Indice dei contenuti per 7 October 2016 in Farmer's Weekly

I have previously written about the serious threat posed to the future of agriculture because young people are no longer interested in following a career in farming. This is a global problem, affecting the agricultural sector from sub-Saharan Africa to the US, Europe and Asia. The average age of a farmer in South Africa is 62, while in sub-Saharan Africa it is 60. In the US it is 55, in Japan it is 67, while more than one-third of European farmers are older than 65. There is one country, however, that seems to be bucking the trend. I recently attended Poland’s largest international trade fair for the food industry, Polagra Food, in Poznan, and was interested to learn that Poland has the largest share of young farmers in the EU.…

In response to the editor’s comment, ‘In Mike we trust’ (FW, 16 September), about the appointment of Mike Mlengana as the new director-general of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF), readers commented as follows: Goitseone Molusi: Now I know that our communal land will be utilised. I’ve asked the department of agriculture about the selection criteria when assisting communal farmers. In North West, especially, land is lying fallow that was in use during the former Bophuthatswana era. I believe in Mlengana. Xolisa Bomela: I’m beginning to think we are going to get positive change under Mlengana’s leadership. Thembi Ndhlovu: I trust him, he’s a passionate farmer. Lehutso Mogajana: I smell change. Yonela Mdleleni: Success is what I smell. We asked our Facebook followers, “You know you’re a farmer…

The South African plant improvement organisation, SAPO Trust, has encouraged fruit producers to scout their orchards for interesting-looking fruit and plant mutations. “In many cases, the future of the SA deciduous fruit industry depends on improved strains of existing cultivars, and many of the new varieties being developed are mutations of existing cultivars found in growers’ orchards,” Peter Dall, chairperson of SAPO Trust, told fruit and vine growers at a SAPO nursery day recently held near Paarl. Dall said that SAPO wanted to develop, test and evaluate mutations. He added that if any mutations were found to be an improvement on existing varieties, SAPO would be willing to enter into a mutually beneficial partnership with the grower who discovered the mutation. “There are many of these mutations out there. We…

The Sneeuwberg Protected Environment, a 17 456ha grassland area near Memel, Free State, was recently declared a protected environment. Speaking to Farmer’s Weekly, Daniel Marnewick, programme manager for important bird and biodiversity areas for BirdLife South Africa, said that the area had been developed through a partnership between BirdLife SA, Worldwide Fund for Nature SA and the Free State provincial government, and 11 landowners. The pilot project had started in 2011. A follow-up project, on the border of KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State, might be quicker to implement, Marnewick said. “We’re not trying to change land use. We develop a management plan that considers current activities and conserve existing biodiversities. A stocking rate and burning programme that aligns with conservation goals is [thus] developed. “Effectively, one can’t mine in a…

The South African agricultural business chamber, Agbiz, recently reported that national food price inflation, excluding non-alcoholic beverages, had increased to 11,6% year-on-year (y/y) for August 2016, from 11,5% y/y for July 2016. This was despite headline inflation decreasing to 5,9% y/y for August 2016 from 6% y/y for July 2016. However, according to Agbiz head of Agribusiness Research, Wandile Sihlobo, food price inflation including non-alcoholic beverages remained unchanged at 11,3% y/y from July 2016 to August 2016. These figures were based on a food basket consisting of bread, cereals, meat, fish, milk, eggs, cheese, oils and fats, fruit, vegetables, sugar, sweets and desserts, and non-alcoholic beverages, amongst others. “The increase in bread and cereal inflation is still reflective of the effects of the 2015/2016 drought, which has led to lower…

 The Endangered Wildlife Trust’s (EWT) wildlife contraband sniffer dogs, Renaldo and Condor, are being used in the fight against rhino horn and ivory smugglers at OR Tambo International Airport. The airport is used as a gateway for illicitly transporting these products out of South Africa. ‘WELL-CONTROLLED LEGAL TRADE IN RHINO HORN SHOULD BE INTRODUCED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE’ The dogs have been receiving high-tech training to enhance their skills for detecting rhino horn and ivory in cargo warehouses. Their latest training was based on the MECHEM Explosive and Drug Detection System (MEDDS). “Conventional detection dogs physically sniff the target, be it inside suitcases, packages, vehicles or whatever other medium is being used to transport and hide the contraband. MEDDS technology uses a remote detection system whereby air from the container…

The first-ever Cape buffalo calf conceived through in vitro fertilisation (IVF) was introduced to the public on the farm Lekkerleef, near Marble Hall in Limpopo, on 22 September. The healthy bull calf, named Pumelelo (Xhosa for ‘success’), had been born on 28 June 2016. The IVF project was led by Embryo Plus, a company specialising in semen collection and artificial insemination of animals. Project team leader, Dr Morné de la Rey, said that while the use of assisted reproductive techniques in wildlife management was still in its infancy, it was becoming more of a reality. “This success is of major importance for the prospective breeding of endangered species, and that’s the reason we [undertook] this work,” De la Rey said. In a process similar to ovum recovery in women undergoing…

EGYPT’S ‘POND FARM’ MODEL IS IDEAL FOR SA’S WARMER AREAS This is the 100th aquaculture column to appear in Farmer’s Weekly, and to mark this milestone, I’d like to explore how far the industry has come since my first article in September 2012. Back then, the main controversy was over the choice of species in tilapia farming. The law permitted only the slower-growing Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) to be farmed due to a perceived conservation threat by the Nile tilapia (O. niloticus) favoured in world aquaculture. Pressure over the years has resulted in a gradual issuing of permits to farm O. niloticus in the colder regions of the country, but there are still no permits for commercial culture in the provinces most suitable for tilapia farming: Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal.…

What is the scope of the pork industry in South Africa? It’s very small, with 243 registered commercial farmers owning 110 400 sows. The total number of small farmers is not known, but estimated to be between 1 500 and 3 000. They own an estimated 16 000 sows, with an average of between five and 50 sow units. The South African pork industry produces less than 0,5% of the world’s total pork output, and slaughters approximately 2,8 million pigs per annum. There are only nine stud breeders. Is there potential for growth in the industry? And if so, what are the opportunities? Globally, pork is considered the number one protein source. It’s affordable and competes well with other preferred meat types. This offers an opportunity for South Africa to…

WHEY IS FED ONLY TO THE GROWER PIGS, NOT THE PIGLETS OR SOWS The Delle Donne family has been farming pigs and making cheese in the Cape Winelands for more than 50 years. This combination may sound odd, but is in fact a good match, as it allows the farm to reduce wastage in the cheese factory, while reducing feed costs in the piggery. “The cheese factory helps to cut our feed bill by allowing us to feed whey to the pigs – a by-product from the production of mozzarella and hard Italian cheese types. The cheese factory is only a 100m from the grower units, so it can be used shortly after it being produced,” says Mauro Delle Donne, owner of Zandam Farm. BETTER FEED CONVERSION Mauro maintains that…

THE WARMER THE AREA, THE EARLIER YOU’LL BE ABLE TO PLANT For a smaller grower, it pays to stay in production as long as possible in order to satisfy a local rural market. In the Southern Cape, farmers use controlled storage to achieve this; they start off with onions that have a built-in storage capacity and then extend this in controlled environmental conditions. But there are other, less expensive ways of extending the period of supply in short-day areas. For the short-day grower, the early market entrant is an early-maturing variety suitable for either sets or direct seeding. Direct seeding requires a relatively dry climate and light daily irrigation until emergence. To keep the soil cool and moist until germination, use either mini sprinklers spaced 5m to 7m apart or…

SOME BLAME THE SHORTAGE ON SA’SRIGID LABOUR LAWS, WHICH MAKEIT VERY DIFFICULT TO FIRE ANYONE South Africa’s motoring industry is facing a skills crisis because there are too few qualified technicians to service the growing car population, says Manny de Canha, CEO of Associated Motor Holdings, whose vehicle brands have captured nearly 20% of the local market. According to De Canha, at least 6 000 technicians should be entering the industry every year but no more than about 500 finally qualify. In Europe, a technician is somebody trained to a stage halfway between a mechanic and an engineer. His theoretical knowledge is usually on a par with what an engineer learns in the first 18 months of his university education. There is no way that the broken parts replacer who…

Begin with the brine. Combine the apple juice, water, crushed and peeled garlic cubes, hand-torn sage leaves, coarse salt and peppercorns in a large saucepan. Stirring occasionally, bring this mixture to a gentle simmer for 10 minutes or so. Remove the pan from the stove and pour in the ice. Weird, I know, but that’s brining for you. Let it cool for 10 minutes. Quarter the fowl on a chopping board using a cleaver. Transfer the quarters to the brine and stick the bowl in the fridge for a couple of hours while you work on your novel. Ping! Chicken time again. Remove the brined chicken, dry on a paper towel, and dump the used brine. Rub the brined fowl with half the salt and pepper. Mix the other half…

Herb expert Margaret Roberts has an easy recipe for barley water that can be used to detoxify the body. In My 100 Favourite Herbs she recommends boiling one cup pearl barley in 1,5l of water. Allow to simmer for 40 minutes with the lid partially on, topping up the water now and then. Set aside to cool, and strain. Refrigerate the water and drink a glass flavoured with fresh lemon juice daily. The drained grains can be eaten as a starch or added to stews. Well-known beauty and anti-ageing expert Dr Nicholas Perricone regards barley as a ‘superfood’. It is low-glycemic and high in soluble and insoluble fibre (helps metabolise nutrients) and roughage (helps keep the colon functioning). Barley’s low glycemic value helps to stabilise blood sugar levels, making it…

GPS equipment manufacturers have developed a number of tools to help farmers and agribusinesses become more productive and efficient in their precision farming activities. GPS receivers collect data for mapping boundaries, irrigation systems, roads and problem areas in crops. The GPS Test app, which is available free for Android, is a diagnostic tool that accesses and displays GPS information taken from your phone’s internal GPS data. The app is relatively small (only 1,2Mb) and quick to download. It has several colour schemes that can be used to match other data used alongside the app. There is a ‘night mode’ colour scheme as well. Within five to 10 seconds, the app will pinpoint your position and display clear packets of information for you. These include: • GPS signal (SNR) bar chart This…

THE FUTURE OF SA FARMING RESTS ON THE SUCCESS OF ITS EMERGING FARMERS “As the impact of an extended period of drought across Southern Africa continues, the concern is setting in among commercial and small-scale farmers that a water-constrained environment may no longer be a short-term challenge. It could, in fact, become the new normal. While this realisation is also dawning on agriculture stakeholders across the world, it is a reality that is particularly difficult for South African farmers to deal with. This is because they already face having to operate in an environment of lower per capita water supply than that of most other countries, not to mention an extremely low ratio of annual rainfall to annual water run-off. In fact, research by the Worldwide Fund for Nature –…

CONFERENCES & EXPOS 3 TO 5 OCTOBER International Conference on Research Infrastructure, Cape Town. Visit www.icri2016.co.za. 4 TO 6 OCTOBER Fairtrade Launch Agrofood Plastpack, Millennium Hall, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Visit www.fairtrade-messe.de. 10 TO 12 OCTOBER Africa Fertiliser Agribusiness Conference, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Phone +44 20 7903 2444, or email conferences@crugroup.com. 13 TO 16 OCTOBER Agri-Expo Livestock, Sandringham. Visit www.livestock.org.za. COURSES & TRAINING 5 TO 6 OCTOBER Agri 5 Commodities Workshop, Bloemfontein. Visit www.agbiz.co.za. 10 TO 11 OCTOBER SA Stud Book Beef Cattle BLUP (Afrikaans), Pretoria. Phone Elsa van den Bergh on 051 410 0900, or email elsa@studbook.co.za. 10 TO 14 OCTOBER Introduction to Poultry Production, Irene. Phone Annetjie Loubser on 012 672 9153, or email aloubser@arc.agric.co.za. 12 TO 14 OCTOBER Aldam Beef Cattle School, Aldam. Phone Agri Breedplan SA…

SA’S UNIVERSITIES ARE AMONGST MOST AFFORDABLE IN THE WORLD The news is currently awash with images of students protesting against high tuition fees. This debate has various implications that at one time or another will affect all of us. The movement started with the #RhodesMustFall hashtag and quickly moved on to incorporate the idea of a moratorium on fee increases. Other issues have also been incorporated. These include higher wages for cleaning and gardening staff, insourcing these contract positions from outside firms to universities, the ‘decolonisation’ of curricula to reflect a more African-centric content, and eventually, free university education for all. Some of these protests have been violent, with damage to university property running to millions of rands. Some protests have been politically organised, with political organisations providing a network…

South Africa needed to think ‘outside of the box’ to ensure economic growth and that it reached its land reform goals. This was according to Johannes Möller, president of Agri SA, who was addressing delegates at the SAPO Trust nursery information day recently held near Paarl. Möller said that South Africa had struggled to attain these goals because it was following the strategic paradigms of developed countries. “We’re not a First World country. First World country solutions are therefore not necessarily going to work here in South Africa,” he said. Möller added that a new paradigm was needed to develop ways in which land could be used to reduce poverty and create jobs. “Instead of trying to do things the European way, we should look at ways to develop our…

One-third of all food produced globally is never eaten, according to a recent report by the World Resources Institute. Food lost and wasted annually amounted to about US$940 billion (R13 trillion) globally, and contributed 8% of all greenhouse gas emissions. According to the report, food currently lost and wasted in Africa could potentially feed 300 million people. In sub-Saharan Africa alone, post-harvest losses amounted to about US$4 billion (R55 billion) per year. Given the magnitude of food loss and waste worldwide, the report urged nations, cities and businesses in the food supply chain to commit to reducing these figures. A new report, ‘SDG Target 12,3 on Food Loss and Waste: 2016 Progress Report’, was recently released on behalf of Champions 12,3, an international coalition of leaders dedicated to the reduction…

Young professionals’ creativity and technical knowledge were needed to ensure agricultural growth in South Africa. This was according to Christo van der Rheede, Agri SA deputy executive director, who addressed hundreds of young agriculture professionals attending the Agricultural Actionshop on 23 September. The event, at Leriba Hotel and Spa in Centurion, was hosted by Agri SA in collaboration with the Black Business Council. The Actionshop’s objective was to promote networking between institutions and young professionals, and share industry information. “We need to find a way [to use South Africa’s] resources and technology to create jobs and business. We cannot continue depending on other countries for products that we can produce. Unemployment amongst young people is taking on crisis proportions in [South Africa], according to the latest figures by Statistics SA.…

Fears that dogs used for illegal hunting could spread rabies to the towns where they were kept, were expressed during a recent meeting between stock farmers and organised agriculture in Queenstown in the Eastern Cape. The meeting was convened after game and small stock numbers diminished sharply, especially in the Queenstown, Cathcart and Komga districts, as increased numbers of illegal hunters descended on the areas. According to Francois du Toit, chairman of the Eastern Cape Red Meat Producers’ Organisation, the dogs being used by these ‘hunters’ could easily contract rabies, as they were in direct contact with wild animals. If a rabid dog bit someone residing in one of these areas, it could prove fatal, Du Toit said. He expressed concern that most municipalities had not yet promulgated new bylaws…

As the result of poaching, Africa’s elephant population is experiencing its worst decline in 25 years, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) African Elephant Status Report (AESR). The report stated that population estimates from a range of sources, including aerial surveys and dung counts, had shown that numbers in 2015 were 93 000 fewer than in 2006. “The continental total is now thought to be about 415 000 elephants, although there may be an additional 117 000 to 135 000 elephants in areas not systematically surveyed,” the report stated. With more than 70% of estimated African elephant numbers, Southern Africa had the largest population: about 293 000 in systematically surveyed areas. It was further estimated that Eastern Africa had about 86 000 elephants (20% of the…

The code sequence of strawberry DNA has now been analysed, a breakthrough that could assist plant breeders in improving strawberry varieties. Making sense of the genetic code is a step-by-step process that involves comparing DNA sequences of cultivated varieties with related wild or ancient ancestral ones to see whether chromosome numbers are similar or different. The basic set of chromosomes consists of two copies, each of maternal and paternal origin. In nature, it is not uncommon for some plants to lose or gain a chromosome or to have the set duplicated to become polyploid. This is where the scientific challenges arise: trying to trace where genes are located, where they are linked to other genes, whether they are partially or fully duplicated, and whether they are silenced, gained or lost.…

EMPLOYERS CAN BE FINED R2,7 MILLION IF THEY FAIL TO COMPLY The purpose of the Employment Equity Act (EEA) is to eliminate unfair discrimination in the workplace by promoting equal opportunity and fair treatment. Affirmative action redresses previous disadvantages experienced by designated groups (black people, women and people with disabilities who are South Africa citizens). It specifies grounds of unfair discrimination as “race, gender, sex, pregnancy, marital status, family responsibility, ethnic or social origin, colour, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, HIV status, conscience, belief, political opinion, culture, language, birth or any other arbitrary ground”. The EEA applies to all employers, but “designated employers” who meet the minimum requirements have additional obligations to their staff. WHO IS A DESIGNATED EMPLOYER? This is any employer with 50 or more employees or a…

While using whey and automation has gone a long way to help boost the farm’s profitability, creature comfort is also important. Mauro explains that a controlled environment, low stocking densities and sound management reduces animals’ stress, “otherwise feed will be used for maintenance rather than growth”. In 2013, the Zandam Farm piggery was relocated and expanded to accommodate more animals. It now has the capacity to house 650 breeding sows, equating to approximately 6 000 pigs on the farm at a time. About 320 animals are marketed a week. The new piggery was designed with animal comfort and health as main priorities. For example, the operation switched from a crate to a group housing system in which sows are kept in crates for two to four days before artificial insemination.…

Clean water is essential. Preferably use a smaller concrete or heavy duty plastic trough. Farm supply stores stock ‘sheepsize’ or purpose-built pig troughs with the plumbing connections needed. A 1m-long trough with a ball valve that automatically replenishes water is sufficient for six to 10 pigs in a shady area. If necessary, feed the trough from a plastic holding tank in the shade outside the pen. Place the tank on a stand at least 1,5m high to provide sufficient pressure to fill the trough. When buying a tank, consider that each pig may drink 15› to 20› of water daily. When six pigs get older, they will drink a total of about 120› a day, so a 500› holding tank will do. But if you intend expanding your operation, rather…

Four years ago, the Institute of Market Agents of South Africa (Imasa) introduced an award for a market, market agency or fresh produce-related business that had excelled in customer relations. In the world of fresh produce markets, the customers are the producers and the buyers, and Imasa wanted to give recognition to those who led the way in communicating and dealing with these groups. Appropriately, the award is a large, shiny, deep red apple measuring about 70cm x 70cm x 70cm. A floating trophy, the Shiny Red Apple Award (SRAA), is presented annually at the Imasa AGM. The winner also receives an attractive certificate. In 2013, the first recipient was the Cape Town Market. Its pioneering Customer Service Covenant ticked all the right boxes when it came to its relations…

THE ENTIRE STABLE CAN BE AFFECTED BY AN OUTBREAK OF CONJUNCTIVITIS The healthy equine eye should be clear, moist and bright, with pale pink membranes and only a small teardrop in each inside corner. Both eyes should be open to the same extent and the pupils should be the same size. Signs of eye problems include excessive tearing, pus or blood, a blueish-white film over the eye, reddened membranes, or swollen eyelids. Any eye infection or injury can rapidly escalate and cause permanent blindness, so even mild signs should not be ignored. Mild eye infections, or conjunctivitis, are common in spring due to wind, dust and flies; in winter, such infections are more often due to microbial respiratory diseases such as strangles (equine distemper) or chlamydia. A horse’s eyes are…

Dear Jonno We would really like your help. We plan to semi-retire in the Eastern Cape on the coast. We have lived and worked in a bushveld/farming environment our whole lives, and relocating to even a small coastal town is daunting. Bearing this in mind, what style of home would you suggest on a plot of about 800m2 ? We would be happy with a two-bedroom, open-plan type of house with an office or study. It should have as large a veranda as possible, with the garden flowing into the house. Although we would like to build a genuine log house, our bank balance does not allow for that. But what about a Quaker barn-style home? The main bedroom could be on a mezzanine floor, and the rest of the…

5 REASONS I love my dogs John Connolly’s 14th Charlie Parker thriller, A TIME OF TORMENT (Hodder & Stoughton, R360), with its characteristic threads of fantasy and dystopia, is prefaced by a Tennyson dog quote. This novel emerges from a working life partly ruled by Connolly’s three rescue dogs: two German pointers and a whippet… • Writing companions Writing can seem solitary but the dogs relax on cushions around me while I’m writing. They wait while I work on my target of about 1 000 words a day. • Thinking companions Sometimes this can mean only three hours a day at the keyboard, but when I walk the dogs, I take my work with me to think and plan, whether consciously or unconsciously. • The great escape In Dublin, we’re spoilt for choice…

28 SEPTEMBER 1977 Super vehicle! 39 YEARS AGO The Trantor was a versatile combination of bakkie, tractor and go-anywhere vehicle. The following is an edited version of the review, by Bill Butterworth in the UK, that appeared in our issue of the above date. “A recent report by the US Department of Agriculture noted that more than 50 per cent of the fuel used by American farmers was used in ‘off field’ activities. Fifteen years ago, British researchers showed that the average tractor on a UK livestock farm spent more than 80 per cent of its life in ‘transport’ activity. “Facts like these suggest that we ought to have progressed from the original Ferguson layout of tractor. There is a new idea that has been designed from square one on…

ONLY 70% OF WHITE MAIZE PRODUCTION REACHES THE CONSUMER One of the advantages of producing staple foods such as maize meal and bread is that they are inelastic. In other words, demand does not respond significantly to changes in price. In addition, during periods of lower economic growth, higher inflation and unemployment, people tend to shift from higher-value protein food to basic starches (carbohydrates). The 2015/2016 production year saw double-digit increases in the cost of food products due to lower domestic supplies caused by the drought. In fact, by July, the price of a 2,5kg packet of super maize meal – R27,98 – had already increased 35% from the same period last year. A loaf of brown bread was 11% higher, at R11,86. Despite these developments, demand for basic starches…

ACCORDING TO ITS LIVESTOCK COUNT, LESOTHO SHOULD HAVE 33 VETS – INSTEAD, THERE ARE FEWER THAN 10 Lesotho should explore the potential of a Veterinary Fund Scheme because veterinary services were an expensive yet critical requirement in the wool and mohair industry, according to Mamokete Lijane, fixed interest security analyst at Aluwani Capital partners. Lijane was speaking at the Silo Expo 2016, an agricultural show and conference held in September at the Lesotho Agricultural College in Maseru. She said that mohair and wool production in the country had increased, despite animal numbers remaining static. Moreover, the overall quality of flocks was improving. However, of concern were livestock deaths and the lack of veterinary services. “Looking at smallstock alone, the cost of animal deaths due to disease is estimated at 188…

South Africa currently has 1 640 commercial dairy producers, but this number could decline by 50 or more per year in the foreseeable future. This was according to Dr Koos Coetzee, chief economist at the Milk Producers’ Organisation, who told Farmer’s Weekly that the extended drought, changing weather conditions and macroeconomic instability made it difficult for dairy producers to stay in business. Coetzee said that dairy producers in the Eastern Cape had managed to increase production following recent rainfall in the region. However, the milk-to-maize price ratio remained low. “Most farmers will still battle to cover all their costs, and farmer numbers will continue to decrease,” he said. According to the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP), drought-linked feed price increases have pushed the milk-to-maize price ratio to its…

International veterinary pharmaceuticals company, Elanco Animal Health (Elanco International), recently announced that it was making scientific and structural advances towards enhancing the responsible use of antibiotics. It said that it was developing alternatives to decrease the need for using shared-class antibiotics in livestock production. Shared-class antibiotics are suitable for humans and animals. However, in recent years concern has been expressed among human healthcare professionals and the public that their use in the international livestock industry contributes to the development of antibiotic-resistant, disease-causing bacteria. This threatens the efficacy of antibiotics used to treat bacterial illnesses. In a statement, Elanco International said that the science of bacteria resistance to antibiotics was evolving, and human and animal health pharmaceutical manufacturers needed to better understand the drivers of this resistance. “The Elanco Eight-Point Antibiotic…

In 2015, South Africa’s renewable energy industry reportedly achieved the greatest growth in Africa in terms of asset finance for utility-scale projects, and the highest year-on-year growth overall in the world. This was according to a statement released by international credit rating agency, Moody’s Investors Service (Moody’s), in mid-September. Christopher Bredholt, vice-president and senior analyst of Moody’s, said that South Africa’s renewable energy market had grown significantly over the past five years and there was a rising demand for renewables debt. Bredholt is the author of a Moody’s report, “EMEA Project Finance: SA renewables are less dependent on subsidy, a positive for project finance issuers”. He said that the country’s renewable energy projects were becoming less dependent on high levels of subsidy. This was helped by reductions in the price…

WE CAN TAKE ON AND BEAT THE BEST IN THE WORLD It was the mid-1970s, and redscale (Atriplex rosea) was giving citrus growers grey hair. This is a small insect that sticks to the surface of the fruit, making it unsaleable. If not controlled, it will debilitate the tree itself. No matter how well we sprayed, we were left with large quantities of fruit that could not be exported and it was costing us millions of rands. This was in the days of the control boards, and the Citrus Exchange, as it was called, had a research team based in the Lowveld grappling with the scale problem. They turned to the owner of a small agricultural workshop in town for help. As it happened, he was friends with an aeronautical…

The increased demand for biological control products is due largely to problems experienced with chemical pesticides. These include pest resurgence, resistance, environmental pollution and risk to human health. Biological control aims to reduce plant pathogens and limit pests such as insects, parasitic nematodes and weeds. In its narrowest sense, biocontrol suppresses pest organisms by using other organisms. However, the interrelationship between many environmental variables can result in interactions between organisms and their environment, many of which contribute to effective biological control. The introduction of biological control products and inoculants into South Africa has increased rapidly since the early 1990s. Products may be single ingredients or a combination of several ingredients. Some ingredients are recognised by scientific and farming communities as able to improve crop yield and quality. The value of…

The Nedbank Eston Show had a wide range of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) on display, with models ranging from basic to sophisticated, and with prices to match – from less than R60 000 to almost R300 000. 1 Big Boy 250 ATV The Big Boy Utility Monster 250 is a budget-priced machine with motorcycle-type handlebars and a water-cooled four-stroke 250cc engine rated at 11,5kW/17,5Nm (5 500r/min). It has a manual five-speed transmission and front and rear disc brakes. The drop-side load bin has a 300kg capacity and is tipped manually. 2 John Deere 4x4 Diesel Gator HPX The 4WD Gator HPX ATV is the fastest in the John Deere work utility vehicle line-up, with a top speed of 40km/h. It can handle the roughest terrain, thanks to its true 4WD, dual-range…

‘HE WHO IS IN YOU IS GREATER THAN HE WHO IS IN THE WORLD’ In Paul’s letter to the Romans 8:6, he states very clearly: “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” We need to start looking at the future of South Africa through the eyes of Jesus and not through the eyes of our own selfish, personal and fleshly ways. The Lord tells us that when we sow in the flesh we reap corruption, but when we sow in the Spirit we gain everlasting life. A fleshy mind cannot please God, but walking according to His principles not only pleases God, but opens the door for Him to bless us in our day-to-day living. As 1 John 4:4 has it:…