Tabla de contenidos para 7 July 2023 en Farmer's Weekly

Government has spent a great deal of money and resources on the support of emerging farmers. And rightfully so; there are very few role players in the agriculture sector who believe that priming and supporting South Africa’s emerging and small-scale farmers is a pointless endeavour. If anything, the consensus is that, generally speaking, enough is not being done to ensure the successful transition of smallscale farmers into commercial farming. In this week’s issue of Farmer’s Weekly, we look at two smallscale farmers in particular. Petros Sibanyoni (see page 44) and Koketso Baloyi Mofokeng (see page 48) detail their troubles in trying to access finance and grow production in Mpumalanga and North West respectively. While Sibanyoni farms livestock and Mofokeng produces vegetables, they are faced with similar challenges that are largely…

ARCHIVE This article argued that correct veld management could only be practised if adequate supplies of clean water were available in each camp. A camp without water has no value. Keeping the stockwater clean often presents a greater problem than supplying it in each camp. Polluted stockwater can be a serious source of infection with various diseases. One of the main causes of water pollution occurs when cattle have to drink directly from fountains or earthen dams. At such places, cattle invariably enter the water to drink and in doing so pollute the water with excreta, which is a dangerous source of parasitic infection. To guard against this, it is important to enclose the dam or fountain with adequate fencing. Inexpensive piping can then be used to pipe the water…

The adage that young people are not interested in farming is being challenged as a wave of young farmers enter the sector, hoping to make a change. “Young farmers are coming to the fore, working towards a prosperous, inclusive agriculture sector,” said Thoko Didiza, minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (the department). She was speaking at the Food for Mzansi Indaba held on 14 and 15 June in Johannesburg. Didiza said the youth were inspiring a new way of thinking, and challenging government to think differently. “They want a fully functional agriculture sector, but are not asking for favours. Rather they want mentorship and to be given equal exposure to the agricultural economy,” Didiza said. She added that the department was committed to youth development in the country,…

The Department of Science and Innovation’s Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) recently launched an agriculture project to install 200 localised weather stations across the Western Cape to improve the accuracy of weather data. Named the Eureka SA Climate Smart Agriculture project, it has been realised thanks to a partnership between the department, which contributed R6 million, and a global consortium, consisting of TerraClim, Pessl Instruments GMbH, Metos SA (Pty) Ltd and Geosmart Space (Pty) Ltd, which contributed R6,9 million. (Eureka, which has a presence in more than 40 countries, is said to be the world’s largest public network for international co-operation in innovation and research and development.) At the launch, Sibusiso Manana, head of TIA: Agriculture, said the Western Cape had been prioritised due to its complex terrain. This resulted in…

Dr Steffan Hansen recently received his doctorate in entomology from Stellenbosch University, in part for his role in setting up the first genetic library for banded fruit weevil species in South Africa. The genetic library contains the DNA code of 41 South African species, which are included in international databases such as GenBank. More than 51 000 weevil species have already been identified worldwide, but Hansen said it was difficult to distinguish some of the species from one another, even with a trained eye and a good microscope. A genetic library will make it easier for researchers to identify which species eggs, larvae or pupae collected from the soil or crops they are dealing with. The Cape Floristic Region is home to many weevil species, but agricultural expansion has resulted…

The South African Veterinary Council (SAVC) has rolled out a dedicated whistle-blowing app to encourage the public to come forward and report transgressors posing a threat to animals and food security. According to the council, unregistered veterinary and paraveterinary workers pose a serious threat with regard to the health and well-being of South Africa’s animals, as well as to food security. In order to counter this worrying trend, they launched the app on 1 June 2023. In response to the danger posed by this state of affairs, the SAVC is rolling out an 18-month public education and awareness campaign titled Project Compliance from 1 June 2023 to 30 September 2024. This includes the introduction of an app (which does not capture any user detail and therefore allows for anonymous tipoffs)…

A new option to further studies announced by the Department of Basic Education (the department) will give budding agriculturists a shot at achieving recognised qualifications. The General Education Certificate (GEC) is essentially a lesser version of the National Senior Certificate, which is what learners get for finishing Grade 12. Instead of allowing learners to apply to a university, the GEC enables them apply to a technical college or a school that focuses on teaching subjects such as agriculture, technical science, engineering, aviation, mining, media, maritime studies and even sport. The GEC is a flagship programme of the department designed to expand the learning pathways and success opportunities of Grade 9 learners. It is also intended to formally recognise learners’ achievements at the end of the compulsory phase of schooling. It…

Market stakeholders are noting softening demand on the back of consumers’ increasingly stretched disposable income. Over the past month, vegetable prices have followed diverging trends, with cabbage, carrot and tomato prices easing, and onion and potato prices rising due to tighter volumes. The impact of higher vegetable prices is likely to be a notable driver of official food inflation figures released for May, with most vegetable prices recording yearly increases for the year ending May 2023. CABBAGE The price of cabbage in mid-June was more than 40% lower month-on-month (m/m) on the back of a significant increase in volume (see Graph 1). The price was also 11% lower year-on-year, due to a 29,6% increase in volume (see Graph 2). During the first week of June, cabbage traded at an average…

Naute Kristall Distillery’s NamGin tastes of sand dunes, mountains and open plains, and the charm of the Namib Desert. This is how Michael Weder describes the gin he produces on the fringes of one of the largest deserts in the world. “The desert’s vastness and openness form the perfect backdrop for the fact that the base spirit is made from dates, the iconic fruit of the desert. The gin is infused with 13 botanicals,” says Weder, managing director of the business. Naute Kristall lies on the C12, the road leading from Keetmanshoop to the Fish River Canyon, near the Naute Dam. The dam supplies potable water to Keetmanshoop and some surrounding farms, but is used predominantly for irrigation. Dates are produced here on a commercial scale, but the fruit, although…

The second novel in Ashling McCarthy’s highly readable and well-researched Poacher’s Moon crime series, The Leopard in the Lala (Blue Weaver, R270), is out. It moves from depicting the motives and results of rhino poaching in very human terms in the first novel, Down at Jika Jika Tavern, to the controversy around the use of leopard skins. Early readers are already clamouring for a third book, which McCarthy plans to draft before the end of 2023. In the meantime, we chatted to this Durban-based writer and artist about the main influences in her life. • Bushveld: Zululand is really close to my heart. I was born in Empangeni Hospital while my parents were working in Hluhluwe village. Even when we moved to Durban, our holidays were always in the Zululand bush.…

From a maize supply perspective, South Africa is in a relatively strong position. According to recent estimates by the Crop Estimates Committee, the country’s 2022/23 commercial maize production could reach 16,1 million tons, up 5% year-onyear and the third-largest on record. Given South Africa’s annual maize needs are roughly 12 million tons, the country could have over three million tons for export markets in the 2023/24 marketing year that started in May (this marketing year corresponds with the 2022/23 production year). This ample harvest materialised through farmers’ persistent efforts to plant even beyond the optimal planting window, which closed in December before the entire area of 2,6 million hectares was planted as heavy rainfall disrupted farmers’ activity. Thus, farmers planted some hectares outside this window, and some feared there would…

The Agbiz/IDC Agribusiness Confidence Index (ACI) continued to show a subdued trend in the second quarter (Q2) of 2023, suggesting that agribusinesses remained wary about business conditions in South Africa. This is according to Wandile Sihlobo, Agbiz chief economist. “The ACI level in the first two quarters of this year is the lowest since Q2 2020, following the COVID-19 lockdown. The second quarter reading marks the third consecutive month below the neutral 50-point level. “Intensified geopolitical tensions, unfavourable draft water regulations and poor municipal service delivery were the key factors [that] survey respondents cited as their prime concerns,” Sihlobo said in a statement. The survey showed that the turnover subindex fell five points from Q1 2023 to 64 points, while the net operating income subindex fell by six points to…

Producers have to carefully monitor their vineyards, make use of new technologies, apply best practices at the right time, and adapt as needed to get the most out of their wine grape vineyards in the long run. This was the key message at the recent Winetech Vinpro regional information sessions. Conrad Schutte, CEO of Vinpro, said farmers had to push through uncertain times, use technology to their advantage and focus on the end game. Johann Meissenheimer, operational director of Revive Soil Solutions, advised farmers on the importance of using data to their advantage: “Better information means more and better decision-making, as well as a decrease in expenses, better use of inputs and a potential increase in quality.” Dr Etienne Terblanche, Vinpro vineyard consultant, said the only certainty with climate change…

The Climate Prediction Centre in the US has said that the drought in some parts of Iowa could worsen, while western Iowa might see some rain over the next few weeks. The dry conditions have damaged the maize farming industry, which is waiting for rain to offer some reprieve. According to the Climate Prediction Centre, the forecast changes were due to the shift to an El Niño climate pattern that officially took place earlier in June, and which could intensify until the end of the year. Tim Hall, the coordinator of hydrology resources for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, said in a statement that what was certain was that drought had spread rapidly in the state during the past month. Hall referred to it as a ‘flash drought’. More…

Government education programmes have not kept up with the latest research, and are currently teaching new-era farmers practices commercial farmers have long abandoned. This was the opinion of attendees at the Food for Mzansi Indaba held from 14 to 15 June in Johannesburg. As an example, one farmer, who wished to remain anonymous, told Farmer’s Weekly how government’s plan to assist cattle farmers with a Nguni breeding programme had failed. “Nguni cattle were given to farmers to get them started with commercial cattle farming,” he said. “But the feedlots don’t want Ngunis, because they don’t put on weight, and so don’t offer a lot of meat.” As a result, “farmers sat with those animals and either had to sell at a low price or just keep feeding them”. Recognising the…

Christi van den Heever (38) recently won the Agri Western Cape Santam Young Farmer of the Year award in Paarl. For the past 15 years he has been farming apples, pears, cherries, grapes and cattle for Graaff Fruit near Prince Alfred Hamlet. He has also been the farm manager on Rietfontein in the Koue Bokkeveld for the past five years. Over this time, he has helped improve production practices, developed infrastructure and raised the profitability of the farming businesses. He ascribed his success to hard work, good planning and adaptability. Van den Heever said that winning the award had been a dream come true, and he thanked Robert Graaff, the owner of Graaff Fruit, and the staff of Graaff Fruit and Delecta Fruit for their contribution to his success. “Robert…

Revenue of chemical and fertiliser group Omnia increased by 24% to R26,6 billion and operating profit by 19% to R1,9 billion for the financial year ending on 31 March 2023, despite a tough operating environment. Ordinary dividends increased by 36% to 375c per share, or R634 million, with the group seeking shareholder approval for a general share repurchase programme. The agriculture segment, which accounts for more than 60% of the group’s business, delivered a 31% increase in revenue to R14,7 billion, while operating profit increased by 2,4% to R1,2 billion on the back of improved performance in international operations. Tiaan Kotzé, CEO of Omnia, told Farmer’s Weekly that Omnia had been able to capitalise on initial favourable agronomic conditions in most regions, after which adverse weather in Australia, Zambia and…

South Africa’s economy barely missed a recession in the first quarter of 2023. The economy is weakening at a rate approaching that encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Statistics South Africa’s recently released gross domestic product (GDP) figures, South Africa’s economy grew by a very low 0,4% in the first quarter of 2023, on a seasonally adjusted and annualised base, from the fourth quarter of 2022. The seasonally adjusted and annualised growth figures do not provide an objective view of the performance of the economy. However, Statistics South Africa also publishes the growth rates for individual periods compared with the same period in previous years. According to these figures, the economy grew by only 0,2% in the first quarter of 2023 from the first quarter of 2022, a significant…

Lupins are adapted to poor and slightly acid soils, but they have high growth requirements, caution Truter et al. They are used as green manure and in rotation with grains because they are capable of fixing nitrogen from the atmosphere and converting it to a usable form. Poorly fertilised lupins, however, can exhaust the soil and leave it even poorer than before. Lupins can have great value in soils where there are high levels of nutrients, say Truter et al. Grown between lands of grain crops, lupins can help to keep diseases from spreading.…

Naturalist and adventurer Quinton Coetzee is not only familiar as a TV presenter on wildlife programmes, but internationally renowned for his conference presentations that use bushcraft and the environment as the bones of business motivational talks. This boy from the fringes of the Namib has often taken himself out of the bush, but, as he proves with his new book, THE BUCK THAT BURIES ITS POO (Jonathan Ball, R280), the bush has never left him. His new book answers intriguing questions that Coetzee has been asked in the bush, from whether hippos eat meat to why you should never pick up a tortoise. It’s split into a number of main sections – mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, fish, arthropods, and plants – as well as shorter sections on his pick…

Dear Prof McCrindle, I have heard of people getting ‘swine flu’ this winter. Is this real or a myth? Would you be able to provide some clarity on this issue, please? Kind regards, Mario Dear Mario, Winter is upon us, and so is the influenza season. According to the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, influenza Type A (H1N1) pdm09 is currently on the list. This variant is a mutated strain that contains genes from a flu virus found in pigs in North America, as well as genes from bird flu and human viruses; it was first seen in 2009 in the US. Despite its link to pigs, it is not in fact ‘swine flu’, which is an ancestor of the variant. Type A influenza viruses are highly infectious and mutate…

UK DAIRY PRICES COULD KEEP RISING UNLESS STAFF SHORTAGES EASE, CO-OP WARNS The UK’s largest dairy co-operative has said there could be further increases in the price of milk and other dairy products if the government does not urgently tackle labour shortages in farming. – theguardian.com GREEN BANK INVESTS AU$50 MILLION (ABOUT R924 MILLION) TO CUT FARMING EMISSIONS Australia’s green bank has joined forces with a Canadian pension fund to reduce the carbon footprint of farming. – portnews.com.au WALMART PLANS TO OPEN ITS OWN BEEF PLANT FOR CASE-READY MEAT FOR ITS STORES With a new $275 million (about R5 billion) beef processing facility being built in Kansas in the US, with an opening of 2025 expected, Walmart plans to take a page from history by producing “case-ready” meat. – foodsafetynews.com…

A successful application to access financing from development banks and organisations was dubbed ‘impossible’ by farmers attending the Food for Mzansi Indaba held from 14 to 15 June in Johannesburg. “The list of documents they require for applications is longer than my arm,” said a farmer from North West, Alfred van Wyk. “When you are unsure about something and need assistance, the office of the Land Bank will only deal with you if you have already submitted a completed application. Otherwise, its doors are closed.” He further lamented that the Land Bank required three to four years of audited financial statements for loan applications. “Farmers in a developmental phase don’t have such statements, and not even the commercial banks require that. So I ask, how committed to development is the…

INDONESIA The 10th International Conference on Agriculture (Agrico) will take place in Bali, Indonesia, in September and will also be available on hybrid platforms. The conference attracts activists, academics and those interested in agriculture from all over the world. The Agrico organisation said it planned to collaborate with and offer innovative solutions to the agriculture sector, bringing together scholars, policymakers, industries and others to discuss sustainable practices, showcase new technologies, and facilitate networking for the advancement of the industry. AUSTRALIA Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) has released its latest Cattle Industry Projections update, stating that the national cattle herd will reach its highest level since 2014. The organisation said that the national cattle herd was on track to increase throughout the year, resulting in an increase in supply of young…

Emerging game farmers in South Africa will receive a major shot in the arm from the South African National Parks (SANParks) with the donation of 2 448 plains game and 12 high-value species this year. The donation is being made to contribute to the expansion of the wildlife economy through the SANParks Socio-Economic Transformation Action Plan. The inititiative is aimed at supporting greater participation of black-owned businesses, especially women, the youth and people with disabilities, in infrastructure development and commercial tourism opportunities. The announcement was made by Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Barbara Creecy, who recently delivered the department’s budget vote in the National Council of Provinces. Other focus areas included supplier development; direct and indirect employment creation; awareness, knowledge creation and exchange; and meaningful land claimant beneficiation.…

The essence of the employeremployee relationship is that the employee completes certain tasks or provides services for the employer, and receives remuneration in return. Formal employment, however, also requires the payment of certain financial contributions by the employer, the employee, or both. These include the following: • Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) The employee is required to contribute 1% of his or her gross salary (via a deduction and up to a maximum limit) to the UIF. Simultaneously and separately, the employer has to contribute 1% of the employee’s gross salary to the UIF. This joint contribution ensures that both parties play a role in safeguarding the welfare of the employee. • The Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act (No. 130 of 1993) This is commonly referred to as worker’s…

Affectionate with family indicates how good a breed is likely to be with family members, or other people they know well. 1: Independent and aloof 5: Affectionate Good with young children indicates a breed’s level of tolerance and patience with children. 1: Not recommended for children 5: Good with children Good with other dogs indicates how generally friendly a breed is towards other dogs. 1: Not recommended 5: Good with other dogs Shedding level indicates how much fur and hair the breed is likely to shed. Breeds that shed more generally need more grooming. 1: No shedding 5: Frequent, high volumes of shedding Drooling level indicates how drool-prone a breed tends to be. This may be problematic in the case of breeds kept indoors, and may thus be an important…

Citrus is a major contributor to South Africa’s exports, generating around US$1,93 billion (about R35 billion) in revenue, according to a 2021 OEC report. Despite this, the citrus industry has experienced significant challenges over the past year, particularly as it pertains to exports. The introduction of the EU’s false coddling moth (FCM) regulations mid-season 2022, for example, has had a major impact on exports. Production declines, due to load-shedding, drought and skyrocketing input costs, amongst others, have also been experienced. Despite this, the industry remains an important exporter on a global scale. According to a March 2023 report published by The Fruit Portal, lemon exports were expected at 37,3 million 15kg-equivalent cartons, up 2,6 million cartons from 2022. The increase was attributed largely to younger trees coming into production. The…

According to a new study, researchers at the University of California Davis (UC Davis) have used the genome-editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 to create disease-resistant rice plants, ScienceDaily recently reported. Field trials in China have shown that the newly created rice variety demonstrated high yields and resistance to the fungus that caused rice blast. Guotian Li, co-lead author of the study, discovered a mutant known as a lesion mimic mutant while working as a postdoctoral student in Pamela Ronald’s lab at UC Davis, ScienceDaily said. According to Ronald, the team was able to improve on this gene. In her lab, the researchers were creating and sequencing 3 200 distinct rice strains, each possessing diverse mutations, when Guotian identified one with dark patches on its leaves. “He found that the strain was also…

HIGHEST: (FILLY) R850 000 Vereeniging – The Fortune Racing Sale was held at the Vaal on 7 June. The highest price of the day was paid for the filly Ripple Effect by Erupt out of Sea of Calm, which was sold for R850 000 to Target Acquired. The second-highest price of the day was paid for the filly Ipso Facto by Rafeef out of Awaited, which was sold for R400 000 to Matchett Racing. The average price achieved per unit was R159 783. The sale was held by Bloodstock South Africa.…