone the Buhle Farmers’ Academy on 063 287 2732, or email applications@buhle.org.za. Visit buhle.org.za. 23 TO 27 MAY Ostrich Farming Conference 2022, Highgate Ostrich Farm, Oudtshoorn. Email Sibusiso Trevor Tshabalala at info@sttconsulting.co.za or sbusiso@sttconsulting.co.za. 1 TO 3 JUNE Goat Production, Groenkloof, Pretoria. Phone…

“Our children are our future, and one of the basic responsibilities is to care for them in the best and most compassionate manner possible, ” late former president Nelson Mandela once said. It is in this spirit of caring for and protecting children that Illovo Sugar Africa, in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (agriculture department), donated 580 pairs of new school shoes, as well as gardening tools, to various schools around KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) at an event held in March. Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Thoko Didiza was greeted with the sound of children’s laughter as she handed out the items to the learners. Ricky Govender, managing director of Illovo Sugar South Africa, said the company is committed to building a thriving South African…

MOST POPULAR ON FARMERSWEEKLY.CO.ZA AGRI SECTOR CALLS FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION TO REPAIR POOR ROADS South Africa’s road infrastructure is critical to the success of the agriculture sector, with commodities valued at about R7,1 billion per annum being transported along these roads. Read the full article at bit.ly/3KcDS0h, or scan here: Posted: 6 April 2022. Follow us at @FarmersWeeklySA FROM FACEBOOK @FarmersWeeklySA When we reposted a link to an article titled, ‘Using manure as fertiliser: mistakes to avoid’, some of our followers commented on the subject. Posted: 4 April 2022. READERS’ COMMENTS Kim Sytsma: “Of course; what the animal is fed makes a difference to the nutrient content of the manure. That is why it is important to test the manure as well as the soil!” Dan Motaung Dan: “I successfully use cattle manure on my small farm and it does wonders for…

In this article, a Northern Cape Jersey stud breeder revealed how he was able to steadily improve milk yield by using selection based on production records. Former policeman Jacob Hayward, who farms on Eldorado farm near Kuruman, has improved the average lactation of his Roscio Jersey Stud by more than 50% over the past 20 years. Apart from the stunning production increase, this herd is also one of the finest in the Northern Cape with regard to conformation and general quality. Hayward ascribes his success to always having used good bulls and selection based on production records and conformation. He has always retained the female progeny from the better cows. His Jerseys average 18,36kg of milk, with a butterfat and protein content of 5,04% and 3,77% respectively. Hayward’s management is outstanding. The dairy is neat…