Table of contents for 16-Oct 2015 in Farmer's Weekly

If the World Economic Forum (WEF) is to be believed, South Africans are unhealthy, poorly educated and uncooperative. Thankfully, with the strongest auditing reporting standards in the world, we should be able to verify how much money is wasted on our embarrassingly substandard education system: this year Treasury announced that approximately R650 billion would be spent on basic education over a three-year period. The WEF’s 2015/2016 Global Competitiveness Report, which was released recently (see story on page 16), ranks SA 49th overall out of 140 countries, up from 56th out of 144 countries in 2014/2015. We are placed among the top three countries for our strength of auditing and reporting standards, efficacy of corporate boards, the protection of minority shareholders’ interests and the regulation of securities exchanges. At the darker…

I previously commented on the FW Facebook page about awards that are won by farmers and how people often think they are won on merit. Now it has emerged that the DAFF Female Entrepreneur award winner has contravened numerous regulations that govern the industry. Some of us don’t even bother about these awards because they shame the department and the entire industry. We farmers are often taken for granted and these awards are politically influenced and seem to be rotated among provinces, districts and local municipalities. For the awards to regain credibility, an independent body or farmers’ organisation should be in charge of the adjudication process. The quality of the winners is often appalling. The criteria used by government departments, starting with local government, is fraught with corruption. Genuine farmers…

10 OCTOBER 1973 Attempts to make it rain 42 YEARS AGO This was the time when cloud-seeding became exciting business in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). The whole exercise placed that country among the world’s leading nations inducing rainfall by artificial means. Below are excerpts from a detailed article on the subject which appeared in our issue of the above subject. “Last season’s experimental cloud-seeding has proved such a success that the Government has decided to spend thousands of dollars this summer in massive attempts to step up the country’s national rainfall by at least five percent. “Our cloud-seeding experiments began about four years ago. In the past, the seeding aircraft operated mainly in the dry spells during the rainy season but this year the programme starts right at the beginning of…

After many years of the SA sugar industry being excluded from becoming an independent renewable energy supplier to the national grid, Government’s Round 1 call for bids for electricity co-generated from existing infrastructure has allowed millers the opportunity to finally submit bids. “Round 1 of the co-generation request for bids is designed to attract bids from companies in a position to, within a very short period of time, provide capacity to the grid to help ameliorate the electricity shortage,” said Deane Rossler, CEO of the SA Sugar Millers’ Association (SASMA). Because the bidding process was confidential, SASMA did not know if any of SA’s sugar milling companies had submitted bids, she added. According to the SA Sugar Association (SASA), government was reportedly planning on opening a second bid window soon.…

Opportunities in agriculture and agroprocessing abound in Namibia and the southwest African state is open for business. This was according to Bonaventura Hinda, commercial counsellor at the High Commission of the Republic of Namibia’s commercial office, who was speaking at the Namibia/South Africa business seminar at Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg recently. Agriculture and forestry contributed 3,2% to the GDP of Namibia and mining 13%, according to Hinda. Ratings agency Moody’s rated Namibia as stable – BAA3 – in March last year. Hinda said there were opportunities in Namibia in the agriculture and agro-processing sectors. She added that they were seeking investors in maize and wheat production as well as dairy farming. “Namibia is open for business,” she said, adding that their national development plan’s priority growth sectors had identified…

Dry weather is not an anomaly for South Africa, according to Prof Hannes Rautenbach, who was speaking at the recent AMT Agrioutlook conference. Rautenbach is associate professor at the University of Pretoria and head of the department of geography, geoinformatics and meteorology. He said many people spread fear, making things seem worse than they really were. “South Africa is located in a dry belt of the Namib, Kalahari and Australia deserts and it isn’t strange that it is dry. We are lucky to have adapted to this. Currently, our average temperature is 28,96°C, which is similar to temperatures in the 1997/1998 season,” he said. “It is not true that this is the worst El Niño we’ve had. We have been through this before. It will subside again as it has…

Bhutan in South Asia, one of the greenest countries in the world, has launched a national organic programme to help the country meet its goal to produce only organic agricultural products by 2020. Reuters reported that through the programme, the country wanted to decrease its dependence on imported food. A 2014 study on food security by the Royal Bhutan College of Thimphu showed that less than 4% of Bhutan’s land area was used for food cultivation, which was the reason almost 50% of the country’s rice was imported from India and Thailand. This initiative would ensure that Bhutan remained climate-neutral.…

Africa held 46% of the world’s underutilised land and 80% of its untapped groundwater, and the possibility of expanding its agricultural production represented an enormous growth opportunity. This was according to Theo de Jager, president of the Pan African Farmers’ Organisation, who was speaking on investment decisions in Africa at the 2015 AMT Agricultural Outlook Conference. De Jager, who has visited 42 African countries, said that, on average, the continent’s climate was more suitable than elsewhere, with more heat and light units and considerable human capital. In Zambia, farmers paid only 22,5% of what electricity costs in SA. They could lease land at R7,50/ha/year while wages were half the SA minimum wage. “In the rest of Africa, you search for racism but don’t find it. It’s something we have here…

One of the first things that marketing students are taught is the need to “know the customer”. Despite this, most SA companies focus their marketing strategies on reaching the middle or upper class while neglecting the majority market. This was according to Mamapudi Nkgadima, managing director of African Response, speaking at the Potatoes South Africa congress held near Cape Town recently. Nkgadima referred to a study by the Unilever Institute of the University of Cape Town which found that 70% of the population – about 34 million people – earned less than R6 172 a month and had an average household income of R3 000. This group, coined the majority, had a combined spending power of R300 billion per year, equal to the spending power of the black middle class.…

Rodents are recognised worldwide for the damage they cause to agricultural crops. This can be direct (feeding on crops) or indirect (spoilage, contamination and hoarding during on-farm and post-harvest phases). Although rodent pest control methods are diverse, management tends to rely on the use of rodenticides. The misuse of such substances can result in environmental damage, however. This has led to ecologically-based rodent management (EBRM), a balanced approach to optimise crop production based on the ecology of pest species. Natural predation forms an integral part of the EBRM approach, with predator attraction probably being one of the oldest methods in biological pest control. One of the better-known and more successful ecologically based rodent management programmes was launched in Israel in the 1980s. THE BARN OWL: PROVEN RODENT PREDATOR In numerous…

The focus of a teacher is to transfer knowledge and develop the mental agility of the learner. Contact between the two is typically confined to regular periods at an educational institution. There is usually little chance of getting involved in matters outside the course content. Coaching is different. The relationship that develops is much closer and discussions range far and wide. Sometimes a coach will become a mentor. Mentoring is a deeper and more influential activity. In most cases, it is never planned, but simply develops between two people who happen to end up working together, with the mentor usually being the elder of the two. The people I consider my mentors were great teachers and coaches, but they were much more than that. In addition to technical or business…

Meat MEAT PRICES MIXED International: New Zealand steers traded flat at NZ$583/head and cows traded higher at NZ$388/head. US beef traded as follows: topside traded lower at US$220,23/cwt, rump traded lower at U$390,21/cwt, strip loin traded lower at US$530,94/cwt, chuck traded slightly lower at US$260,98/cwt, brisket traded slightly lower at US$232,39/cwt, and the carcass price was US$307,10/cwt. A large backlog of cattle from feedlots flooded the US market resulting in a decrease in domestic prices. Domestic: Local prices were mixed. The various meat classes traded as follows: Class A prices decreased 0,26% to 34,68/kg, Class B traded slightly higher at R31,83/kg and Class C increased 2,42% to R29,65/kg. Weaner prices continued to trade flat at R20,14/kg. Hide prices were flat at R12,19/kg. Prices remain generally low as supply continues to…

LS has served in numerous community structures for most of his life. At one time, he captained the Coombs cricket and tennis teams and has been a society steward at the Coombs Methodist Church for most his life. He was also a steward at the produce section of the Bathurst Show and is currently an honorary life member. But it is his service to organised agriculture that has been the most impressive. He has held office for a total of 40 years in the Coombs Farmers’ Association (chairperson for 15 years, vice-chairperson for 19 years and secretary/ treasurer for six years) and is still a member of Agri Eastern Cape. Both LS and Dorothy have been struck by the decrease in the nunber of commercial farmers in rural areas that…

The ewes on the Dippenaars’ farms near Swellendam are put to Dormer rams to produce slaughter lambs. Their other ewes are put to Dohne Merino rams. Mating season is in February with one ram per 33 ewes. Fertility scans identify in-lamb ewes, but not ewes carrying multiples. Sheep are produced under semi-intensive conditions. Only maiden ewes not conceiving get a second chance to fall pregnant, while older ewes are culled. The flock has an average in-lamb rate of 94% and lambing rate of 123%. Lambs are weaned at 20kg to 22kg at two months of age and finished off in the farm’s feedlot. They are marketed at a weight of 42kg to 45kg. After weaning, ewes are put into oats and lupin camps to graze. They receive no additional feed.…

Apart from adhering to its broader goals of uplifting women by ensuring that 50% of all farmers are female, KKGTT extends benefits to the communities in which it operates. “The communities approached us to establish a facility in their area and we try to improve these communities as a whole,” says KKGTT board member, Johannes Jacobs. “We hand out vegetable seeds and the training we do for our farmers we extend to the community as well.” KKGTT offers ABET classes and entrepreneur training and encourage young community members not involved with their projects to attend. “We want to teach them all the basics in an accredited course offering management, finance, and other key aspects of entrepreneurship,” says Jacobs. “By focusing on youth not involved in our projects, we increase the…

In South Africa, the mating season for horses officially starts on 1 August. Stallions will mate all year long, but mares ovulate only during the summer months. ‘Seasonal anoestrus’, as it is called, is linked to the length of daylight. Interestingly, mares kept in lighted stables may keep cycling throughout winter. Often, yearling colts who have been in the herd and behaving well turn into breeding stallions overnight when the mares start cycling. It’s important, then, to know when your mares are coming into season and ensure that they are not being kept too close to ungelded colts or stallions, who may jump the fence to visit them. The first sign a mare is coming into season is that she moves away from the herd to graze close to geldings…

Dear Aubrey Thank you for calling and discussing the requirements for your new home outside Pietermaritzburg. Looking through my file of more than 700 sketches drawn for Farmer’s Weekly so far, I selected the layout and looks that caught your eye, and have improvised on that sketch. I’ve increased the floor area to a bit more than the 150m² you suggested. That extra 15m² is equivalent to the thickness of the outer walls of the house, so it will make a difference as far as space goes but will not add significantly to the cost. As time goes on, we find we never have enough space. So the higher pitched roof that can accommodate those two extra attic rooms is a bonus development for the future. I would also suggest…

A spreadsheet software program consists of rows and columns that make up a grid. You can enter a formula that automatically totals a list of numbers, so that you don’t have to bother with a calculator. This year marks the 30th anniversary of Microsoft Excel. The electronic spreadsheet was essentially invented in 1979 by software pioneer Dan Bricklin. The technology took a great step forward in 1983 when Mitch Kapor’s Lotus Development Corporation rolled out Lotus 1-2-3, which integrated charts and spreadsheets in the same program. Microsoft’s first spreadsheet program, released in 1982, was Multiplan. It was not as popular as Lotus 1-2-3, and the company went back to the drawing board. The result was Excel, released in September 1985. EXCEL FORGES AHEAD Lotus was slow to bring its 1-2-3…

It’s old news that farmers around the globe are getting older. A recent report states that the average age of farmers in Africa is 60. Suggestions on how to attract youth to the profession include promoting farming as a ‘sexy’ career – but this can only be achieved if young people can earn a decent living from the land. Where profits have picked up in certain branches of farming, youngsters are moving back to family farms. But a lot needs to be in place for a young man or woman to become a full-time farmer and stay in the game long enough to achieve success. There can be few situations more soul-destroying than being an isolated, cash-strapped farmer living from day to day, with no prospects of a better quality…

Vultures have long been seen as masters of the skies. To save energy, they make use of rising pockets of relatively hot air, known as thermals, to soar and glide effortlessly, allowing them to stay aloft for hours as they seek carrion. Amongst the keenest observers of vultures are glider pilots, who also use thermals to fly and glide. The sight of circling vultures is a reliable indicator of a thermal, and a pilot can head straight for the thermal to take advantage of its lifting power. Generally, this is not a concern. It becomes a major problem, however, when pilots fly too close to vulture breeding, roosting and feeding sites. This causes disturbance, chick fatalities from jumping too early, and parents abandoning their nests, eggs or chicks due to…

The Namibian Agricultural Union (NAU) has welcomed an announcement by the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) regarding the introduction of Namibian beef and weaner derivatives that will be listed on the SAFEX Exchange and be tradable through local financial institutions. NAU president Derek Wright said this would create new economic opportunities for Namibian livestock producers. The future derivatives would be tradable through the Namibian Stock Exchange and the JSE. “This creates a new avenue for our livestock producers to hedge against possible negative market movements in the prices received from abattoirs and weaner auctions in future,” he said at the 2015 NAU congress in Windhoek. Wright said that the Livestock Producers’ Organisation (LPO) had initiated a policy on rangeland management. The organisation prepared a document detailing action plans to address the…

South Africa’s new ranking is 49 on the latest global competitiveness index, which measures the fundamentals of an economy. SA was previously ranked 56th while Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, moved down three places from 127 to 124. South Africa’s GDP grew by a paltry 1,4% last year, a far cry from the 4,6% of 2004. Swaziland, Africa’s last absolute monarchy, moved a level up to 128 while Zambia’s rank remained unchanged at 96. Kenya, which has been battling terrorist attacks from al-Shabab, went down from its previous ranking of 90 to 99 and neighbouring Zimbabwe from 124 to 125. The island nation of Mauritius also went down from the previous 39th rank to 46 while Lesotho measured 133, down from a previous ranking of 107. Mozambique remained unchanged at 133.…

A bomb shelter used during the Second World War has been turned into the world’s first underground farm. The shelter, situated about 30m under the streets of London, was abandoned 70 years ago. EcoWatch reported that the farm used hydroponic techniques to produce salad greens for companies in London. According to the designers of the project, known as Growing Underground, its operations were carbon-neutral and its hydroponic system used 70% less water than traditional open-field farming. To further reduce the farm’s impact on the environment, produce would only be delivered to areas around the M25 motorway that encircled greater London. The two entrepreneurs behind the Growing Underground initiative, Richard Ballard and Steven Dring, partnered with local food delivery company Farmdrop to distribute the farm’s produce. The project was an example…

Environmentalist and scientist, Dr Anthony Turton, lashed out at the government, saying the Zuma presidency was based on a “predatory accumulation of wealth”. “We see that the Mfecane is happening again. It’s about the centralisation of power in Zulu hands,” Turton said at the 2015 AMT Agrioutlook conference. Some five million taxpayers were carrying the weight for the total SA population, he said. “It’s predation by one million card-carrying cadres of resources generated by five million taxpayers at the expense of 55 million people. “This isn’t sustainable,” Turton said. He added that the constitutional imperative of cooperative governance meant that the state as regulator was unwilling to bring municipalities to book. Economist Roelof Botha said that land restitution would not progress much in the next decade. “The government is identifying…

The agricultural industry must empower informal traders to reduce their costs and allow them to sell more produce, according to Rosheda Muller, deputy-president of the South African Informal Traders’ Alliance (SAITA). Muller was speaking at the Potatoes SA congress held near Cape Town recently. She said that fruit and vegetable hawkers represented about 50% of the informal trade market in value and 75% of the buying power at the Joburg Market. Informal traders each purchased between R300 and R10 000 of produce a day, depending on their spending power. However, they had high overheads, spending up to R250 per day on transport and losing high volumes of produce due to spoilage, she said. By helping to reduce trade costs, the industry would allow these traders to move more produce into…

Although Italian firms had already made meaningful investments in South Africa, the country would like to see an even bigger investment in technology-driven agricultural production, especially in food processing and technological skills transfer. Such progress was vital to SA’s global agricultural competitiveness. This was according to Dr John Purchase, CEO of Agbiz, who was a panel member during a discussion about the role of agribusiness chains in SA and the Southern African Development Community at the second SA-Italian summit in Cape Town. The summit was held at the beginning of October and hosted by consultancy group, The European House Ambrosetti. Purchase and Dr Gian Luca Bagnara, chairperson of the Italian group Texere, agreed that there was no ‘one-size-fit-all’ model for agri parks. Both said that the parks should be custom-designed…

Abattoirs complying with the abattoir hygiene rating scheme developed for North West in 2007 recently received awards from the province’s Department of Rural, Environment and Agriculture Development (DREAD). All abattoirs were inspected regularly by the department’s veterinary public health officers according to the Hygiene Assessment System, which was based on the regulations of the Meat Safety Act (No. 40 of 2000), a release by DREAD said. In the poultry category, first place went to Tigane Supreme Poultry, second place to Rainbow Chicken and third to Fouries Poultry (Plant 2). The meat category was won by Doornplaat Abattoir, with Rustenburg and Zeerust Abattoirs in second and third place respectively. Kareespruit Abattoir and Ducko Processing received awards in the low-throughput section of the red meat and poultry categories. Orama Abattoir won the…

Some 400 000 plant-eating insect species feed on 300 000 plant species. The interaction between insects and plants involves chemical signals from both parties, and deposited material from insects may affect plant response. Recent US research into the chemical interaction between maize plants and the fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) has produced interesting results. Maize defence systems are largely ineffective against this pest. Now scientists have found the reason for this: chemicals in caterpillar excreta dropped into leaf whorls. Researchers at Pennsylvania State University investigated the chemical composition of caterpillar faeces, which is a mix of chewed leaf material, insect material and associated microbial material, and debris. This so-called frass falls into leaf whorls and where the leaf attaches to the stalk, presenting a base for microbes to flourish. Investigation showed…

The biannual aquaculture conference of the Aquaculture Association of Southern Africa (AASA) took place from 28 to 30 September near Polokwane. The three-day event and the three workshops that followed were attended by more than 200 delegates from the aquaculture industry. The theme was ‘Shaping the future’ and the 77 oral presentations and 27 poster papers described exciting new developments. Speakers included Dr James Ebeling, who has pioneered cutting-edge technologies in recirculating systems and developed high-tech systems for intensive aquaculture. He has even advised on experiments involving hatching tilapia eggs in zero gravity on the International Space Station. Representing the FAO, Dr Melba Bondad-Reantaso from the Philippines emphasised the need for biosecurity in fish farms, while Prof Peter Britz, who succeeded Roger Krohn as chairperson of the AASA, gave a…

AVOCADOS South African Avocado Growers’ Association (SAAGA) Feedback on the recent World Avocado Congress held in Lima, Peru, will be provided in the next issue of Subtropical Scene. LITCHIS SA Litchi Growers’ Association (SALGA) The association is hosting an ambitious research symposium that will take place on 28 and 29 October at the ARCITSC in Nelspruit. I say ‘ambitious’ because South Africa’s litchi industry, being relatively small, does not have the resources of other industries in the subtropical fruit sector. This year, however, in cooperation with the ARC-ITSC, it is putting on a comprehensive selection of valuable topics for litchi growers. The first day will cover subjects such as litchi orchard management, marketing opportunities for litchis, and managing soil health in litchis, among others. The day will end with the…

Michael Dippenaar and his son, Neethling, run three farming enterprises. The main enterprise near Swellendam consists of four farming units Diptka, Koeneba, Varslug and Goedeverwagting. These farms cover a total 4 300ha, of which 3 180ha is arable. Farming operations consist of dryland grain cropping and sheep production. The second division is Kwaggafontein near De Aar, which consists of 6 000ha Karoo veld and grassland with a carrying capacity of 5ha/SSU. Production consists of 1 200 Merino ewes, 70 Nguni cattle and game (springbok colour variants). Michael and Neethling also own a 30% stake in Klipdale Boerdery near Napier in the Overberg. The farm covers 3 600ha, of which 3 115ha are arable. Animal production has been terminated on the farm and cash crop production has been significantly expanded.…

The Peddie small-scale ostrich farming project in the Eastern Cape gives purpose and hope to rural communities between Grahamstown and King William’s Town, as was first reported by Farmer’s Weekly in the 23 August 2013 issue. Today, the project is driven by the Klein Karoo Group Transformation Trust (KKGTT) and is optimistic about its future, but it has taken dedication to reach this point. HUMBLE BEGINNINGS Established in 2003, the project in the Eastern Cape was the brainchild of Martin Fick, who moved to South Africa to farm commercially after losing his farm in Zimbabwe. The initiative started off with 12 farmers from Pikoli village near Peddie, each rearing about 100 birds at home. They were responsible for their own businesses and required to take loans from the Eastern Cape…

The parsnip is considered a winter vegetable for two reasons. Firstly, it’s often used as a component in soup packs; secondly, the taste greatly improves when subjected to frosty conditions. Cold causes the starches to convert to sugars. On the Highveld, parsnips can be grown in summer for marketing during winter and can stay in the soil for quite some time while you harvest them as required. The greatest challenge with parsnips is germination: the seed rapidly loses viability after the first season. It should therefore always be fresh. Make sure of this when you buy seed or you will waste valuable time and effort. Many farmers select the best roots and transplant them in an out-of-the-way area to obtain their own seed for the following crop. This is a…

Last week, I wrote about the impressive new markets being established in Namibia. Inevitably, my thoughts turned to South Africa – and the realisation that not a single market here can match its Namibian counterparts. I know Joburg market is planning its ‘Market of the Future’, but after five years, the emphasis is still on planning and not much more. It rankles when tiny Namibia can find the will and resources to make huge investments in its markets and we cannot – and we fancy ourselves as the leaders on the continent! GETTING THE JOB DONE During my visit to the country, I gathered that the markets there are not plagued by politics to the same extent as ours. Management seems to get on with the job, not play political…

One of the most important things for a young farmer to learn is self-discipline, because it’s up to him when he gets out of bed in the morning. He doesn’t have to report for duty like a factory or office worker, and no one monitors his comings and goings. Self-discipline is vital to the success of his farming operation. As Hebrews 12:11 has it: “Now no chastening [disciplining] seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” I never had the privilege of going to a Bible college or seminary. My experience comes from the school of life and the school of hard knocks. I owe any success I’ve had as a preacher…

SO YOU’VE BEEN PUBLICLY SHAMED  by Jon Ronson (Picador, R275) Journalist and Twitter addict Ronson had the alarming experience of three academics setting up a puppet Twitter account in his name, so he appeared to be doing, thinking and even cooking things that would never usually appeal to him. After confronting the unrepentant culprits, he segues into striking cases of public misunderstanding resulting in shaming. Indeed, mob rule by Twitterati makes for another of the book’s interesting sections as Ronson uses detailed research to draw parallels with humanity two or three centuries ago – something that most of us would hope we had moved on from. ECZEMA  by Regina Malan (Human & Rousseau, R225) Between 10% and 20% of people suffer from eczema, but this skin condition can prove an…

The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has confirmed to Farmer’s Weekly that niche labelling for organic, biodynamic and free-range products is still a high priority for the department. Billy Makhafola, executive officer: Agricultural Product Standards at the department, said the main reason legislation had not yet been passed was that no provision had been made for these products under the Agricultural Product Standards Act (No. 199 of 1990). The act had, however, been presented for public comment. All that was needed was for it to go through the parliamentary process. Makhafola did not know how long this would take, but said that legislation on the labelling of organic and free-range goods would be implemented after the act was passed. “Consensus has been reached in the past over what these…

Farmers’ association Agri Wes Cape has called on agricultural role players across the value chain to come together and help develop a strategy to deal with dry conditions across the Western Cape. Carl Opperman, CEO of Agri Wes Cape, said dry conditions were already threatening agricultural production and would have a ripple effect on rural communities. The Sandveld had suffered the severest drought since 1957, with some producers estimating losses of about R3 million per 800ha of dry land, according to Opperman. Julian Conrad, a geo-hydrologist from GEOSS, said precipitation in the region was 50mm to 70mm below normal. “The outlook for the next seven months is bleak. Everybody will have to do whatever they can to save water. The situation will be especially damaging if it turns into a…

Using genetically modified (GM) seeds can help South Africa and the continent produce more grain, according to Japie Snyman, trade director of Seaboard Overseas Trading and Shipping. Snyman was speaking at the 2015 AMT Agricultural Outlook Conference in Pretoria. He said that the increase in the world’s population meant increased demand, hence increased production and opportunities for South African agriculture. Africa had grown from producing 30 million tons of maize per year to 70 million tons per year in the past 20 years, without the aid of GM seeds, he said. “If we make use of GM seeds, bring uncultivated arable land into production and improve efficiencies, Africa can produce in excess of 200 million tons of maize per year and become the bread basket for maize in the world,”…

Farmers, abattoirs and auctioneers in Zimbabwe all suffered substantial financial losses when the Bulawayo Agricultural Society was forced to suspend public auctions at it showgrounds in Bulawayo, following an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in April. The country’s biggest weekly cattle auctions are held at this venue. Following the outbreak, the government suspended all public cattle auctions in the five south-western provinces of Masvingo, Matabeleland South, Midlands, Matabeleland North and Bulawayo. Abattoirs were also shut down and cattle movement restricted in a bid to bring the disease under control. Auction company CC Sales, which conducts the country’s major weekly cattle auctions, reportedly lost US$600 000 (R7,8 million) in potential revenue between April and June. “Huge sections of the country are under quarantine. We cannot sell. Whoever is doing so is…

While there was a perception that Africa’s economic development posed agricultural export opportunities for SA, the reality was that this scenario would result in increased competition between SA and other African countries. Ernst Janovsky, head of the ABSA AgriBusiness Centre of Excellence, said at the Potatoes SA congress near Cape Town that the chances were much higher that in the long term SA would import more agricultural products from Africa than the other way around. This excluded crops, such as apples, which required specific climatic conditions and infrastructure. Janovsky said many African countries had a greater agricultural production potential than SA and it was cheaper to transport produce from these countries to SA than the other way around. Also, most African governments were investing vast amounts in agricultural development and…

Commercial farmers in the Addo and Kirkwood area, Eastern Cape, will soon rope in the latest technology to combat the ever-increasing smuggling of cycad from their farms. This was triggered by the recent arrest of six suspects who were caught with 81 plants of cycad from a local farm, valued at R600 000. The plants were uprooted from Arthur Rudman’s Blaauwkrantz farm in Kirkwood. Investigating officer, Sergeant Majola Nkohli, said the criminals were caught following a tipoff from members of the community. “In order to catch them in the act and ensure successful prosecution, farmers set up surveillance technology and monitored them,” he said. He explained that the criminals had spent a night hiding on the farm and uprooting the plants. A bakkie was then dispatched the following day to…

This year’s Yara Prize has been awarded to Eric Kaduru, founder and CEO of KadAfrica, and Dr Ousmane Badiane, Africa director for the International Food Policy Research Institute, according to a recent press release by Yara. The 2015 awards recognised effective entrepreneurial work which had assisted in building communities of resilient young women actively engaged in commercial farming, and honoured African thought leadership that had transformed the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme agenda from concept into action, the release said. “Africa needs to do more to foster entrepreneurial agriculture and the interests of women and youth in agriculture. More smallholder-oriented policy changes are needed to meet growth and poverty alleviation targets in rural areas,” said Svein Tore Holsether, president and CEO of Yara, according to the release. Kaduru was awarded…

When a nurse recently asked 99-year-old Lawrence Stanley Dixon (or simply LS to friends) how she could live as long as he has, his answer was simple. “Keep on doing what you are doing,’’ he said. “Just keep on with your job.’’ LS can hardly be accused of not living by his own advice; he has stayed active and involved on his farm decades after he could have been expected to retire. Moreover, he has spent much of his long life actively contributing to his community and serving others. CONTINUITY – AND CHANGE After finishing school at Graeme College in Grahamstown – in the wake of the Great Depression – LS returned to farm with his father, Albert, who provided him with clothes, food and 10 shillings a month for…

GAUTENG SIMMENTALER CHAMPIONS SIMBRA CHAMPIONS CONTACTS Gert Nienaber 082 808 6390 Poerie van Rooyen 082 448 7969…

The Dippenaars have been using a DBX tine planter since 2009, significantly improving their conservation farming processes by allowing them to save even more soil moisture. They are experimenting with disc planters to convert from minimum-tillage to no-tillage. Michael is hesitant to make a complete shift to no-till due to challenges posed by the harsh production environment and weed control. He expects improved technology to eventually resolve these challenges. They invested in a Brandt Contour Commander, which flattens post-harvest crop residue on the land. The harrow’s tines comb through the crop residue, distributing the plant material more uniformly and facilitating the subsequent planting process. It also stimulates early weed emergence, enabling weed growth to be controlled a week or two earlier.…

KKGTT is developing a smartphone app to assist farmers in their farming operations. Currently, the app records various statistics, such as mortality rates, bird numbers and feed conversion ratios, and allows KKGTT staff to monitor individual farmer performance. These values are colour-coded to provide each farmer with easy visual indications of positives or negatives in their farming practices. Once network challenges are overcome, Jacobs aims to train the farmers in using the tool to improve their production practices. “My ideal is for every farmer to have a smartphone,” he says. The app is updated every week and he hopes the farmers will start “using the app to update their own figures and using the info to improve their farming practices.”…

The mighty JD 9RX is the latest addition to John Deere’s 9R series wheeled and 9RT two-track tractors. The four new 9RX models range from 352kW to 465kW and feature a large, robust undercarriage and track system engineered to provide superior power, especially when handling large implements on the lands. The 9470RX and 9520RX models are fitted with a PowerTech PSS 13,5-litre engine; the 9570RX and 9620RX use the Cummins QS15. Large-diameter drive sprockets and drive lugs, along with optimally placed idlers and mid-rollers, deliver exceptional power to the ground with less track slippage. The tractors are equipped with Camso Duradrive 3500 and 6500 rubber tracks for durability and optimal load-bearing performance. The track belts are available in 762mm and 1 080mm widths. As with the wheeled and two-track 9R…

Only 200 champion SA racing pigeon fanciers were invited to enter the annual South African Prestige Invitational Race (SAPIR). The entrance fee was R10 000/team. This year five pigeons per team were allowed, of which three were selected to enter the Hot Spots. One of these was then chosen to compete in the final race, which was held on 25 September at 6.30am. The liberation site was at Colesberg, 574km from the SAPIR loft in Alberton. A total of 143 super-fit racing pigeons were released. Conditions were tough, with an unexpected headwind, but the pigeons were well-trained and a more than satisfactory return rate was documented. Hein 1, entered by Hein Beneke, won with a time of nine hours, five minutes, 16 seconds. It was bred by Kitchenbrand Loft, which…

We begin with the red chilli sauce. This can be used as an all-purpose, high-octane condiment and will keep for two weeks in the fridge. Since the various flavours need to infuse the oil, it’s best to make this a day or two before use. The big deal here are the chillies. Fresh chillies have their own special qualities, while dried chillies produce a redder sauce. Remove the pips from the fresh chillies for a milder sauce. Chilli addicts should leave the pips in. Measure the sesame oil carefully as this is a very strong flavour that is easy to increase but impossible to remove if you go over the top. Reduce the cinnamon bark and star anise to dust in a spice grinder. Peel the ginger and chop it…

Magnesium is abundant in the human body, where it’s involved in more than 300 biochemical reactions. These include muscle building, maintaining nerve function and keeping a healthy heartbeat and immune system, amongst others. Half of the magnesium is located in the bones. Many people have low magnesium levels as it is not found in commonly eaten foods. (You need to eat plenty of kale, spinach and Swiss chard.) What’s more, magnesium is not easily absorbed in the body unless first attached to a transporting substance. Natural forms are magnesium oxide, magnesium sulphate and magnesium carbonate. These differ in bio-availability – in other words, the amount of magnesium in the supplement that can be used for cellular activity. WELL-ABSORBED FORMS Chelated forms of magnesium containing an ion of magnesium oxide connected…