Table of contents for 22 September 2017 in Farmer's Weekly

In May this year, The Economist ran a cover story that said that the world’s most valuable resource is no longer oil, but data. Data is to this century what oil was to the last one: a driver of growth and change, the article said. Given the overwhelming importance of data in modern-day planning and decision-making, it is frightening to realise how vast the information vacuum is, especially in policy-making, with regards to what we know about food security, land ownership, land use patterns and the smallholder farming sector in South Africa. I recently participated in a workshop hosted by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) to review South Africa’s first biennial report to the African Union Commission on the progress SA has made in implementing the Malabo…

CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS & EXPOS 19 TO 21 SEPTEMBER Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa (AEASA) 55th Annual Conference, Elangeni Hotel, Durban. Visit aeasa.org.za. 20 SEPTEMBER MPO National Congress, Protea Hotel King George, George. Email Julie McLachlan at julie@mpo.co.za. 20 TO 22 SEPTEMBER Drones Africa Summit 2017, Johannesburg. Visit smart-link.co.za/index.php/ drones-africa-summit-2017/. 28 SEPTEMBER Potatoes SA Congress, Premier Hotel OR Tambo, Rhodesfield, Gauteng. For more information, visit potatoes.co.za. 3 TO 4 OCTOBER Trade and Export Finance (TXF) Cape Town 2017, Table Bay Hotel. For more information, visit txfnews.com/Events/Event/81/ TXF-Cape-Town-2017. 9 TO 11 OCTOBER East & Southern Africa Fertiliser Agribusiness Conference 2017, Maputo, Mozambique. Visit events. crugroup.com/eastafrica/venue. 12 TO 14 OCTOBER Agri-Expo Livestock, Sandringham, Muldersvlei, Stellenbosch. For more information, visit livestock.org.za. 19 OCTOBER 2nd Goat Agribusiness Conference, Durban Botanic Gardens. Phone Nokwanda Mavundla…

Wandile Sihlobo is head of economic and agribusiness intelligence at the Agricultural Business Chamber (Agbiz). Email him at wandile@agbiz.co.za. Food prices in South Africa have been in the headlines for some time, ranging from droughtrelated concerns to the abundance of supplies due to a record harvest. However, there has been little discussion about the price transmission (the process in which upstream prices affect downstream prices) methods in the food industry. This has led to some consumers expecting a decline in maize prices to lead to a similar movement in maize meal prices. PRICE TRANSMISSION An example of this was illustrated in a recent chart I posted on social media platform, Twitter, showing the long-term trend of South Africa’s maize prices. The message I wanted to convey was that the price…

According to new research from Purdue University in the US, high tunnels do not provide effective protection from pests. High tunnels, also known as hoop houses, extend the growing season of fresh produce and increase yield by protecting cold-sensitive crops. It has also long been assumed that they keep pests away from crops. However, after spending two years testing this theory in Indiana, Purdue professor of entomology, Ricky Foster, has claimed that his data “clearly show that this is not true”. Foster tested three plant families and the pests associated with them: tomatoes and hornworms; broccoli and the cabbage looper, imported cabbageworm and diamondback moth; and cucumber and the cucumber beetle. He found greater populations of pests in high tunnels than in adjacent open field plots. The tomatoes showed significant…

Cotton production in South Africa could enjoy “astronomical” growth in the new production season as many maize farmers were considering including cotton into their crop mix to help offset the low maize price. This was according to Cotton SA CEO, Hennie Bruwer, who said early intention to plant data had indicated that the cotton harvest in the 2017/2018 season could be double that of the current production season, which had already seen a 65% increase in production to 16 258t, compared with the 2015/2016 season. “The sentiment at this stage is very positive. With maize prices at their current levels, there has been a lot of interest in cotton. The jump from where we currently are to where we expect to go next year will actually be astronomical,” he said.…

Poultry and other birds in the Western Cape were being culled by the thousands, which was resulting in major job losses, according to reports from provincial authorities. To date, more than 200 000 chickens in the province had either died or been culled as a result of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). According to Alan Winde, the Western Cape MEC for Economic Opportunities, 11 cases had already been confirmed on commercial chicken, duck and ostrich farms in Heidelberg, Cape Town and Oudtshoorn, while another six cases had been reported among wild birds. “The outbreak has massive implications for an industry that supplies the country and this province with a big component of its protein intake, whether in the form of chicken or eggs,” Winde said at a media briefing. He…

“The objective of land reform must be to produce self-sufficient farmers capable of contributing to the food security of their families, communities and, ultimately, to the economy at large,” said KwaZulu-Natal Agricultural Union (Kwanalu) president, Andy Buchan, during his annual report at the union’s congress recently held in Pietermaritzburg. In many cases, however, land reform beneficiaries saw little or no improvement in their livelihoods. This, said Buchan, was because South Africa’s government-driven land reform process largely focused on land acquisition with little consideration given to the requisite post-settlement support, skills development and financial assistance. “Kwanalu and its affiliates recognise the need for land reform, but the simple acquisition of land without the necessary support to sustain a living is degenerative and doomed for failure,” he said. For land reform to…

The 2017 Conservation Agriculture conference focused on how no-till conservation agriculture not only benefited mixed-farming enterprises, but also the farming communities where these practices were implemented. Hosted by the No-Till Club at the ATKV Drakensville Resort in KwaZulu-Natal recently, the congress featured presentations from both local and international experts, interactive workshops on a variety of topics, as well as static displays and active infield demonstrations.…

Dr Koos Coetzee is an agricultural economist at the MPO. All opinions expressed are his own and do not reflect MPO policy. Email him at farmersweekly@caxton.co.za. Subject line: Global Farming. Wool prices are once again at a record level. At the first sale of the 2017 season, prices were 20% higher than at the last sale of 2016. This is due to higher global demand and lower supply from South Africa and Australia, the two major producers of fine wool for garment production. Although prices slowed down marginally at the second sale, industry experts believe the higher prices will probably hold for at least the current production season. Increased demand from China is the main driver here, but this can change quickly. In 1988, for example, farmers were told to…

Karabo Takadi is an agricultural economist at Absa AgriBusiness. Email her at Karabo.Takadi@absa.co.za. Despite having increased significantly during recent months, South African livestock prices may have reached their peak. Due to the sluggish economy, consumers are increasingly under pressure and could well switch to cheaper alternatives such as pork and chicken. WEANER PRICE SUPPORT In August, due to the limited supply of quality weaners for the feedlot industry, the average price of weaners in South Africa reached R35,09/kg, which was 71% higher than the corresponding period last year (see Graph 1). Some farmers have been encouraged by these high prices to sell their cattle in order to boost cash flow. However, the dynamics in the local livestock industry are changing, as producers need to sell fewer animals to maintain cash…

FAST FACTS • Breeding cows form the core of beef cattle production. • The ideal cow drops and raises a calf each year. • The shorter the gestation period, the better. Approximately 70% of South Africa’s land area consists of grazing that can be utilised only by ruminants (sheep, game and cattle). These animals convert lower grade roughage into tasty, nutritional products for human consumption. The ideal breeding cow can adapt to these grazing areas and reproduce effectively to make a genetic and economic impact on the herd. Objectively measuring and quantifying the performance of each breeding cow is crucially important in both stud and commercial herds to ensure long-term sustainability. REPRODUCTION IS THE KEY The ability of a breeding cow to produce a healthy, live calf each year surpasses…

The chemistry of soil phosphorus (P) directly affects the absorption of applied fertiliser by plants. Soil P occurs in four main ‘pools’: • Inorganic P minerals; • P absorbed to surfaces of clay minerals or aluminium (Al) and iron (Fe) oxides; • Organic P compounds; and • Soluble P in the soil solution. A large proportion of P in soil is in the inorganic mineral form, which has low to very low water solubility. This is because P reacts readily with other soil components such as calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), Fe and Al to produce compounds with low water solubility. The process, called ‘fixation of P’, explains why only small percentages of fertiliser P are utilised by the crop shortly after application, and also why P is not free to…

The introduction of run-flat tyres some years ago was the start of a revolution in tyre design that shows no sign of slowing down. Many motorists still don’t like them, but they have undoubtedly brought safety benefits. The Goodyear Tyre Company, founded 119 years ago in Ohio in the US, has development centres in the US, Germany and China, and innovation centres in the US and Luxembourg. Here are some of its latest innovations in tyre design. 1. CHIP-IN-TYRE (Production date unknown) The company is on the point of producing tyres that communicate with the car’s computer systems via a batteryfree microchip embedded on the inside of the tread. It transmits data on the type of tyre fitted, the tyre pressure and temperature, and the state of stress and distortion…

TRACES AND TRACKS by Paul Weinberg (Jacana, R380) In this sobering book, Weinberg, an award-winning documentary photographer and anthropologist, tells how the San are frequently driven off their land and forcibly integrated into modern society. Here, as an underclass, they are exploited due to their lack of urban life skills. Weinberg also questions the ethics of labour and tourism practices, particularly whether ecotourism brings equitable rewards for the San. Traces and tracks shows how power has enabled self-interest to thrive at the expense of human rights, despite lofty-sounding international resolutions. WHO KILLED PIET BAROL? by Richard Mason (Vintage, R270) Barol, the European charmer from Mason’s earlier historical novel, History of a pleasure seeker, morphs here into an adventurer in Africa. Posing first as the Vicomte Pierre de Barol, he and…

The views expressed in our weekly opinion piece do not necessarily reflect those of Farmer’s Weekly. Phone Tom Murray on 021 407 3024, or email TomMurray@woolworths.co.za. This presentation was made at the Intensive Growers’ Association’s 2017 Spring-Summer Symposium, held in Durban on 20 July. South African retailers are increasingly aware that agrochemicals used in fresh produce production can pose a potential health risk to their customers. This awareness largely stems from the ever-stricter regulations being imposed on agrochemical usage in Europe, such as maximum allowable residues of these chemicals on fresh produce, which are aimed at promoting human, animal and environmental safety. Interestingly, trends that develop in Europe are likely to have an impact on farming practices in South Africa, especially where export crops are involved. HISTORY OF AGROCHEMICALS Agrochemicals,…

Dr Jan Venter is a political analyst at Aginfo. Email him at jan@amtrends.co.za. Another Cabinet reshuffle is on the cards. Cue further political uncertainty and economic mayhem. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma will soon be sworn in as a Member of Parliament. Some insiders report that President Jacob Zuma may appoint her to the Cabinet as minister of higher education. Zuma’s relationship with Blade Nzimade and the South African Communist Party (SACP) has deteriorated over the past few months. SACP spokesperson, Mhlekwa Nxumalo, said the party would not be surprised if Nzimande were removed. “We’re aware of calls from some elements within the ANC that are targeting communists. We’re ready for it,” he said. ANC chief whip, Jackson Mthembu, meanwhile, has said: “The era we are in is almost like when we were…

The high cost of crop protection chemicals is one of the main challenges faced by smallholder farmers. This was according to Israel Mashile, an agricultural trainer working mostly in rural areas with developing and small-scale farmers, who was speaking at the recent CropLife SA Congress in Benoni. While small-scale producers, on average, farmed on less than 1ha of land, they still aimed to produce good-quality crops and attain high yields, but crop protection chemicals were often unaffordable, he said. “Seed and agrochemical agents also only concentrate on commercial farmers. Industry has to address the needs of smaller producers. Local business models of input suppliers are also not set up to supply to small-scale farmers, as is the case in the rest of Africa. Small packs of seeds or agrochemicals could…

A study of 964 people in the US has shown that consumers were more accepting of genetic modification (GM) in areas other than food production. Researchers at Purdue University, Indiana, found that 78% of respondents would accept using GM mosquitoes to halt the Zika virus. By contrast, only 44% would accept GM for livestock production, 49% for grain production, and 48% for fruit and vegetable production. The rate of acceptance jumps to 62% for human medicine and 68% for human health. “Whenever you have a new health risk, there are calls for technology to solve the problem. With the Ebola virus, everybody said, ‘Where’s an Ebola vaccine?’ They wanted technology to mitigate the risk,” said Nicole Olynk Widmar, associate professor of agricultural economics at Purdue, in a statement. “I can…

There was continuing concern among Western Cape farmers about the lack of water in the province, as diminished winter rainfall failed to improve the province’s water supply. The average dam level in the province was currently at 37%, compared with 61% for the corresponding period last year. According to Agri Western Cape spokesperson, Jeanne Boshoff, many producers had been subjected to water limitations for the past few months, but with current dam levels critically low, restrictions could become more severe. The lack of water was putting the entire province’s agricultural economy under severe pressure, she said. “No potatoes were planted in the Ceres and Koue Bokkeveld areas this year due to a lack of water. This area also planted only a third of their normal onion crop.” Boshoff added that…

Most of Agri SA’s provincial affiliates have pledged their full support to proposed amendments to the organisation’s constitution, which would allow for far-reaching changes to its organisational structure. Omri van Zyl, CEO of Agri SA, said that the organisation’s new structure would include a non-profit chamber that would act as a management company. Agri SA would also act as the holding company for a profit-making business, and would eventually consist of the general affairs chamber, managed by a board of directors, a commodity chamber, and a corporate chamber. The board of directors would comprise of Agri SA members, most of which are farmers, elected from the organisation’s provincial structures, as well as from its commodity chamber. Van Zyl explained that in this manner, ultimate leadership of the organisation would remain…

KwaZulu-Natal Agricultural Union (Kwanalu) members have expressed concern about the farm attacks and murders in the province, and elsewhere in South Africa. From 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2016, there were 747 farm attacks, in which 138 people were murdered, in KwaZulu-Natal alone, according to the union. Speaking at Kwanalu’s annual congress, CEO of Kwanalu, Sandy La Marque, said that the union had conducted an in-depth analysis of 27 farm attacks, in which seven people had been murdered, in 2016. The data collected, combined with evidence heard in court, had led to the “overwhelming conclusion” that the reason behind the attacks was not racial discrimination, politics or land, but socio-economic circumstances, La Marque said. However, Kwanalu had “certainly raised the alarm” and was “extremely concerned” about inflammatory statements made…

Willem van der Merwe, owner of Africa Biomass Company, was recently named the Entrepreneur of the Year 2017 in the Sanlam/?Business Partners Entrepreneur of the Year competition. At the awards ceremony held in Johannesburg, Christo Botes, spokesperson for the competition, said that while selecting one entrepreneur to be the overall winner from 15 finalists was no easy task, Van der Merwe was a cut above the rest in terms of the raw entrepreneurial nature of his business. “Through the establishment of Africa Biomass Company, which specialises in land clearing, wood chipping, and wood recycling, Willem [van der Merwe] has not only created a successful business by clearing landowners’ unwanted trees, [but] he has also shaped a new industry in South Africa by introducing the novel concept of wood recycling,” Botes…

Advocate Peter O’Halloran is a tax specialist. Email him at farmersweekly@caxton.co.za. Subject line: Tax. The current Tax Ombudsman, Judge Bernard Ngope, and his team have produced a hard-hitting report following an investigation into delays with refunds due to taxpayers (taxombud.co.za). The investigation was prompted by the high number of complaints received by the Office of the Tax Ombudsman (OTO) since its inception in 2013. Between October 2016 and March 2017, the number of the complaints increased drastically, with 500 being logged with the OTO. Half of these were validated. According to the report, more than R25?billion had been withheld by SARS. Taxpayers claimed that SARS had employed certain ‘mechanisms’ to delay or avoid paying refunds. In the course of its investigation, the OTO identified a number of these, including: •…

Contacts: Gaylyn Bettiol: 083 251 7550 | Tim and Elbe Nixon: 082 450 4046 | Lindi Walker: 072 419 0291 Frans Koch: 082 620 1313 | Miles van Deventer: 082 849 1568…

Here’s news that should gladden the hearts of everyone in the fresh produce industry. Research into consumption patterns has shown that plantbased proteins are closing the gap on animal-based proteins. By 2020, the former will account for no less than 47% of the protein market. This is according to Cathy Burns, global CEO of the Produce Marketing Association (PMA), reported in the Farmer’s Weekly of 1?September (see pg?22). She was speaking at the recent PMA Fresh Connections: Southern Africa conference and trade show held in Cape Town. MEDICALLY RECOMMENDED What also caught my eye in the article was Burns’s statement that some doctors are now writing prescriptions for fruit and vegetables. Given conventional wisdom, that’s almost impossible to grasp: a doctor’s script for tomatoes, green beans, pumpkins, apples and avocados!…

Like most food destined for the wok, preparation takes the most time and requires the most effort. Ask your butcher to mince the pork while you wait. With a thin-bladed knife, carefully slit the solo chilli lengthways, then scrape out and discard the pips. This work of vegetable surgery transforms the chilli into a mild addition of high-end frequency and will cause no terror even to shrieking chilli-phobes. Crush, peel and chop the garlic. Grate the raw ginger. Slice the mushrooms. Pit the olives and coarsely chop the remainder. Cut the spring onions diagonally, bulbs and greens together. Now for the marinade. While brown cane sugar is dandy, consider using jaggery or palm sugar if you can find it. Still sweet, these alternatives bring a hint of something delightfully unfamiliar…

When I was still actively farming, the task I enjoyed most was sowing seed. I loved to go out very early in the morning, before the sun rose, to make sure the machinery was in order, the fertiliser was stored on the trailer, and the seedbed was properly prepared. Then it was time to start planting. The entire process did something for my inner man – the beautiful fresh morning, the smell of the soil, and the machinery running up and down the land. The Lord tells us to plant good seed. I remember that a wellknown seed company had the slogan, “Good seed does not cost, it pays.” How true that is! Even in an extremely tough year when our finances are very low, we as farmers dare not…

If you’re like most smartphone users, you would have received your share of irritating telemarketing phone calls, where a salesperson has tried to sell you insurance or some other product or service. The good news is that you can easily block these calls, or at least find out who is phoning, using a powerful, effective caller ID app, Truecaller. This shows you who is calling even if they are not in your address book. You can then identify spam callers and block them, if you wish. EASY TO DOWNLOAD AND SIMPLE TO USE Available as a free download from Google Play (Android) and iTunes (iPhones), Truecaller is relatively small at 10MB. Once you have installed it, you go through a quick registration process, signing in through a Google, Facebook or…

Wool traded 4% lower during the second week of September, pushing down the Merino indicator by 726 points, with the market closing at R173,66 (clean), while the Australian EMI eased 1%. Despite this, the market performed well, with solid demand for the 11 215 bales on offer, according to Louis de?Beer, CEO of Cape Wools. Pierre de Lange, marketing manager at OVK, explained that wool with high seed content experienced the most price fluctuations, while cleaner wool with good tensile strength sold well. De Lange added that the increase in offerings had initially negatively affected sales. Wool of 18,7 microns (μ) and finer sold for 2,5% less, wool of 19μ was down 4%, and 20μ to 23μ traded 2% lower. OVK’s highest price of R181,50/kg was achieved by Wolwas Trust…

South Africa could learn from the way in which role players in other countries cooperate to get veterinary medicines and pesticide regulations approved, especially during disease or pest outbreaks. Speaking at the recent CropLife SA Congress held in Benoni, Philippe Sabot, head of animal health regulatory affairs at Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health, said regulating veterinary medicines was good, but regulatory harmonisation across political boundaries in the Southern African Development Community region was needed. “A harmonised regulatory system across countries allows for simplification of the regulatory workload and enhances compliance, as procedures are simplified [because] approval often only needs to be done once,” Sabot said. In the EU, over 2 000 authorisations of this nature had been completed since 1995, when 17 countries in the region decided to join forces in…

Delayed payments of tax and VAT refunds by the South African Revenue Service (SARS) was having a negative impact on agricultural production. This was revealed after an Office of the Tax Ombud (OTO) report found that certain systems implemented by SARS delayed the payment of refunds to some taxpayers. Wessel Lemmer, senior agricultural economist at Absa Agribusiness, told Farmer’s Weekly that producers paid VAT on inputs, which they could claim back from SARS. “It is very important that producers get their VAT returns back in time, as 14% outstanding VAT on a large section of a production cost account may have a significant impact on cash flow. Producers increasingly need to budget for outstanding VAT in their cash flows,” Lemmer said. The OTO report said that taxpayers had accused SARS…

CEO of Agri SA, Omri van Zyl, has announced the organisation plans to launch the results of a land ownership survey report, compiled by Agri SA, in October. He told delegates at the Agri Northern Cape’s annual congress in Kimberley last month that Agri SA had evaluated title deeds across South Africa to determine the actual state of land ownership in the country. Van Zyl said that issues around land ownership had become a political game, fuelled by misinformation. “The bottom line of this whole business is […] a mess. If you speak to the people driving this, the beneficiaries [and] the people involved, [you will discover] it is a mess.” According to Van Zyl, the current consensus was that about 87% of the 122 million hectares in SA was…

Michael Cordes, formerly a farmer, is an agricultural journalist, consultant and trainer. Email him at farmersweekly@caxton.co.za. Subject line: Subtropical Fruit. AVOCADOS (SA Avocado Growers’ Association – SAAGA) The avocado industry is receiving a good deal of publicity these days. Market and retail prices remain high both in this country and overseas. While in a topend retail outlet recently, I noticed that Ripe ’n Ready Hass were going for more than R16 each! I suppose that when the supply isn’t there, retailers are forced to go for margin instead of turnover. But, as an interesting article in The Guardian in the UK illustrates, the growing popularity of avos demands thinking out of the box if retailers are to retain consumer interest during shortages. According to the article, Tesco, a large retailer…

While the concept of genetic modification has been around since the 1980s, many people around the world have either not heard of it or have a poor understanding of the principles, processes and goals behind it. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are organisms that have been modified in a manner that does not occur naturally, through hybridisation, breeding, or natural genetic recombination. This genetic modification takes place in high-tech laboratories and requires many years of research and development before an acceptable GMO is developed for commercial application. “In genetic modification, a beneficial gene is taken from one organism, such as a bacterium, and placed into the genetic code of another organism, such as a plant, to achieve a desired trait in the recipient organism,” explains Dr Hennie Groenewald, executive manager of…

Limpopo Red Brahman Champions Dexter Champions Contacts: Pieter Meiring: 082 555 9563 | Gerrie Roos and Derrick Louw: 083 324 0989 | Louw Bierman: 079 529 3837 Llewellyn and Corrie Labuschagne: 082 579 5479 | Eddie Goosen: 083 320 2330 | Hendrik van der Westhuizen: 082 879 1945…

In South Africa, groundnuts are grown in the summer rainfall areas under irrigation or dryland conditions. Farmers with limited resources, particularly those in the northern and eastern parts of South Africa, grow groundnuts mainly for their own consumption. However, the crop is expected to become more important as it is an excellent rotation crop that can replace maize as a monoculture because it enriches the soil with nitrogen. Groundnuts also fetch a good price on local markets. SOIL REQUIREMENTS The groundnut plant produces runners (horizontal stems) that bear flowers at each node. These self-pollinate and produce an anchor or peg that penetrates the soil. The groundnut pod grows underground at the tip of the peg. The topsoil should have a low clay content (below 20%) with a loose structure that…

Once upon a time, in what is now Great Britain, only the aristocracy were able to own purebred coursing dogs such as deerhounds and wolfhounds. These dogs often accompanied their masters into battle and there are many stories of the courage they displayed when their owners were threatened. As game numbers dwindled and new laws prohibited hunting with dogs, many hunting breeds such as the English white terrier became extinct, or were outcrossed to form other, more modern breeds. BOTH BREEDS SHOW EXCEPTIONAL ENDURANCE The deerhound and wolfhound, however, were kept alive by country folk who started field sport clubs. The breeds also became popular pets due to their pleasant demeanour, courage and loyalty. THE IRISH WOLFHOUND Despite its name, this breed apparently first emerged in Belgium. It is generally…

Not everyone enjoys healthy food, and a few ‘tricks’ may be useful to get family members to eat better without noticing it! Sue Visser, author of Illustrated Guide to Healthy Happy Eating, has plenty of handy tips in this regard. For example, you can ‘doctor’ table salt by adding a teaspoon of tartar to every cup of salt. Cream of tartar is high in potassium, which helps to offset the high sodium level in salt (bad for people with heart complaints). This strategy is particularly useful if some family members don’t eat many fruit and vegetables, the usual source of potassium. (Remember, however, that those with kidney problems must watch their potassium intake.) LEMONS AND FLAXSEED Fish oil capsules are a useful way to ingest Omega-3 fatty acids. But if…