Table of contents for 14 October 2016 in Farmer's Weekly

At the recent meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Johannesburg, a proposal by Swaziland to lift the ban on trade in rhino horn was rejected by a large majority, with 100 delegates voting against the proposal and only 26 voting in favour. The Swazi delegation said the outright ban on all rhino horn trade had failed to deter poachers, and Swaziland could use funds from the sale of its stockpile of 330kg of horn to fund conservation efforts. During the meeting, a representative of National Geographic reported that most rhino range countries (including South Africa) supported the plan, arguing that proceeds from the sale of horns could help these countries protect their rhinos. The South African representative was quoted…

EXPANDING THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR In the article, “Young agri entrepreneur links small-scale farmers to markets” (FW, 19 August), featured agribusiness entrepreneur, Leeko Makoene, says that South Africa’s young farmers need a change of mindset to kick-start renewal in the sector. Readers commented as follows: Moeketsi Mokele: Our useless government prefers importing veggies and fruits from overseas, while we have such hard-working farmers, of different races, across the country. Liz Mcgaffin: Go girl! We need more people like you. No doctors, lawyers or accountants can survive without the farmer. Titles on the office door mean nothing in the big picture. Tshepo Humble: Government should nationalise land so we can create employment. I am so proud of you Leeko! Giving up is not a solution, every successful man [or woman] has a…

The Merino indicator fell 1,6% and 233 points to close at R145,09 (clean), while the Australian market eased only 1%. According to Cape Wools, the wool market remained volatile, with no clear trend yet evident. While the price for longer and better quality wool was off to a good start, the market slackened as the auction progressed. James de Jager, wool manager at CMW, said that wool of 18 microns (µm) and finer traded unchanged, while 19µm to 23µm dropped 1% to 2%. As at the previous auction, there was excellent demand for good quality long wool, and about 98% of the total offering of 7 299 bales was sold. In separate news, De Jager said that Vitale Barberis had led 23 other companies in establishing a Wool Excellence Club…

The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) is determined to export more agricultural products to India over the next few years, This emerged during the 5th BRICS meeting of agricultural ministers recently held in India. Senzeni Zokwana, Minister of DAFF, was in attendance. Efforts to improve intra-BRICS trade were part of ongoing discussions amongst BRICS member countries, which include Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. According to DAFF, South Africa had already been granted the right to export pigeon peas, pork, mango and persimmons to India, and it anticipated that South Africa would export up to 1 000t of pigeon peas per annum once the memorandum of understanding was concluded, possibly by 2018. Paul Makube, an agricultural economist at First National Bank, told Farmer’s Weekly that South Africa…

To enforce the success of trademarks, compulsory traceability systems have to be implemented from farm to feedlot, to abattoir, and to the consumer, and not only from farm to feedlot, as is currently the case. This was according to Anne Calitz, a master’s student at the University of the Free State’s (UFS) unit for livestock economy. Speaking at the recent African Livestock Trade Fair (ALFA) in Parys in the Free State, Calitz said that South Africa did not currently have a mandatory traceability system and it could take years for one to be implemented. The US was a good example of where a voluntary traceability system had been implemented. It allowed access to elite export markets, she said. Radio frequency identification (RFID) tags played a crucial role in traceability as…

The average gross farming income from all agricultural products has increased by 4,9% from about R226 billion, to just over R237 billion for the year ended 30 June 2016. This is according to a recent economic review conducted by the Department of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries. However, the average net income for the same period increased by only 1,8%, from about R78 billion to about R80 billion, while the average farming debt increased 12,7% to R144 billion. Dawie Maree, head of information and marketing at FNB Business Agriculture, said that the difference between the gross and net incomes was a result of the drought, the weak exchange rate and increased administrative costs. “The shortage of maize has had a very big impact on feed prices, while the cost of imported…

Representatives of farm dwellers and farmworkers living in six local municipalities in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands recently gathered to discuss problems reportedly being experienced on a number of farms in the area. The Association for Rural Advancement’s (AFRA) inaugural Farmworker & Dweller Regional Platform, held over two days in Pietermaritzburg recently, provided the complainants with an opportunity to air and submit their grievances to government departments. The representatives came from Mshwathi, Richmond, Mkhambathini, Mngeni, Mooi Mpofana and Msunduzi. Allegations included farmworkers receiving low wages, having to work in dangerous conditions, not being allowed to take annual or maternity leave, not receiving severance pay, not being paid due benefits, and having to work unfair hours. Farm dwellers alleged unfair evictions, not receiving basic services such as running water and electricity, having their…

Since 2000, foreign companies have reportedly leased approximately 22 million hectares of agricultural land in Africa to produce cheap food, timber and raw materials for biofuels for the local and international markets. This is according to a report entitled, “Green and blue water demand from large-scale land acquisitions in Africa”, released by Lund University in Sweden. According to the report, ‘green’ water referred to the moisture stored in soils and consumed by plants through the process of evapotranspiration, while ‘blue’ water referred to water extracted from rivers, lakes, aquifers and dams. Emma Li Johansson, Marianela Fader, Jonathan Seaquist and Kimberly Nicholas, who authored the report, found that African land aquisitions by foreign companies and investors were partly responsible for increased water shortages, as well as greater competition for the resources…

South Africa’s average annual rainfall is 495mm, compared with the global mean of 860mm. It is for this reason that South Africa is considered water-scarce and is classified as one of the world’s 30 driest countries. Most of South Africa’s freshwater resources are supplied by summer rainfall that is often poorly distributed, which leads to regular, localised drought conditions. According to Felicity Mitchell, agricultural resource manager at the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (KZN DARD), there is, on average, a drought somewhere in the country every three years. “Our agricultural systems are highly reliant on climatic conditions. While only 1,5% of our land surface area [of 1,22 million km2 ] is under irrigated agriculture, this generates 30% of South Africa’s total agricultural production. Most of the irrigation applied…

IT MAKES NO SENSE TO SPEND OUR TIME WONDERING HOW WE’LL FEED THE POPULATION 30 YEARS FROM NOW The Agricultural Research Council (ARC) recently published ‘ARC Vision 2050’. This formed the basis for a workshop on ARC strategies to cope with the problems that agriculture will face in 34 years. The initiative contains a noble mission statement: the ARC will seek to be “the custodian of research and develop innovative solutions” for the agriculture sector to “safeguard food security for the future across the agricultural value chain using state-of-the-art technology”. It will, inter alia, “promote sustainability and equitable economic participation”, “facilitate sector skills development”, and “ensure natural conservation” and “national food security”. Of course, we all want a sustainable agri-sector than can grow, develop the skills of workers, protect the…

Tomorrow’s farmers will have to invest in technology if they want to stay in business and farm competitively. This is according to agricultural economist and head of ABSA AgriBusiness, Ernst Janovsky. He was a speaker at the South African Agricultural Outlook Conference in Pretoria. “Technology is going to reshape production and demand trends and it will change where and how food is produced,” Janovsky said. Traditional large-scale farms using conventional production techniques will increasingly start making way for vertical farms that make it possible to grow food in factories. “In the future, agriculture won’t take place on large open lands. This is the single biggest challenge we face as a sector, and we must ask ourselves how we’re adapting to this,” he said. Scenario planner and author, Chantell Ilbury, said…

 Farmers in the Middle East used a form of crop rotation as far back as 6000BC. They did not understand the science behind the practice; they simply knew, through trial and error, that it worked. Today is little different: many new farmers and even experienced producers appreciate the value of crop rotation but are unsure why it is so important. IF YOU DON’T USE CROP ROTATION, THE PATHOGEN INFESTATION WILL GET WORSE Growing the same crop in the same place for many years (monoculture) leads to an increase in pests and soil-borne disease. With crop rotation, various crops are grown in such a way that no crop is planted on the same piece of land more than once in at least three (preferably four) planting cycles. While crop rotation improves…

Farmers wanting to introduce a new variety or product often turn to the markets to do so. The reasons are obvious: it can be done at little or no added cost above the existing commission, and it gives immediate access to a wide range of buyers. If you’re considering launching a new product on the market, take heed of the following tips. First, visit the market and your market agent to do early planning. This will involve identifying one or more reliable retailers to carry the new product, and discussing volumes, packaging, presentation and optimal delivery times. If you have sufficient funds, plan for some form of simple but effective promotional material to accompany the new product. Once the new crop is ready for marketing, advise your agent who, in…

SHOUTING AT OR HITTING YOUR DOG CAN MAKE THE PROBLEM WORSE A dog has the same basic sense apparatus as a human. But the relative power of these organs, and the way the dog uses them, is anything but the same. A dog owner who fails to appreciate this fact could spend years of frustration struggling with a ‘naughty’ pet. In brief, a dog has an entirely different biological and psychological makeup to that of a human. For one, a dog’s brain, eyes and nose are structured differently to ours. They relay information to the brain in a very different way and for different reasons. Whereas humans can hear sounds up to 20kHz (20 000 acoustic vibrations per second), dogs can hear sounds up to 50kHz, with some breeds capable…

Since this recipe promises speed, get the brown rice going first. Rinse the rice twice, then add three cups of boiling water to one cup of brown rice. Bring this back to the boil, stir in one teaspoon of salt, switch to a low simmer, and fit the lid on the pot. The rice should be ready in 30 minutes or so. Fillet the chicken thighs, discarding bone and skin. Cut the fillets into bite-size pieces. Top, tail and deseed the sweet pepper, then cut it into thin slices. Peel and thinly slice the onion. Deseed the red chilli and chop it finely. Chop the spring onions into 10mm sections, cut on the diagonal. Crush, peel and mince the garlic. Peel the ginger, then cut it into matchstick-sized pieces. Ginger…

In 500 Health Tips, Hazel Courteney provides guidelines for living with asthma: • Preservatives Avoid salt – it can trigger asthma, especially in children. Also watch out for preservatives such as sulphur dioxide and sodium benzoate, found in most prepared foods and drinks. • Magnesium This is indicated for any type of muscular spasm. Green, leafy vegetables, brown rice, nuts and legumes are rich in magnesium. • Oily fish Asthma involves inflammation of the bronchial tubes. Add sardines, tuna or snoek to your diet – the oils have an anti-inflammatory effect – and juice carrot, fresh ginger, pineapple, cabbage, radish, apple and celery for anti-inflammatory nutrients. • Glutathione Garlic, onions and cruciferous vegetables of the cabbage family contain sulphur, which assists the body to manufacture the antioxidant glutathione. This helps to thin mucus. The…

CONFERENCES & EXPOS 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 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 on 012 667 5258, or visit www.agribsa.co.za. 11 TO 13 OCTOBER Artificial Insemination, Bloemfontein. Phone Di Rothman on 082 772 1208, or visit www.rltsafrica.com. 13 TO 18 OCTOBER Commercial Gourmet Mushroom Cultivation, Cape Town. Phone Adriaan Smit on 082…

 “...I say, that Power must never be trusted without a check.” – John Adams HLAUDI MOTSOENENG IS SEEMINGLY CAUSING A DIVIDE IN THE ANC In modern democracies, political power is separated into the legislative (parliament), the executive (cabinet) and the judiciary (the courts). This relationship is usually described in the Constitution. In South Africa, former president Thabo Mbeki began to centralise power into the ANC, while President Jacob Zuma has centralised power into the office of the Presidency, and into his person. He has achieved this by binding people to himself through networks of favour and vice, and he now controls the powerful security cluster in cabinet, the ANC’s ‘Top Six’, and a handful of ANC premiers. He is also attempting to facilitate the eventual appointment of his favourite as…

The third Mohair sale of the 2016 winter season held in Port Elizabeth saw 95,7% of the 148 368kg on offer sold. “Although the overall quality was not as good as the previous sale, there were some very good individual clips on the floor,” said Deon Saayman, general manager at Mohair SA. With increased demand for almost all types, the average market indicator closed 6% higher than the previous sale at R191,89/kg. However, this increase did not take into account the after-sales of the previous sale. There was good competition from the buying houses, with adult mohair regaining some of its previous losses. As the market indicator for strong adult mohair was not available for the previous auction due to the small sales clearance, the change in price was not…

Nigeria plans to invest significantly in its agricultural sector to diversify its economy. In a leadership.ng article, Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari, said the fall in crude oil and other commodity prices had had a negative impact on countries such as Nigeria, which had depended on one commodity for its export earnings. Prof Oladimeji Oladele from North-West University’s faculty of agriculture, science and technology, told Farmer’s Weekly that Nigeria’s agriculture sector had suffered “prolonged neglect” in favour of the oil industry. However, the launch of Nigeria’s agricultural transformation agenda had shifted the country’s focus back to agriculture. “This has resulted in Nigeria’s agriculture sector contributing about 22% to the gross domestic product,” Oladele said. Dr Majola Mabuza, also from North-West University, said there was an opportunity for South Africa and Nigeria…

The return on investment in the game industry is larger than that of commercial cattle production, Jacques Kriek of the Kriek Wildlife Group told the recent African Livestock Trade Fair (ALFA) held in Parys. “To buy 600 cows at R10 000 each requires R6 million. These cows will on average deliver 480 calves that can be sold at R4 000 each and generate a profit of R1 920 000/year,” said Kriek. “However, after subtracting costs amounting to R1 024 000, including renting a 3 000ha farm at R530 000/year, as well as veterinary costs, labour costs and feed and supplement inputs, a 14,9% profit of R896 000/year remains. “On the same farm with a R6 million investment for the purchase of 17 sable or roan cows at about R350 000…

This year, South Africa’s groundnut production reached its lowest levels since 1946. The national crop, which totalled 18 850t, dropped 300% from the 2014/2015 production season. According to the South African Grain Information Services database, which dates back to 1936, the area under production dropped to a record low of 22 600ha during the 2015/2016 season, due to a decline in plantings. Wandile Sihlobo, head of economic and agribusiness intelligence at Agbiz, said that South Africa’s groundnut production had been declining since the mid-1980s. This downward trend was attributed to various factors, including higher labour costs and slow cultivar development. According to a report compiled by the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy, SA was lagging behind a number of major groundnut-exporting countries in terms of cultivar development. Hannes Jansen,…

After formally accepting a range of grievances from farmworkers and farm dwellers from six municipalities in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands regarding their working and living conditions, various government departments committed themselves to addressing the complaints. Government departments attending the Association for Rural Advancement’s Farmworker & Dweller Regional Platform, held recently in Pietermaritzburg, were the Department of Labour (DoL), the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR), and the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC). Nkosikhona Majola of the DoL said the department would be holding a meeting to discuss the issues raised and seek out solutions. “It’s essential that farmworkers’ working conditions are according to labour laws,” he said. Majola mentioned cases where employers were not reporting on-duty injuries sustained by their employees to the DoL. The DoL was therefore…

Chicken meat prices in Botswana are expected to remain high. This follows the government’s decision to retain tight trade regulations that prevent cheaper supply and price competition from foreign poultry producers. This was according to a recent African Competition Forum (ACF) study on the commercial poultry meat industry in Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, and Zambia. In its study report released recently, the forum revealed that the price of chicken meat was higher in Botswana than in its three neighbours – South Africa, Namibia and Zambia The study noted that consumers in Botswana would continue to pay more for chicken meat, as the government was hesitant to allow supply from poultry producers such as South Africa, Brazil and the US. ACF Botswana researcher Ernest Bagopi said that the reason for the…

Whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) is a global insect pest that is extremely difficult to contol by chemical means. However, researchers in India have now succeeded in identifying a unique resistance gene for use in cotton. Chemical insecticides that act against feeding insect larvae, such as cotton bollworm, are ineffective against sucking insects. The standard bacterial Bt bio-insecticidal proteins work well to damage the intestines of bollworms, and have transformed India from a cotton-importing country to a major cotton and cotton garment exporting country. Whitefly, however, is an insect that not only sucks sap from plant tissue to weaken the plant, but transmits plant viruses. Bt genes are, as yet, not effective against whitefly. A team of scientists from the National Botanical Research Institute in India examined 38 types of edible ferns…

THE INCOME FROM ASSESSED LOSS WAS NOT THE MAIN CONSIDERATION A private company with a large assessed loss was sold to new shareholders, but the assessed loss was disallowed by SARS under Section 103(2) of the Income Tax Act. The original company, which was established in 2000, had leased a 120-seat call centre in Cape Town to telecommunication companies. Legal disputes arose and the shareholders decided to sell the company. A buyer was found and the original shareholders sold their shares in early 2003. The purchaser then resold the shares and call centre to a businessman (the appellant in this matter) who wanted to take advantage of administrative bottlenecks he had identified in the short-term insurance industry. The appellant made good use of the establishment. He set up a 90-seat…

Nicolaas Basson, the fifth-generation NJ Basson, grew up on the family farm Alexanderfontein just outside Darling in the Western Cape. His father, NJ Basson Sr, bought the land in 1972 and started farming dairy with Holsteins, swiftly increasing his herd to above-average size for the area. He also planted vineyards and olives, a first for the area. Today Nicolaas’s wife, Roleen, has an olive business, while his younger brother, Theo, and wife, Belinda, run a high-quality wine business. “My father was a real entrepreneur – always more interested in business and numbers than hands-on farming. Supported by my mother, Christel, he quickly became involved in the wider dairy industry,” recalls Nicolaas. Things changed dramatically in the late 1980s when interest rates topped 25%. Nicolaas Sr had not yet finished repaying…

KZN Jersey Champions Contacts: Jeremy Jonsson: 082 788 4945: | Arno Theron: 082 544 0362 | Gwen and Ian Watson: 083 458 6499 KZN Holstein Champions KZN Île de France Champions Contacts: Corné Els: 082 456 9213 | Tjaart Steenekamp: 072 313 2232 KZN Suffolk Champions…

IT IS POWERED BY THE RELIABLE 2,2-LITRE FORD DIESEL The Global Vehicle Trust (GVT) is a British charity that was established by entrepreneur and philanthropist Sir Torquil Norman in 2013 to develop a cheap, rugged vehicle for rural areas in developing countries. The brief called for high ground clearance, excellent approach and departure angles, a multipurpose layout and a three-person cab. The company engaged South African-born Gordon Murray, the renowned designer of Formula One racing cars, amongst others, to design the vehicle, and Murray has come up with a revolutionary design – the OX. “The OX design and prototyping programme is undoubtedly one of the most interesting I’ve undertaken during my 45 years of car design, including my years in Formula One,” says Murray. DO IT YOURSELF The flat-pack format…

HUMANS LOVE THE SMELL, MOSQUITOES DON’T This time of year is delightful for riding. The horses are losing their winter coats and the longer days mean that one can spend more time in the saddle. There is one drawback of spring and summer: bugs! These include mosquitoes, flies and midges. The good news is that you can discourage these simply by planting a few of the plants on this list: • Lasil (Ocimum basilicum) This can be boiled and added to a fly spray to increase the latter’s efficacy. • Lee balm (Monarda spp) This beautiful flowering plant, which attracts bees, is a highly effective mosquito repellent. Crush to release the fragrance, then add a handful to your horse’s bedding. • Matnip (Nepeta cataria) Catnip contains nepetalactone, which has been found to be…

Dear Jonno I saw your ‘tented getaway for campers’ concept in the issue of 2 September, and am looking to build something similar for tourists on a 33ha island property in the Zambezi River. I would like to start with six chalets on the river frontage. They should be attractive and different, but I would like the cost to be kept fairly low. My preference is thatched roofs, but I haven’t decided on the walls. Please advise! Kind regards Denny Dear Denny Because of your development’s unusual location on a river island, you will have to plan it all carefully to ensure that it is as practical and functional as possible. Here are some aspects to consider: • Which visitors are you trying to attract? • What activities – fishing, birding, nature…

CHRONICLES by Thomas Piketty (Viking, R320) Piketty, a professor at the Paris and London Schools of Economics, became an economics soothsayer with his bestseller Capital in the Twenty-First Century. In this selection of his columns, he condemns the “bloody, macho, pathetic atrocity” of youngsters raised in France importing the conflicts of Baghdad. He also attacks the “shortsighted selfishness” of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the Eurozone, the smoke and mirrors of carbon taxes, and Ireland cushioning multinationals while its own people suffer swingeing austerity. Energising and provocative. SPLINTERING THE SILENCE by Val McDermid (Sphere, R335) DCI Carol Jackson and profiler Tony Hill are back in the firing line. Jordan has to be saved from her own self-destructive self, there’s a vengeful leak undermining her new team,…

9 OCTOBER 1968 Border sheep dog championships 48 YEARS AGO At the Border Sheep Dog Championship held in 1968, the judge, GL Pennyfather from Northern Ireland, who was the first Irishman to qualify for the International Championship, was suitably impressed with the progress made with sheep dogs in South Africa since his previous visit in 1936. He said that the country had a number of very good foundation dogs for breeding. LARGE CROWD “The championships which were held on Mr O. Ramsay’s farm Who-Can-Tell in the Queenstown district under the auspices of the S.A. Sheep Dog Association drew a large crowd of interested spectators who also saw two exhibitions put on by Mr Pennyfather with his four dogs which he brought out from Ireland with him. These animals worked individually…

Despite ongoing talks about production challenges in a number of countries, the world is still well-supplied with grains and oilseeds. The International Grains’ Council (IGC) indicated in its latest monthly report that the 2015/2016 global grain and oilseed stocks were estimated at 472 million tons, 5% higher than the previous season. This followed a season where global grain and oilseed production was estimated at two billion tons. Even more encouraging were production forecasts for the 2016/2017 season, with total global grain and oilseed production set to reach 2,07 billion tons, 3% higher than the previous season. At the same time, 2016/2017 global grain and oilseed stocks were estimated at 492 million tons, which was 4% higher than the previous season. The major contributing crops in these supply dynamics are maize,…

Environmental concerns, such as extreme weather events and South Africa’s water scarcity crisis, were at risk of slipping off the national agenda. This was according to Theo Venter, political and policy specialist at the School of Business and Governance at North-West University. Speaking at the recent South African Agricultural Outlook Conference in Pretoria, Venter said that region’s risks were noticeably different to the global concerns outlined in the World Economic Forum’s 2016 Global Risk Report. This stated that the five global risks of highest concern for the next 10 years were water scarcity, failure of climate change mitigation and adaptation, extreme weather events, food crises and profound social instability. The report found that the top concerns of sub-Saharan Africa’s business community were unemployment, energy prices, failure of national governance and…

Cases of depression and addiction among farmers have increased during the current drought, and assisting them emotionally has become more difficult. Dr Johan Nel, from the practical theology department at the University of the Free State, said that farmers seldom sought therapy. This was because the type of work they did, as well as their personalities, were those of people who were, and had to be, in control. Speaking on the role of the church in agriculture at the recent African Livestock Trade Fair in Parys in the Free State, Nel said that as a result of the drought he had seen more masked depression, denial, relationship concerns, addiction and psychosomatic symptoms in his practice than in previous years. He said that alcohol abuse had also surfaced, with addiction to…

Diversified food producer RCL Foods, which distributes brands such as Rainbow and Farmer Brown chicken, has announced plans to restructure its commodity chicken business. This decision is the result of market conditions that are deteriorating due to increased levels of dumped chicken products in the local market. Chief executive of RCL Foods, Miles Dally, said that the company was not withdrawing from the chicken business but had to downscale its operations. This part of the business had operated, on average, at a loss for the past five years. “Although we’ve implemented various corrective measures to return to profitability, the excessive increase specifically in dumped commodity chicken over this period has cancelled out the gains we’ve made in this space,” Dally said. According to RCL Foods, total chicken imports, excluding mechanically…

The 16 000ha community-owned Somkhanda Game Reserve in Zululand is now contributing towards the conservation of the African elephant (Loxodonta africana). This follows the recent introduction of a herd of 11 elephants onto the game reserve. The elephants were donated to Somkhanda, owned by the Gumbi Community’s Emvokweni Community Trust (ECT), by another community-owned protected area in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), Nambiti Game Reserve. The R250 000 required to cover the costs of the capture and translocation of the elephants to Somkhanda was provided by the Elephant, Rhino and People Project, which was funded by groupelephant.com. Somkhanda and its co-manager, the Wildlands Conservation Trust (WCT), said that the introduction of elephants would underwrite the financial and ecological sustainability of the Gumbi Community’s game reserve. “It represents a key step towards establishing [Somkhanda]…

Botswana has implemented its shoot-to-kill policy on cattle crossing the border into Botswana from Zimbabwe. The policy, which also involves burning the carcasses, is an effort to curb the spread of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). Botswana, one of Southern Africa’s biggest beef-producing countries, exports beef to the European Union, which requires stringent beef quality control. Zimbabwe’s unvaccinated cattle are considered a threat to Botswana’s beef export trade. In March, Botswana announced that the policy would be implemented on 1 June. While reports suggested that Zimbabwe had convinced Botswana to suspend the policy, recent shootings have proved otherwise. Luka Ndou, a councillor in Zimbabwe’s Beitbridge district in Matabeleland South, estimated that approximately 400 cattle had been killed since the end of June. “It’s very harsh for our neighbours to kill our livestock…

GOVERNMENT FUNDING IS AVAILABLE FOR AGRITOURISM The Association of Agritourism South Africa recently undertook a survey on Facebook and Twitter to gauge South Africans’ opinions on agritourism. Of the 416 respondents, 213 were women and 203 were men. The majority (372) were between the ages of 18 and 24, while 31 were between 25 and 34, and two were older than 35. Of this number, 411 particpated via cellphones and the organisation received 473 ‘likes’ on its Facebook page. The results of this survey clearly indicate that young people support agritourism, as they are looking for ‘different’ experiences outside the urban environment. Farmers often think they do not have the capacity (funds, property, staff or activities) to open their farms to visitors. However, you do not need five-star accommodation or…

AVOID KILLING THE NATURAL PREDATORS OF THRIPS AND LEAF MINERS The infamous cutworm occurs in all vegetable crops, including onions, yet still seems to catch farmers by surprise. Avoid this by taking precautions even if you think the pest is absent. Do not assume there are no cutworms in land left fallow because there has been nothing for them to eat. Although cutworms prefer freshly emerged plants or new transplants, they can survive on dry plant debris for ages. They can also survive through winter on whatever organic material they find. By using a pyrethroid, you can protect a land easily and at low cost. Apply before transplanting, especially when the cutworms are large and their numbers are high. With direct-seed planting, mix the insecticide in with the pre-emergent herbicide.…

ANIMALS AND PLANTS ALSO HAVE PROPORTIONS THAT SUIT THEIR SIZE, SHAPE AND CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL Many motoring enthusiasts dream of designing their own super-powerful engine. So why not join me as we do this in theory? Because of the difficulty of designing from scratch, we’ll take an existing engine, measure all the components, and simply scale them up. We’ll base our design on a familiar engine – an early Corolla 1300. Let’s assume that we want to double the torque and power, so we multiply the bore and stroke, and all the other dimensions, by two. After some button-punching on the calculator, we produce the comparison in the table opposite.ls it really that easy? Will our 2,6-litre engine perform as predicted? The good news is that it will be far more…

 While reading my Agricultural Manual (the Bible), I came across a beautiful passage – 1 Peter 1:24-25 – that I would like to share with you. ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF YOUR TIME HERE ON EARTH “All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the Word of the Lord endures forever.” Our life here on earth is very brief and we must not take ourselves too seriously, because we are not really all that important to nature. The world will not stop turning when we are no longer around. I often smile when I see young people leaving school or university; they expect the whole world to embrace them. They often have a…

One of the most frequent questions I am asked by farmers wanting to acquire a drone is: how long can it stay airborne? This is a fair question, as more and more farmers are using them to combat stock theft. WATCHDOG OF THE SKY Currently, the most popular and affordable drone is the DJI Phantom. The Phantom 4 released this year has obstacle avoidance, a follow-me feature and a flying time of 28 minutes, depending on the weather. Although this is not a long time, Stutterheim sheep farmer Robbie Lloyd says that during one flight he managed to photograph stock theft suspects. The high-resolution digital photos were good enough for the suspects to be identified. The mere sight of the drone flying over his farm has reduced stock theft, according…