Indice dei contenuti per 12 July 2019 in Farmer's Weekly

It is becoming clear to me that South Africa’s new mega coal power stations, Medupi and Kusile, will amount to little more than monumentally expensive memorials to coal power, and I have mixed feelings about this. It is infuriating to think about the massive amount of money wasted on constructing these poorly functioning and unreliable power stations, but it is also heartening to imagine a future free from reliance on the dirty energy that these coal power stations produce. Eskom as we know it is over (see story on pg 20). But South Africa is still going to have to pay for the mess that the lieutenants of state capture made of the power utility, and it is going to cost the country dearly. Make no mistake, the R230 billion…

A healthy gut means a healthy animal The Ruminant Gut Efficiency Conference, co-hosted by Chemuniqué and Biomin, was a first of its kind, with over 100 nutritionists, veterinarians, animal producers, and researchers coming together for a one-day conference on ruminant gut efficiency. The conference was held in Muldersdrift on 15 May. A healthy gut is essential to maintain feed efficiency and growth rate for optimal animal production, and producers and researchers are continuously looking to better understand the mechanisms by which the gut influences various aspects of health and efficiency. This conference challenged some of the industry’s most influential minds to consider issues such as dry cow strategies and interstitial atypical pneumonia in feedlots from a different angle. Keynote speaker Prof Lance Baumgard, from the Department of Animal Science at…

Many people have criticised President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent State of the Nation Address, particularly for its lack of clarity about the land reform policy framework. This sentiment was widely echoed by most, if not all, farmer organisations, with many expecting that Ramaphosa would have said something clear and concrete about expropriation without compensation. The fact that not much was said in this regard was indeed surprising, as this has been the big debate of the past year and a half, since Parliament voted to amend Section 25 of the Constitution. GOVERNMENT IS SAID TO BE CONSIDERING AN ENTIRELY NEW PROPERTY RIGHTS REGIME Despite all the hype around the subject, Ramaphosa started off his address by signalling that the ruling party was addressing the land issue. At one point he referred…

With even some of South Africa’s largest agribusinesses feeling the pinch of slow national and international economic growth, only those that have the means to persevere or are prepared to trim their operations are likely to survive the next three to four years. This was the view of Prof Ferdi Meyer, director of the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy and associate professor at the University of Pretoria, in response to news that Tongaat Hulett and Parmalat intended to shed thousands of jobs due to the companies’ precarious financial situations. Meyer said the agriculture sector in South Africa and many other countries, including those in the EU, faced significant financial challenges. “What we’ve been seeing both here and internationally are the after-effects of the rapid expansion of the agriculture sector…

A report by the intergovernmental Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has said the South African Parliament’s decision to allow for the expropriation of commercial farms for the purposes of expediting land reform would be detrimental to the country. The OECD’s 2019 Agricultural Policy Monitoring and Evaluation report said that expropriating commercial farms placed a hurdle in front of the South African government’s declared goal of building a market-orientated, competitive farming sector, and was also a potential threat to the country’s food security. “To strengthen the capacity and efficiency of programmes assisting incoming entrepreneurs [to enter] commercial farming, the involvement of experienced commercial farmers in the development of support programmes is key. Private-public partnerships are an efficient tool for engaging the available resources and services from public authorities,” the…

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION More than 150 million children are still trapped in child labour around the world. In a recent statement, the International Labour Organization called on governments and employers to make a final push to end child labour, which is concentrated primarily in agriculture (71% or 108 million children), occurring both in subsistence and commercial farming. Nearly half of all child labourers perform hazardous work that directly endangers their health, such as using sharp tools or spraying chemicals. UNITED KINGDOM New research has shown that insects and diseases that damage crops are probably present in many places thought to be free of them. A study by the University of Exeter has indicated that many pests are “currently unobserved, but probably present”, a likelihood of more than 75%. The study…

Agricultural leaders and farmers have been urged to throw their weight behind their local business chambers. This call was made by Cornie Swart, president of Agri Western Cape, at a recent AHi Western Cape workshop in Still Bay for the Garden Route, Karoo and Hessequa areas. In the Western Cape, local business chambers were run under the auspices of the small business trade institute, AHi Western Cape. According to Swart, agriculture was the backbone of the economy. “We are the leading employer. Whatever happens to agriculture is directly linked to the prosperity of each town or village. Involvement of every farmer and business owner is imperative,” he said. Dr Willie Cilliers, chairperson of AHi Western Cape, said close relationships between business and farmer associations were essential. “It’s about economic growth…

It is estimated that South Africa will produce a total of 30% more cotton, or a total of 244 650 lint bales, in the 2018/2019 season, due to improved yield. Dryland volumes are expected to increase 33% and irrigated cotton 22% on the previous season’s volumes. According to Hennie Bruwer, CEO of Cotton South Africa, embarking on sustainable and transparent cotton production in South Africa would enable the cotton industry to connect to offshore supply chains and cater to growing the demand from global consumers for natural fibres. In this regard, the local cotton industry had grown substantially since the inception of the Sustainable Cotton Cluster (SCC) in 2014, he said. The cluster was made up of cotton farmers, ginners, spinners, fabric producers, manufacturers and retailers, and its establishment had…

Approximately 30 beef cattle farmers from across KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) recently attended an information day on Banavie Farm in the Underberg area aimed at improving the farmers’ skills in selecting bulls and female animals to purchase as breeding stock. Hosted under the auspices of the KZN Brahman Club, and with the sponsorship of MSD Animal Health and Meadow Feeds, the one-day course taught the farmers what desirable and undesirable physical characteristics to look out for before settling on which beef cattle to buy from a seller. The farmers were reminded that breeding stock should always be bought with the intention of contributing to the steady improvement of a farmer’s beef herd.…

Farmers are faced with increased pressure to perform better each year by producing crops that satisfy the evolving demands of the consumer market. No industry is immune to changing consumer demands and trends, and for most growers it is important to keep up with these trends while producing good-quality produce in order to remain competitive and profitable. The same can be said for plant breeders and other input suppliers that introduce new seed varieties and other technologies each year to ensure that growers meet their customers’ demands. NEW AND ESTABLISHED FARMERS CAN BENEFIT New and emerging farmers may be more inclined than established growers to trial new varieties. This is usually because their operations are more flexible and in an experimental phase; during this time, they can select the best…

Best Pen of Two Young Heifers Merino, Dohne Merino and Suffolk flock competition winners Contacts: Pat Vorster 082 561 9842 Botha Boerdery 083 472 3119 Karel Bezuidenhoudt 083 422 1560 Mike Fitzhenry 082 375 1949 De Klerk Boerdery 079 529 7713 Morné Cloete 082 564 5117…

Searching through some old files recently, I found a picture of bananas being transported in Panama. They were on a bakkie with high wire-netting sides and a floor installed midway. This enabled the driver to squeeze in two loads. From the way the front of the bakkie pointed skywards and the back almost scraped the road, it was obvious the vehicle was hopelessly overloaded. The driver might have displayed ingenious (if dangerous) utilisation of his bakkie, but what about the bananas? It was clear that he was ignorant of the damage being done to the fruit. Or perhaps it made no difference to him; he could be assured of selling the bananas regardless of their condition. The people buying those bananas probably had no alternative. If consumers know no better,…

To feed four hungry diners, you will need: 500g shelled and deveined prawns (save the shells for the stock) 3 spring onions, chopped 5ml Worcester sauce 5ml or less red Tabasco (optional) 400ml chicken stock 250ml chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned) 3 sticks of celery, chopped Half a medium onion, chopped finely 100g green sweet pepper, sliced 4 cloves of garlic, minced 45ml finely chopped parsley 30ml canola oil 30g plain flour 30g butter 2 heaped teaspoons of Cajun seasoning For the Cajun seasoning: Onion powder Smoked paprika Ground black pepper Dried thyme Garlic powder Cayenne pepper 1 Start with the Cajun seasoning. You can either buy this at a supermarket, or make your own. To do the latter, combine equal quantities of the onion powder, smoked paprika, freshly ground…

South African retail bank TymeBank (tymebank.co.za) officially opened its doors to the public in November last year. (‘Tyme’ is an acronym for ‘Take your money everywhere’.) The bank is hosted securely in the cloud and has no brick-and-mortar branches. Instead, it has created a network of partners that include Pick n Pay and Boxer stores countrywide. PASSING COST SAVINGS ON TO CUSTOMERS Traditional banks in South Africa typically come with operations that are expensive to maintain. “We’re leveraging our cloud-based technology, which doesn’t come with a legacy burden. It’s one of the many reasons we’re able to pass cost savings on to the consumer,” explains TymeBank CEO Sandile Tshabalala. “There are more than 14 000 till points across the Pick n Pay and Boxer network, where customers can withdraw money…

We can all be relieved and grateful that US President Donald Trump listened to his generals and cancelled, at the last possible minute, his retaliatory strike on Iran. This was after the Middle Eastern country’s shooting down of a US surveillance drone over the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, 20 June. If he hadn’t, war might well have erupted all over the Middle East and beyond. Iran maintains that the drone was flying over its airspace, a claim that the US vigorously disputes. Quite what will happen next is anyone’s guess, as Trump is notoriously unpredictable. Hopefully, saner heads will prevail in this tense climate. The UN, being the lame duck organisation it is, can hardly be relied on to resolve the impasse. It is highly likely that the US…

An estimated 15 000 wool and mohair farmers marched on parliament in Lesotho late last month to demand the complete scrapping of a regulation that prevents them from selling their produce on a free market. The march was organised by the Lesotho National Wool and Mohair Growers’ Association, which has about 37 000 members among the more than 50 000 farmers estimated to produce wool or mohair in Lesotho. A petition signed by the association’s chairperson, Mokoenihi Thinyane, called for parliament to remove Legal Notice No. 65 of 2018. “Those regulations prevent us from selling our fibre on an open and internationally recognised market with optimised returns,” the petition said. PETITION CALLS FOR PARLIAMENT TO SCRAP REGULATIONS The march proceeded despite an announcement some days before by Prime Minister Thomas…

Despite a more than 500% increase in tariffs since 2007, Eskom is not generating enough cash to service principle and interest payments on its massive debt burden, which has increased to around R440 billion this year. Speaking at a renewable energy event hosted by Absa in Paarl recently, Anton Eberhard, professor emeritus at the University of Cape Town, who serves on a government task force charged with advising on a rescue plan for Eskom, said the utility was effectively insolvent and would post a record loss of about R25 billion for the 2019 financial year. Some of the main causes for the perilous financial position Eskom found itself in were “massive time and cost overruns at new mega coal power stations, Medupi and Kusile, ballooning coal contracting and payroll costs,…

The South African Table Grape Industry (SATI) recently launched a book that chronicles its 125-year history, titled The South African Table Grape Industry, 125 Years in Pursuit of Excellence. According to the author, Fred Meintjes, the book is a mixture of the need to comply with “political correctness” while telling great stories of personalities, events and the regions that shaped grape growing in South Africa. Among these are events that took place both in the UK and South Africa, including interaction between local growers and the British royal family. Contributions from eight personalities who played leading roles in the development of the industry are also highlighted. They include Unifruco’s legendary chief executive, the late Louis Kriel, as well as growers Aat Hoekstra from Paarl and Piet Karsten from the Orange…

The global avocado industry is experiencing an ‘off’ year in the alternate bearing cycle, keeping prices stable and slightly higher than what was received for last year’s bumper crop. Harvesting conditions have also been ideal, and theft has declined as the season has progressed. This was according to Derek Donkin, the CEO of the South African Subtropical Growers’ Association (Subtrop). While initial projections indicated that exports would amount to 16,8 million 4kg-cartons, the figure had been revised down to slightly fewer than 15 million cartons. Donkin said the lower export forecast was the result of strong local demand for the fruit. “Years of promotions have paid off and consumers have become very aware of avocados. It’s no longer just a product for the middle class. This means there’s still much…

The outlook for canola production looks positive this season, with a 9% increase expected in the area planted to 80 000ha. However, according to Corné Louw, a senior economist at Agri SA, the Crop Estimates Committee will only release the preliminary figures for the area planted on 25 July. Izanè Crous, an agriculturist at Southern Oil, said if favourable conditions continued, it was expected that up to 130 000t of canola could be harvested, which would be a record production year. Current estimates for the canola harvest this season were between 115 000t and 130 000t. “Southern Oil exported about 1 000t of canola in the 2018/2019 financial year, focusing predominantly on Africa, Asia, the Middle East and the UK.” She added that demand was looking extremely positive as consumers…

Macadamias have been grown in the Lowveld since the late 1960s. But anyone who planted them in the early days was likely to be a gentleman farmer, more concerned with seeking a rural lifestyle than making a profit. How this has changed! With 2019 production forecast at 60 000t, South Africa is set to consolidate its position as the world’s leading producer of the crop. The higher lying areas of South Africa’s eastern seaboard, from the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal to the Limpopo River, are proving to be excellent locations for macadamia production, and while recent expansion has taken place mainly in Mpumalanga and Limpopo, plantings are growing apace in KwaZulu-Natal. LACK OF SKILLS, AND A SOLUTION But, as rosy as the future for macadamias might look, warning lights are…

Unseasonably wet weather in the US is having an impact on its grains and oilseed markets, resulting in price increases for soya bean. US prices are the highest they have been in the past year, at US$356,75/t (about R5 059/t). This is 18% higher than the lowest price received in the past year, which was US$302,76 (R4 293). The difference between the highest and the lowest price received in the past year for soya meal was 17%, while for soya oil it was 15% (see Table 1). In South Africa, soya bean prices also experienced large increases over the past year, with current prices 25,4% higher than those of a year ago (see Table 2). SOYA BEAN PRICE HIKES HAVE AFFECTED THE CRUSHING MARGIN OF DOMESTIC PLANTS These increases have…

Three main pests target carrots: aphids, the red spider mite, and cutworms. At the same time, there are two important diseases to watch out for: Alternaria leaf blight and bacterial blight. • Aphids (Aphis fabae, Myzus persicae) Colonies of aphids sometimes occur on the leaves, crowns, and flower stems of carrots. They suck the sap from the plants, retarding growth, yellowing the green parts, and restricting seed production. Control them by spraying a registered pesticide. • Red spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) This pest is seldom a serious problem in carrots but its population can increase rapidly as the weather warms up. Natural predators, including predatory mites, predatory thrips and ladybirds, can help keep them under control. They can also be controlled with insecticidal soap. Avoid broad-spectrum pesticides. SYMPTOMS OF BLIGHT INCLUDE BROWN…

If you were enjoying this delicious and hearty meal of soft, earthy flavours, warm spice and the sweet and salty prawn meat in New Orleans, you could well be sipping on the official cocktail of the city, the Sazerac. This is a mixture of 45ml rye whiskey, three dashes of Peychaud’s Bitters, a sugar cube with a dash of water (simple sugar syrup), and a drop of absinthe, served with a strip of lemon peel. For the full Cajun experience, why not make this for your guests? Alternatively, you get a bottle or two of the Warwick First Lady Dry Rosé. It is made exclusively from Pinotage grapes and is full of fresh strawberries and floral aromas. The ripe red berries and watermelon produce enough fruit to balance the warmth…

Scientists have discovered that fasting can treat Parkinson’s disease (PD). Research has shown for some time that intermittent fasting can protect your brain and reduce the risk of PD. A recent study in The Journal of Neuroscience shows that fasting works as a treatment for PD because of the AMPK it produces. AMPK is the cellular enzyme that promotes longevity and reduces fat storage. When AMPK is increased, your body kicks into higher gear and functions with youthful vitality. Researchers from the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute in Australia put mice on a severely restricted diet. As a result, the mice produced more ghrelin, the hormone that regulates hunger. They showed that ghrelin activates AMPK in the brain, and this protected the part of the brain that is attacked by PD.…

21 TO 22 AUGUST Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition THE THEME FOR THIS CONFERENCE IS ‘BACK TO BASICS FOR THE FUTURE’. SPEAKERS WILL COVER TOPICS SUCH AS SOIL ORIGIN AND VARIABILITY, ACIDITY AND LIMING, AND SOIL ANALYSIS. PLANT NUTRITION, FERTILISATION AND NUTRIENT-USE EFFICIENCY WILL ALSO BE DISCUSSED. CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS & EXPOS 10 JULY Agribusiness Africa Conference, Premier Hotel OR Tambo, Kempton Park. Email Marianna du Plessis at africa@caxton.co.za. 30 TO 31 JULY Emerging Farmers and Agroprocessing Conference, CSIR Convention Centre, Pretoria.Email ryan@empiretraining.co.za. 30 TO 31 JULY PMA Fresh Connections Conference and Trade Show, Cape Town. Visit pma.com/events/ fresh-connections-southern-africa. 12 TO 16 AUGUST ALFA Expo, Afridome, Parys.Visit alfaexpo.com. 21 TO 22 AUGUST Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition, CSIR Convention Centre, Pretoria. Visit fertasa.co.za/fertasa-events/ symposium. 1 TO 3 OCTOBER Africa Fertilizer Agribusiness…

Recent reports have shed some light on Zimbabwe’s economic woes, from severe power shortages to the premature reintroduction of a local currency, as well as high food inflation and the revival of controls of the maize market. The country is now back to square one after two decades of intense economic regression, which was punctuated by brief periods of anaemic growth and stagnation. The last 20 years of policy flip-flopping were preceded by a half-hearted and piecemeal economic structural adjustment programme, which was hastily abandoned at the turn of the millennium. The difference now is that Zimbabwe is far worse off and without any indication of a clear and consistent policy for a way forward. Investors and international firms refer to the Zimbabwean situation as unique; it is emblematic of…

Bee populations around the world, among them many species of wild bumblebees, are in decline. New research by the University of Vermont in the US has found that diseases transmitted by domestic honeybees could be to blame for this. Lead researcher Samantha Alger, an expert beekeeper and researcher for the university’s Department of Plant and Soil Science and Gund Institute for Environment, found that several of the viruses affecting bumblebees had spread from managed bees in apiaries to nearby populations of wild bumblebees. Her research showed that this had occurred due to different species of bees sharing flowers during pollination. “Many wild pollinators are in trouble and this finding could help us protect bumblebees,” she said. “This has implications for how we manage domestic bees and where we locate them.…

Although it is expected that some African countries will have to import far more maize this year, the preference by some for non-genetically modified (GM) varieties means they are unlikely to source it from South Africa. This was according to the manager for grain economics and marketing at Grain SA, Dr Dirk Strydom, who said that all the dynamics on the maize market in Africa had to be taken into account when analysing supply and demand needs. He said that several African countries had experienced lower production than normal. “Zimbabwe might harvest 50% less than last year, Mozambique is struggling a bit, and Kenya is struggling.” Strydom said that demand from these countries would be higher than usual, but a large portion would be for non-GM maize. “That’s why we’ve…

Increasing numbers of farmers in Zimbabwe are turning to castor bean (Ricinus communis) production, due to its higher returns, ease of management, and drought tolerance. Life Brand Agricultural Services, a Harare-based company, has been spearheading the production of the crop since early 2018 by providing extension services, seed, fertiliser and marketing services. In the second half of 2018, the company propagated plants on about 800ha of land under irrigation to produce seed, which was then distributed to farmers for planting at the end of that year. By March this year, the company had assisted farmers to plant 23 000ha of castor bean across the country. Kudzi Tsvange, a spokesperson for the company, said orders for crude castor oil had been secured in the Middle East and China. “It’s easier to…

Recent outbreaks of diseases such as anthrax in Lesotho, foot-and-mouth disease in Limpopo, and rabies in KwaZulu-Natal have led to concerns being raised that measures to ensure KwaZulu-Natal’s biosecurity may be inadequate. A statement by Chris Pappas, agricultural and rural development spokesperson for the DA in the province, said he was concerned about the susceptibility of the province’s agriculture sector to diseases potentially imported from outside KwaZulu-Natal’s borders. “The DA has, in the past, exposed how animals and people move freely across our country’s border with eSwatini [which neighbours KwaZulu-Natal], on a daily basis. And one of these animals or people could bring a disease that has the potential to cripple part or [the province’s entire] agriculture sector,” he said. Speaking to Farmer’s Weekly, Hendrik Botha, who chairs the Kwazulu-Natal…

The ornamental fish industry has always been viewed as the Cinderella of aquaculture by those who talk in yield tonnages. Yet I remember many years back expressing the view that to produce a kilogram of fish worth R4 500 was surely more worthwhile than one fish worth R40. Unfortunately, it is not as simple as that, otherwise we would all be ornamental fish farmers. Most ornamental fish sold in South African shops are imported. Koi and goldfish come mostly from Japan and Israel. Freshwater tropical fish come from Southeast Asia, mainly Singapore, and marine fish come from the Philippines, Kenya, the Caribbean and Israel. With the exception of marine fish, 95% are captive-bred. Other countries, such as the Czech Republic, have developed mass distribution networks that send fish all over…

Angus Champions Dexter Champions Braford Champions Brahman Champions SA Mutton Merino Champions Contacts: Gert Malherbe 082 807 9216 | Hendrik Delport 082 222 4269 | Loutjie Campher 082 255 3037 | Hendrik Strydom 073 289 5111 | Pieter du Preez 060 337 9284 Contacts: Douglas Pope 083 269 8145 | Gerrie Roos 083 324 0989 Contact: André Malherbe 084 645 9335…

With fuel prices at record levels, farmers need to get the most bang for their fuel buck. A proven way of doing this is to ensure that tractor tyres are optimally inflated, says Stephan van Staden, national agricultural specialist at Bridgestone, manufacturer of Firestone’s agricultural tyres. “Tyre management can yield huge benefits for farmers in both fuel efficiency and tractor performance. Tyres account for between 20% and 40% of horsepower loss, and a major factor is tyre pressure in relation to load carried. Getting this right requires some work, but it’s well worth it,” says Van Staden. The key principle is to ensure that the tyre’s footprint is optimal. Here, tyre pressure plays a major part. If a tyre is overinflated, the footprint will be too small, leading to excessive…

Dear Jonno, I am a bit of an envirobuff, and would like you to design an off-grid home for me. I need four bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, and would like them positioned to take full advantage of the sun. There should be a den/ playroom for my children and I also need a study. Where and how these rooms, as well as the sitting room and kitchen, are placed is at your discretion. I’ll leave the room sizes up to you as well. I want to use shipping containers, which you can mix and match to your heart’s content, but as this farm is in the eastern Free State, it will need insulation. Kind regards, Khasane Dear Khasane, Thank you for the request for a new home plan. I’m afraid…

A HEADMASTER’S STORY by Bill Schroder (Jonathan Ball, R250) Schroder started his teaching career in 1965, and after teaching at various schools in the Cape, was appointed to his first headship at Pretoria Boys High in 1990. His life was not always smooth, however. In his earliest years, he was brought up by a single mother in Worcester and had to survive severe bullying. As a result, he has always strived to ensure that disadvantaged talents have the opportunity to shine, and he is still mentoring a Soshanguve school in his retirement. He remains frustrated that the recommendations he made to improve South Africa’s government schools have resonated with like-minded souls but have not been acted upon. THE WOMAN IN THE WOODS by John Connolly (Hodder & Stoughton, R180) Connolly’s…