Table of contents for 8 plus 15 January 2016 in Farmer's Weekly

For a few days at the end of 2015, South Africa’s working class could allow itself to be blinded by fireworks and twinkling Christmas decorations. South Africa’s farmers, however, surrounded by their unplanted lands, may have found it a bit more difficult to forget their dire situation. With the taking down of the last Christmas lights and the throwing away of empty champagne bottles, we are again forced to face reality. As we take a breath to steady our resolve, I think most of us wish we had a crystal ball to see what 2016 will throw at us. Will we have enough rain? Will Pravin Gordhan’s influence be enough to keep the economy from sliding further down its slippery slope? Will a national minimum wage be signed into law?…

Severe drought in 2015, which may prove to be the warmest year on record, has left SA farmers reeling. Moreover, forecasts show that the dry conditions are likely to continue over most parts of the country. “A combination of global climate change and an El Niño occurrence have contributed to the above-normal temperatures and below-normal rainfall in 2015,” Dr Francois Engelbrecht, research principal at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), said. The drought has severely affected KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, North West, Limpopo and the Free State, and disaster areas have been declared in some cases. “The current season outlook indicates the strengthening of the El Niño occurrence towards the summer season with the expectation of its continuing throughout the autumn season,” said Cobus Olivier of SA Weather. “The forecast…

The South African economy grew 0,7% in the third quarter of 2015, following a 1,3% decline in the second quarter. In the agricultural sector, growth declined 12,6% and worse is yet to come. Several economic confidence indexes indicate strong declines and some are at the lowest level in more than 20 years. Poor economic performance and the impact of the drought on South Africa’s maize crop contributed significantly to pushing the domestic white maize price to an all-time record high of R4 000/t. The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) had already increased interest rates at the end of November 2015, based on the risk of inflation increasing beyond the 3% to 6% target range. Food inflation is expected to worsen considerably due to the SARB’s Monetary Policy Committee’s measures to…

South Africa has the potential to further cement its reputation as one of the world’s premier hunting destinations, but to achieve this, the industry will need to work with responsible hunting organisations. According to Dr Peter Oberem, president of Wildlife Ranching South Africa (WRSA), in addition to the industry’s large-scale job creation potential and contribution to national food security, game farming offered an ideal business environment for new entrants. This, he said, was due to the fact that no other sector of agriculture offered the returns that wildlife ranching did. “Prices for high-value animals will remain stable but the value of plains game may decrease due to the drought and the need to reduce stock on the land.” The drought could have a significant impact on the industry in 2016,…

Cotton production increased by about 90% year-on-year in 2015. Despite drought conditions in some of the main cotton-growing regions, production was expected to increase further in 2016. The revival of the SA cotton industry could be ascribed to the use and availability of new technology that made cotton production viable, according to Koot Louw of Cotton SA. The use of cotton strippers helped reduce the cost of harvesting, and new genetically modified cotton varieties that offered resistance against some of the most problematic cotton pests had helped to make cotton farming more profitable, he said. “Cotton SA has been running trials and demonstrating the use of cotton strippers to farmers in South Africa for two years, and it has gone well. It has also meant that many farmers now see…

Local and international weather patterns and the government’s possible referral to the World Trade Organisation of the dispute between South Africa and the EU over citrus black spot would largely determine South Africa’s citrus exports in 2016. This was according to Pieter Nortjé, chairperson of the Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa (CGA). Following strong year-on-year growth of 6,3% in citrus export volume in 2015, citrus remained South Africa’s biggest agricultural export commodity. A record 118,1 million cartons of citrus were exported in 2015. According to John Edmonds, information manager at CGA, the first estimate of the 2016 crop was expected in March 2016. “The drought in the northern part of the country could have an effect if it persists, with smaller sizes being the likely outcome,” Edmonds said. “November’s…

The severe drought conditions across many parts of South Africa could result in a significant decrease in the national banana crop over the first six months of 2016. This potential drop could, however, result in banana growers achieving attractive prices for their fruit. Blaine Peckham of the Banana Growers’ Association of South Africa (BGASA) said that an added concern was the threat posed by the Panama Tropical Race 4 outbreak in northern Mozambique’s banana-growing areas. The disease was reportedly devastating large swathes of banana plantations there. “Should this disease manage to spread from northern Mozambique to southern Mozambique, the risk of its spreading to South Africa – with our main banana production area just across the border – would be high, and the effect on our industry would be substantial,”…

The real potato producer price is likely to remain under pressure in 2016, due to ever-increasing production costs and the large number of hectares planted to the crop, according to Pieter van Zyl, information manager at Potatoes SA. He said that total potato production costs, including remuneration for the owner and capital expenditure, for certain regions such as Limpopo and North West, had exceeded R200 000/ha in 2015. Despite the drought, potato plantings were not expected to decrease significantly in 2016 compared with 2015. Some 30 000ha were planted by November 2015, to be marketed in 2016. If this trend continued, prices would remain under pressure, resulting in a decline in the real price of potatoes for third year in a row. It was too early to fully quantify the…

Regulations follow scientific innovation, and countries may use different approaches. Globally, fungicidal spraying against potato late blight costs up to R75 billion a year. Wild potato species contain genes for some resistance but conventional crossbreeding with cultivated varieties faces hurdles: wild potatoes have two sets of chromosomes, while modern varieties have four. Wild resistance genes are located on different chromosomes and selection has to go gene-by-gene – a tedious process. Natural or induced mutations can be used to disable or delete one or more genes for susceptibility to the fungus, but the outcome may cause unwanted genetic changes. By contrast, genetic modification enables direct insertion of a resistant gene or deletion of an unwanted gene and may use DNA processes or genes not occurring naturally. The GM end-product needs to…

Valuers distinguish between several types of irrigable land on a farm. The differences between these should be clearly understood by buyers and sellers: • Water-use entitlement This refers to the lawful use of water for irrigation purposes. It is subject to water-use registration and will eventually be replaced by a water-use licence. • Irrigation land This is land that has been cleared of natural vegetation, cultivated and equipped with mainlines, and for which there is enough lawful irrigation water available for annual irrigation. It has the highest value of all the irrigable land components. • Equipped land This land has been cleared of natural vegetation, cultivated and equipped with mainlines, but it does not have enough lawful irrigation water available for annual irrigation. It can, however, be used for crop rotation. It has…

Situated in the Chisamba area of central Zambia, Wangwa Farms is a large and diverse farming operation, even by Zambian standards. What makes it even more impressive is the progressive vision that owners Peter and Carla Luyt have for their 4 000ha agribusiness. The couple, with the aid of three trusted managers, have run the farm since 1994. Not content with having Zambia’s more conventional farming enterprises such as summer maize, soya beans, winter wheat and beef cattle under their belt, they are now diversifying into pig breeding, aquaculture and sheep farming, all of which are more unusual in Zambia. Wangwa Farms also adds value by milling its maize on-farm into feed for the farm’s livestock and to sell to other livestock farmers. There is enough on-farm demand for the…

It is late October and one can sense Stephan Fourie’s urgency because the first rain has just fallen, so he must plant, and fast. “We had to wait for rain before we planted the maize,” he says, adding that by this time last year, the seed was already in the ground. Despite his urgency about the maize, he is more concerned about the 200ha to 220ha potatoes he plants every year. Stephan, who farms on Leeuwbank with his father-in-law, Michael de Klerk, and brother-in-law, Emile de Klerk, has been producing potatoes for seven years under the Potato Pride brand. He launched this enterprise after identifying them as the most suitable crop to diversify their farming operation. Stephan planted 55ha to potatoes in the first year and 125ha in the second.…

Authorised vets and meat inspectors visit approved abattoirs on a regular basis, and only healthy animals are slaughtered. Animals are offloaded and kept for slaughter in a manner that does not involve unnecessary stress. Clean water is provided continuously and so is food if necessary. Inspectors perform an ante-mortem examination to determine if the animals are ready for slaughtering. Sick animals are isolated and dead animals are disposed of. Injured animals are examined and a vet will decide if the meat should be disposed of. The carcass and offal of each animal is then inspected. If a disease is believed to be present, the carcass is kept for further inspection by a vet who will decide if it ought to be condemned or if the meat can be treated to…

The general consensus among agricultural journalists at this year’s Agritechnica Expo in Hanover, Germany, was that the gold medal for innovation won by Krone for the world’s first mobile pellet harvester was well deserved. This is how it works. The 2,35m-wide pickup lifts the crop, which is then transported from the feed rotor to a conveyor belt (the crop flow width is about 800mm). The material is fed between two press rollers (800mm wide and 800mm in diameter), each with alternating rows of teeth and perforations. The crop is forced through these into the interior of the roller. After pressing, the pellets are transported via a conveyor belt to an integrated hopper. Premos pellets, which can be used for feed or fuel, are as easy to handle and transport as…

Aloe vera has many uses for horses (and humans). But there are more than 200 varieties and only three or four have medicinal properties. So it’s important to know which varieties these are, and which parts of the plant are most beneficial. Aloe barbadensis has been of most use to humanity. It’s a succulent that looks rather like a cactus. Flourishing in warm, dry climates, it reaches maturity in four years, when the content of its leaves, a mixture of inner gel and outer sap, can be harvested. Researchers claim that the fleshy pulp inside the leaves contains essential vitamins, minerals and amino acids that can alleviate many chronic conditions. In horses, aloe vera is effective in the treatment of, inter alia, arthritis, ear and eye problems, gastric ulcers, head…

Dear John and Sue Thank you for the feedback on your retirement home. You said previously that you required the dimensions of the home to be on a 10m x 14m footprint. Most homes are generally about 8m x 9m inside, but all could be accommodated in the suggested 10m width. I looked through my compendium of articles and came across the one shown here. This is constructed according to the popular horizontal whole-log styling. It requires skilled craftsmanship to put together but with a few trials and errors, the log joinery should become repetitive and correct. I will send you details of the construction process, from the methodologies employed in the US. As for the layout of the sketch herewith, it is practical and functional, but can be made…

THE WINE KINGDOM by WWF South Africa (WWF South Africa, R456) This beautiful coffee-table book rightly trumpets the successes of the Biodiversity and Wine Initiative over the past 10 years. A key achievement of the initiative, which aims to protect the precious and unique Cape Floral Kingdom and beyond, is that for every hectare of vineyard planted, 1,4ha of natural Cape fynbos and succulent Karoo is committed to conservation. Renowned environmental and wine writers such as John Yeld and Wendy Toerien contribute the main chapters documenting the process and heritage, as well as the people who have established this pledge to the future. They include wine producers who achieve champion status by committing 10% of their land to conservation and reach high environmental standards in more than 75% of their…

Considering the tumultuous year which farmers have just lived through, the commodities outlook for 2016 seem, in some instances at least, surprisingly upbeat. As a testament to their resilience, farmers are looking for a ray of hope amid the economic, political and environmental uncertainties that have permeated the business environment for farming in South Africa. It is, however, impossible not to feel the despair of all those farmers who are staring disaster in the face as the worst drought to hit South Africa in 20 years continues to ravage the country. Livestock and grain farmers, in particular, are expecting a turbulent year as a result of the drought. With 30% of grain crops already damaged, feed costs are expected to increase, which will affect red meat, pork and poultry producers.…

International wool forecasts seem upbeat with improving demand for slimmer and sleeker fashion made from natural fibres. This year, demand should be strong, with selling percentages remaining in the 90s, according to CMW’s James de Jager. “Greater European participation in the market together with a stabilising Chinese economy and manufacturing should see the 2016 wool season strengthening gradually. This is preferable to a rapid rise which usually ends in an over-correction of prices,” he said. Rising manufacturing costs in China and a lower Euro were driving interest towards European-made garments, notably from Italy. “As Italy is well-known for high-class garments, this could benefit the finer end of our offering in the long term,” said De Jager. Meanwhile, severe climatic conditions have put pressure on apparel wool production in Australia and…

Ostrich farmers in South Africa are expected to produce between 180 000 and 190 000 birds for slaughter in 2015/2016. This follows the devastating outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in April 2011 and a subsequent ban on fresh meat exports, resulting in production falling to 120 000 ostriches slaughtered during the 2013/2014 production season. But the industry managed to recover during the 2014/2015 season, with production increasing to 180 000 ostriches. It was expected that fresh meat exports would also recover after the ban was lifted late last year. Francois de Wet, chairperson of the SA Ostrich Business Chamber, said that 180 000 to 200 000 birds per year had become the new industry norm and that production above these levels would have a negative impact on the…

Apple exports for the 2015/2016 season are likely to increase 22% to 32 million (12,5kg) cartons and pear exports to decline 6% to 15 million cartons, according to Jacques du Preez, general manager of trade and markets at Hortgro. “Apple production was down last season due to hail damage in 2013. Total production this year is up because of new orchards that are coming into production. The area under apples has increased from 20 526ha in 2007 to 22 925ha in 2014,” he said. Du Preez ascribed the decline in pear exports to tough market conditions in SA’s main pear export destinations, Europe and Russia. “The pear market was under pressure last season due to high production volumes from the northern hemisphere. “Farmers managed the situation well by sending some…

The South African Table Grape Industry (SATGI) is expecting another record table grape harvest in the 2015/2016 season due to new vineyards coming into production. Production is expected to increase from last season’s record of 59 million cartons (4,5kg each) to between 61 million and 63 million cartons. The area under production had increased by 12% (2 728ha) over the past five years, according to Willem Bestbier, Satgi CEO. New cultivars were also in general higher-yielding than older ones, pushing production averages up from 4 000 cartons/ha to 5 000 cartons/ha. “All in all, the new vineyards have lifted the industry’s long-term export average from 55 million cartons per year to 60 million cartons per year,” Bestbier said. The percentage of seedless varieties as a share of total production has…

Although commercial litchi, mango and avocado farmers are expanding operations, dedicated to producing high-quality fruit and positive about the future, it is a fact that low rainfall and heat are affecting all crops. This was according to Derek Donkin, CEO of the South African Subtropical Growers’ Association (Subtrop). Donkin expected the 2015/2016 litchi crop to be similar in size to that of 2014/2015, with a total of around 4 000t produced and 2 000t exported. Local litchi producers were set to export their fruit to the US for the first time in the 2015/2016 season. “The US will be the South African litchi industry’s first major alternative market. The EU is our traditional market, which accounts for 99% of South Africa’s litchi exports,” he said. The 2016 mango crop was…

While the majority of SA wine is currently being exported in bulk, the industry is slowly but surely shifting its export emphasis to bottled wines. “There’s an ongoing drive from the industry to accelerate value growth, along with volumes,” said Siobhan Thompson, CEO of Wines of SA. “Despite an extremely volatile global trading environment, we’ve been able to make progress by advancing packaged wine sales. Although bulk sales still represent the greater share of total export volumes, we’re moving closer towards a 50/50 split, which is an encouragingly healthy trend.” According to SA Wine Industry Information and Systems, 2015 saw a decrease of 3,5% in the export of bulk wines, while the export of bottled wines increased by nearly 0,8%. The industry needed to put much effort into the development…

In December 2015, the rand reached its lowest value ever against the US dollar, falling to over R16/US$. There are various reasons for the decrease, not least President Jacob Zuma’s finance minister debacle. The rand and other developing country currencies remained relatively stable during and after the 2008 depression. As growth in developing economies was better than in the developed world, there was an inflow of money into these markets. Since then, developed economies, and especially the US economy, recovered, while growth in developing economies slowed down. In the aftermath of the recession, the US Federal Reserve kept interest rates low and stimulated the economy by buying bonds and thus putting money into the economy. As the US economy recovered, it became clear that the Federal Reserve planned to increase…

How has business been in the past year? So far I have been very satisfied with 2015. The harvests were good and the market conditions were favourable. We have already started to harvest, and next year’s harvests are promising. What challenges do you see in your business in 2016? The scorching drought will affect farmers throughout South Africa. Water, especially in the Western Cape, will present challenges for the country’s farmers, but we will have to adjust and find innovative ways to deal with this issue. We are also faced with export challenges due to the global economic unrest and political instability in South Africa. What are the opportunities for 2016? Difficult times, such as South Africa’s current drought conditions, often present a solution. Through this drought, the country’s farmers…

How long have you been a farm worker, what were your duties when you started, and what is your current position? I started working on Moutons Valley farm in Piket Bo-berg in 2008. I supervised over 10 people working in the orchards. That number started to increase and within three years I supervised eight supervisors. I am currently an assistant production manager and help with the daily planning and allocations of duties to the junior supervisors. My favourite part of the job is being involved with training junior supervisors. It is remarkable to observe them grow from individuals with little or no experience to successful employees. What initiatives have been implemented to empower workers on Moutons Valley farm? Moutons Valley offers a comprehensive training programme for all the workers on…

What challenges will 2016 hold for you and the livestock industry as a whole? The drought that we are facing is a problem. The livestock weight is down and less weight equals less money. What are you planning on doing differently or improving on in 2016? The business needs to be developed and improved. I need to work harder than I’m doing. I need to increase my stock and in order to do that, I need to increase productivity. I’m looking at crossbreeding in order to achieve better weight, but at the same time maintaining the same type of tenacity and strength to resist disease. I’m also looking at a Simmentaler sire, and the Boran crosses well with the Nguni. How do you plan to sustain and/ or increase profits…

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Want to get the best deal at your abattoir? Here are some factors to bear in mind: • Price per kilo vs money in the pocket Farmers tend to look only at price per kilogram when they sell their carcasses, but other issues can influence the amount of money that ends up in their pocket. Understanding the slaughter techniques and practices of the abattoir is essential. So is finding out how the abattoir slaughters and weighs and what it removes before determining a pay weight. • Kilos removed before pay-weight A number of items may be removed from the carcass before pay-weight is reached. These include squaring the neck cut; trimming, which can add up to 1kg; kidney and kidney fat, which can weigh up to 6,9kg; skirts of 1,2kg and the…

While working for a large seed company, I once had a chat with one of the directors, a financial fundi who contributed to steering the company in the right direction. He noted that many students who finished university with a very good academic record failed to make it into the ‘big time’. They had the knowledge, he said, but those who became successful had a better sense of timing. This applies equally to farming. To become a successful vegetable farmer, knowing what needs to be done is not enough. It’s the timing of each step that can make all the difference between a good yield and a mediocre one. With cabbage, for example, the timing of the first nitrogen application can determine the potential of the yield. This application enables…

Designing a car, or any other vehicle, must be one of the most satisfying things a team of people can do. In the early days of motoring, this was usually the task of one or two engineers and a handful of technicians and artisans, who often had less than a year to produce the first prototype. Famous cars such as the first Bentley or VW Beetle were designed in this way. Today, it takes an army of experts to design even the least complicated vehicle, and it takes them three years or more to get it production-ready. There are many reasons for this. These range from the sophistication demanded by today’s buyers to the many regulations to be complied with before the product can be sold. For example, Toyota makes…

As I contemplate what 2016 has in store for each one of us, I think to myself, “What have we to rejoice about?” There seems to be chaos everywhere, and so many people despair for the future. But then I read that beautiful scripture in 2 Timothy 1:7, where the Lord says: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear…” Fear, comes from the Devil and is the exact opposite of faith. We need to face 2016 with faith in God. That faith will give us the strength to get through another year. OPTIMISM IS POWER The sentence in 2 Timothy 1:7 above goes on to say: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power…” Power comes when we are optimistic and operating…

Get to know South Africa’s geological heritage, one of the richest in the world, in 2016 through Gavin Whitfield’s 50 Must-See Geological Sites in South Africa (Struik Nature, R300). Some are well known – Chapman’s Peak, Storms River Bridge or the Valley of a Thousand Hills. Others are less familiar, particularly in this context – the West Coast Fossil Park, Sand River Gneiss and Walter Sisulu Botanic Garden. All have directions (including GPS coordinates) and suggestions for other things to do in the area, while several pages present each site’s key features and place these within our geological heritage. Here is a refreshingly different way to get to know our country. 3 COPIES of 50 MUST-SEE GEOLOGICAL SITES IN SOUTH AFRICA TO GIVE AWAY! To enter, SMS GEOLOGY,…

The article by Dr Charlie Reinhardt (FW, 11 December 2015) refers. I’ve recently watched some videos of ‘groundbreaking’ developments in Australia and the US using cover crops. Around the world there are thousands of hectares of maize, soya and commercial vegetables that are being planted using no-till and minimum till. Of course, this is nothing new, but it’s how they are doing it that has got my attention. There are two main people to watch on YouTube, Colin Seis from Australia and Dave Brandt from the US. They use a multi-species cover crop of which the legumes are key – mostly clovers as well as hairy and grazing vetch. These are planted in the autumn or sown over the current crop. They are well-utilised by livestock in the winter months…

The outlook for the SA grain industry appeared grim in the fourth quarter of 2015, according to Jannie de Villiers, Grain SA CEO. It was extremely dry and the rains had fallen late. A dry season would force South Africa to import up to 2,5 million tons of maize, 1,9 million tons of wheat and 500 000t of soya oilcake, he said. Should the drought continue into 2016, farmers would face serious challenges. “Declining land values and possible liquidations will result in an increased number of producers failing to obtain production credit. However, we have faith that the rain will come and that the intended areas will be planted. Even average rainfall will be sufficient to produce enough for domestic use,” he said. While maize prices were expected to continue…

The pork industry will face serious challenges in the coming year, with the dry weather conditions playing a major role in the cost of feed. This was according to Simon Streicher, CEO of the South African Pork Producers’ Organisation (SAPPO). Speaking to Farmer’s Weekly, Streicher said that the widespread drought had resulted in a smaller volume of maize being produced locally. “Considering that maize constitutes 70% of pig feed, it will be necessary for the industry to use imported maize. According to economists, the exchange rate will weaken further, which will make imported maize even more expensive,” he said. Slow economic growth in South Africa was also having an impact on the disposable income of consumers. The financial pressures South Africans were facing would have a negative impact on producer…

Importing poultry into the SA market was necessitated by the fact that the local supply of broilers could not meet demand, according to the Absa Agri Outlook 2016. The country’s broiler production had increased negligibly over the past few years, “mainly due to high feed costs and imports from Brazil and the EU”, the Absa Outlook said. The US, EU, China and Brazil dominated the broiler meat industry, with 34% of the world’s exports coming from the EU, followed by the US with 30% and Canada with 18%. The US would be exporting a further 65 000t of chicken to South Africa, following a recent agreement reached by the two countries in terms of the African Growth and Opportunity Act. South Africa produced 2% of the world’s broiler meat, according…

Commercial abalone production is set to continue growing in 2016, improving on the total harvest of over 1 500t in 2015. This was likely to be followed by growth in commercial oyster and mussel production, driven by demand from Asia. “Other opportunities in South Africa’s aquaculture sector in 2016 include expansion of commercial trout production, the implementation of pilot projects for commercial saltwater salmon production, and research being conducted to improve cost and production efficiencies in recirculating fish production systems,” said Prof Peter Britz, chairperson of the Aquaculture Association of South Africa (AASA). Research also needed to be done into improving the economic feasibility of commercial tilapia, catfish and dusky cob production in South Africa, he said. Of concern to Britz was what he described as “increasingly burdensome legislation creeping…

Still reeling from the devastating impacts that ongoing drought conditions are having on their crops, South Africa’s sugarcane farmers have been encouraged to persevere until good rains eventually fall again. Until the drought-causing El Niño climate phenomenon breaks, hopefully in autumn 2016, sugarcane farmers were advised to implement soil and moisture conservation and integrated pest management, among others. South African sugarcane production had seen dramatically declining yields as a result of two consecutive seasons of increasingly dry weather in the main growing areas of KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga. In the 2013/2014 season, the national sugarcane harvest was roughly 20 million tons and in 2014/2015 it decreased to less than 17,8 million tons. For the 2015/2016 season, which closed in March 2016, it was estimated that the total harvest would amount to…

Stone fruit exports are expected to increase this season, except for apricots. According to Hortgro, apricot exports, with a three-year average of 964 432 (4,75kg) cartons a year, were expected to decline 8% from last season’s total to 743 991 (4,75kg) cartons this season. Jacques du Preez, general manager of trade and markets at Hortgro, ascribed the decline to alternate bearing, lighter fruit set, and rain at the beginning of the harvesting season. The quality of apricots was nevertheless good in terms of fruit size, colour, blush and eating quality. Du Preez said the greatest challenge for the industry was to gain access to new varieties with better eating quality and a longer shelf life. It was estimated that nectarine exports would increase 5% from 3,7million (2,5kg) cartons last season…

Macadamias will remain a lucrative crop in 2016 due to favourable market conditions and strong demand. The industry needed to start exploring new markets to ensure that demand remained high, but should be mindful that prices may have reached a ceiling, according to Alan Sutton, managing director of Sabie Valley Macadamias. “Overall, I am positive but cautious. We can’t push the envelope on prices, we must be aware of what the consumer can afford,” he said. The average nut-in-shell (NIS) price for 2015 was US$4,20/kg (R63/kg) and the kernel price about US$14,60/kg (R221/kg). Prices should remain the same in 2016 as the market could not absorb further price increases. “But with our weakening exchange rate, farmers may still see an increase in their income,” Sutton said. There had been significant…

Two consecutive and disastrous harvests hit top olive producers in Spain and Italy. This resulted in a dramatic increase in prices and consumers worldwide have felt the effects of an olive oil shortage. Locally, South Africa experienced a below-average harvest, according to Andries Rabie, managing director of Willow Creek Olive Estate in Nuy Valley near Robertson. The price for extra virgin olive oil jumped by 22% from October 2014 to October 2015, according to the Mundi commodity price index. From May 2015 to October 2015 the price increased by 4%, from US$4 967,30/t (R74 200/t) to US$5 171,03/t (R77 200/t). Prices would stabilise at about R45/l in 2016, according to Rabie. “Locally, the production of extra virgin olive oil increased by more than 45%, from about 1 500t in 2014…

As diesel for farm-use is not utilised for road-going vehicles, I believe that the rebate is more of a right than a privilege. In practice, however, a farmer must supply the South African Revenue Services (SARS) with an unreasonable number of forms and other types of proof to obtain the refund. Anyone who has seen the example of the information required in the logbook on the SARS website (sars.gov. za) will agree with this. The logbook has no fewer than 16 columns for the tractor driver or diesel machine operator to fill in! For a start, a tractor used for fieldwork has to have a functioning hour meter and the time measured by this must be recorded. But many of the tractors that I have seen are without such features.…

How was business the past year? We’ve had an exceptional year, both locally as well as internationally. Not only did KWV win the most gold medals at the Mundus Vini wine show in Germany and the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles in Belgium, but we were named best producer at the Veritas Awards, for the fifth consecutive year. KWV was also the big winner at this year’s SA Young Wine Awards. What are the challenges you forsee for the industry in 2016? The smaller harvest along with increasing production costs may cause a hike in wine prices, but the weaker rand could offset this. Vineyards are also declining, especially in areas that are suitable for the production of citrus, apples and table grapes. Local wine consumption has been almost stagnant; our…

Tell us about your farming business. My farm lies along the Matlabas River between Thabazimbi and Lephalale in Limpopo. I was born here, and farming has been part of my life ever since. I started hunting at an early age and qualified as a professional hunter when I was 21 years old. I then began breeding plains game such as kudu, impala, wildebeest, hartebeest, zebra as well as other species. In 2006, I bought my first buffalo and began breeding them. This was soon followed by nyala, black impala, sable, golden wildebeest and white impala. Ben Botha and I then established Crown Game Breeders. Our business is part of Bloodline Africa Game Breeders. Crown Game Breeders had its inaugural game auction in June 2015. How was production and profitability for…

Wangwa Farms employs approximately 315 permanent workers. Peter says that the average length of service is seven years, and that employees have “a brilliant work ethic”. He attributes this not only to an attractive wage, but also to the general labour management processes and other labour-related aspects that the farm has implemented. Each employee is on a two-year employment contract, with an option to renew it. “Apart from paying our employees well, we also do everything that we can for their families,” Peter explains. “We have a large housing complex of 2 600 people, made up of the staff and their families, that cost about US$2 million (R28 million) to build. We have seen how it has benefited the employees and, in turn, our farming operation.” Each family has a…

Trimming affects slaughter percentage, hence the importance of knowing slaughter practices: • Example 1: If an animal has a live weight of 460kg and the carcass weight (pay weight) is 266,8kg, then the slaughter percentage is 58%. With an assumed price of R34,5/kg, R34,5 x 266,8kg means a price of R9 177/animal. • Example 2: If the same animal is taken, but an additional trim of 12,1kg is deducted, then the pay weight amounts to 254,7kg. This means that with the 254,7kg divided by 460kg, a slaughter percentage of 55,4% is achieved, or R8 787,15/animal. This is a R389,85 difference for the same animal with only a 2,6% difference in slaughter percentage. Every abattoir will approach trim differently and the foregoing is an extreme example. But it nevertheless shows how important slaughter…

Talking to market agents these days can be quite depressing. In the past, there were always people you could rely on to give you a more positive view of current issues on the markets or in the sector in general. These days, the positives are hard to find – but they are there. The drought is taking its toll and crops in some areas are virtually non-existent. On the flip side, in the deciduous fruit production areas, they are talking of excellent crops. The hot, dry weather is ideal for fruit development. Prices on the markets have reached previously unknown heights in some cases and the pundits tell me we can expect prices to rise further as the long-term effects of the drought take hold. One salesperson I spoke to…

Cancer is a dread disease in canines as well as humans. But in both cases, it’s important to understand that a lump or tumour – one of the signs of cancer – is not always a death sentence if removed early. In fact, many growths are not malignant and can easily be excised via a relatively simple surgical procedure. The secret is to never be complacent, and visit your vet as soon as you find a lump on your dog. Many types of cancer afflict dogs and these usually occur after the age of 10. This is not to say that cancer cannot occur before this age, but then you are dealing with hereditary factors, accentuated by inbreeding or excessive line breeding, according to the experts. Interestingly, certain breeds seem…

First question: is this a curry or a pickled fish recipe? The answer is – both. Best served at room temperature, suggests pickled. The spices – especially chillies and tumeric – suggest otherwise. The fish should be filleted, thick-cut and ideally have the skin on. If frozen, thaw the prawns in water from the cold tap. Rip off the heads. With a small pair of scissors, cut along the top of the tail. Peel off the shell and discard the colon which delicate folk prefer to call “the vein”. Believe me, this is no vein. Enough said. Peel and grate the fresh ginger and then peel the little onions and leave them whole. Crush, peel and finely chop the garlic. Discard the seeds from the chillies and then finely chop…

Once resistant starch (RS) – found in cooked and cooled grains and legumes – reaches the large intestine, it begins to ferment and form short chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Butyrate, one of these, is of particular importance due to its extraordinarily beneficial effects. It keeps the cells lining the colon healthy and makes them less susceptible to disease. It also helps to increase metabolism, acts as a powerful anti-inflammatory agent for the colonic cells, and improves the integrity of the colon (healing a ‘leaky gut’) by decreasing intestinal permeability. Several studies have shown that SCFAs may improve insulin sensitivity, which is generally the forerunner of Type 2 diabetes. Moreover, RS has been shown to exert a ‘second meal effect’. This means that it decreases the blood glucose response at the…

BirdLasser is the brainchild of South African duo William Harris and Henk Nel, two avid birdwatchers who wanted to bring the convenience of technology into their favourite pastime. The free app is intended to make birdwatching more interactive, while improving conservation efforts through ‘crowdsourcing’. As keen birders know, birds are indicators of a healthy ecosystem. When avian species become endangered, there is good reason to take note and make an effort to conserve the environment. This is where an easy-to-use app enters the picture. “BirdLasser is a fun way to keep track of your own sightings while contributing to conservation causes,” explains Nel. “It’s also important that sightings – particularly in Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) of South Africa – are recorded to ensure the survival of these threatened…