Table of contents for 18 August 2017 in Farmer's Weekly

As I write this, South Africa is holding its breath in anticipation of the motion of no confidence vote in President Jacob Zuma. It is one of those times when I desperately wish I had the power to see into the future, even if just a few hours ahead. But, by the time you read this, we’ll all know the outcome, and whatever it is, South Africa will still be a country that faces many uncertainties. These past weeks have seen the release of two of the most prominent decision-making tools for the farming sector: the local and global 10-year outlooks for the agricultural sector, published by the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP), and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) respectively (read about the OECD outlook…

Wandile Sihlobo is head of economic and agribusiness intelligence at the Agricultural Business Chamber (Agbiz). Email him at wandile@agbiz.co.za. There was little mention of the fact that almost two-thirds of the 44?000 people who lost their agricultural jobs in the first quarter of this year were women, who also made up 14% of the people who lost their jobs in the second quarter. The total number of women employed in the South African agricultural labour market is about 264 000, which equals a third of the sector’s total labour force. However, it is distressing that women continue to be vulnerable workers, especially if we consider the role that women play in the agriculture sector. As the World Farmers’ Organisation points out, 80% of Africa’s agricultural output is produced by smallholder…

Tomato prices have been fluctuating drastically in recent weeks, more so than any other vegetable varieties. Reports from the country’s main fresh produce markets indicated that tomato prices increased 47,7% week-onweek from R4?766/t to R7 038/t, compared with, for example, potato prices, which increased 3,6%, and onion prices that fell 13%, in the week ending 28 July. During the following week, the tomato price decreased 23,6%, compared with a 14% rise in carrot prices and a 14% decline in the price of cabbages. According to an Absa Agri?Trends report, colder weather conditions had resulted in reduced supplies during the week of 28 July, which pushed up prices. Speaking to Farmer’s Weekly, Clive Garret, marketing manager at ZZ2, said the tomato market was reminiscent of the ‘perfect market’. “There are a…

When tillage is the critical component of integrated weed management, the time during which it occurs can significantly affect both weed density and the composition of the weed community that emerges from the seed bank, according to a report released by Cornell University in the US. University researchers examined the impact of tillage on four sites in the north-eastern US that were tilled every two weeks during the growing season. Six weeks after each tillage cycle, researchers sampled 196 random plots to establish the density and species of weed seedlings. They found that total weed density tended to be greatest when soil was tilled early in the growing season. In fact, about 50% fewer weeds emerged after late-season tillage than after early-season tillage. The composition of the weed communities in…

Land reform in South Africa needed to be treated as an economic matter rather than an ideological one, Agri SA president, Johannes Möller, told the Agri Eastern Cape annual congress in Port Alfred. He said that this would lead to improved dialogue between stakeholders, as well as the development of business opportunities. To be successful, land reform had to be done in partnership. “Our role has traditionally been to formulate and communicate policy, but we must also help to implement it, and not just leave it to government to do. We must facilitate that which we want done ourselves,” Möller said. This included developing training programmes for beneficiaries, devising a new financing model, and possibly setting up a risk assessment desk to study all political, global, environmental and other threats…

About 19% of South Africa’s exportable maize surplus of four?million tons had been shipped in the first 13 weeks of the 2017 marketing season, according to Luan van der Walt, Grain SA economist. A total of 792 254t had been exported to African countries as well as Japan, South Korea and Taiwan so far. “We nevertheless need to explore more opportunities for white maize exports in particular. Countries such as Japan, [South] Korea and Taiwan import yellow maize for animal feed,” he said. The latest forecast for the 2017 maize crop was estimated to be 2,16%, or 338?250t, more than the previous forecast of about 15,63 million tons. It would be the largest maize crop produced in SA on record, according to the National Crop Estimates Committee (CEC). The area…

A guide offering comprehensive advice to the South African agricultural sector on how to adapt to climate change is set to be published by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF). Compilation of the ‘Handbook for farmers, officials and others on adaptation to climate change in the South African agriculture sector’, was led by climate change specialist, Prof Roland Schulze, of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. According to DAFF, the guide was commissioned in February 2015, after a gap was identified with regard to capacity-building for adaptation to climate change by SA agriculture. “The handbook encompasses climate change observations, climate challenges, [an overview of] the SA agricultural sector, and considerations for adaptation. It is also [available as] 16 booklets [with themes] such as livestock, climate smart agriculture, crops, and horticulture,…

The first-ever China- Overseas Pesticide/ Bio-pesticide Business Matchmaking Event, held to respond to global queries about China’s pesticide industry, and create new business opportunities, will take place in Nanjing, China, from 15 to 17 November 2017. The need for global interaction stems from three factors: • The increased costs of meeting biosafety standards; • The growing research into pesticides, as well as bio-pesticides that use natural predators and live microbes to counter pests; • Older pesticides going off-patent, invalidating intellectual property rights. It has been estimated that between 2017 and 2026, a total of 48 pesticides – 20 fungicides, 14 herbicides, and 14 insecticides – will go off-patent and affect pesticide formulations, chemistry, physics, safety data, and technologies. However, the key reason for the dialogue is to give off-shore global…

Michael Cordes, formerly a farmer, is an agricultural journalist, consultant and trainer. Email him at farmersweekly@caxton.co.za. Subject line: Subtropical Fruit. AVOCADOS South African Avocado Growers’ Association (SAAGA) The current avocado season is progressing well, according to market sources and based on my own observations. This can be attributed largely to a reduced crop as a result of severe drought conditions experienced in many of the production regions earlier in the season. As a result, the local market is under pressure due to high demand. This pressure is exacerbated by good export prices, resulting in more fruit being diverted to overseas markets. Both scenarios are good for avocado growers and other role players in the sector. Increased avocado plantings have also been observed in some unusual areas not traditionally associated with…

‘Make hay while the sun shines’ would probably describe the operational strategy of most agricultural operations such as fruit or vegetable packhouses and produce processing facilities. During the season, production comes first, and maintenance activities simply have to wait until the crop has been fully processed. This end-of-season approach seems to contradict the preventative maintenance system most often associated with food safety management systems. But the good news is that endof- season maintenance can be preventive in nature, provided the programme is well-planned, coordinated and executed. KEEP RECORDS OF ACTIVITIES CONDUCTED AND PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED SO THAT MISTAKES ARE NOT REPEATED FROM YEAR TO YEAR STAGE 1: PLAN FOR THE SHUTDOWN The great US statesman and scientist, Benjamin Franklin, was supposed to have said, “If you fail to plan, you are…

The Speedy family’s journey towards holistic grazing management started in the 1960s. At the time, the likes of botanist John Acocks, and red meat producer, Len Howell, were championing the counter-intuitive claim that grazing in South Africa was deteriorating because of overgrazing and under-stocking. “Farmer’s Weekly at the time was filled with correspondence debating the validity, or otherwise, of the claim,” recalls Sandy Speedy. It was at this time that Rhodesian (now Zimbabwe) grassland specialist, Allan Savory, entered the discussion, and gave it new impetus with his concept of holistic grazing management. “My father and I were convinced this was the way forward,” says Sandy. ‘TO INCREASE STOCKING RATE, SELECTIVE GRAZING HAS TO BE ELIMINATED’ After meeting Savory, Sandy began implementing holistic farming practices on his 4 800ha farm, Zoetvlei,…

The gross margin (GM) of an enterprise is its gross production value less variable costs. The specific variable cost items included depend on the purpose of the calculation. As Figure 1 shows, the GM of a grazing livestock enterprise is its gross production value, less variable costs (including that portion of a forage crop’s directly allocated variable costs). The GM of a cash crop enterprise is its gross production value, less directly allocated variable costs. The GM of a pasture or forage crop is the sum of the grazing livestock enterprise’s gross margins (before deducting forage crop variable costs), plus sundry revenue from grazing leased and occasional fodder sales, less the allocated variable costs of pasture and other forage crops and unallocated purchased roughage and leased grazing. Total GM is…

The ongoing saga of South Africa’s dysfunctional markets has taken a turn for the better, one that will hopefully bring positive results in due course. As noted last week, after visiting all the markets in the country over a period of four years or so, the Project Rebirth Steering Committee (PRSC) produced a list of markets that it regarded as needing urgent attention. Indeed, the PRSC indicated that if these markets were not placed on the road to recovery soon, they were likely to falter and fail completely, some considerably sooner than others. PRACTICAL ASSISTANCE I don’t wish to reveal the names of these struggling markets. I would rather focus on the good news: positive action is about to be taken to assist them. In short, the talking phase is…

Rain scald is a skin disease in horses caused by Dermatophilus congolensis, which favours warm, damp conditions. The infection is not dangerous, but it is uncomfortable and unsightly. It is wise not to put a saddle or anything on the horse that can rub, as this will be extremely painful for the animal. D. congolensis is an actinomycetes, which behaves like both a bacterium and a fungus. It can be spread by blankets, bandages, brushes and saddles that are used on several horses. Moreover, some horses can carry the disease without showing symptoms, so the infection can be spread without your knowing it. FEED YOUR HORSE VITAMIN A UNTIL THE INFECTION IS UNDER CONTROL Horses with thick coats are more at risk. Rain scald presents as a flaky or crusty…

Protect your colon If your digestive tract is not operating efficiently, you could well be carrying around too few ‘good’ bacteria and too much of the bad stuff. Three positive changes occur when the good-to-bad (beneficalto- pathogenic) intestinal ratio of bacteria is brought into balance: • Your digestive symptoms diminish or disappear; • Your body begins to utilise the good food and nutritional supplements you feed it; • Your immune system is better equipped to fight off disease. The ideal balance is 85% beneficial bacteria, and 15% pathogenic bacteria. Beneficial bacteria aid the body in many ways, including assisting with digestion and controlling the growth of pathogenic bacteria by competing for nutrition and attachment sites in your colon. Strong antibiotics, which kill both types of bacteria, can lead to an…

1 APRIL 1981 Palominos for pleasure 36YEARS AGO Over the years, in-hand showing has become increasingly popular in South Africa’s equine community. This article describes why the Palomino is ideal for this activity. “Nowadays horses are used mainly for recreation and pleasure and it is with this in mind that the present breeding policy and showing rules for the South African Palomino were formulated. “In fact, the main objective of the South African Palomino Club is to produce a super pleasure horse – an eye-catching, flashy animal with a very kind disposition, the idea being to select bloodlines that produce horses that not only tolerate people but are actually fond of them. Apart from the distinctive colour, the Palomino is probably best known for its remarkable disposition. Children handling stallions…

Tinashe Kapuya is an agribusiness trade specialist at the Southern African Trade and Investment Hub. A number of paradoxes are often cited when Africa’s great potential is discussed. For instance, Africa is one of the richest places in the world when it comes to mineral resources, but the poorest in terms of economic development. It has 60% of the planet’s available arable land, but remains the least food-secure. These and other observations speak to Africa’s unexploited potential, as well as a lack of visionary leadership on the continent. LEADERSHIP FAILURE Africa’s ‘leadership failure’ is most apparent in the agricultural sector, with the continent now confronting yet another uncomfortable paradox: a vibrant young population on the one hand and an aging farming population on the other. The logical response to this…

Black farmers have been “emerging” for years. This was according to African Farmers’ Association of South Africa (AFASA) president, Dr?Vuyokazi Mahlati, who spoke at the recent opening of the Agribusiness Transformation Conference in Johannesburg. The conference, themed “Commercialisation of black farmers”, discussed attempts at transformation, and public and private sector stakeholders shared their views on transformation in the sector, and how to address structural bottlenecks that hindered transformation. Mahlati said that the purpose of the conference was “to accelerate change, particularly transformation with a special focus on the business of farming”. She added that accelerated change for farmers would take place through collaboration. In this regard, the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) was working with the private sector to assist emerging farmers in gaining access to markets. DAFF…

“The scope and scale of illegal wildlife trafficking today is unprecedented,” Michigan State University associate professor of wildlife, Meredith Gore, told the recent International Congress for Conservation Biology in Cartagena, Colombia. Moreover, illegal wildlife trafficking was highly organised and could “converge with other serious crimes, such as drug trafficking”. Gore joined other researchers from universities, conservation groups, international organisations and national governments at the conference to look at ways of dealing with the problem. “If we’re going to fight organised crime, we have to be organised in our response,” said Adrian Reuter, Latin America wildlife trafficking coordinator for the Wildlife Conservation Society. Illegal wildlife trade threatened the security and prosperity of people, Gore said. For example, the illegal trade evaded border posts, allowing the spread of animal diseases. Reductions in…

Questions to the National Assembly by DA member, Karen Jooste, revealed that the Land Bank Insurance Company managing director, Adam Rakgalakane, had been awarded a government contract to supply between R36?million and R200 million worth of animal feed to the state. A document in Farmer’s Weekly’s possession said that Rakgalakane Investments, owned by Rakgalakane’s family, in which he has a 45% financial interest, had been awarded the contract in October 2016 and would expire in September 2019. ‘THERE IS NO CONFLICT OF INTEREST BETWEEN THESE COMPANIES AND HIS ROLE AT THE LAND BANK’ Speaking to Farmer’s Weekly, Alf Lees, DA MP, said the party believed there was a conflict of interest. “Rakgalakane Investments appears not to manufacture animal pellets. It is also surprising that it was awarded a tender of…

It is essential for the country’s developing and predominantly informal beef sector to be rapidly brought into the fold, according to the Red Meat Producers’ Organisation (RPO). While the developing sector owned 5,6 million head of cattle, comprising 41% of the 13,6 million national beef herd, it currently only contributed 6% to 8% to the formal beef market annually. However, according to the RPO, the developing beef sector’s contribution to the formal market remained important in terms of trade in the SA context. CEO of the RPO, Gerhard Schutte, said if the developing beef sector received assistance to improve its productivity and contribution to the formal market, it would not only improve food and income security in the country’s rural areas, but could also help stabilise the rural economy and…

A ground-breaking timber certification system currently being developed, aimed to bring South Africa’s many smallholder forestry operations in line with national and international standards for wood products. Approximately 80% of South Africa’s 1,2?million hectares of commercial forestry plantations, owned by large entities, were accredited under the international Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification system. However, this system has proven too expensive and complex for the country’s smallholder farmers. The SA Forestry Assurance Scheme’s (SAFAS) SA National Forestry Certification (SANFC) standard, was being developed using the international Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) system guidelines. SAFAS chairperson, Craig Norris, told Farmer’s Weekly that the SANFC standard would also maintain the goals of the National Forest Act 84 of 1998 that “binds forestry operations to principles of sustainable forest management, and promotes…

Mbulelo Sikade, a general worker on the wine estate, Diemersfontein, in Wellington, was announced the winner of the fourth Agri’s Got Talent competition at a recent gala event held in Paarl in the Western Cape. He received a cash prize and would perform at agricultural events in the future. Sikade emerged victorious after facing stiff competition from other finalists in what has been described as agriculture’s answer to television’s famous singing contest, Idols. Jason Baartman, a general worker at Panorama Fruit Farms, Tulbagh, was the runner-up, while Jason Tiras, a cellar assistant at Diemersfontein, claimed third place. The finalists were selected from 73 video entries. A week before the gala evening, they received intensive singing and stage training. The competition is a project between fruit company, Hortgro, and the Western…

The 44% drop in Mondi SA’s underlying operating profit over the first six months of 2017 contributed significantly to the group’s 6% decline in overall underlying operating profit. The drop for the first half of this year was largely attributed to the €28 million (R444 million) decrease year-on-year in fair value gain on its forestry assets. For the six months ended 30 June 2017, Mondi reported that underlying operating profit had decreased from €98?million (R1,6?billion) for the year ended 30 June 2016, to €55 million (R873 million). According to a statement by the company, “the negative impact of a stronger rand, higher input costs and inflationary cost pressures, more than offsetting higher average selling prices, and volume growth” had contributed to the drop. For the first half of 2017, Mondi…

Peter Hughes is a business and management consultant with 30 years’ farming experience. Email him at farmersweekly@caxton.co.za. Subject line: Managing for Profit. Is the future approaching faster than you can handle it? Think of what Uber has done to the taxi industry – without owning a single car! Or how many hotels have been hard hit by Airbnb, which owns no properties! Both are due to revolutionary software development and are part of a trend that is likely to disrupt most traditional businesses over the next decade. A recent article from EmergingGrowth.com, a US-based media company providing investment advice, highlights some of the enormous changes that business will face in the foreseeable future. IBM’s Watson, for example, is likely to render many existing legal and health services obsolete. It’s a…

Dawie Maree is head of Information and Marketing for Agriculture at FNB Business. For any queries, email fnbagricomms@fnb.co.za, or visit fnbagricomms.co.za. The legislative environment in which both farmers and agribusiness operates has changed substantially over the past two decades. A former colleague at Agri SA once calculated that there are 32 acts that have a direct impact on farmers every day. More significantly, there are a further 50 acts and regulations that have an indirect impact on farmers. These vary from health and safety, to transport and financial legislation. For example, the marketing of agricultural commodities has changed significantly over the past 21?years. The introduction of the Marketing of Agricultural Products Act (1996) changed the landscape from a one-channel marketing system to a free market system; many older-generation lation. For…

Undercover crop production has long been touted as a viable option for uplifting and empowering new farmers. To date, however, the results achieved have been dismal, with many examples of expensive, government-funded infrastructure being abandoned only months after being erected. However, Eleanore Swart, who produces tomatoes under cover near Botrivier in the Overberg, is proof that new farmers can achieve success with this highly technical production method. She was the Western Cape winner of the smallholder category in the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries’ 2014 Female Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. FROM STUDENT ADMIN TO TOMATO FARMING In 2012, Eleanore’s husband, Bryan, received government funding to erect a multispan greenhouse for tomato production on their 9ha smallholding, Compagniesdrift. At the time, Eleanor was working at Boland College in Stellenbosch…

KwaZulu-Natal Simbra Champions KwaZulu-Natal Simmentaler Champions Contacts: Hennie de Lange: 082 893 8147 | Bruce Taylor: 084 585 0508 | Lindley Lutge: 082 797 8540…

Following my 21 July column on small tractors, I received many enquiries from readers about matching implements. As it happened, a number of these were on display at the Royal Show, the National Vegetable Farmers’ Day, and the Sugarfest Show in Amatikulu. 1 Two-row planter RY Agri, based in Middelburg, Gauteng, imports this two-row planter, with row widths ranging from 500mm to 900mm. Seed and fertiliser tubes have separate coulters, and the fertiliser can be applied alongside or below the seed if required. Seed spacing is adjusted by changing gears, and three seed plates, for maize, sorghum and dry beans, are supplied. The fertiliser hoppers are made of a non-corrosive material. The seed hoppers are transparent, so that the level is visible from the tractor seat 2 Potato lifter The…

IT’S ME, MARAH by Marah Louw (BlackBird, R250) Louw may be best known for her roles in Muvhango and The Queen, but she also has an extensive international singing career, which includes performing with Gibson Kente, Abigail Kubeka, Eve Boswell and Johnny Mathis, as well as at the annual British Royal Variety Performance. Louw has experienced setbacks, some brutal and some heartbreaking, in her professional and personal life, but her feisty attitude has helped her bounce back. In fewer than 200 pages, It’s me, Marah, not only summarises Louw’s highlights and dark times, but effectively sketches the fortitude needed to survive literal hunger while hungering for success, the harsh political times, and more. THE MIND OF A SURVIVOR by Megan Hine (Coronet, R315) Known for her appearances with Bear Grylls…

The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR) has called for comment on the Communal Land Tenure Bill from all affected parties. Written submissions would be accepted for 60 days from the publication date of 7 July this year. The Communal Land Tenure Bill sought to regulate communal land, which encompassed land occupied mostly by communities in the former homelands, a DRDLR statement said. Speaking to Farmer’s Weekly, Peter Setou, chief executive of the Vumelana Advisory Fund, said of the three broader areas of land reform, namely land restitution, land redistribution and upgrade of tenure, the last had received the least attention in the past. ‘THE BILL AIMS TO PROVIDE SECURE TENURE IN COMMUNAL AREAS’ “The aim behind the Bill is, among others, to provide for legally secure tenure…

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) was commissioning an audit of the water licences it has issued. Addressing delegates at the opening of the recent Agribusiness Transformation Conference, hosted by the African Farmers’ Association of South Africa (AFASA), minister of water and sanitation, Nomvula Mokonyane, said that the auditing of water licences was being conducted with the development of emerging farmers in mind. The audit had been commissioned as the DWS had decided to review its own legislation. According to Mokonyane, the decision to review water legislation had come after “the diagnostic review of the 15 years of democracy that ‘gave birth’ to the NDP”. She said: “It was decided that the water acts [be] reviewed so that there is one [set of] legislation that governs the entire water…

The model of retributive, radical socio-economic transformation as envisaged by government would cost South Africa dearly. This was according to Agri Eastern Cape president, Douglas Stern, who was speaking to delegates at the organisation’s annual congress recently held in Port Alfred. Instead, said Stern, government needed to “[concentrate] on fundamental issues”, which included an underperforming economy, corruption, institutional weakness, limited accountability and job losses. “We’re already hearing about de-industrialisation throughout the country, with factories now standing empty, forcing us, as a country, to become more dependent on imports,” he said. Farmers were also required to look after themselves during the drought, with very little, if any, state assistance. “As I’ve repeatedly been saying, this proves what quality farmers we have on the land at the moment. “Of the R1 billion…

Two abandoned containers, loaded with contaminated honey, which had been standing at a local storage facility in Montague Gardens for the past nine years (see FW, 4 August) had a potential buyer, according to the Western Cape’s Red Tape Reduction Unit (RTRU). The containers were rusted and leaking, thereby posing a serious contamination threat to beekeepers in the area, as their bees took the contaminated honey back to their hives. “The RTRU has concluded its investigation, and has been advised that a potential buyer has been found for the honey. “Up until the sale is concluded, the honey remains the responsibility of the importer,” said Raybin Windvogel, head of the RTRU. According to Robert Post of the Western Cape Bee Industry Association, the importer was no longer in business, and…

The over-use of antibiotics, especially in animals farmed for human consumption, could lead to the spread of antimicrobial or antibiotic resistance (AMR) in humans. Antibiotics were crucial in farming, but cutting down on their use would help curb the spread of AMR, said Natalie Schellack, associate professor in clinical pharmaceutics at the Sefako Makgatho Health Science University in Pretoria. “For example, bacteria that become resistant in cows treated for mastitis can carry this resistant gene over to bacteria in humans, which then become resistant to a certain type of antibiotic,” Shellack told members at the recent congress of the Limpopo Red Meat Producers’ Organisation (RPO). Research on antibiotic use in Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa showed that about 3 000t of antibiotics were administered to livestock each year,…

A smaller olive harvest has been recorded in the Western Cape this season, due to the impact of the continuing drought, as well as the wildfires that recently devastated parts of the province. “The harvest is definitely down from last year, but [yields] differed between regions. Some [areas] were affected severely, while other [yields] were [only] down 5% or 10%. Despite the smaller harvest, the flavours were good,” SA Olive chairperson, Nick Wilkinson said. Water stress usually led to more intense flavours, while the drought also resulted in fewer fungal diseases taking hold, thereby improving the quality of the fruit, he said. Gert van Dyk, manager at The Olive Shed, which is part of Tokara wine estate, told Farmer’s Weekly that the estate’s olive production declined 50%. In addition to…

Farmers in Malawi are set to make a vital contribution to the country’s ambitious plan of restoring 4,5 million hectares of deforested and degraded land by 2030. Malawi recently became the first African country to develop a comprehensive strategy to deal with this issue, following its November?2015 pledge to the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100), which aims to restore 100 million hectares of the continent’s deforested and degraded land by 2030. The area targeted by the project comprises close to 49% of that country’s total land area of 94 080km2 as indicated by the US Central Intelligence Agency’s World Factbook. According to a statement by the World Resources Institute (WRI), the primary cause of the degradation of Malawi’s forests was the country’s dependence on charcoal as a fuel source,…

Nicholas James is an ichthyologist and hatchery owner. Email him at farmersweekly@caxton.co.za. Subject line: Aquaculture. The sharptooth catfish or barbel (Clarias gariepinus) is a fish species that has great potential for aquaculture in South Africa. This indigenous barbel is found in most water bodies from the Orange River northwards, and has been widely translocated into the Southern Cape and Eastern Cape in inter-basin water transfer schemes. A fast-growing, robust fish, the species can be kept at high stocking densities due to its ability to breathe atmospheric air through an auxiliary breathing apparatus in the top of its skull. This is an adaptation that allows barbel to survive in muddy water in drying pools during drought. In addition to these attributes, barbel are relatively easy to feed. Inevitably, barbel have disadvantages:…

What has been some of the highlights for the fresh produce sector this past year? The fresh produce sector has similar characteristics to its products, with short and erratic cycles. This past year has been no different. The short production cycle is a given, but the erratic facet was perhaps of greater significance this past year. With drastic climatic variables, production decisions became more complicated. A particular low point for the industry was the extreme heat and drought certain regions endured the previous year, extreme hail and thunderstorms in other areas, and currently the devastating drought in the Western Cape. Even the marketplace has its highs and lows. Domestic demand is low, with the technical recession taking its toll on consumers’ purchasing power. Retail confidence indices’ show record lows, which…

It is well documented that numerous farmers experience long delays and enormous frustration when applying to SARS for a VAT rebate on their expenditure on diesel. In fact, so pervasive is this problem that the tax ombudsman was recently granted permission to investigate these delays. To be fair, there is another side to the story. Diesel refund fraud is not uncommon, and SARS cannot hand out refunds to every VAT claimant without careful scrutiny. It is, after all, obliged to apply the law correctly. This, however, is of little comfort to compliant farmers who feel mistreated when it comes to VAT refunds. Inevitably, they contrast these delays with SARS’ super-efficiency as a tax collector! DISPUTE RESOLUTION: FOLLOW THE RULES The first rule is to be courteous to your SARS auditor.…

Jurie Human produces avocados, macadamia nuts and bananas on his 140ha farm, Ilala Landgoed (Ilala Estate), near Kiepersol in Mpumalanga. He began production in 1992, and at the time, like other producers in the area, focused on bananas. But markets have changed since then, and Jurie has realised that changing production can be a key factor in remaining sustainable. “Ideally, one should produce crops that earn foreign currency,” he says. Jurie explains that because the rand value is not keeping step with inflation, he is phasing out bananas to focus solely on macadamias and avocados. He planted his first avocado trees 15 years ago, but it was only four years ago that he began to expand this crop seriously. Today, he produces Pinkerton and Hass avocados, which he exports through…

Think before you speak! As I’ve said before, we need to watch what we say, because the consequences of speaking without thinking can be severe. “A prudent man conceals knowledge, but the heart of fools proclaims foolishness,” cautions Proverbs 12:23. Promising a person something on the spur of the moment and failing to follow through can harm a reputation and friendship. WHEN YOU MAKE A PROMISE, MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW THROUGH In Acts 5, we read the story of Ananias and Sapphira, the owners of a piece of land. They made a commitment to sell the property and give all the proceeds to the Lord’s disciples to distribute to the poor and needy. Once they had sold the land, however, the pair kept some of the money back for themselves.…

Tilt-Tech’s Spot Gen 3 is a portable tracking device that works using satellite technology. The device is 8,72cm long, 6,5cm wide and 2,54cm thick. It uses four AAA batteries and weighs a mere 114g. The Spot Gen 3 can transmit pre-programmed messages to up to 10 email addresses or mobile numbers. It also has a SOS button that sends a message to a search-andrescue centre if you are in a life-threatening situation. RUGGED, PRACTICAL AND ACCURATE The device is waterproof for up to 30 minutes at 1m and is also dustproof. It is ideal for hikers, hunters and farmers, or anyone who travels or works in remote or potentially dangerous areas. The tracking rate transmitted can be set at five, 10, 30 or 60 minutes. The Spot Gen 3 has…