Table of contents for 24 February 2017 in Farmer's Weekly

As I write this, we South Africans remain stuck in that awkward period between the State of the Nation Address (SONA) and the tabling of the budget in Parliament, and all we can do is anxiously wait to see how Treasury is going to make us pay for all the promises President Jacob Zuma made in his speech. In SONA, Zuma made mention of R2,5 billion having been allocated towards drought aid. I agree with Agri SA, which has questioned where and how this money was spent. The large majority of reports from farmers affected by the drought is that what little support they received came from private donations. A strong theme in this week’s Farmer’s Weekly is South Africa and the Southern African region’s miserable track record in providing…

CONFERENCES & EXPOS 7 TO 8 MARCH Seventh Undercover Farming Expo and Conference, CSIR Convention Centre, Pretoria. Email Suzanne Oosthuizen at suzanne@pop.co.za. 8 TO 9 MARCH CGA Citrus Summit, Port Elizabeth. Visit www.cga.co.za. 22 TO 23 MARCH GOSA Symposium and Annual General Meeting, Mossel Bay. Visit www.gosa.za.net. COURSES & TRAINING 27 FEBRUARY TO 3 MARCH Introductory Course in Aquaculture Management, Irene. Phone Annetjie Loubser on 012 672 9153, or email aloubser@arc.agric.za. 6 TO 17 MARCH Pig Production and Management, SA Pork Baynesfield Academy, KwaZulu-Natal. Email gm.bta@w2k.co.za, or phone 076 430 6899. 22 TO 24 MARCH Foundations for Farming - Gateway to Africa, Beula Park, Germiston. Email Neill Jackson on neill@foundationsforfarming.org, or phone 082 407 6774. 28 MARCH Grass identification, Kimberly. Email info@alut.co.za. 11 TO 12 MAY Commercial Gourmet Mushroom Cultivation,…

“Political language ... is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind” – George Orwell. When one examines President Jacob Zuma’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) of 9 February, “radical economic reform” does not seem to imply new plans, programmes or policies. Almost all of what was said incorporates ideas that we are already familiar with. There was, however, a lot of grandstanding, and not only by the ANC. The EFF milked SONA for all it was worth, forcing its party members’ eventual violent ejection and showing how ineffective Baleka Mbete would be as president. The DA’s posturing, by repeatedly asking for a minute of silence for the Life Esedimeni tragedy in which 97 patients died, despite being…

British multinational grocery and merchandise chain, Tesco, is displaying a notice capping the number of lettuces customers can buy to just three per person, the UK’s The Telegraph reported. “Due to bad weather conditions in Spain, we are experiencing some availability issues, but are working with our suppliers to resolve them as quickly as possible,” a spokesperson for the supermarket told The Telegraph. Cold weather conditions hit Europe’s Mediterranean regions, and some large retailers are listing many popular vegetables as unavailable online in a bid to restrict supplies. The shortage began with brinjal and courgettes in recent weeks, and had spread to other vegetables, including iceberg lettuce, baby spinach, mixed leaves, rocket, red leaf lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes, the article said. There were fears that supplies of…

Despite recent infestations of Tuta absoluta, the tomato moth whose larvae feed on tomato plants, SA was still experiencing good tomato production. According to Cobus Vorster manager of the Tomato Producers’ Organisation (TPO), there was no evidence that the moth had had any significant impact on tomato production in South Africa. He added that the moth, which was first detected in Mpumalanga in August, had since spread nationwide. “Tomato farmers in the Western Cape have also recently encountered an outbreak. It’s clear that the pest is here to stay,” said Vorster. The pest control programmes followed by farmers were mostly proactive in mitigating any damage, he added. According to Vorster, the recent drought also did not impair tomato production. “Most locally produced tomatoes are cultivated under irrigation,” he said, adding…

Cherry production in South Africa was expanding, especially in the Western Cape, which produced about 600t of the 1 000t of cherries harvested in the country. This was according to Derrick van Zyl, a cherry producer from the Koue Bokkeveld. Van Zyl expected that this figure would increase to about 1 500t within the next five to eight years as new plantings in the province came into production. However, he added that many of these assumptions were based on orders placed by growers for new plant material. According to SA Cherry Growers’ Association executive member, Koos Pretorius, the Western Cape, and the Koue Bokkeveld in particular, was the perfect area for growing cherries, with its low winter and temperate summer temperatures. The 2016/2017 season marked Tru-Cape Fruit Marketing’s third year…

Draft regulations to legalise the domestic trade in rhino horn in South Africa have been met with mixed reactions. The Minister of Environmental Affairs, Edna Molewa, recently gave notice of the intention to table such draft regulations. According to a notice in the Government Gazette, the draft regulations would encompass any selling, trading in, giving, donating, buying, receiving, accepting as a gift or donation, or in any way disposing or acquiring, as well as the exporting of rhino horn, or a part, product or derivative of such rhino horn from South Africa, belonging to the species Diceros bicomis (black rhino) and Ceratotherium simum (white rhino). “Poaching would decline if the trade was legalised and would force down black market prices. This could lead to poaching [ceasing] as it would no…

The Zimbabwean government has shelved the 15% value added tax (VAT) that had been levied on certain food products since the beginning of February. Following objections by producers and consumers, Zimbabwe’s finance and economic development minister, Patrick Chinamasa, scrapped Statutory Instrument 20 of 2017 (SI20/2017), levying VAT on all meat products, fish, potatoes, pork, maheu [traditional drink], offal, rice and margarine. Meat and cereals were previously zero-rated to ensure that it remained affordable for consumers. In his budget address to the Zimbabwean Parliament, Chinamasa announced that the tax would be put on hold pending wider consultation. The introduction of the 15% VAT saw the prices of meat, potatoes and rice rise sharply. These prices will remain in force until SI20/2017 is repealed in the government gazette. Economic analyst, John Robertson,…

UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCES WILL HELP YOU BECOME A BETTER MANAGER How many generations are there in your management team? In most teams, there are likely to be three, but where founders stay on until they drop, it can be as many as five. Since the Second World War, the world has gone through change at a pace never before experienced. Each generation from this period brings its own unique values and attitudes into an organisation – a recipe for conflict and dysfunction if not carefully managed. Researchers have been struggling to make some sort of sense of the key characteristics of people from different eras. Their findings coincide with common sense in most instances, but there are a few surprises… • Traditionalists Born before the end of the war, in a…

Horticultural packaging had been largely neglected by academic researchers when agricultural engineer, Prof Linus Opara, decided to specialise in this field in the 1990s. “There was a growing understanding of the pre-cooling process and cold chain management of fresh produce, such as fruit, but hardly any scientific research available on the impact of packaging and packaging design on fruit quality and shelf life. I focused my research in this field at Massey University in New Zealand,” he says. Today, Opara is a distinguished professor in the Department of Horticultural Science, and Research Chair at the South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) in Postharvest Technology, at Stellenbosch University. “Back then, and even in some cases today, packaging design was merely based on a layperson’s perceptions of what is required, as well…

The management of any shopping mall worth its salt provides certain services such as cleaning, security and parking. Store owners, who are tenants, are expected to keep their own shops in order and stay open according to the mall’s hours of operation. Suppliers bring goods to these stores and customers visit to buy merchandise. A fresh produce market is no different. The market authority provides and cares for the infrastructure, the market agents – the tenants – sell the goods, producers deliver their products and buyers come to buy. When we look at who takes responsibility, however, we see a clear difference. Despite earning a 5% fee on every sale to cover operating costs, some markets try to unload certain chores on to their tenants. One example is keeping the…

LEAKING FUEL STARTS MORE FIRES THAN ANY OTHER CAUSE The recent Ford Kuga fire problem has resulted in many owners worrying about their cars catching fire. In the UK, there is a 1% chance of a vehicle catching fire; in South Africa, the risk is probably slightly higher due to the likelihood that more vehicles are not serviced properly. Cars usually go up in flames due to a lack of maintenance. A fire can only start if a spark or very hot surface is close to combustible material surrounded by oxygen. Many car parts, especially wiring, gaskets and plastic piping, deteriorate over time, so fires are more likely to occur when a car gets old. A regular inspection for leaks, bad connections and shabby wiring is thus essential. Read the…

GOD DID NOT WRITE THE TEN COMMANDMENTS TO HELP HIMSELF – THEY WERE WRITTEN FOR OUR BENEFIT In Proverbs 10:4, we read: “He who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.” And when it comes to diligence, we need to remember the old saying: “The shortest pencil is much better than the longest memory”. It’s an excellent idea to keep a notebook in your top pocket, and when somebody asks you to do something, write it down and make sure you do it. There is nothing that erodes somebody’s confidence in you more than when you forget to do what they’ve asked of you. I was taught this by a farmer I worked for back in Zambia many years ago. I was 23…

Many farmers are producing excellent videos and photos using their drones. Last week we featured Willie de Lange, who used his drone to herd his Dorper sheep down a mountain (bit.ly/collectsheep). De Lange has since uploaded another video: bit.ly/Calvinia (the url is case-sensitive). Here you can watch how he directs sheep to his bakkie a considerable distance from the mountain. Many companies offer drone flying courses, but these might be held too far away or be too expensive for many farmers. However, there are alternatives. The Litchi app (available at Google Play and iTunes) is helpful for getting the best out of a DJI drone, and is a good buy. A useful feature of the app is the autopilot, which allows your drone to fly pre-programmed routes. This comes in…

“Current estimates of the socioeconomic benefits of agriculture indicate that just over one billion people worldwide are employed in the sector. Agriculture remains a significant contributor to the GDP of individual countries, especially those in developing regions. In Africa, for example, agriculture’s contribution accounts for 15% to 30% of all GDP income. In South Africa, primary agriculture’s contribution to the overall GDP is considerably smaller – about 1,9% (2013). Expressed in monetary terms, however, this is a very large figure: R62,8 billion. In addition, agriculture is a crucial engine for growth for the rest of the economy. It creates a vast number of job opportunities, delivers basic products for the secondary production sectors, and earns foreign exchange for the country. Finally, of course, the sector serves as the primary contributor…

THESE DEVELOPMENTS COULD ADD PRESSURE TO THE DOMESTIC MARKET One of the most anticipated reports in global agricultural markets is the monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WADE) from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). This month’s WADE confirmed the USDA’s view that the world will see large grain and oilseed supplies in the 2016/2017 production season, particularly maize, wheat and soya. MAIZE The 2016/2017 global maize production is estimated at 1,04 billion tons, 8% higher than the previous season. This uptick is due to the expected increase in maize production in the US, Brazil, Argentina and South Africa. The US 2016/2017 maize production is forecast at 384 million tons, 11% higher than the previous season. Alongside this is higher US 2016/2017 maize stock levels, which are estimated at…

Over the past few years, the World Food Programme (WFP) has gradually moved away from solely acting as a provider of food in disaster situations, to also supporting self-sufficiency in communities that repeatedly require food aid. “As we continued to intervene in emergency situations, we looked at the data and realised that many of those beneficiaries needing assistance every few years were actually involved in small-scale farming,” said Chris Nikoi, WFP regional director for Southern Africa. “It seemed counter-intuitive, that the people whose livelihoods depended on producing food, were the same people who recurrently needed assistance. “We came to the realisation that we could not continue to save the same lives every year; instead we have to change lives,” Nikoi said. The WFP recognised that one of the reasons why…

Whereas a growing number of countries had legalised the production of cannabis, production in South Africa is still prohibited. Legal cannabis production in the US alone was predicted to increase from US$6 billion [about R80 billion] to US$50 billion [R666 billion], according to Tony Budden, managing director of Hemporium South Africa. “In South Africa, however, it’s still illegal to produce cannabis, because Government sees the whole plant and any part thereof as an undesirable dependence-producing substance,” said Budden. Budden said that Government needed to at least consider the legalisation of hemp production. “There is a vast difference between varieties used for smoking and those used to make hemp products. For starters, hemp contains very low levels of the psychoactive chemical that causes you to get high when you smoke marijuana.”…

Sappi SA continued to deliver ‘excellent margins’ in its first quarter, which ended 31 December 2016. Sappi’s operating profit, excluding special items, grew from R949 million for the quarter ended 31 December 2015 to R1,169 billion. The Sappi group attributed its performance to higher net selling prices for dissolving wood pulp, which increased variable costs, and a stronger rand/US dollar exchange rate. “Dissolving wood pulp sales volumes were greater than the equivalent quarter last year, a quarter in which production was interrupted at the Saiccor Mill [in KwaZulu-Natal] due to the drought conditions experienced during that period,” according to a statement by Sappi. The company’s latest financial results showed, a decrease in the R1,256 billion operating profit, excluding special items, it posted for the quarter ended 30 September 2016. Sappi…

Botswana has lifted its ban on fresh produce imports from South Africa with immediate effect. The Botswanan government implemented the ban late in 2016 in an effort to help combat an outbreak of the insect pest, tomato leaf miner (Tuta absoluta). A statement issued by Botswana’s Ministry of Agriculture Development and Food Security (MADFS) said that imports of fresh potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and brinjals were again allowed. However, MADFS added that seedlings could only be imported from tomato leaf miner (TLM)-free areas, and phytosanitary protocols had to be followed for both seedlings and fresh produce imports. The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) said that TLM, which originated in South America, was first discovered in South Africa in late August 2016. Since then, TLM had been found in various…

Statistics on the non-reporting of stock theft as reported by the National Stock Theft Prevention Forum (NSTPF) indicate that the scourge of stock theft is definitely on the rise. Farmers find it difficult to accurately determine the value of stolen animals, as not all animals are ready for marketing. A market value based only on the weight of a market-ready animal, multiplied by the market price per kilogram, can lead to an over-estimation of the animal’s value. On the other hand, it can be argued that it will cost the producer more than market value to replace productive animals (replacement value). In addition, stud animals should be allocated far higher values than commercial animals. SCENARIO 1 In Scenario 1, the value of stock is determined by producers. The Department of…

NILE TILAPIA REMAINS THE BEST PROSPECT FOR COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION IN SA In the late 20th century, the momentum in freshwater aquaculture development moved to Southeast Asia, with carp, milkfish and shrimp farms becoming commonplace. These were later superseded by tilapia and Pangasius. Tilapia, in particular, took off in the 1990s with the almost universal replacement of all other species by Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in commercial production. It soon became the gold standard of commercial production, and before long, the fastest-growing strains were imported from Egypt and West Africa and subjected to further improvement. The World Fish Centre in the Philippines inaugurated research to improve the growth rate, body shape and disease resistance of these strains. Skilled ichthyologists used extensive facilities to propagate large numbers of fingerlings, which were then…

The SESAM (Sustainable Energy Supply for Agricultural Machinery) concept from John Deere is the first fully battery-powered agricultural tractor (see panel). Designed to provide all the operating functions and features of a standard tractor, it marks a major step forward, and reminded me about other milestones in the development of the tractor: 1 Small and efficient “The contribution which Dan Albone made to the development of the farm tractor was enormous,” writes Michael Williams in Farm Tractors. Albone died in 1906, but in only about 10 years of development work he introduced a completely revolutionary concept. He developed and marketed the Ivel, the world’s first tractor that was both small and efficient. Launched in 1902, it was the forerunner of the tractors that millions of farmers would eventually buy. 2…

EXAMINE AND CLEAN YOUR HORSE’S HOOVES TWICE A DAY As a child, I used to be afraid of picking up a horse’s hoof. If you are reluctant, even as an adult, to do so, spend time with those who are more comfortable around horses. You’ll soon see that if you are gentle with your horse, it will become accustomed to having its feet lifted up. I mention this because it is good practice to examine, pick out and clean your horse’s hooves twice daily, or even more frequently in wet weather. Failing to do so could result in the horse getting thrush, a common and unpleasant infection of the grooves on either side of the frog. (This is the triangular-shaped section of the hoof that extends mid-way from the heels…

There’s a simple joy attached to this classic recipe as the final outcome is always a pleasure. Not only to eat, but also to cook. Preparation is quick and easy. Thaw the hake, peel the potatoes, and cut the spring onions (including the bulbs) into 10mm sections. Grind the black pepper. Make a decision about the green herbs. Maybe contemplate a 50/50 combination of parsley and basil. Finely chop both, or either, and have them ready. Halve or quarter the peeled potatoes. Place them in a saucepan and pour in sufficient water to just cover them. Add half a teaspoon of salt, bring the pot to the boil, then cut the heat to a gentle simmer for half an hour, by which time they should be soft. Drain and let…

The health of your mouth can affect the health of your entire body. An unhealthy oral cavity increases the risk of developing heart disease, especially if you are older, with germs and toxins travelling through the bloodstream from the infected mouth. Streptococcus mutans is an especially dangerous oral bacterium; it causes cavities and can spread to other parts of your body. Oil pulling, or swishing pure sesame, coconut or sunflower oil around in the mouth, draws toxins from your teeth and infected pockets in your gums. It is an extremely easy and inexpensive way of dealing with halitosis, gingivitis and dental plaque. NOT ENOUGH Brushing and flossing twice a day are obviously important for oral hygiene, but oil pulling has several unique benefits. It has been shown to bind, trap…

‘I DEFINITELY RECOMMEND THIS BREED TO OTHER BEEF FARMERS’ As soon as talk turns to his cattle, 42-year-old Max Mxabo’s eyes light up. Although he owns and edits Pondo News, his heart clearly lies with his Drakensberger beef herd and his other beef farming concerns. “I grew up in Mphetshwa village in Bizana in the Eastern Cape and developed a love for agriculture, especially cattle, because I spent a lot of my childhood herding my late father Eric’s cattle,” he recalls. In 2009, Max decided to indulge this love by starting his own beef farming business. While waiting to acquire a farm large enough to accommodate his vision for his commercial beef business, Max runs his herds on lands in the OR Tambo District Municipality and the Greater Kokstad Local…

BANKS GIVE YOU AN UMBRELLA WHEN THE SUN SHINES, BUT WANT IT BACK WHEN IT STARTS TO RAIN It all started a few years ago, when the general talk of the day was the need for more black men and women to enter the agricultural industry. At that stage, I had been working on a farm for about 11 years and thought that this was the direction that I should go in. After many months of thorough investigation, there was one thing that I needed before proceeding: knowledge and assistance from an excellent mentor. By chance, I came across a white ex-farmer with over 40 years of intensive vegetable farming experience and 20 years in hydroponics. He had all the knowledge that I needed and his willingness to assist was…

Rabies is endemic to the northern parts of South Africa, and North West is no exception. This was according to Dr Danie Odendaal, director of the SA Veterinarian Network. Responding to reports of an outbreak of rabies among cattle in the Makwassie and Schweizer-Reneke districts, he said that hardly a month went by without reports of livestock succumbing to rabies in the province. “Stella and Vryburg are particularly hard hit by the disease. Indications are that the disease is mainly transmitted by infected black-backed jackal (Canis mesomelas) in the North West,” Odendaal said. He advised livestock producers in endemic rabies areas to inoculate their herds against the disease, followed by the annual inoculation of replacement heifers. It takes about two weeks for the inoculant to become effective in animals inoculated…

A soil management implement that was tested on a rice production farm in Egypt, has managed to reduce the amount of water used for production by half, and “the crop yield increased by 4,6%,” Mohamed El-Sayyed El-Hagarey, a researcher at the Desert Research Centre in Cairo, told The Rice Outlook. Agricultural experts and stakeholders in Egypt were promoting the use of the implement due to concerns about water scarcity that might occur as a result of the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which was about to become operational. The dam would claim a share of Egypt’s water supply, according to The Rice Outlook article. “Agricultural production consumes about 85% of the country’s water resources, half of which goes towards rice irrigation; rice cultivation consumes more than 10 billion cubic meters of water…

An international shortage of olive oil, caused by unfavourable production conditions, bodes well for SA producers. Nick Wilkinson, chairperson of SA Olives, confirmed that two of the world’s largest olive oil producers, Spain and Italy, had endured consecutive years of bad harvests. In Spain, this was a result of unusually hot and dry summers, and in Italy, poor harvests were a result of the bacterial disease, Xylella fastidiosa, which had reportedly destroyed more than a million ancient olive trees. In SA, meanwhile, a normal yield of about 2,2 million litres was expected. “Production per hectare is expected to be [less] due to dry climatic conditions and a shortage of water in some of our production regions, but many new orchards are coming into production that will help to make up…

The SA citrus industry has expressed concern about the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries’ (DAFF) decision to task the Perishable Products Export Control Board (PPECB) with conducting orchard inspections for the EU. Since 2012, SA citrus fruit destined for the EU from outside citrus black spot-free areas has faced additional phytosanitary measures. These measures have put significant strain on DAFF’s phytosanitary regulatory system, explained Justin Chadwick, CEO of the SA Citrus Growers’ Association (CGA), in a letter to association members. “With the current limited finances and resources, DAFF decided to delegate the responsibility for phytosanitary certification activities, such as orchard inspections, packhouse inspection and the issuance of phytosanitary certificates, to the PPECB from 1 April,” said Chadwick. This decision has raised concern in the citrus industry, particularly with regards…

Initially, the European Union (EU) only allowed GM seeds for planting , but not all EU member states were supportive and certain trade barriers were set up. Following a World Trade Organization ruling, the EU amended its regulations but added mandatory labelling and traceability for GMO products. The trade in GM crops, seed and derived commodities remained rather restrictive for many years, but with an increase in animal feed imports over the past two years, GM crops have been increasingly accepted. A total of 95 genetic modifications (events) in seven crops are now allowed: 12 for canola, seven for carnations, 11 for cotton, 48 for maize, 15 for soya beans, and one each for sugar, beet and potato. The basic EU guidelines for approval are: if a GMO crop is…

The most important concept to understand when growing plants is the rule of limiting factors, which determines plant quality. Hydroponics cannot compensate for poor growing conditions, such as improper temperature, insufficient irrigation, nutrient deficiencies, pest and disease problems, or poor light. Light is the most important variable influencing plant growth. If plants do not receive enough light, they will not grow at their maximum rate or reach their maximum potential, regardless of how much of any other variable – water, growth medium or fertiliser – they receive. INCREASING LIGHT INCREASES YIELD Light is the driving force for photosynthesis, a plant process that changes sunlight into chemical energy. During photosynthesis, water is split in a chemical reaction in which it is separated into oxygen and hydrogen, and carbon dioxide (CO2) is…

Why is cold chain management so important? Careful cold chain management from the time of packaging in the exporting country to delivery in the importing country is vital for prolonging shelf life and ensuring the highest out-turn of produce. The Perishable Products Export Control Board (PPECB) is the only organisation in South Africa that manages both quality and the cold chain of perishable export commodities. The quality of produce cannot be divorced from the cold chain – it’s an integrated process. The cold chain involves three aspects: establishing and maintaining the correct temperature for the produce, certifying the equipment (cold storage facilities, refrigerated road motor transport, containers and vessels), and monitoring a shipment until it reaches its destination. Do farmers realise the importance of cold chain management, or is it…

Small-scale farmers living on the Simalaha Plains in the Zambezi Valley in Zambia traditionally relied on rainfall for the success of their crops. But climate change and drought left farmers struggling to feed their families. Conservation agriculture (CA) has proven to be the solution. “This is a farming system cited to be beneficial to the community,” says Chrispin Muchindu, CA manager at Peace Parks Foundation (PPF) in Zambia. PPF is an international partnership promoting wildlife conservation, ecotourism and job creation in Southern Africa, and in 2012 the conservancy, situated about 120km from the town of Livingstone, was fenced in as part of the work being done by the foundation in the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area. The project has increased food security in the area, and CA practices are gaining…

SANDY SOIL HAS LIMITED WATER-HOLDING CAPACITY, WHILE CLAY SOIL CAN HOLD MUCH MORE WATER Farmers often ask me how frequently and how much they should irrigate. There is no simple answer, as many aspects must first be considered. THE ROOT SYSTEM Irrigating the soil too far below the crop’s root system is pointless. Applying more water than needed could leach nutrients such as nitrate to beyond the reach of the roots. Added to this is the expense of extra pumping. The root systems of carrots, for example, go down beyond a depth of 2m. This may seem excessive, as the carrot is only about 25cm long, but deep roots have a significant advantage. The deeper they go, the greater the volume of soil available for sourcing water and nutrients. For…

Wicky silage cover from Wasserbauer Uncovering a silage pit to extract feed, and then properly covering it again to prevent the feed from spoiling, can be a laborious task. With the Wicky silage cover, a farmer can automatically roll up the plastic sheeting that covers the pit, regardless of the shape or size of the sheeting. “This new solution presents a number of substantial advantages [over] the fully manual removal of silage sheeting,” Austrian manufacturer, Wasserbauer, says in a statement. The Wicky silage cover does away with the need to regularly remove and reposition heavy objects such as nets, sandbags or tyres that are often used to weigh down the sheeting. It also helps to maintain the quality of the silage by minimising superficial secondary heating from direct sunlight and…

Dear Jonno I always read your column and am certain that all those readers who have utilised your designs have benefitted greatly. I would like a design for a double-storey house with two garages, three bedrooms, three toilets (one downstairs and two upstairs), a study, kitchen, living room, dining room and laundry. I would also like a balcony. The house will be north-facing and situated in a rural area, which has a gradient. Regards, Ntando Dear Ntando Here is a rendition of what you asked for in your new, north-facing home and its positioning on the slightly sloping land. Thank you for the phone call; it put the requirements into perspective. I’ve given the house a contemporary feel, together with structuring the first floor as a roof attic area. Doing…

THE ILLUSTRATED DICTIONARY OF SOUTHERN AFRICAN PLANT NAMES by Hugh Clarke & Michael Charters (Jacana, R450) Using Latin botanical names is seen as the gold standard in plant identification and discussion, as they have become standardised according to international rules to avoid the confusing multiple identities that can surround common names. Understanding why plants have been given their names can be fascinating, such as discovering Mad King George’s connection to the queen who gave her name to our famous strelitzias. Or it can be enlightening and help fix the botanical name in your memory. The generic name of the parasite witchwood is Striga, for instance, which combines references to furrows, screech owls and witches. The authors drily remark, “the word striga can be used in the sense of…

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