Inhaltsverzeichnis für 25 Dec 2015 plus 1 Jan 2016 in Farmer's Weekly

At the end of every year, most of us are naturally drawn to reflection. This habit is encouraged by news-carrying media, which often focus on the stories that made headlines during the year. I’m usually an avid reader of these reviews, which look at the highlights and low points of the year. This year, however, I may give them a skip: a review of 2015 is bound to be a depressing read. The drought alone is enough to dampen anyone’s Christmas cheer, while a closer look at the country’s economic and political state may have you pass over the festivities altogether. Everyone is worried about the direction in which South Africa is heading, as was indicated by the consistent drop in the Agbiz IDC Agribusiness Confidence Index during the past…

The Agricultural Business Council (Agbiz) has welcomed President Jacob Zuma’s appointment of former Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) Minister Pravin Gordhan as new Finance Minister. He replaces ANC MP David van Rooyen, who was appointed after Zuma arbitrarily axed Nhlanhla Nene from his Cabinet. Van Rooyen has been appointed COGTA Minister. Nene’s shock dismissal sent the rand into a tailspin. At one point, the currency touched a record low of R16 to the US dollar. However, when Zuma appointed Gordhan, who had been finance minister from 2009 to 2014, to the post, the rand surged nearly 5%. Agbiz CEO Dr John Purchase told Farmer’s Weekly that the organisation “strongly welcomes” Gordhan’s appointment. “The partial recovery of the markets is vindication of the move and has undone some of the…

The Wheat Industry Museum held its fifth annual Harvest Day in Moorreesburg recently. Veteran implements and tractors were on display, giving visitors an insight into the struggles farmers had to endure at harvest time in days gone by. The Western Cape Veteran Tractor and Engine Club gave wheat harvesting demonstrations on a small plot of municipal land on the museum’s premises. The wheat had been sown earlier this year by Moorreesburgse Koringboere and Overberg Agri’s Moorreesburg branch. During the demonstrations, the club displayed the evolution of harvesting from sickle blades to threshing machines pulled by donkeys and tractors. Funds raised were for the benefit of the Wheat Industry Museum, one of only three in the world. In addition to the harvest demonstrations, the day’s activities included the introduction of two…

Norwegian chemical company Yara International ASA has purchased Greenbelt Fertilisers, leading distributor of fertilisers in Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique. The value of the transaction was US$51 million (R770 million). According to a statement, the purchase was Yara’s first operational step into Zambia, which had one of the fastest-growing agriculture sectors in sub-Saharan Africa. Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique formed part of one of the world’s fastest-growing agricultural regions. However, the uptake of new technology and crop nutrition programmes among smallholder farmers remained low. This acquisition would enable Yara to provide sustainable crop nutrition for more farmers, improve crop yield and quality, and increase farmers’ incomes. The transaction was expected to close in the first quarter of 2016.…

Livestock farmers have been urged to implement all possible measures to minimise stock theft during the December and January festive season. During a recent two-week operation in the uThukela area, KwaZulu-Natal police had already recovered 58 stolen animals and arrested 28 suspects on stock theft-related charges. The Red Meat Producers’ Organisation (RPO) and the National Emergent Red Meat Producers’ Organisation (Nerpo) agreed that stock theft tended to increase around the Christmas, New Year and Easter periods. According to Nerpo group managing director Aggrey Mahanjana, this happened in particular on livestock farms near urban areas and along the border with Lesotho. “This is mostly caused by the high demand for meat during the festive season, especially from informal traders and for various cultural and traditional ceremonies, such as weddings, commonly held…

On 6 March 2015, Farmer’s Weekly reported on the worst case of blue crane poisoning in South Africa. Approximately 200 blue cranes were poisoned near Richmond in the Northern Cape, according to Dr Gerhard Verdoorn, head of the Griffon Poison Information Centre. The poisoning apparently started in 2012, with indications that it had continued well after that. There are only about 25 000 blue cranes left in the country, mostly found in the Karoo and southern Western Cape. Verdoorn said that community members had saved some of the carcasses, and samples had been sent for forensic analysis. The birds had been poisoned with maize kernels treated with agricultural chemicals. The poisoning of the vulnerable species could result in a long-term prison sentence or a large fine. No arrests had been…

The macadamia industry experienced a number of highs and lows in 2015, concluding the year on a cautiously optimistic note. South Africa became the largest exporter of the nut and the industry continued to grow. Sugarcane farmers were increasingly putting in macadamia orchards where sugarcane plantations had been previously, and there was a waiting list for macadamia trees, according to PJ Venter, CEO of Mayo Macs, which annually processes 700t of nuts from KwaZulu-Natal growers (17 July, pg 23 ). SA macadamia exports were jeopardised when Chinese traders and middlemen were found guilty of avoiding import duties and breaking China’s country of origin regulations (7 August, pg 20 ). This was done by concealing the true value of nuts imported into China, or using ports of entry in…

Nerpo and Afasa have dedicated 2016 to taking the organisations to the people at grassroots level. Nerpo and Afasa will focus on strengthening their structures in local and district municipalities as well as at provincial level. The organisations will put more effort into mobilising farmers, improving services and strengthening governance within its structures. To achieve this, Nerpo and Afasa will embark on cross-country roadshows which will be combined with district and provincial AGMs. MEMBERSHIP At the 2015 Nerpo AGM, the issue of membership was not finalised. As a result, a special NEC meeting was convened after the meeting to further discuss the matter. The NEC approved the new membership fee, which will come into effect this month. Nerpo Livestock Syndicate Scheme members who paid for 2014/2015 will be required to…

Debates about genetic modification (GM) focus on GM crops, yet never touch on the benefits they bring to human and animal health. Animal vaccines follow human health products produced in GM bacteria. Traditional vaccines are based on growing disease-causing microbes through multiplication in a growing medium, in animals, eggs, or cell cultures, or by chemical and physical mutagenesis, until attenuated strains arise through random mutations. Modern genetics enable use of genes that induce pathogen attenuation or reduce their effects, by using more precise targeting in deleting or inserting a mutation. Deletion occurs through genetically cutting out the unwanted microbial gene. For example, deletion of the bacterial aroA gene has yielded vaccines against Aeromonas, and Salmonella and Escherichia vaccines are used in fish, pigs, cattle and poultry. Removal of the P…

The labour force is an employer’s most valuable asset, but also the most controllable expense. Many employers still rely on manual systems to record employees’ time and attendance. One way to reduce payroll inflation and manual errors is to implement a clocking system that records and regulates employees’ working hours. SMALL MISTAKES, BIG LOSSES Accurate timekeeping is crucial to ensure that employees are paid correctly. It also minimises disputes. Seemingly minor systematic timekeeping errors can lead to major financial loss. The Department of Labour undertakes regular inspections, during which one of the areas of focus is correct timekeeping. Employers must be able to provide labour inspectors with clocking sheets or information stipulating the hours worked – ordinary hours, overtime, Sunday hours, public holidays and others, as well as lunch breaks…

Case IH introduced its prototype Quadtrac in 1992. The company claims that its technology – four independent tracked drives – has created a global trend and that it is an integral part of strategies to improve traction and reduce compaction. Innovations for 2016 include increased transmission efficiency, new steering with fewer turns required for full lock, automatic differential lock for front and rear axles, and comprehensive lighting options for work around the clock. The all-new Case IH Optum created a great deal of interest at the fair, offering bags of power in a relatively short wheelbase tractor that is highly manoeuvrable. The continuously variable transmission in the Optum CVX is engineered to handle the high draft loads generated by the 225kW engine. The new front and rear axle design, a…

Available for Android phones, iPhones/ iPads and PCs, Roberts VII Multimedia Birds of Southern Africa is a highly comprehensive, user-friendly app. It can be used in remote locations and does not require a cellphone or Internet connection once it has been installed and registered. At 23MB, the app is relatively small in size and is easily downloaded – just make sure you have a good Internet connection at the time. The actual data file is about 1GB and you are given a choice as to where you want to store it. The multimedia file includes more than 180 field guide pages, 968 individual bird pages, more than 1 400 illustrations and over 5 000 photographs, as well as in excess of 900 bird sounds. There are also colour-coded distribution maps.…

ADDING OIL TO DIESEL Q Some farmers in my area have started putting two-stroke oil into their diesel tanks in a 200:1 fuel/oil ratio. They claim that it is beneficial because 50ppm diesel has lower lubricity than 500ppm diesel, and adding the oil will restore this lubricity. I would like to have your opinion before I do the same.PS, Grahamstown A When low-sulphur diesel became available in South Africa, some press releases mentioned that the process that removes sulphur from fuel reduced the fuel’s lubricity. They also said that fuel suppliers were adding a lubricity enhancer, but nobody seems to have taken note of this sentence. Adrian Velaers, a South African automotive engineer, conducted tests to see if adding two-stroke oil to diesel was beneficial. He found that…

In Matthew 1:23, we read: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated as ‘God with us’. What a beautiful story for Christmas time! The Lord Jesus Christ chose to be born in a manger, a common feed trough in a stable where cattle, horses and donkeys were kept. He could have chosen to be born in Caesar’s palace or in a pharaoh’s palace in Egypt, but He chose the humble way, to identify Himself with ordinary men and women. OUR SPECIAL CONNECTION WITH JESUS I honestly believe that we as farmers are truly blessed of God because of how and where Jesus was born: Our Lord came into the world in an agricultural setting. That is…

Firstly, split the vanilla pod carefully down its full length using the point of a truly sharp paring knife. With it, scoop out the seeds and save the pod separately. Next, make the rum sauce by combining butter, brown sugar, vanilla seeds and rum in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir with a ball whisk for two minutes or so until the sauce has thickened. Remove the pan and its contents from the heat and reserve the sauce under cover for slightly later in the proceedings. Now, the empty vanilla pod can be stuck in your brown sugar container where it will faintly flavour and scent the contents if this is what you desire. Next, pre-heat the oven to 220°C. Construct six parcels of heavy-duty aluminium foil. Place a…

“We, the people of South Africa, recognise the injustices of our past, honour those who suffered for justice and freedom in our land, respect those who have worked to build and develop our country, and believe that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity. We therefore, through our freely elected representatives, adopt this Constitution as the supreme law of the Republic, so as to heal the divisions of the past and establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights, lay the foundations for a democratic and open society in which government is based on the will of the people and every citizen is equally protected by law, improve the quality of life of all citizens and free the potential…

Farmer’s Weekly’s regular contributors often receive questions from our readers. In this column, we publish those questions and answers likely to be of general interest to our readers. Vegetable Production Q Dear Bill I grow capsicum and chillies as a hobby. I found this yellow bell pepper yesterday. Do you have an idea what is wrong with it? Derek A Dear Derek This looks like the early stages of anthracnose. Later on, rings should appear and black specks form within the lesions. The disease is seedborne but may also be transferred from other susceptible weeds and crops. This disease favours wet conditions. Bill Kerr…

All of the district municipalities in the Northern Cape have been declared disaster areas because of the devastating drought in the province, according to Henning Myburgh, Agri Northern Cape CEO. He said this would soon be followed by the declaration of a provincial disaster area. The Northern Cape agriculture sector has already received R22 million state support so far. Some R14 million was earmarked for the emerging farming sector. The rest of the funds went to commercial farmers in Loeriesfontein, Calvinia and Brandvlei. Myburgh said it was not yet clear what could be expected in terms of state support following the official declaration of the province as a disaster area. In the meantime, he praised the organisations, private individuals and agribusinesses who had donated animal fodder to the drought-stricken farmers.…

Government identified a need for increased industrialisation and outlined its broader strategy of economic development for the Eastern Cape at its Socio-Economic Review and Outlook (SERO) symposium recently held in East London. This followed the province’s lacklustre economic performance last year. The agriculture sector was identified to hold the greatest potential for increased growth and industrialisation in the province. The provincial economy grew by only 1,1% in 2014, the lowest of all provinces and half of the national growth rate. Despite this, the head of the Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Bongani Gxilishe, was optimistic about the future of the Eastern Cape. “Our province is richly endowed with natural resources with vast tracts of fertile land throughout the province, particularly in the north eastern parts,” he said.…

Should the South African government accede to the Congress of SA Trade Unions’s (Cosatu) demand for a R4 500 to R5 500 per month national minimum wage, many jobs would likely be lost in the country’s commercial forestry sector. This was the view of industry body, Forestry SA (FSA), and timber growing and marketing business, NCT Forestry Co-operative Limited (NCT). According to FSA, the sector currently directly employed approximately 64 000 permanent workers, with about 30 000 workers indirectly dependent on it. A total of about 600 000 people in South Africa depended on commercial forestry for their socioeconomic wellbeing. “The minimum wage in our forestry sector is currently R2 606,78 per month, or R13,37 per hour for a nine-hour day. A jump to between R4 500 and R5 500…

Rising prices of strawberries in the UK could sour demand for this popular summer fruit, should producers be forced to implement the new national living wage (NLW). According to the findings of an independent report, British soft fruit could be priced out of the market, with UK growers being pushed out of business while production was forced abroad, The Scotsman reported. The English National Farmers’ Union appealed to the government for employers’ national insurance contributions for seasonal workers to be scrapped, saying that while it was fully supportive of a living wage for all workers in the agricultural industry, the government had to realise that the new wages would have a major impact on the sector. The NLW would increase the cost of seasonal wages for fruit growers by 35%…

Fruit exports from South Africa are doing well despite the drought, the economic slowdown in China and the slump in commodity prices. This was according to the third-quarter Maersk Trade Report, published recently. Matthew Conroy, Maersk Line Southern Africa trade manager, speaking to Farmer’s Weekly, said that fruit exports, mainly of apples, pears and grapes, accounted for more than 90% of SA exports. “It has been a good season all round with all major varieties doing well. Grape exports rebounded from a weak previous season.” The healthy demand for export fruit from South Africa could primarily be attributed to the poor performance of the rand, which resulted in a favourable exchange rate and strong demand from Europe, the report stated. According to Conroy, refrigerated exports for the year totalled 120…

Many farmers were affected in 2015 by the worst drought to hit South Africa in two decades. The agriculture sector was also confronted with calls from the ANC and government for a more radical approach to land reform. But the year was not devoid of encouraging trends. The weak performance of the rand helped strengthen the position of exporters of agricultural goods while the African market proved to hold opportunties for export growth. Farmer’s Weekly news editor, Marlise Scheepers , takes a look at some of the news stories that demanded attention in 2015.…

In February this year, history was made when the first-ever captive-bred Cape vultures were released into the wild (27 February, pg 24 ). Seven of the 10 young Cape vultures released into the wild were bred by the NGO, VulPro, while three more were bred by the Pretoria Zoo. The release of the endangered and globally vulnerable species marked the beginning of a recovery plan for Cape vulture populations in the Magaliesberg area. Although this had been great news for the area, the global population of breeding pairs stood at just under 4 000 birds. Power lines remained the biggest cause of the decline in Magaliesberg vultures in North West. However, poisoning was on the increase throughout Southern Africa. In 2015 alone, there were 59 known incidents of vulture…

Research conducted in 2015 revealed that biltong contributed more than R2,5 billion to South Africa’s economy annually. This was according to a study carried out at the Unit for Tourism Research in Economic Environments and Society (TREES) at North-West University. TREES carried out a study on the popularity and value of biltong, and the results so impressed Prof Melville Saayman, director of the unit, that he suggested South African authorities obtain trademark rights on the name ‘biltong’ (13 February, pg 24). The study found that biltong made from game contributed R237 million to the economy in 2015, while beef biltong contributed more than R2 billion. The most popular types of game biltong were, in order of popularity: kudu, springbok, impala, eland, wildebeest, blesbok and ostrich. “This is a truly South…

Chicken imports were high on the SA government’s agenda in 2015. Lengthy and sometimes strained negotiations between South Africa and the US on US chicken imports to South Africa resulted in threats from the US to exclude SA agricultural products from the beneficial trade agreements in the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa). US senator Johnny Isakson approved an amendment in Agoa to hold South Africa accountable for the blocking of US poultry exports. (8 May, pg 15). While South Africa had been included for a potential 10-year renewal in Agoa, Isakson proposed an amendment suggesting that the country be reviewed within the next 30 days. He also proposed an additional amendment that would renew South Africa’s inclusion in Agoa for only three years, saying that it was unfair that…

Government’s response in tackling the American foulbrood (AFB) disease crisis in 2015 was slow at best. Nearly 40% of the Western Cape bee population had been wiped out, while some of the province’s beekeepers estimated that 40% to 60% of all bees in the province had been infected (31 July, pg 16 ). What was worse, it was uncertain whether the disease had spread to other parts of the country. The KwaZulu-Natal Bee Farmers’ Association (KZN BFA) sent a letter to the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) voicing its concern about the spread of AFB to that province (30 January, pg 20). Stakeholders in the commercial beekeeping industry came together to launch a basic guide on how to manage the disease (6 February, pg 15). DAFF said…

Here’s to a happy new year! If things didn’t all go your way this past year, what you did or didn’t do is likely to be the problem. Never forget that your management style and skill have the biggest impact on your business. There are two distinct sets of skills required to be a great manager: hard skills and soft skills. The latter are far and away the most important – and the most difficult to learn. With this in mind, here are a few suggestions for your New Year’s resolution list: • I will improve my ‘soft skills’ Do you know each of the persons who reports directly to you? I don’t mean do you know their names. Do you know their hopes and dreams, their wives, their children’s names,…

By now, dairy herd managers will have some idea of how successful their herd conception rate has been. Early pregnancy losses, which are greater than average herd trends, may need further investigation. The threat of disease is high, so there is no harm in being extra-cautious. If in doubt, get the vet to check. The cost of a vet visit cannot compare with the cost of dealing with a Trichomoniasis problem in the herd. Don’t take anything for granted, especially now when you can least afford a costly mistake. HEIFER REARING Heifers are vital to the herd’s future. Even when cash is tight and homegrown food is in short supply, try not to cut corners with heifer rearing. Vaccination protocols need to be carried out diligently, recorded and checked with…

TEN GENERATIONS ON ONE FARM A farmer works his entire life to ensure that he leaves behind a farming operation which can benefit future generations of farmers. So it makes sense to ensure that the handover goes as smoothly as possible. The process of handing over a farm to the next generation is not something that happens overnight, as was emphasised in a 10 April article. Much planning, management decision-making and communication must take place. And it’s something that should start long before the planned date of transfer, according to agri-economist Dr Philip Theunissen. The Van der Merwe family of Boplaas in the Kouebokkeveld, whom we visited for our 7 August issue, is a good example of how to survive succession: they have gone through 10 of them! A family…

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Leaf analysis is the only way you can come up with sensible fertilisation for a specific planting. The following are important: • The correct time for sampling is from mid-September to mid-November; • The correct leaf must be sampled (see figure inset above); • The first leaf sample of a specific orchard must be accompanied by a soil sample, and represent a planting of not more than 3ha; • The sampling method is important: select approximately 20 healthy trees randomly distributed throughout the orchard. They must be of homogeneous appearance and represent the average trees in the orchard. Do not take samples from obviously good or weak trees. Sample four leaves per tree. THE CORRECT QUANTITIES Fertiliser should be applied about a year after transplanting. Broadcast it evenly about 0,2m…

According to Dr Amy Nett, a researcher in holistic healthcare, there has been an increase in the number of studies linking imbalances of good bacteria (probiotics) in the gut to a wide range of diseases including obesity and painful inflammatory bowel diseases. It is therefore important to provide food (prebiotics) for the maintenance of these beneficial bacteria. One of the important sources of this food is resistant starch (RS). Despite its name, it is not digested or metabolised like a typical carbohydrate. It reaches the colon intact, thereby resisting digestion and consequently not causing spikes in either blood glucose or insulin. RS Type 1 is found in grains, seeds and legumes. Indigestible in the raw, RS Type 2 is found in potatoes, unripe bananas and plantains. When these foods are…

Die rol wat landbouers in die ekonomie en breër samelewing vertolk is nie net die belangrikste dryfveer vir landelike ontwikkeling nie, maar kan ook mense en gemeenskappe bymekaar bring. Die uitdagings wat Vrystaat Landbou (VL) aanpak is daarop gemik om ’n bemagtigende omgewing te skep vir die landbouer in die Vrystaat. Indien die potensiaal van hierdie strukture en prosesse korrek aangewend word kan ons die volle potensiaal van landbou in ons provinsie ontsluit. Dit sluit in plaaslike regering, landelike veiligheid, grondhervorming, eenheid in landbou, sosiaalmaatskaplike aksies, natuurlike hulpbronne, infrastruktuur, boerderybestuur en beeldbou. Hoe kan ons addisionele waarde by hierdie dryfvere voeg sodat ons lede daardeur bemagtig kan word? Watter benadering word van ons vereis? 1. Uitdagings en struikelblokke: Daar is vele maniere om struikelblokke te benader. Gaan rondom hulle, vind…

The article ‘Botswana to regulate prices of fruits and vegetables’ (FW, 11 December) refers. The Botswana Horticultural Market is a failure because the country’s climate, poor soils, unproductive labour, and lack of water and power make it impossible to have a viable horticultural industry. Studies from as early as the 1970s have clearly shown this. Many brave souls have tried, seen the writing on the wall and given up or gone broke. The government-owned Talana Farms in the Tuli Block on the Limpopo River is a case in point. How many millions of pula were wasted on their numerous ventures? Now Topoyame Ibeneng wants to control prices and the supply of fruit and vegetables entering the country to protect local producers. The few are clamouring for protection because they decided…

Christoph Schulenburg’s letter in the 20 November issue of Farmer’s Weekly was titled ‘SA’s water quality needs attention’. Christoph worked as an industrial engineer before going into agriculture. He now farms in partnership with his father, Christoph Snr, in North West. They farm dryland grain on half of their land (mainly maize) and graze a herd of crossbred cattle and small flock of Dohne Merinos. He is married to Senta and they have three children, Anke (11), Alec (9) and Emma (5).…

Some argue that trying to revive the economies of small towns that thrived on agriculture, mining or the railways (or a combination of these) in their heyday, is like trying to squeeze diamonds from a rock. Most were founded in another era under different circumstances. While some of these one-horse towns don’t even have a live horse anymore, others do still have a kick. However, with farming having undergone a complete metamorphosis and mining now in the dumps, the timing of the inaugural ‘small towns, new futures’ conference recently held in Bloemfontein could not have been better. This is particularly so with widespread drought underscoring the cyclical nature of agriculture and the fact that local economies now mainly fire on welfare grants and municipal payrolls that increasingly depend on rising…

South Africa could learn from China’s experience in reducing poverty through agricultural development, according to speakers at the fifth Africa-China Poverty Reduction and Development Conference held in Midrand recently. The conference was a sub-forum of the Forum of China-Africa Cooperation (Focac). Speakers said that following a similar model to that implemented as part of China’s Millennium Development Goals could assist South Africa and the rest of the continent to reach their development goals. Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged R860 billion towards Africa’s social and economic development. Prof Li Xiaoyun from the China Agriculture University, who gave a presentation on the implementation of Chinese poverty reduction models in Tanzania, said model farms that followed the Chinese example in that country had managed to significantly increase maize yields. He said that even…

At least 23 US-based beer consumers will bring a lawsuit against Anheuser Busch InBev (InBev), the world’s largest brewer. This follows InBev’s announcement of its R1,5 trillion takeover plans of SABMiller. According to media reports, the consumers opposed the takeover, saying that it would create a monopoly in the beer market in violation of US antitrust laws. Local SAB spokespeople declined to comment, referring Farmer’s Weekly to the company’s UK-based office, which also declined to comment. It had been reported that InBev agreed with Molson Coors that on completion of the acquisition of SABMiller, it would sell SABMiller’s stake in MillerCoors to Molson Coors. Itumeleng Lesufe, spokesperson for the Competition Commission of South Africa, told Farmer’s Weekly that the US and South African competition laws were similar. In this instance,…

Tunisian olive farmers run the risk of losing a significant portion of their income due to extreme weather caused by climate change. The Tunisian ministry of agriculture told Agence France-Presse that current production could halve by 2030. The olive industry in the North African country employed 390 000 of its 560 000 workers. Tunisia was the world’s leading olive oil exporter, with this sector generating €1 billion (R16,6 billion) in 2015. About 80% of Tunisia’s 80 million olive trees depended on rainwater. The ministry intended planting approximately five million local drought-tolerant olive tree species in northern Tunisia, where average rainfall was the highest. Carlo Costa, senior researcher at horticulture division of the Agricultural Research Council Infruitec-Nietvoorbij, said that olive trees were naturally drought-tolerant, but if profitable production and quality levels…

The CEO of sugarcane farmer representative organisation, SA Canegrowers, its director for growth and sustainability as well as three of its black board members, recently resigned from the organisation. Their decision to leave was reportedly due to their long-held dissatisfaction with the organisation’s efforts to transform South Africa’s sugarcane farming industry and to develop its approximately 20 000 black small-scale growers. Ex-CEO, Nhlanhla Gumede, declined to comment, but one of the board members who resigned, Siyabonga Madlala, said he and his black colleagues who had resigned had grown weary of having their proposals for small-scale grower development repeatedly “shot down” by their white counterparts over the years. “We are not hating or dividing on racial grounds,” Madlala told Farmer’s Weekly. “It’s the objectives of SA Canegrowers that are dividing us.”…

A driven hunt in Limpopo caused uproar after M-Net’s Carte Blanche ran an insert about the planned hunt, “with scant regard to providing adequate facts” on the legality of the recognised sport, the SA Hunters and Game Conservation Association (SAHGCA) said (9 September, www.farmersweekly.co.za). The hunt followed a traditional European approach in which beaters walk through the bush and drive animals towards hunters. An impression was created on social media that the game was being subjected to illegal hunting methods, which was not true, the association said. The Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism found no wrongdoing at the Polokwane farm where the hunt took place. SAHGCA CEO, Fred Camphor, said reporting like that, “tends to paint all hunting in a bad light which is certainly not desirable…

The Joburg Fresh Produce Market continued to attract controversy in 2015. Early in the year, Bafana Dhlamini, the market’s CFO and acting CEO, was suspended from the R4-billion-a-year operation. Reasons for his suspension remain unknown. Dhlamini’s suspension took place only a few months after the late 2014 suspension of the market’s permanent CEO, Simangele Sekgobela, also for reasons that are as yet unknown. During this period, the market was supposed to have undergone a R600 million redevelopment plan. Joburg Market’s human resources executive, Thulisiwe Nkosi, was appointed acting CEO to replace Dhlamini, who was followed shortly by another acting CEO, Josiah Mazibuko (9 October, pg 13). Nkosi was then repositioned as both human resources executive and acting CFO, to replace Dhlamini in the latter position. Despite numerous enquiries from Farmer’s…

Incidences of Citrus Black Spot (CBS) that curbed exports in 2015 showed the true grit of the Citrus Growers’ Association (CGA) and local citrus growers, who made hard decisions in a seemingly never-ending battle with European authorities. In July 2015, the European Union (EU) informed South Africa’s Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) of three shipments of South African organic lemons with CBS (14 August, pg 14 ). A decision was immediately taken to stop these exports and organic growers were commended for their bravery by Deon Joubert, CGA special envoy of market access and EU matters. Joubert said these decisions had not been easy but had been taken to remove any risk to the industry as a whole. “The South African citrus industry has gone to great…

MEC for agriculture in Limpopo, Joy Matshoge, came under fire for what the Democratic Alliance (DA) termed “self-enrichment” after she applied for and received 51 Nguni cattle worth about R1 million from the provincial government (4 December, pg 16). The farm, Dutoitskraal, on which the cattle grazed, was also leased by Matshoge from the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform. The DA believed that development projects should benefit the disadvantaged, not the political elite, DA Limpopo leader, Jacques Smalle, told Farmer’s Weekly. “MEC Mathsoge brazenly insists that she applied before she became the MEC and did so as any other previously disadvantaged person would,” he said. “The criteria is that when you’re occupying a position as member of the provincial legislature you abide by its code of ethics. You…

We have come to the end of another eventful year at Nerpo. We have worked particularly hard in 2015 to ensure that we remain the voice of smallholder farmers in South Africa and at the same time assist our members to make real progress. FINANCING MODELS FOR SMALLHOLDER FARMERS Through Nerpo Financial Services, we have been involved in offering agricultural loans to smallholder farmers over the past six years. During this time, we have faced various challenges, especially with loan repayments from farmers. A significant number have been unable to service their loans, while only a small minority have been able to do so. In April this year, Nerpo held a two-day workshop where discussions took place between various stakeholders, including both paying and non-paying farmers. Representatives from the Department…

Drought conditions affecting agriculture in many regions across South Africa are forcing farmers to make difficult decisions on how best to make use of limited available irrigation water. Research carried out by the Agricultural Research Council’s Dr Theresa Volschenk, who specialises in soil and water science, identified the extent to which irrigation on Golden Delicious apple orchards in the Koue Bokkeveld could be reduced with the least impact on production and income. The effects of different irrigation regimes were studied over three growing seasons. The most favourable fruit quality, determined according to the effect of fruit size and quality on gross farm income, was obtained either with: • 50% plant-available water (PAW) depletion throughout the season; • 50% PAW depletion during fruit cell enlargement, followed by 75% depletion until the…

Sitting in a restaurant in Port Elizabeth awaiting the arrival of a shipment of Nile tilapia from overseas, I reflected on the 14 months of turmoil, effort, frustration and more than 600 emails that led to this event. That such a shipment should take this long is a sad reflection of the negative attitudes that prevail in government administration. If I worked in a government role in aquaculture, I would hang my head in shame that such a situation prevails in a country that professes to encourage aquaculture. However, the fact that our government officials have no such shame has become all too evident. All they do is tick boxes in order to cover themselves against any comebacks. They do the minimum work possible to promote the industry. It is…

What was the focus of your research on leopards? We wanted to evaluate the viability of the South African leopard population under realistic scenarios of natural and anthropogenic (human-induced) mortality. Current leopard conservation plans (up to 2010, at least) did not take into account all mortality sources in the setting of harvest quotas, which could impact negatively on long-term population viability. In the course of your research, you developed a model to determine a likely population for leopards in South Africa. How does it work? We first created a habitat suitability model for leopards across South Africa. We then collated all leopard density data from credible studies in South Africa and related suitable habitat to leopard density estimates for that specific habitat. From this, we extrapolated, or rather predicted, leopard…

Stephan Fourie of Potato Pride near Frankfort in the Free State harvests between 200ha and 220ha of potatoes every year. Despite believing in having a technological advantage, with total mechanisation in his potato lands, Stephan regards his farm workers as fulfilling a vital role in the production system. He employs a total of 120 workers in the operation’s packing facility. “All are from the small community of Oranjeville and they work at our packing facility 2km outside the town. At least 95% of the workforce has been working for us since we started packing six years ago, which means we must be doing something right!” Stephan says. Early on in his potato operation’s existence, he decided that total mechanisation was not the correct route to take. “I hear people saying…

I’m not privy to the inside story on the strikes experienced in the fruit sector recently. According to what I’ve read, Dutoit Group in the Western Cape and Umbhaba Bananas in Mpumalanga have been at the forefront of the current wave. Allowing for a touch of sensationalism from the media, the strikes involved violence and intimidation and one wonders what is really behind them. Both farming groups are leaders in their sectors, which invites the obvious question: why are they being targeted? My experience with large farming operations around South Africa is that they treat their workers very well. In fact, most farmers treat their workers well; the public only hears about the minority who do not. I’m not suggesting all is rosy in agriculture – there’s always room for…

THE CAPE TOWN BOOK  edited by Nechama Brodie (Struik Travel & Heritage, R395) Following the runaway success of her heritage guide, The Joburg Book, Brodie turns her attention to the Mother City, producing a lavishly illustrated coffee-table book combined with insightful guidebook. It includes 13 special features from expert contributors on subjects from shipwrecks to surfing and from Mannenberg to Rex Trueform. The flow of bite-sized panels and longer contributions makes this an easy book to dip in and out of in holiday mode. TALES OF THE OLD EAST COAST (Ron Lock, R285) Lock has become well-known internationally, particularly for his military history. But down on the KZN South Coast, he has taken a break to retell some great yarns that have enlivened historical accounts from the Cape to Zululand.…

The role that farmers play in the economy and in wider society is one of the most important drivers of rural development, and can also unify people and communities. Free State Agriculture’s tackling of various challenges is aimed at helping to create an enabling environment for Free State farmers. We can unlock the power of agriculture in our province if the processes and potential of the following driving forces are applied correctly: • Local government, land reform, socio-economic actions, safety, unity in agriculture, natural resources, infrastructure, farming management, and corporate image. How can we add value to these drivers to empower us? What attitude should we adopt? 1. Tackle challenges and obstacles There are several ways to deal with obstacles. We can go around them, deal with them, or realise…