Table of contents for 20 October 2017 in Farmer's Weekly

When we speak about the challenges of farming, we almost invariably talk about economic difficulties such as the cost-price squeeze and attaining economies of scale. We speak about trading complications such as market access and unfairness in international trade regulations. We often discuss the practical problems, which include having to contend with adverse weather events. The challenges that we don’t often talk about are the emotional ones that farmers face. Like many other challenges in farming, the psychological strain that farmers are under becomes more pronounced during times of extreme stress, such as suffering a devastating drought. When the rain doesn’t come, farmers have to watch their cattle suffer and their crops wither away. Lack of income means that farmers are unable to service production loans and the high level…

CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS & EXPOS 19 OCTOBER 2nd Goat Agribusiness Conference, Durban Botanic Gardens. Phone Nokwanda Mavundla on 082 562 9014, or visit goatsunlimited.co.za. 20 TO 21 OCTOBER AGRI 5 Commodities Workshop & Expo, East London Showgrounds. Email info@atoneworks.co.za. 25 TO 27 OCTOBER Small-Scale Agricultural Business Workshop, Anastasia’s Fresh Farm, Klein Dassenberg. Phone Anastasia Smith on 081 878 1603. COURSES & TRAINING 16 TO 18 OCTOBER Cattle: Artificial Insemination, Krugersdorp. Phone Lily Isidoro on 078 546 7985, or visit rltsafrica.com. 16 TO 20 OCTOBER Veld Management, Pretoria National Botanical Garden. For more information, email courses@alut.co.za. 16 TO 20 OCTOBER Introduction to Poultry Production Management, ARC - AP, Irene. For more information, email Makhanyam@arc.agric.za. 18 TO 20 OCTOBER Aldam Stockman’s School, Aldam Resort, Winburg, Free State. For more information, visit stockmanschool.co.za. 19…

Wandile Sihlobo is head of economic and agribusiness intelligence at the Agricultural Business Chamber (Agbiz). Email him at wandile@agbiz.co.za. While food and non-alcoholic beverage inflation decelerated to 5,7% year-on-year in August, the lowest level since November 2015, the average conceals large disparities in the basket. For example, meat recorded a 15% year-on-year increase, its highest inflation level since December 2011. Meat has a relatively high weighting of 5,46% in the headline consumer price index basket, which means that it accounts for about a third of the food and non-alcoholic beverage basket. THE COST OF BEEF, LAMB AND PORK The recent uptick in meat price inflation can largely be explained by two factors: the restocking process after the drought and the spread of avian influenza. From a livestock perspective, the most…

Wool traded higher and the Merino indicator increased 1,6% and 289 points to close at R179,59 (clean). On the Australian market, the EMI increased 1,1%. Better demand for fine and superfine Merino wool was partly driven by the next-to-skin casual wear market, which continued to favourably influence the wool market, according to Louis de Beer, CEO of Cape Wools. Quality was also a deciding factor with cleaner yielding wool trading higher. There was also higher demand for finer and broader wool, compared to the mid-micron ranges. Competition was fierce for the 8 750 bales on offer, amidst reports of less available wool at broker stores. “Prices for fine wool of 18,7 microns and finer excelled once again, gaining as much as 4,7%, while wool of 18 to 23 microns also…

According to independent economist, Dr Roelof Botha, the country would fare better economically after December this year. Speaking at the Free State Elite Dairy Herd award ceremony in Bloemfontein, Botha said: “There [has been] a definite improvement in SA’s economy. This can mainly be ascribed to the improvement of the mining and agricultural industries. The economy could improve even more if it rains in the Northern Cape and Western Cape.” According to Botha, metal prices had recuperated markedly and SA’s trade balance was, for the first time in a long while, in a surplus. The decrease in inflation, which would benefit the retail sector, could lead to capital growth and also result in a decrease in interest rates. The local economy could grow by as much as 1,5% this year,…

A recent analysis of 30 farm attacks, including four murders, which occurred in Limpopo during September, showed that farmworkers were increasingly the target of attacks, and that organised crime syndicates were also involved. “The farming community and police are baffled by what appears to be new trends in rural crime and farm attacks,” said Willem van Jaarsveld, CEO of Agri Limpopo. According to Drickus Botha, district manager for TAU SA, attacks on farmworkers often meant that they took the brunt of the attack, and that an attack on the farmers had therefore been avoided. Moreover, robberies also seemed to involve organised crime syndicates, as was evidenced by the fact that larger, non-household items were being targeted for theft, such as generators or entire truckloads of maize. According to Van Jaarsveld,…

Cargill has announced that it will be acquiring the outstanding shareholding in Cargill Premix & Nutrition Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) from Astral Foods to achieve full ownership. Cargill currently owns 75% of the Provimi-branded Cargill Premix & Nutrition in a joint venture with Astral Foods. BUSINESS COMMITMENT As part of the investment made in the brand in 2012, Cargill built a new premix and base mix facility in Pietermaritzburg. It also assumed managerial control of NuTec Southern Africa and migrated its name and product portfolio into the Cargill Provimi brand. According to Guillaume Smeets, managing director of Cargill’s animal nutrition business in the Middle East and Africa, the company’s decision to convert its investment from a joint venture into full ownership further reinforced its commitment to customer care, growing the workforce…

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. Despite serious warning signs, we do not yet live in a failed state. This is one where the government is no longer able to govern. In South Africa, the institutions that protect and maintain democracy are still largely in place and working efficiently. The free media manages to resist all attempts to muzzle it. And the judiciary remains independent. The economy continues to operate within a free market system with a well-functioning monetary system, property rights guaranteed by the Constitution, and well-developed, regulated capital and equity markets. For all this, though, the economy is not performing well, and this could…

Wessel Lemmer is a senior economist at Absa AgriBusiness. Email him at wessel.lemmer@absa.co.za. Increased policy uncertainty, low economic growth and growing government debt could result in the risk of a further credit downgrade for South Africa by November. Due to the possibility that the outlook may deteriorate further, the Reserve Bank kept interest rates unchanged during September, contrary to expectation of a further cut. The rand is expected to weaken to R13,90 by the end of the year and reach R14,50 by the end of the first quarter of 2018, R15,10 by the end of the second quarter, and R15,50 by the end of the third quarter. FUTURE OF SA LEMON PRODUCTION The majority of lemons produced in South Africa are harvested during the second and third quarters. Thus, based…

To provide an optimal environment for crop growth, a farmer must irrigate correctly. This will ensure that soil moisture levels are neither too high nor too low. So says Dirk Mercker, CEO of DFM Technologies, which manufactures continuous logging soil moisture probes. “You have to use water more efficiently to increase productivity from each drop of water. If you use water correctly, you can get up to 50% water savings, and increase yield at the same time,” says Dirk. But before irrigating optimally, a farmer needs to understand the plant’s root system, its interaction with the soil environment, and how roots benefit from optimal soil moisture and oxygen. It’s also necessary to know how water is used by plants to stimulate root and plant growth. “In essence, roots need more…

An interesting and topical debate took place at the recent Potatoes SA congress. The well-attended panel discussion covered supply chain issues, but what quickly emerged as the ‘hot topic’ was the difference between what producers receive for their potatoes and what retailers charge the public. I’m using my own figures, but on the face of it, there is a huge difference between the retail price of, say, R9,99/kg and the R2,50 or R3/?kg (on a 10kg pocket) that the farmer receives at times. How can the gap be so large when retailers claim they’re offering consumers the best prices? Both farmers and market agents questioned this from the floor. As one agent put it: “The producer phones me and wants to know why his market price is so different from…

Styling: Ailsa Uys Photo: FJ Potgieter To make Chicken Marengo for four awestruck diners, you will need: 1 chicken, about 2kg 250g of mushrooms 1 onion 3 cloves of garlic 120ml white wine 120ml chicken stock 1 can whole tomatoes 30ml tomato concentrate 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 sprigs of fresh parsley 2 sprigs fresh thyme, or ½ teaspoon dried thyme Salt and pepper to taste Rice or mashed potato 1 Butcher the fowl into drumsticks and thighs, and cut the back in half, before cutting the breast/wing sections into two portions made up of two-thirds breast and one-third breast, plus the attached wing. Crush, peel and mince the garlic. Peel and chop the onion. Thinly slice the mushrooms, making big brown mushrooms your first choice. 2…

MAKING MONEY THROUGH BUY-TO-LET IN SOUTH AFRICA by François Janse van Rensburg (Zebra, R230) Many people are convinced that buy-to-let property investment is the answer to building wealth, but plenty get their fingers burnt in the process. The secret of success, according to the author, is to go in well prepared and stay up to date with the sector and broader economic developments. This might make the prospect sound daunting, but Janse van?Rensburg has condensed nearly two decades of experience in the field into a succinct, direct and practical how-to guide. While definitely pro buy-tolet, he doesn’t dodge discussing the pitfalls. He also includes a useful checklist of why a buy-to-let is worth investing in. POCKET GUIDE TO BIRDS OF NAMIBIA by Ian Sinclair & Joris Komen (Struik Nature, R160)…

Our farm is in a mountainous region of the Eastern Cape, located in a valley with high mountains on both sides. Fenced camps on these mountains, with perennial springs, allow us to graze the cattle up there, rotating them from camp to camp. The valley is planted to lucerne and other grazing grasses irrigated from the dams until the rain comes. When mowed and bailed, this, together with the mountain grazing, provides the animals with all their basic nutrients. We awoke a few days ago to see clouds of smoke billowing over the top of the mountains further down the range. “Last night’s lightning, or else an irresponsible neighbour down the valley burning without warning us!” scowled Jan, over morning coffee on my stoep. Does intentional veld burning encourage new…

Dr Jan Venter is a political analyst at Aginfo. Email him at aginfo@amtrends.co.za. Thanks to Jacob Zuma, the Guptas, and, as some have termed it, the “party’s failure to self-correct”, the ANC may face the ultimate penalty and lose the 2019 general election. If this happens, the DA, as the biggest opposition party, will, through some kind of coalition, probably form the new government. Assuming the ANC is defeated in a democratic election, my first question is this: how will the transition of power from the ANC as liberation party to another party occur? To personalise the question, the Zuma elite is now desperately clinging to power on pain of prosecution; will they peacefully and gracefully step aside? My second question is into whose hands are we delivering South Africa?…

The current slower supply rate of fruit and nut tree seedlings in South Africa could result in a reduction in the pace of growth in these sectors in the foreseeable future. The wait for avocado seedlings was reportedly two to four years, while it was up to two years for macadamias. Derek Donkin, CEO of Subtrop, told Farmer’s Weekly that orders for avocado seedlings generally exceeded what nurseries could produce in a year. However, new avocado nurseries were opening and existing nurseries were in the process of expanding their production capacity. “For avocados, the barriers to entry for new nurseries are higher, as it’s more difficult to produce the required clonal rootstocks. In the avocado industry, the shortages will continue for the next year or two as nurseries ramp up…

The conclusion of a few significant deals over the past year has dramatically increased Chinese ownership of farmland in Australia. The Australian government’s Land Register indicated that Chinese ownership, either total or shared, increased to 14,4?million hectares from 1,46?million hectares a year earlier. The sale of S Kidman and Co’s outback cattle operations to 33% Chinese-owned Australian Outback Beef increased the level of Chinese ownership by 2,6 million hectares. According to the register, compiled by the Australian Tax Office, 50,5 million hectares of farmland were foreign-owned or part foreign-owned, down from 52,1 million hectares a year ago, or 13,6% of all agricultural land, which was a decrease from 14% in 2016. Of the 13,6% of agricultural land held by foreign interests, UK investors owned 33%, Chinese investors 29%, and US…

‘Taxi hunts’, which included the illegal hunting and poaching of game and endangered species, were increasingly becoming a major conservation issue in KwaZulu-Natal. Catherine Hughes, manager of the Threatened Grasslands Species Programme for the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT), said that unlike legal hunting, taxi hunts included the use of dogs, with hunters and their firearms transported from cities to rural communities in taxis. ‘LOCAL COMMUNITIES ARE SELLING HUNTS TO POACHERS FOR R5 000/ DAY. NO CONSIDERATION IS GIVEN TO CONSERVATION’ It also often involved gambling. As a consequence, endangered species were being slaughtered indiscrimately, with a Facebook page dedicated to displaying photographs of these illegal hunts. Speaking to Farmer’s Weekly, Hamish Skead, a professional hunter from KwaZulu-Natal, said that in one particular incident in 2016, he had come across 33?armed…

Above-normal rain was expected for South Africa’s summer rainfall region between November and February next year. This was according to Cobus Olivier of the SA Weather Service. He said current predictions indicated a high likelihood of a weak La Niña system developing during the early and mid-summer months over the north-eastern parts of South Africa. According to Olivier, higher temperatures were also expected across the country during late spring. No significant rainfall was predicted for the south-western parts of the country, and the current drought conditions in the region would likely deteriorate further during the summer months, he said. Johan van den Berg, weather expert at Santam Agriculture, said downpours that occurred across the summer grain production area during the first week of October were the result of an influx…

Advocate Peter O’Halloran is a tax specialist. Email him at farmersweekly@caxton.co.za. Subject line: Tax. In a report released earlier this year, Tax Ombudsman, Judge Bernard Ngope, identified ways in which the SA Revenue Service (SARS) seeks to ‘delay’ VAT and other refunds (taxombud.co.za). In my 4 October column, I discussed some of these. In this issue, I want to look at the remainder: • Withholding the refund for one VAT period while an audit or verification is in progress on another period. This is contrary to Section 190 of the Tax Administration Act. • Raising assessments and passing journals when refunds are due, thus eliminating the refunds. “In doing so, SARS creates fictitious tax liabilities, instead of taking a decision on a refund. Failure to take such a decision is…

This once-in-a-lifetime prize will allow you to have the wedding of your dreams, without the price tag. The prize includes a wedding reception at the beautiful Warm Karoo, a romantic, honeymoon getaway at a Thornybush lodge, and custom-made wedding bands from the design team at Preez Designers. The bride will be spoilt for choice at Rêve Bridal when choosing her dream wedding dress, while your spectacular day will be planned by a professional planner from Trunk Events, and captured by RS Photography. Two runner-up couples will be spoiled by The Cavern, which will provide each couple with a weekend getaway that includes all meals and guided hikes. The main prize is valued at R130 525. The two runners-up prizes are valued at R6 000 each. HOW TO ENTER Submit a…

LARGER DROPLET SIZE Fine water droplets are easily carried away by the wind and evaporate rapidly, wasting many litres of water. Larger, relatively uniform droplets, by contrast, are less susceptible to wind drift and evaporation. It therefore makes sense to upgrade to sprinkler heads that distribute droplets like these. They maintain the sprinkler’s pattern in adverse weather conditions, and are not so large as to disrupt soil structure. In addition, when less water is lost, the sprinklers can run for shorter intervals, saving water and energy. LOWER PRESSURES Low-pressure sprinkler heads (0,7 to 1,7 bars) reduce pumping demand without significantly reducing flow, so crops can continue to receive an adequate volume of water. Energy savings vary depending on the specific irrigation system, but growers can expect to see savings of…

• Spray Add 2g to 4g of skimmed milk powder to 1ℓ of drinking water. Allow this mixture to stand for about 30 minutes before adding the vaccine. Spray the chickens in the early morning when it is still cool. Close the curtains of the chicken house to prevent wind from scattering the vaccine droplets. • Eye drops This is regarded as the most effective method for obtaining good protection; it is more labour-intensive, however, because each chicken must be caught and handled individually. Dissolve the vaccine in water according to the instructions before you administer it (one drop per eye only). • Drinking water Mix the vaccine with the drinking water and pour it into the drinking equipment. To ensure that the chickens drink an adequate…

The German Agricultural Society received a number of entries for this year’s Agritechnica that reflected the trend towards automating processes coupled with intelligent data management systems to optimise control. It is appropriate, therefore, that a Gold Innovation Award went to the first fully automatic tangential threshing system. This uses sensors to self-adjust to suit crop conditions. 1 CEMOS Auto Threshing Combine operators sometimes struggle to set up the machine optimally for harvesting conditions. The CEMOS Auto Threshing system for Claas combines is the first system that automatically programmes the vehicle’s functions. It sets drum speed, concave gap and other parameters, allowing the combine to operate at maximum efficiency. 2 The Kemper Stalk Buster The second gold medal winner was the Stalk Buster, a maize header with an integrated stubble mulcher,…

Some dogs are careful eaters and will take time to chew their food before swallowing; others will wolf it down as quickly as possible. This normally occurs when the dog is fed in the presence of other dogs; it will try to consume its food as quickly as possible to prevent the others from stealing it. Or it might be greedy and eat fast because it wants to ‘steal’ from another dog. It is therefore wise to feed a dog in isolation from a young age so that it realises its food is ‘safe’. Greedy or excitable dogs should not be given toys, balls or bones that can be easily swallowed. Of particular danger are small rawhide toys that swell when wet, maize cobs, vertebrae bones and T-bones, which can…

Managers, not owners In Psalm 50:12, the Lord says very clearly: “For the world is mine, and all its fullness.” The world and everything in it was made by God, and He has given you and me jurisdiction over it, to look after it, especially for the next generation. The Earth does not belong to any nation, or any individual; it belongs to God. It was here before we came and it will be here after we leave. The Lord has asked us to do one simple thing: look after the Earth. GOD WILL KEEP US ON THE LAND AS LONG AS HE DEEMS FIT I think that knowing this can take away a lot of stress and guilt from young farmers. I often meet farmers who tell me that…

The Japanese company, Spread, operates an advanced, automated, indoor vertical vegetable farm in Kyoto, Japan. Named Techno Farm Kameoka, the facility has been in operation since 2007 and produces 21 000 heads (2t) of lettuce daily. These are sold under the Vegetus brand in Japan. In 2015, work started on a new facility, Techno Farm Keihanna, which is expected to be completed by the end of this year. This will be the largest vertical indoor lettuce farm in the world, producing 30 000 head of lettuce (3t) a day, or up to 219?million heads of lettuce a year. “With the introduction of plant factories and their controlled environment, we’re now able to provide the ideal environment for the crops,” explains Spread’s global marketing manager, JJ Price. The profitability of these…

Wheat yield in the Western Cape was expected to decline from the 1 098 200t produced last year to 815 000t this season, according to the latest wheat crop estimate released by the department of agriculture. However, Toit Wessels, from Grain SA, expected the province to deliver only around 650 000t. Wessels said that 325 000ha of wheat had been planted in the Western Cape, of which 200 000ha had been planted in the Swartland, South Africa’s largest wheat-producing region. The drought had been particularly severe in the northern production region of the Swartland, and according to Andries Theron, a farmer in Moorreesburg, the area had received only about 25% of its average annual rainfall this year. “The condition of the wheat is very poor and there are definitely farmers…

With about 1,3 billion tons of food produced going to waste worldwide every year, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN was encouraging consumers to eat ‘uglier’ fresh produce. Dr Rosa Rolle, senior food systems officer and team leader of food losses and waste at the FAO, told Farmer’s Weekly that consumers, especially those in developed countries, bought ‘with their eyes’, rejecting visually unappealing produce, which caused this food to go to waste. The nutritional value of fresh produce was “of much greater importance” than its “visual attributes”, Rolle said. She added that consumers needed to be educated to focus on nutritional, rather than cosmetic, attributes when buying fruit and vegetables. They also needed to be educated on the implications of wasting food. “Wasting food challenges global efforts…

Rumours that malaria in Limpopo is spreading beyond the usual areas in the province have been labelled as ‘exaggerated’ by the National Department of Health (DoH). As a result of the indoor residual spraying programme launched in 1946, malaria had remained largely restricted to the northern and eastern Lowveld areas of Limpopo, the DoH said. However, according to Popo Maja, DoH spokesperson, climatic conditions had contributed to “low levels of transmission” in areas outside the routinely sprayed regions. Moreover, the suspected movement of people infected with malaria into Limpopo’s farming and mining areas had also contributed to the rise in reported cases, as non-malaria mosquitos could become vectors for the disease after biting people or animals infected with malaria. As South Africa’s malaria season runs from September to May, indoor…

US soya bean farmers suffer an estimated average loss of US$250 million (R3,4 billion) a year due to Phytophthora sojae, a soil-borne fungal pathogen that attacks the plant’s roots and stems. Recently, however, a team from Purdue University and Dow Agrosciences, a biotechnology company, made a breakthrough in this regard by facilitating the discovery of an effective resistance gene. The team screened a wide range of soya bean plant genetic material, which led to the discovery of the strongly resistant gene, designated Rps 11. This paved the way to incorporate the gene into elite soya bean varieties through conventional breeding techniques. These use molecular DNA markers to enable the scientists to identify and follow resistance genes through the soya bean’s breeding and selection cycles. Dow Agrosciences plans to make this…

Michael Cordes, formerly a farmer, is an agricultural journalist, consultant and trainer. Email him at farmersweekly@caxton.co.za. Subject line: Subtropical Fruit. With transformation high on most agendas in this country, the Subtropical Growers’ Association (Subtrop) recently hosted a successful transformation summit for sector stakeholders. Godfrey Modjadji, a macadamia grower and former mayor of the Greater Letaba Municipality, delivered the opening address in which he made several telling points on transformation. Not being a politician, he had no particular policy to promote. “The South African economy needs to be transformed, not transferred, and be inclusive of all races and not limited to one race or [a] few individuals,” Modjadji said. This might sound obvious to some, but given the ongoing saga around state capture and siphoning of public funds to illegitimate destinations,…

Producers should look at capital cost as well as operational cost when deciding on the sizes of pipes and pumps to use in a new irrigation system, according to Werner de Leeuw den Bouter, irrigation designer at Dynamic Irrigation. For example, using a 125mm PVC main line rather than larger diameter pipes can save up to 49% of the capital cost of an irrigation system. Such a system will require a larger motor, however, as it will have to run at higher pressure to irrigate an area effectively; this will result in higher electricity costs. Larger-sized pipes, on the other hand, reduce pipe friction, lowering the amount of electricity that is required. This could make them more financially feasible in the long run. Based on RURAFLEX electricity prices and a…

There has been much discussion on whether the trend to develop ever larger and more powerful individual machines will continue, or whether the ‘swarm’ solution, involving many small machines, will become more popular. The Fendt MARS (mobile agricultural robot swarms) system is the first marketable application of swarm technology in agricultural engineering. It uses a number of small, electric, auto-steered units to plant maize. An operator fills the units with seed, hauls them to the land on a trailer and monitors their operation. The individual units, however, are capable of self-coordinating their work on the land. The units operate at very low noise levels and can function 24/7, as they require no lights. They are therefore ideal for planting lands near villages and homes. Weighing about 40kg each, they reduce…

Sore throat remedies (1) When struggling with a sore throat, try to eat less, and avoid sugar; this weakens the immune system, feeds harmful bacteria, and promotes inflammation in the oral cavity. Fruit juices are metabolised in the body as simple sugars, while artificial sweeteners can feed a yeast (Candida) infection. Caffeine and alcohol can also cause problems; they dehydrate the body, creating an imbalance of essential fluids, which increases tenderness in your throat. Rather drink alkalising lemon water. Dairy products can increase the viscosity of phlegm produced in the oral cavity; this can drip down the throat, aggravating sore throat symptoms. Finally, avoid sugarladen lozenges. AN AGE-OLD REMEDY Apple cider vinegar is an ancient remedy for a sore throat, and researchers have found evidence that the acetic acid in…