Table of contents for 16 March 2018 in Farmer's Weekly

Ever since the National Assembly voted to pass a revised motion brought by the EFF to launch a process to change the Constitution to allow for land expropriation without compensation, every media platform in South Africa has been awash with stories, comments, opinions and statements from those who support and those who reject the idea, as well as those who have not yet taken a firm stance on the matter. It is as if that moment all South Africans have been waiting for, some with dread, others with anticipation, has now finally arrived. The time to reveal the true answer to the question that so many have been asking for the last decade or more, “Will South Africa be the next Zimbabwe?”, is drawing near. More than anything else that…

CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS & EXPOS 21 TO 23 MARCH 16th New AG International Conference & Exhibition, Nairobi, Kenya. For more information, visit newaginternational.com. 22 TO 23 MARCH Grain Handling Organisation of Southern Africa (GOSA) Symposium, Mossel Bay. For more information, visit grainorgsa.co.za/symposiums. COURSES & TRAINING 12 TO 13 MARCH Sheep & Goats: Stockman & Animal Husbandry, George. Phone Lily Rothman on 078 546 7985, or visit rltsafrica.com. 13 TO 15 MARCH Cattle: Artificial Insemination, ARC, Irene. For more information, phone Mpho Makhanya on 012 672 9153, or email makhanyam@arc.agric.za. 14 TO 15 MARCH Aldam Stockman’s Game School, Aldam, Free State. Phone Charmaine Alberts on 051 821 1783, email palberts@telkomsa.net, or visit stockmanschool.co.za. 14 TO 15 MARCH Sheep & Goats: Nutrition, George. Phone Lily Rothman on 078 546 7985, or visit rltsafrica.com.…

Global food security is said to have improved significantly over the past several years. However, some countries, most of them situated in sub-Saharan Africa, continue to lag behind. The proportion of malnourished people in this region has remained within the 33% to 35% range for many years. As a consequence, these countries remain highly dependent on food imports to ensure adequate supplies, with some subregions depending on imports to fill up to a third of their grain needs. There is thus a need to increase agricultural productivity, food production and value addition, among other things, to satisfy the demand for food. South Africa, with its world-renowned commercial agriculture sector, is possibly one of very few countries, not just in the region but in the whole of Africa, with a clear…

Pioneering research by scientists at the University of Sheffield in the UK has found that adding fast-reacting silicate rocks to croplands could capture carbon dioxide (CO ) and increase 2 protection against pests and diseases, while restoring soil structure and fertility. Director of the university’s Centre for Climate Change Mitigation, Prof David Beerling, said that farmers had long known that volcanic plains were fertile and ideal for growing crops, without adversely affecting human health. However, until now, little consideration had been given to how adding more rocks to soil could capture carbon. “This study has transformed how we think about managing our croplands for climate, food and soil security. It helps move the debate forward for enhanced rock weathering, an under-researched strategy of CO2 removal from the atmosphere.” The research,…

The results of a recent trial suggest that no-till grain cultivation practices are not effective in sandy soils, despite ongoing reports to the contrary. A four-year trial by the South African Sandy Soil Development Committee (SDC) had proven this, according to grain producers Danie Minnaar of Kroonstad, and Thabo van Zyl of Wesselsbron. Minnaar told Farmer’s Weekly that ripping grain lands consisting of sandy soils was essential to prevent compaction. The SDC trial showed that the yields of ripped lands consistently exceeded that of grain lands that were not tilled by an average of 2t/ha. Taking into consideration that about 50% of the country’s white maize was produced on sandy soils, this constituted a serious loss for producers. “For instance, indications are that 685 000ha are earmarked for maize production…

Cattle producers in Namibia have increased their earnings from cattle sales from R2 billion in 2016 to R3,4 billion during 2017, constituting 45% of the country’s total agricultural earnings for last year, according to the CEO of the Namibian Agricultural Union (NAU), Roelie Venter. The increase in earnings could be ascribed to a growing demand for Namibian weaners from South Africa, which had consequently resulted in an increase in weaner prices. The current price of Namibian weaners was about R34/kg, compared with R16,60/kg in 2016. Namibia also exported beef to Scandinavian countries, among others. A sustainable and effective red meat value chain was therefore critically important to the country. This included a well-functioning abattoir certified for international exports. The county’s current export abattoir was state-owned and had been plagued by…

Wool traded 1% and 176 points higher to close at R185,60/kg (clean) at the first sale of March held in Port Elizabeth, realising solid returns across the board for long and medium-length wool, according to Cape Wools. The offering comprised 8 368 bales, of which 97,6% were sold. Major traders were Modiano (2 434), Standard Wool SA (2 155), Tianyu SA (1 572), and Lempriere SA (953). “With the Chinese New Year celebrations behind us, buyers here and in Australia are again bidding more keenly,” said Pierre de Lange, wool marketing manager at OVK. Since the last sale in December, the Australian AWEX indicator gained 9% to close at 1 834. South African prices had dwindled during the same period, declining from R186,56/kg to R184,56/kg, mainly as a result of…

RCL Foods has opened a R150 million pet food factory in Randfontein. According to the managing director of RCL Foods Consumer Division, Scott Pitman, the 1 500m² factory features innovation and technology that has previously not been available in South Africa. “The new facility will enable us to continue enhancing the product through various innovations, such as packaging, nutritional content and quality, among other world-class offerings,” he said. Processing manager for pet food at RCL Foods, Christina de Beer, said the company currently produced approximately 7 000t of pet food per month. This consisted of ingredients such as maize, wheat bran, soya, sunflower, dry animal meat premixes, palatants, animal fat, carrots and peas. Dry meat had been used previously, but De Beer said fresh meat, including deboned chicken, beef and…

Consider, for one moment, the quality of the team President Cyril Ramaphosa inherited when he was elected to lead the country. The ministers appointed by former president Jacob Zuma were not appointed for their ability to do their jobs properly; they were appointed through Zuma’s ‘jobs for pals’ system, and their negative effect on the country and economy was considered unimportant. As a result, competence was in short supply, and to add insult to injury, many of these incumbents got away with gross dereliction of duty and corruption for years. It really couldn’t have been much worse for Ramaphosa. After his election, Ramaphosa also became responsible for getting South Africa back on track, and it would have been easy for anyone to go into panic mode. Where would you have…

 Why did you choose to set up a business in Africa, and why in agriculture? ‘TECHNOLOGY MUST SUIT THE LOCAL CULTURE AND MARKET’ I had spent about 25 years working primarily out of New York, and during this time I had the opportunity to work around the world with Global 1000 clients [the world’s top 1 000 companies by market value]. However, I never really worked in Africa. Then about 10 years ago, I had a chance to come to Africa and I toured around a good portion of the Southern African Development Community [SADC]. I spent a lot of time in safari camps and spoke a lot to the staff in these camps, and I was fascinated to learn about the working arrangements of some of these people, working…

Variable-speed drives (VSDs) have been used in agricultural applications for a long time. In recent years, many farmers have employed them with solar power to run borehole pumps. When converting a borehole pump to solar power, it is far better to use standard equipment as it is modular and relatively cheap. This makes repairs and maintenance easier in the long term. Frequently, it is only a single component such as a pump, motor, solar panel or VSD that needs to be repaired or replaced. HARNESSING SOUTH AFRICA’S SUNSHINE There are several reasons that solar pumps have become so popular. • The price of solar panels has decreased by more than 70% over the past five years or so. • A solar pump is generally cheaper, requires less maintenance and is…

Wesselsbron disease and Rift Valley fever (RVF) are among the most frequently occurring infectious types of abortion in sheep and goats. WESSELSBRON DISEASE This was first identified in the Free State’s Wesselsbron district in sheep that aborted after having been vaccinated against RVF. Wesselsbron is a viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes. It affects mainly sheep and goats, causing abortions in gestating animals, or the death of young lambs. Humans may contract the disease after handling infected carcasses. Often, the only symptom of a Wesselsbron abortion is a mild temperature. The ewe aborts because the foetus has died. Up to 30% of infected lambs die, usually between one and 10 days after birth. • Prevention At this stage, no preventive vaccine is available. For further information, contact your nearest animal health technician…

In my experience, too many farmers irrigate their carrots the way they do their other crops. But carrots require a different irrigation method. In my earlier article on soil preparation, I mentioned that carrots can have a deep root system. You can take advantage of this by encouraging the roots to grow as deeply as possible. Large quantities of plant nutrients leach down to the deeper layers over time and the roots can use these to save you money. This is why many carrot farmers get away with not applying fertiliser to the crop in a vegetable rotation. Apart from drawing on these nutrients, carrot plants can recover a substantial amount of water from deeper down, saving on irrigation costs. Taken together, these two factors mean longer carrots, a higher…

The best way to experience the joys of owning a very powerful car is to buy a very powerful car in the first place. An alternative solution, if you’re feeling energetic, is to replace the engine in your existing vehicle with a more powerful unit. This, however, can be riddled with complications, and although it may be more fun to carry out at home, it really is a job for experts. This explains why there are workshops that specialise in this kind of conversion. So, let’s look at the things you will have to consider. (Front-wheel-drive engine swaps are rare and difficult, so we’ll only look at rear-wheel-drive swaps of the kind usually done on bakkies.) • Can the engine fit into the engine bay without serious modifications? Modifications that…

Water is vital for every organ in the body, particularly the liver, and it’s important to drink enough of it. Water removes waste toxins that build up and clog the liver. It thins the blood, enabling the liver to filter it more easily. And it helps the body maintain a healthy weight, which is important for reducing the risk of developing deadly nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. • In the morning Drink a glass of water after waking up to flush toxins from your system. Most people make coffee their first drink of the day, but this is a diuretic, which increases blood viscosity. Thicker blood, in turn, is more difficult for the liver to filter. • Before meals Drink water half-an-hour or so before each meal. This will help make you feel…

When news broke that Parliament had voted in favour of the motion on expropriation without compensation, brought by the EFF, I, like many colleagues, found myself wondering what else this month could possibly hold. Thankfully, a new month brings new perspective, and it was only after the dust finally settled that I could read the motion in detail and decipher exactly what it entailed. Despite the fiery debates that took place in the National Assembly, no actual decision was taken to amend the Constitution. Instead, a decision was taken to establish a committee to review Section 25 of the Constitution, host public hearings and then report back to the National Assembly with a series of recommendations at the end of August. This does not mean that property rights as we…

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has warned that food insecurity is set to rise in Southern Africa during 2018, due to adverse climatic conditions. The FAO issued a Global Information and Early Warning System (GIEWS) special alert for the region at the end of February, which stated that erratic rainfall and an intense dry period in January had lowered grain production prospects for the year. foreseen to intensify food insecurity in 2018, [which would] increase the number of people in need of food assistance,” the report said. The western parts of South Africa were listed in the report as being among the most affected areas in the region. Other areas included Lesotho, the southern and central parts of Mozambique, southern parts of Zambia and Malawi,…

Access to wood for cooking must be considered when implementing policies to deal with food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa, and efforts to improve wood-fuel systems and make them more sustainable need to be expanded. This is according to Ruth Mendum of the College of Agricultural Sciences at Pennsylvania State University in the US, and Mary Njenga, a bioenergy research scientist at the World Agroforestry Centre in Kenya. In their study, published in the journal Facets, the researchers suggested creating a financial policy to support wood-burning systems and developing agroforestry by encouraging the planting of trees and then pruning them to use the branches for firewood. Mendum said inadequate sources of cooking energy contributed to food insecurity, particularly for low-income, food-insecure individuals. This had been intentionally overlooked by some decision-makers in…

South Africa exported 3,33 million tons of fresh fruit during the past year, which was a 10% increase on the previous year, according to the South African Revenue Service (SARS). About 45% of exports went to the EU, with the Netherlands being the most important destination. The UK was the second-largest importer, while other important destinations in 2017 included the United Arab Emirates (218 000t), Russia (215 000t), Hong Kong (142 000t), Saudi Arabia (138 000t), China (106 000t), and Malaysia (105 000t). According to SARS data, oranges were South Africa’s most important export fruit variety, with apples in second place and grapes third. However, marketing director at Tru-Cape, Conrad Fick, said at a recent post-harvest briefing in Cape Town that while there had been an increase in fruit exports,…

The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) recently acknowledged its inability to adequately monitor product quality, which resulted in South African food products not being able to adhere to regulations and standards set by the EU. An interdepartmental task team, consisting of officials from DAFF and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), recently briefed the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in Parliament on the progress made in tackling the challenges facing the local poultry industry. Due to South African authorities’ inability to monitor chemical residues in products, the country was not able to export milk and poultry products to the EU. According to Dr Mpho Maja, director of animal health at DAFF, a national agriculture residue monitoring programme had been designed and implemented. However, funding for…

According to a report tabled by the auditor-general at a recent Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) portfolio committee meeting, the department had met only 28% of its water infrastructure targets in 2017, and achieved only 35% of its goals in terms of water sector regulation. The auditor-general also found unauthorised expenditure to the tune of R406 million. This was according to Theo Boshoff, head of legal intelligence at Agbiz, speaking at the company’s information day held in Pretoria recently. “This will have a knock-on effect in terms of who carries the responsibility for water sector regulation in future policy and who would fund infrastructure development. It will mean a more onerous fee structure for water as a way to bail out the department,” Boshoff said. A limited capacity meant…

Cummins Incorporated has announced a positive outlook for its business operations in the Southern African region for 2018. The company, with its headquarters in Indiana in the US, manufactures diesel and alternative fuel engines, as well as electrical generators and related components and technology. Last year, Cummins Incorporated increased its investment in the Southern African region to more than US$25 million (R295 million), according to Thierry Pimi, managing director of Cummins Southern Africa, who spoke at an event held in Sandton recently. “Sales are 22% higher than 2016. Investments in the Southern African region include new facilities in Zambia, South Africa [Johannesburg], as well as additional resource deployment across the territory,” Pimi said. “Indicators are consolidating for the company’s key markets where an increase in mining activity, equipment rebuilds, the…

Aquaculture development organisations often correctly identify the hurdles that hinder rural small-scale aquaculture in Africa, yet rarely succeed in finding solutions. Challenges such as poor-quality fingerlings, lack of appropriate technical advice, unavailability of suitable feeds, and lack of infrastructure for marketing are all barriers to success. Is the failure to solve these problems perhaps due to the wrong advice given? PROVEN METHODS One way to go forward is to look at others who have succeeded. Clearly, this means that ‘experts’ should never recommend the installation of energy-demanding, technically complex systems in areas where neither energy nor technical skills are present. Instead, they should base their advice on what other impoverished rural communities elsewhere have proven to work. While this may seem obvious, time and again, so-called turnkey systems are offered…

The journey to true soil health by means of precision conservation farming practices is slow and measured. But it certainly pays off, both in terms of profit and satisfaction. This is the message from father-and-son team Chris and Dewald Bothma from Anievaal farm near Potchefstroom in North West. Chris, an agricultural engineer by profession, began farming maize on about 1 000ha in 1995. For the next 15 years or so he used conventional farming techniques, which involved the application of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), as recommended by fertiliser representatives. He also changed from hybrid or non-genetically modified maize varieties to Bt or genetically modified (GM) maize when pests became a problem. Seven years ago, however, Chris’ approach to farming did a complete about-turn, thanks to Dewald. An…

Habitual abortion, which is caused by chronic over-activity of the ewe’s adrenal cortex, is one of the most important threats to the Angora goat industry. The problem occurs on a large scale every year, and on some South African farms, as many as 50% of the goats may have aborted at some time. Habitual abortion is associated with stress abortion, which is triggered by a drop in blood sugar level due to feed disturbance. Stress abortion is characterised by the expulsion of apparently normal, well-developed lambs after the 90th day of gestation. (Goats and sheep gestate for around 150 days.) A foetus aborted due to the dam’s overactive adrenal cortex shows signs of oedema. Cull habitual aborters and avoid selecting for excessive quantities of fine hair; this could lead to…

South Africa has enjoyed abundant food supplies throughout its history. From time to time, there have been temporary shortages of some crops, but overall, we’ve been fortunate. Within this context, our fresh produce markets have played a crucial role as major distribution centres. The turbulent weather of recent years and the devastating drought in some parts of the country have left their mark. Now that the Western Cape is on its knees due to severe water shortages, the politicians are trying to do something. In earlier years, they ignored the warnings and advice of experts on what should be done to conserve, store and distribute water. By all accounts, this is only the beginning; we can expect severe water shortages to hit other parts of South Africa in the not-so-distant…

A bay horse is a dark brownish-red, except for its muzzle, mane, tail and legs, and the tips of its ears, which are all black. Unless it has white leg markings, the hooves are also black. The black markings on a bay horse are known as ‘points’, and all true bays have black points. A brown horse is usually a dark seal colour over its whole body. Few brown horses have black points, and many have a lighter brown muzzle than the colour that dominates its body. Brown horses also have black hooves, and both brown and bay horses can have brown or black skin (except where they have white markings on their faces or legs). UNDERSTANDING THE GENES The genetics of a bay are far simpler than those of…

Dear Samuel, Thank you for our informative telephone conversation and your ideas for a tourist cottage. As your anticipated clientele are likely to be wildlife lovers and enjoy outdoor sporting activities, the cottages I’ve designed should cater to their needs. Each unit is spacious enough to accommodate a group of six or more bikers, hikers or fishermen. On the other hand, they could accommodate couples or family groups. The units are arranged in a semi-circle, which would allow for privacy from each other and a more random placement in the busy terrain. You mentioned that you envisage constructing about two dozen; these could be interconnected in groups of four or six to suit the lie of the land. Shown too is a roof of fibre-cement mock thatch tiles. These are…

CATTLE OF THE AGES by Cyril Ramaphosa (Jacana, R850) This answers any doubts about the new SA president’s personal passion for farming in general and Ankole cattle in particular. Ramaphosa discusses the breed’s meat and milk production, but perhaps the key passage at the present time relates to cattle as assets to combat inter-generational poverty. He concludes: “The constraints imposed on many black farmers through the lack of grazing land have placed limits on their effective participation in profitable cattle breeding. These limitations will only be fully overcome when the country’s land question is effectively resolved.” Daniel Naudé’s evocative portraits make this a glorious coffee-table book and gift. RECOVERY by Russell Brand (Bluebird, R300) Brand’s talents as an acclaimed performer and comedian made him a household…

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) recently halted the upgrading of the Clanwilliam Dam, citing a lack of funds. According to Western Cape Premier Helen Zille, R2 billion had been allocated to raise the dam wall during the 2013/2014 financial year, which would have doubled the dam’s holding capacity to 340 million cubic metres. This would have enabled farmers, especially developing farmers in the area, to irrigate an additional 6 000ha of farmland. As a result of the drought, about 20% of farmers in the area were at risk of going out of business, and a food manufacturing factory in the area had also been forced to close down, as farmers could no longer supply crops such as tomatoes needed in the manufacturing process. “Much of this economic damage…

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, in the US, have unlocked a technique that could enable cattle breeders to create ‘the cow of the future’ in a span of just 2,5 years. According to one of the researchers, Pablo Ross, a new culture method had been developed that allowed researchers to efficiently isolate embryonic stem cells (ESC) in cows. The next step would be to create gametes (sperm and egg cells). If this could be achieved, 10 generations, or about 25 years, of selective breeding could be compressed into less than three years in a laboratory. “So you can have the cow of the future now,” he told Farmer’s Weekly. Researchers had previously been able to create ESCs from rodents and primates. To date, they had not been able…

AUSTRALIA Meat and Livestock Australia is working with the Aerodyne Group on a A$5,1 million (R47 million) project to find a role for autonomous drones and sensors in the red meat and livestock industries. The aim is to develop systems that run as a ‘silent service’, removing the need for producers to manually control drones and other automated sensors to capture, analyse and report on-farm data. UNITED STATES A simple genetic modification could triple the amount of grain harvested from sorghum plants. According to scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in Huntington, New York, this genetic change boosts the plant’s yield by lowering the level of a key hormone, thus allowing the generation of more flowers and seeds. The discovery, reported in Nature Communications, also has the potential to significantly…

Authorities have issued an alert for rabies along South Africa’s entire border with Lesotho. According to Kevin le Roux of the KwaZulu-Natal Animal Health Forum, the incidence of rabies in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) had increased 400% since 2014, and was also a serious problem in the Eastern Cape and parts of the Free State. Le Roux told Farmer’s Weekly that two children aged three and six had died in KZN in the past two months, while a 13-year-old girl had also died in the Eastern Cape earlier this year. Although the organisation was currently dealing with a “jackal cycle”, he said there was particular concern about the presence of the disease in dogs that were not being vaccinated. “It is fundamentally a human problem because people can die,” Le Roux said.…

Making South African poultry products exempt from value-added tax (VAT) would assist both the consumer and producer, according to FairPlay, CEO, Francois Baird. Speaking at a recent Poultry Forum event hosted by Proudly South African in Sandton, Baird said it was important that chicken remained an affordable source of protein for poor consumers and smaller farmers who were struggling to survive. South Africans consumed approximately one billion chickens every year. However, despite this high consumption, the poultry industry in South Africa found itself in a crisis due to cheap imports from the US, Brazil and the EU, as well as the devastation wreaked by the recent widespread avian influenza outbreak, according to a statement by Proudly South African. Poultry Disease Management Agency (PDMA) director at the South African Poultry Association,…

Many government institutions, including the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), have again experienced budget cuts during the current financial year. Speaking to Farmer’s Weekly, Dr Shadrack Ralekeno Moephuli, president and CEO of the ARC, said parliamentary grants to state-owned entities had declined year-on-year over the past five years. “Parliamentary grants allocated to the ARC for the 2017/2018 financial year is R881 million, [of which] R854 million came from the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, (DAFF) and R26 million from the Department of Science and Technology,” he said. Moephuli said in the ARC’s 2016/2017 annual report that parliamentary grants to the ARC had been reduced by R228 million over a medium-term expenditure period ending 31 March 2017. An additional R39 million grant from DST for managing gene banks was also cut,…

TIMELINE In 2002, the use of glyphosate was approved in the EU. Between 2012 and 2015, a comprehensive study on glyphosate was conducted by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which concluded that glyphosate was unlikely to pose a cancer risk. In 2015, however, researchers at the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reported that glyphosate was “probably carcinogenic to humans”. In November 2015, shortly before the glyphosate licence expired in the EU, the European Commission (EC) proposed renewing the licence for 15 years. Following a public outcry, the EC approved a licence extension of only 18 months. Due to the conflicting reports of EFSA and IARC, the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) was called in to assess glyphosate safety. The year 2017 was an eventful one…

LED lighting for hunters has largely taken over from the 12V halogen systems, and for two good reasons, namely that it draws less power, and enables you to walk in the bush with the light mounted. A halogen torch, linked to a large 12V battery, is too heavy for this. It is simple to set up your light for night calling. At dusk, place a small reflector on a bush about 70m away from you and your shooting chair. Shine your torch onto the reflector, simply zooming into the light, and align it so that you can see the bush in your scope. Check the light every 15 or so minutes to ensure that you are still zoomed in. In this way, when you rotate the light on your shooting…

“To meet the growing demand for food and fibre, farmers must produce more with less,” says Adam Olivier, FieldNET service manager for Lindsay Africa. “Technology makes it easier to do this by improving efficiency and productivity.” One of these technologies is FieldNET by Lindsay, an integrated wireless management tool that allows a farmer to monitor and control an irrigation system from virtually anywhere via a laptop, tablet or smartphone. FieldNET enables the user to do the following: • Monitor and control pivots, laterals and pumps; • Create variable rate irrigation (VRI) plans for each land; • Receive real-time updates on run status, pressure, flow, water level and more, achieving higher efficiency and reducing energy usage, as well as wear and tear; • Monitor and control user levels, with managers able…

The Patriot SPX 250 is the smallest of the four-model range of Patriot sprayers. It has a 125kW engine, a tank capacity of 2 500l, two boom width options (24m and 27m), and, it is claimed, the highest ground clearance in its class. The forward cab/rear engine configuration gives the sprayer a distinctive look and enhances its performance. The design puts the static weight of the cab and engine over the front and rear axles respectively. The variable weight of the tank and contents is in the centre of the machine for even weight distribution irrespective of the level in the tank, even with the booms extended. COMFORTABLY PRODUCTIVE A comfortable, ergonomically designed cab interior, aircraft-style trailing-link suspension, and the generous distance between engine and cab, all combine to provide…

To make an elegant trifle for six, you will need: 125g of Boudoir biscuits 20 small store-bought meringues 250ml of cream 500ml of mascarpone (2 tubs) 75g of icing sugar 3 large bananas 6 tablespoons of milk 6 tablespoons of best-quality rum 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice A little cocoa powder as required 1 Measure out three tablespoons of milk and three tablespoons of rum, and pour these into the bowl of an electric mixer. Add all the mascarpone and the 75g of icing sugar. With the mixer running on low, mix these well, then cover the bowl with cling wrap and refrigerate until later in the proceedings. 2 Select a tall, skinny glass. Pour in the remaining milk and rum and give this a good stir. By hand,…

TAKE HEART: JESUS CHRIST IS IN YOUR CORNER, TAKING CARE OF YOU In Corinthians 9:26, Paul writes: “Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus, I fight: not as one who beats the air.” For many of us, fighting the good fight is like a boxing match: we feel as if we’ve been knocked down for 14 rounds and are now in round 15, the last one. We now need to fight just as world champion boxer Rocky Marciano did. He had 49 fights as a professional, and never lost once. He wasn’t the biggest heavyweight around; 1,8mm tall, he weighed 77kg, and often fought opponents that weighed more than 100kg. The real reason he always won was that, regardless of the pain, he simply refused to give up. In…

One of the major benefits of having an IP camera home-security system that works off a wireless network is that more cameras can be added as the budget allows. Eventually, each room can be equipped with its own camera, providing that a wireless connection is available. CABLING VS WIRELESS: ECONOMICS AND DISTANCE According to Luke Phillips, CEO of Border Internet, a homestead can transmit a Wi-Fi signal via a local area network (LAN) cable to any outbuilding if it is fewer than 100m away. Because the LAN cable is highly sensitive to lightning, it should be run through a plastic pipe and buried if used outside to connect one building to another. Buildings further than 100m away can be connected by means of a wireless bridge. This is a device…