Farmer's Weekly 3 June 2022

The recent floods in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) caused extensive damage in a province already struggling with a myriad other issues. According to the latest news, more than 400 people died in the floods, and the sugar cane industry alone needed at least R337 million to recover (see FW, 20 May). At least R17 billion was needed for relief efforts in the province, but to date, government has reprioritised only R1 billion in this regard. I suspect this estimation will increase as the true damage to farmland and other infrastructure becomes apparent. At the time of going to print, government had allegedly still not released the R1 billion promised. In a 6 May article, Business Day reported on several government officials’ reasons for the flooding disaster in KZN. Amongst these were Minister of…

“Most countries in both the developed and the developing world have some sort of programme to help early career farmers (mostly, but not exclusively young people) to get established in a farming or agribusiness enterprise. South Africa sticks out like a sore thumb, even against many African countries, in not having such a programme. Based on our collective five decades of researching the agriculture sector in South Africa, we are of the view that the country needs to introduce an agricultural support framework that is more comprehensive, broadbased and flexible to [new] black farmers to join the ranks of commercial agriculture. We take a leaf from the experience of the earlier support programmes and the farmer support programmes for black farmers implemented by the Development Bank of Southern Africa in the 1980s…

24 July to 5 August, George Rothman Livestock and Training Services’ module on Pasture, Grazing, Agronomy and Feed Production includes daily lectures and practical sessions that focus on precision farming, soil management and plant biology, amongst other topics. Pasture management is also covered, which focuses specifically on pasture growth cycles, predicting yield, stocking rates and utilisation, budgeting, and spreadsheet management. Email Rothman Livestock and Training Services at office@RLTSafrica.com. CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS AND EXPOS 1 TO 3 JUNE Pump Operation and Maintenance Workshop, Protea Hotel, Sandton. Email Mathema Conferencing and Training at info@mathema.co.za. 16 JUNE Delheim Estate Wild Mushroom Foraging, Stellenbosch. Email Delheim Estate at marketing@delheim. 21 TO 22 JULY Precision Farming and Technology, Protea Hotel, Sea Point, Cape Town. Visit mathematraining.co.za/upcoming-events-bookings. COURSES AND TRAINING 1 TO 3 JUNE Goat Production, Groenkloof, Pretoria. Phone AgriSkills Transfer on 012 460 9585, or email admin@agriskills.net. 14 TO…

As food security concerns, climate change and global economic uncertainty increase the strain on South Africa’s R346 billion agriculture industry, agri-fintech start-up HelloChoice brings essential innovation and efficiency to farming and the food supply value chain. In May, the organisation celebrated its fourth birthday as a proudly South African success, emerging as a leading full-service agri-fintech platform, having traded over R190 million in fresh produce, dry beans and other crops. The HelloChoice marketplace, along with supporting information and data services such as TradeAlerts, reduces waste, makes trading easier, and saves money for farmers, food-processing companies, wholesalers and retailers, to the ultimate benefit all South Africans. Building on this success, in 2021 HelloChoice secured a strategic 25% investment from Standard Bank to expand its marketplace technology and enhance its range of information and data…

MOST POPULAR ON FARMERSWEEKLY.CO.ZA SOUTH AFRICANS SET FOR ANOTHER FUEL PRICE SHOCK IN JUNE While it is still too early to predict what the fuel price increase would be for June, current prices are seriously undervalued, which points to another major price hike. This was according to Dawie Maree, head of agriculture information and marketing at FNB. Read the full article at bit.ly/3LsLRWV, or scan here: Posted: 17 May 2022. Follow us at @FarmersWeeklySA PHOTO OF THE WEEK Palesa ~ Farmish Makoti @farmish_x_makoti “How to get a never-ending supply of peppers? I honestly have no clue! I thought the pepper season was over, but here we are! And that’s the funny thing about gardening; you can have your facts right and plan to a T, but nature will always triumph. And we should embrace it and give…

This article revealed some of the production secrets of one of South Africa’s original Beefmaster herds. Are you still paying top prices for supplementary feeds such as licks? Look around: it pays to examine and test the less expensive brands, says Mike Bosch of Mantsole farm near Radium in Limpopo. He has cut the cost of licks by changing to a little-known brand, but still gets full production from his cattle. “I invited representatives of a number of feed companies to visit me, ” says Bosch. “I studied the formulations of their licks, and ran a few tests. Then I changed to the one I am now using, and am saving about a third of the previous price.” He stresses that “top production at lowest cost” must always apply in regard to beef cattle,…