Table of contents for 22 June 2018 in Farmer's Weekly

The biggest story coming out of the recent Group of Seven (G7) summit in Canada is the heckling by US President Donald Trump on Twitter, which was directed at other member countries of the G7, and Canada in particular. “Fair Trade is now to be called ‘fool trade’ if it is not reciprocal,” read Trump’s tweet. He followed this with a second tweet that said: “Why should I, as President of the United States, allow countries to continue to make massive trade surpluses, as they have for decades, while our farmers, workers and taxpayers have such a big and unfair price to pay? Not fair to the people of America! [A] $800 billion trade deficit...” While his social media tactics may be puerile, and farmers in the US have already…

The storage and removal of used oil from generator motors or other engines is crucial for the environment and human safety. The ROSE Foundation explains how farmers should store their used oil until licensed collectors are able to remove it from their premises, and dispose of it in an environmentally friendly manner. South Africa generates an average of 120 million litres of used lubricant oil in a year. This is a large amount of used oil that, if not collected and recycled responsibly, could make its way into our environment, contaminating landfills and groundwater. USE LICENSED COLLECTORS FOR THE REMOVAL OF USED OIL Environmental legislation requires that used oil be safely stored, collected and processed by licensed oil collectors and processors, who will ensure that it is recycled in an…

This week, I want to correct a misconception about Zimbabwe’s historic agricultural contribution to Africa. The general view that Zimbabwe was once a breadbasket for Africa is inaccurate. An Africa Check report, published in 2017, endeavoured to assess whether Zimbabwe was ever a breadbasket for the continent. According to fellow agricultural economist Sifiso Ntombela and myself, a country can only be considered a breadbasket if it is able to meet its own staple food consumption needs, while simultaneously commanding a notable share of exports of the same food commodity. ZIMBABWE’S CONTRIBUTION TO AFRICA’S MAIZE NEVER EXCEEDED 10% After doing some research, Ntombela and I found that Zimbabwe has never been a breadbasket. What we did find, however, was that Zimbabwe had been a self-sufficient food producer until former president Robert…

Industry experts in both Europe and the US are expecting commodity prices to remain unchanged for the next decade. This was the opinion of Prof Marcos Fava Neves of the Business School of Economics, Business Administration and Accounting at the University of São Paolo in Brazil. Speaking at the recent Agbiz 2018 Congress in Port Elizabeth, Fava Neves said the key message was that despite a growing market, prices were expected to remain stagnant. Therefore it was vital for farmers to build their margins by taking advantage of the digital technology economy, and paying closer attention to and using technological innovations to improve productivity and growth in agriculture. Despite the increasing complexity of agricultural production in the modern world, the industry could contribute billions of dollars to propel the South…

Climate change, political uncertainty, stock theft, predation and animal health were some of the main challenges discussed during the annual general meeting of the Western Cape’s Red Meat Producers’ Organisation (RPO), recently held in Moorreesburg. RPO chairperson Louis Wessels said it was disconcerting that only 30% of stock theft incidents were reported to the police. “Failure to report theft is causing a misrepresentation of the scale of the crime. The police will devote more resources, such as staff and vehicles, to stock theft if more cases were reported,” he said. Lt Col Johan Smit, provincial stock theft coordinator, encouraged farmers to report stock theft incidents as soon as possible. “Stock theft has become an easy crime, and farmers sometimes take days before realising animals are missing. The problem with this…

LABOUR AND PRODUCTION COSTS ARE RISING Something has gone seriously wrong with the Australian dairy industry, and unless milk producers solve their profitability equation, the industry will slip even further behind, according to Australian dairy consultant David Beca at the recent Dairy Business Seminar held near Howick in KwaZulu-Natal. “Annual growth in the Australian industry evaporated 15 years ago. The New Zealand industry continued to grow at a good rate and is now the same size as that of Australia, South Africa, Uruguay and Argentina combined. “Something has gone seriously wrong in Australia. We need to solve the profitability equation or it will continue to go backwards,” he said. Australia’s annual milk production declined from 10,3 billion litres in 2002/2003, to nine billion litres in 2016/2017, while production in New…

The Western Cape Department of Agriculture recently released a strategic document aimed at sustaining the honeybee population in the Western Cape. “Work on the strategy started last year in February due to rising concern over the industry’s potential to meet the growing demand for pollination services, which is expected to increase by 80 000 units over the next decade,” said Dr Tlou Masehela, chairperson of the Western Cape Bee Industry Association. Various stakeholders representing provincial government, researchers, commercial and smallholder beekeepers, industry representatives and the retail industry had been consulted during the development of the strategy. “The strategy’s success will be highly dependent on the buy-in from all stakeholders, so the aim was to get inputs from all the relevant parties,” Masehela said. Sustainable bee forage, research and innovation, regulatory…

South Africa’s 2017/2018 sugar milling season, which ended in March, has been unkind to growers. This was according to Dr Muhammad Kadwa, manager of SA Canegrowers’ industrial affairs division, who attributed this to a “perfect storm” of factors that negatively affected the recoverable value (RV) price paid by sugar milling companies to suppliers. Kadwa said that these factors included significant imports of cheap sugar, the stronger rand against major currencies, the weaker world sugar price, the drop in the local notional price of sugar, the larger post-drought sugar cane crop, and the introduction of the Health Promotion Levy, commonly known as the ‘sugar tax’. “The biggest issue was that [more than 500 000t] of deep-sea sugar was imported from January to December 2017. This contributed to [the sugar industry] exporting…

NEVER KEEP LARGE SUMS OF CASH IN THE HOUSE, AND PAY YOUR STAFF BY DIRECT BANK TRANSFER According to a recent Agri SA report, based on official statistics released by the South African Police Service (SAPS), there were 12 567 farm attacks in South Africa, in which 1 733 people were murdered, between 1996/1997 and 2017/2018. This is an average of 661 farm attacks and 91 murders a year. However, figures published by TAU SA are higher than those cited by Agri SA. Reliable statistics are important in combating any form of crime, and it’s in the interest of the entire farming sector that these two organisations get together to resolve the discrepancies. It is even more important when you remember there are those who don’t like us drawing attention…

DRYLAND PRODUCTION IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE 68% IN THE 2017/2018 PRODUCTION SEASON International cotton prices, supported by sustained, growing consumer demand, have been positive in 2018. Increased consumption has resulted in lower ending-stocks globally, and world prices reached a seasonal average of approximately R23/kg from August 2017 to May 2018. Global cotton production was estimated at 26,6 million tons for the 2017/2018 season. However, due to various challenges in the top three cotton-producing countries, namely India, China and the US, cotton production is expected to decline in certain areas within these countries in 2018/2019. In India, the area planted to the crop is anticipated to decrease 3% because of bollworm infestation. China’s supportive policies are expected to sustain the industry, but dry conditions in the country’s main cotton-growing region should…

The price paid for feedlot cattle is a key factor in determining the profitability of a feedlot enterprise, especially when there is a small or negative feed margin. In turn, the cost of a carbohydrate (usually maize, hominy chop or other grains) is crucial, due to the high proportion of energy required for good feedlot performance. Sound management is therefore extremely important. This includes the following: • Buying the right type of animal at the right price and at the right time. • Providing a balanced, cost-effective feedlot ration with a nutrient content matched to the type of animal being fed. The feedlot manager can achieve this by recording animal performance and monitoring results. A nutritionist should be employed to balance the ration, as this is a specialised task requiring…

Some people dismiss a knowledge of history as being of little value in our modern society. They argue that what happened 50 or 100 years ago has no connection with today. The world has changed too much, they say. I disagree. In recent columns, I’ve quoted from a document on markets written in 1948, which is exactly 70 years ago! It was a revelation to me how little aspects of our markets have changed. More significantly, human nature has not changed much. WHAT CAN YESTERDAY’S MARKET AGENTS TEACH US? Having said that, we in the fresh produce markets sector should pause to reflect on what we can learn from the leaders of those days. If we’re sufficiently open-minded in our approach, we can gain useful knowledge that could be applied…

Brazilian company JF Agricultural Machinery (JF) was established in 1981. Its product range has expanded to include precision forage harvesters, forage choppers, fodder processors, hammer mills and forage wagons, which are distributed in 40 countries, including South Africa. According to Rafael Prado, JF export sales executive, the company started exporting machinery to South Africa in 2000. At the time, the local market was still dominated by equipment from European manufacturers, but JF has seen an encouraging increase in sales in recent years. New machinery on show at Agrishow 2018 in Brazil and also at Nampo in South Africa included the JF C120 AT single-row forage harvester and its bigger brother, the JF 3200 AT multi-forage harvester. The JF C120 AT can cut and chop maize, sorghum, sunflower, sugar cane, and…

Perfect for everyday use For well over a 100 years, Opinel, a French knife manufacturer, has been making knives with nearly no alterations to the original design. Its flagship knife is the OPINEL NO. 8 CARBON. Opinel produces the same knife style, but in different lengths. The No. 8 Carbon is its most popular, as it is a very versatile knife and can be used for DIY projects, camping, cooking or everyday tasks. The knife is also very affordable, with the blade made from carbon steel with a sweeping clip point. Like all carbon steel products, the blade is subject to corrosion. Opinel therefore suggests that the knife be stored in a dry area, that damp locations be avoided and that the blade be kept clean after use. The handle…

HEIST! by Anneliese Burgess (Penguin, R230) The three cash-in-transit heists that took place on the Monday morning before Police Minister Bheki Cele could even start revealing his plan to combat them, underline how brazen this form of crime has become. Burgess combines deep digging into piles of court papers with interviews, analysis and strong storytelling for a gripping true crime read. STUARTS’ FIELD GUIDE TO NATIONAL PARKS & NATURE RESERVES OF SOUTH AFRICA by Chris & Mathilde Stuart (Struik Nature, R300) An updated edition of the Stuarts’ well-received and justly popular 2012 guide features the most popular 43 reserves in South Africa, arranged by province. The Stuarts have a knack of combining accessible, readable information about geology, wildlife and vegetation with quick-reference panels of highlights for…

DATES: 18 June: ARC Irene Campus, Meat Science Building (Pretoria) 20 June: Middelwater Country Lodge (Bloemfontein) 22 June: Mistico Equestrian Centre (Paarl) 26 June: Jackie Cameron School of Food and Wine (Pietermaritzburg) SPEAKERS INCLUDE: Graham Truscott (consultant), Dr Michael Bradfield (Wagyu South Africa CEO), Dr Fanie Steyn (Wagyu South Africa chairperson), Brian Angus (Wagyu South Africa founder member), James Schnetler (value chain) and Lynette van Reenen (feedlot). TOPICS INCLUDE: • Importing Wagyu into South Africa; • The transformation of the South African beef industry; • Understanding the value chain from producer to restaurant; • The certified Wagyu Beef Programme; • Achieving integrity both locally and internationally. For more information, email events@wagyu.org.za. Participating sponsors: Polo, Woodview Wagyu, Beyond Beef, Rising Sun, Absolute Wagyu, Landbouweekblad, Sumo Wagyu, Farmer’s Weekly, Synergy Wagyu, 777…

“Undernutrition is still a major cause of mortality and morbidity around the world. This is an unacceptable situation, and it is a shame on all of us that it still exists. For example, there are currently 52 million children under five years old who are dangerously underweight, and 155 million children under five years old who have stunted growth as a result of being undernourished. It has been estimated that approximately 45% of all deaths of children in this age group, amounting to a shocking 3,1 million deaths annually, are associated with undernutrition. The longer-term consequences of undernutrition in the world’s children are equally challenging. These include reduced educational achievement capability during the formative years, and then reduced work capacity and associated reduced economic productivity in adulthood. These factors may…

20 TO 21 JUNE Vision 2030 THE VISION 2030 SUMMIT WILL BRING PUBLIC AND PRIVATE-SECTOR STAKEHOLDERS TOGETHER TO EXPEDITE THE REALISATION OF THE NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN’S GOALS. CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS & EXPOS 19 TO 20 JUNE Manufacturing Indaba, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg. For more information, visit manufacturingindaba.co.za /. 20 TO 21 JUNE Vision 2030 Summit, Emperors Palace, Johannesburg. For more information, visit vision2030.co.za /. 23 TO 27 JUNE International Food & Agribusiness Management Association World Conference, Buenos Aires, Argentina. For more information, visit ifama.org/page-18525 . 25 JUNE Africa’s Big 7 Farmers’ Training Day, Gallagher Convention Centre, Johannesburg. For more information, phone 011 783 7250, or email info@africabig7.com . 25 TO 27 SEPTEMBER 56th Annual Conference of the Agricultural Economics…

KwaZulu-Natal seems to be the new frontier for the ANC’s internal politics, with former president Jacob Zuma once again threatening to expose those who call him corrupt. Speaking to a few hundred supporters outside the High Court in Durban recently, Zuma said he was tired of being the “good guy”, and that if people did not stop speaking about him, he would expose them. This is a not-so-veiled reference to the SACP and Blade Nzimande, in particular, as well as the Cyril Ramaphosa faction in the ANC. With Zuma’s history as intelligence chief of the ANC, he undoubtedly knows where the bodies are buried, and who buried them. SUPPORT FOR ZUMA The ‘big names’ supporting him at this court appearance can at this time be described as the ‘previously employed’…

Spaza shops formed part of a R70 billion traditional trade (TT) sector in South Africa, which was far outperforming modern trade (MT) retailers in terms of annual growth. This was among the findings in Nielsen’s 2017 annual Shopper Trends Study, which found that urban and rural TT formats accounted for more than R70 billion, or 22,3%, of total retail sales of about R316 billion per annum. Nielsen’s consumer insights director, Esti Prinsloo, said that despite spend being still higher in MT, strong sales growth was coming through in TT, which comprised spaza shops, small independent grocers, self-service walk-in outlets, and countertop formats. Spend in urban independents (mostly spaza stores) grew 13,4% in 2017, while rural outlets grew 2,3%. “Hypermarkets grew 4,8% and supermarkets 8,6%,” Prinsloo said. According to Marlene Louw,…

Sustainable water management was high on the agenda at this year’s Hortgro Science Technical Symposium, held recently in Somerset West. Dr Roger Parsons of Parsons & Associates Specialist Groundwater Consultants urged farmers to familiarise themselves with new technological developments in borehole management and identification. “Over the past few decades, the use of new technologies and improved production practices has resulted in great strides in terms of the volume of fruit produced per hectare. “It is incomprehensible, though, that many farmers still hold on to old wives’ tales and nonscientific practices, such as the use of a stick to identify water resources, when it comes to the identification of boreholes, even though this field has become very scientific,” Parsons said. When choosing drilling and pump companies, Parsons warned farmers not to…

Researchers have discovered that more than 7% of cattle and 1% of sheep and goats in local abattoirs in northern Tanzania are infected with Leptospira bacteria. The bacteria causes leptospirosis, a disease that can result in kidney damage, liver failure or death. Leptospirosis affects more than one million people worldwide each year. A researcher at the University of Glasgow in Scotland, Kathryn Allan, tested rodents, cattle, goats and sheep for Leptospira infection in the catchment areas of two hospitals that reported high prevalence of patients with leptospirosis. Of the 384 rodents tested, none had the Leptospira infection. In contrast, Leptospira were detected in kidney samples from 7,1% of cattle, 1,2% of goats, and 1,1% of sheep. Allan said the study, published in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, made a…

Hundreds of thousands of South African pupils have attended the Grain SA Schools Programme since its inception in 2010, according to Willie Kotzé, the operations manager for the initiative. In 2017 alone, 852 schools were visited and 115 695 pupils reached. The intention of the programme, which had been funded by the Maize Trust, Winter Cereal Trust and AgriSETA, was to create awareness of the agriculture sector and what it entailed, especially its contribution to ensuring food security, said Kotzé. “We are overwhelmed by requests from schools and pupils to expand the programme to more schools, but costs are prohibitive,” he said. The selected schools in all nine provinces were visited three times a year. The first visit to a school, which usually took place during the first school term,…

Government was accused of not allocating sufficient funding to support programmes aimed at the development of new farmers, during the recent annual congress of the Free State chapter of the National Emergent Red Meat Producers’ Organisation (NERPO), which was held in Welkom. Aggrey Mahanjana, group managing director of NERPO, told the congress that the organisation strongly proposed that land reform in South Africa be undertaken in three phases. The first phase needed to include expropriation with or without compensation. However, based on consultation with numerous legal, political and economic experts, Mahanjana said NERPO believed that there was no need for government to amend the Constitution to allow for expropriation without compensation. Provisions in the Constitution in its current form were already “adequate enough” to allow for this. The second phase…

It was unlikely that the hail damage suffered in the Mbombela area at the end of last month would have a big impact on South Africa’s citrus exports, according to Andrew Muller, managing director of Karino Citrus. About 2,2 million 15kg cartons of citrus were lost as a result of the hail damage suffered in November last year, as well as the most recent storm. South Africa exported about 7,8 million cartons of citrus annually. “Local producers [thus] suffered severe financial losses given that the average price is about R120 per carton,” said Muller. According to the latest estimates, Southern African citrus growers were expected to export a total of 131,7 million cartons. This was a 7,1% increase on last year’s combined export crop from South Africa, Zimbabwe and Swaziland.…

Many people simply don’t know what to do about increasing their capital for a rainy day. One piece of advice, however, cannot change: buy low, sell high. This is the key to all investment success. The thing is, many people don’t know what ‘low’ or ‘high’ are in relation to orthodox investments. Also, orthodox investments are not as solid as they used to be. So why buy stocks and shares when you are not a stock market expert? Alternative investments can be very rewarding and tax-efficient. They include fine wine, antiques, watches, stamps, classic cars and art. Many people have a reasonable knowledge of these items, but fail to use it to their advantage. Yet investors need to adopt unorthodox thinking in these volatile times to ensure good, tax-effective returns.…

Walking down the wide lanes that neatly dissect the 40ha of showgrounds of Brazil’s Agrishow, and flanked on either side by the monstrous machinery that has become the symbol of modern agricultural innovation, it is hard to imagine that this is a country that only recently emerged from its worst recession in history. MECHANISED SOLUTIONS FOR SMALLHOLDERS, MEGA FARMERS AND EVERYONE IN BETWEEN Brazil experienced continued negative economic growth during 2015 and 2016 and managed to rebound only marginally in 2017, with 1% GDP growth. Despite the country’s lacklustre economic performance, the throngs of visitors at what is described as the most complete agricultural show in Latin America are not there only to look; many have come to buy. According to the organisers of Agrishow, approximately R$2,7 billion (about R9,6…

To make stir-fried chicken for four hungry diners, you will need: 1kg chicken thighs 2 or 3 whole, dried chillies 10 cloves of garlic 150g of cashew nuts 80ml of Old Brown Sherry 60mm of fresh root ginger 6 medjool dates 1 cup of dhania leaves 2 cups of basil leaves Freshly squeezed lime juice 3 tablespoons of soya sauce 1 teaspoon of sesame oil 4 tablespoons canola, peanut or sunflower oil Basmati rice 2 bunches of spring onions Before you begin, prepare all the ingredients and measure your liquids. Wok cooking is very quick and leaves no time for afterthoughts about quantities. 1 Remove the skin and bones from the chicken thighs, then slice the meat into bite-sized pieces. 2 Top and tail the spring onions, then cut the…

Swiss company EcoRobotix has brought out a solar-powered, wheeled robot that applies herbicide with pinpoint accuracy. According to investors in the technology, it could potentially disrupt the $100 billion (R1,3 trillion) pesticide and seed industry by reducing the need to spray non-selective chemicals over vast tracts of land planted to herbicide-tolerant genetically modified crops. The robot operates autonomously, positioning itself with the aid of onboard cameras, GPS and real-time kinematic (RTK) sensors – a satellite navigation technique that enhances GPS precision. ONE WEED AT A TIME The onboard vision system enables the robot to follow crop rows, and at the same time detect the position of weeds in and between the rows. It then applies a dose of herbicide where needed. The herbicide is applied by two spider-like arms that…

Eastern Cape Bathurst • Blaauwkrantz (114ha) sold by Lawrence Gradwell to Strategy Development Services for R590 000. Humansdorp • Farm 809 (6ha portion) sold by Craig Humby to PC Ferreira for R735 000. Maclear • Two farms, including Ben Derag (totalling 581ha), sold by Willem de Klerk to W&A Farming for R8,4 million. Matatielle • Otters Poort (943ha) sold by Johanna Botha to Entremonts Trust for R1,2 million. • Alingthun Annexe (731ha) sold by unnamed seller to Botha Partners for R180 000. Mthatha • Hillside (16ha) sold by Motumi Motumi B-E to Le Foret Properties for R280 000. Free State Bloemfontein • Two farms, including Driepan (totalling 885ha), sold by Redeli Trust to national government for R5,1 million. Bothaville • Tweespruit (221ha) sold by Xaba Trust to Bernadine Otto for…

Earth observations used in a once-off study show that about 1,3 million hectares of South Africa’s agricultural land was actively irrigated during 2014/2015, according to experts. A statement issued by the Water Research Commission (WRC), following the release of the findings, said this made up about 10% of the total area used for agriculture in 2014/2015, including fallow land. Before the release of this study, estimates available for the area planted to irrigated crops were outdated and varied greatly. “Various assessments since the 1990s documented the area under irrigation using different approaches. According to these estimates, the area under irrigation ranged between 1,21 million hectares and 1,58 million hectares,” the WRC said. To obtain empirical evidence of the irrigated area, a research project was initiated by the WRC in 2013,…

UNITED STATES Many US crop farmers are giving up on federal organic certification due to problems with market access and the US government’s extensive requirements. A study by Purdue University found that obtaining this certification from the US Department of Agriculture was not only expensive, but could be a year-long process. The study found that of 234 farms that were, or had been, organic at some point, 36% had dropped certification. AUSTRALIA Researchers at Hort Innovation and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation have come up with a way to produce nutrient-rich coffee made from imperfect-looking broccoli that would otherwise not make it onto supermarket shelves. The 100% broccoli powder is made from whole broccoli and is produced using a combination of pre-treatment and drying processes to retain the…

Innovative water usage and new vineyards coming into production have resulted in the table grape harvest being higher than initially expected. “The industry expected the harvest to be in line with our long-term average of 58 million 4,5kg cartons, but the harvest amounted to 62 million 4,5kg cartons, to everyone’s surprise,” said Fanie Naudé, newly elected chairperson of the South African Table Grape Industry. The harvest was, nevertheless, 8,2% lower than last year’s 67,5 million cartons. “Many farms were subjected to severe water restrictions, and farmers also had to cope with the threat of boreholes running dry, but they did their best with what they had. It also helped that the area under production expanded from 18 000ha to 20 500ha over the past five years, and that older varieties…

Young farmers in the Free State have been urged to organise themselves so that they can be represented by a strong and collective voice when it comes to engaging with stakeholders, ranging from government to commercial banks. Well over 100 young farmers had an opportunity to air their views and share their challenges during a roadshow event at the Glen College of Agriculture in Bloemfontein. The event was hosted by the youth wing of the African Farmers’ Association of South Africa (AFASA). AFASA youth coordinator Nono Sekhoto told Farmer’s Weekly that this was the final event of four held across South Africa ahead of the annual AFASA Young Farmers’ Summit in August this year. One of the main concerns raised by the young farmers attending the event was access to…

Foot rot is caused by bacteria that typically enter the skin between the claws of the hooves of sheep, goats and cattle. The site of entry is usually a small cut or injury. Because foot rot is not normally fatal (although secondary infections can be), many farmers do not take an outbreak seriously. But in the case of sheep, for example, severely affected animals may produce lower-quality wool, which will reduce income. Some studies have shown that Merino sheep may be more at risk of contracting foot rot than other breeds. Outbreaks of this debilitating disease can severely affect the overall health of livestock. Two basic forms occur: • Virulent foot rot: highly contagious and easily spread through moist underfoot conditions; • Benign foot rot: less damaging and not spread…

Principal Sunet Wessels disagrees with the government’s policy of closing farm schools with fewer than 50 pupils and relocating them to boarding schools in nearby towns. “Sending children away doesn’t work,’’ she says. “Parents are best positioned to look after their own children.’’ She believes that children taken from the security of their homes are often prone to delinquent behaviour, including substance abuse and promiscuity. Teen pregnancies are, in fact, a problem even at Gelukwaarts, with 2017 seeing three girls falling pregnant. Wessels therefore encourages the use of birth control (sourced via the state’s mobile clinics) for sexually active girls as a last resort to protect their future. To ensure that pupils receive enough to eat, Wessels spearheaded a vegetable garden project to augment the state-funded school nutrition programme, which…

Nitrogen plays a key role in the formation of organic matter. When I changed to no-till production, I was amazed at how rapidly the soil gained organic matter, and how quickly plant health and crop performance improved. I knew that humus has a carbon:nitrogen (C:N) ratio of 10:1, but had never fully understood the significance of this. Because I was fertilising my crops with liberal amounts of N, I wondered whether this was significant in converting my crop residue into humus. FINDING THE MISSING FORMULA The next step was to determine if there was a formula for this development. I started asking questions locally and abroad, and even contacted the agronomy professors of three US universities. LEGUMES ARE IMPORTANT IN ANY GREEN MANURE OR COVER CROP MIXTURE Two of them…

We all make unthinking mistakes from time to time, and the consequences are usually not severe. When it comes to vehicles, however, unthinking mistakes can result in major repairs. PETROL VS DIESEL A survey conducted in the UK has shown that, on average, more than 100 drivers across the country unthinkingly put petrol into diesel-engine cars daily. Diesel fuel is oily but petrol isn’t, and this can result in engine damage that gets worse for every second that the engine runs. If this happens to you and you notice in time, do not start the engine; get all the petrol drained out properly and refill with diesel. Putting diesel in a petrol-engined car is not as harmful, but the wrong fuel should still be drained out. If you have an…

One would think the garlic would be the star of the show here, especially as I included all 10 cloves when I made this recipe, but it was the dates that tied the dish together. There are so many flavours in each bite that balance and counter each other, from the pungency of the garlic to the aromatic bite of the ginger and the subtle fire of the chilli, balanced by the warm sweetness of the sherry, the salty sweetness of the soya sauce, and the earthy richness of the dates. I was a little surprised by the wine that worked best: Sauvignon Blanc. This cultivar is always fresh and zippy, but its acidity tied in perfectly, and its aromatics matched those of the dish. Cooler-climate Sauvignon Blancs have less…

A major cause of colon cancer is Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium that invades the gastrointestinal lining. Research suggests that piperine, a pungent phytochemical found in black peppercorns, might be useful in preventing H. pylori-associated gastric carcinogenesis. Lycopene, found in red-fleshed fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, watermelons, pink grapefruit and blood oranges, is believed to fight cervix, colon, lung and prostate cancer. Glucosinolates, organic compounds found in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts, radish and watercress, form isothiocyanates (sulphur-containing phytochemicals) in the body. Isothiocyanates, in turn, activate cancer-inhibiting agents that help protect against tumour growth. To enjoy the full benefits of isothiocyanates, consume these vegetables raw or lightly steamed. ANTIOXIDANT Curcumin, an active antioxidant and anti-inflammatory found in turmeric, is said to suppress a wide range of cancers.…

The Wagyu Roadshow will kick off at the Agricultural Research Council premises in Irene, Gauteng, on 18 June. On 20 June it will move to the Middelwater Country Lodge near Bloemfontein, Free State; on 22 June to the Mistico Equestrian Centre outside Paarl, Western Cape; and on 26 June to the Jackie Cameron School of Food & Wine in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal. The roadshow will provide the ideal opportunity for aspiring Wagyu producers and the public to experience what Wagyu beef tastes like, and find out what the prospects are for the future of this breed in South Africa. Speakers at the roadshow will include chairperson of Wagyu South Africa, Dr Fanie Steyn, founder member Brian Angus, CEO, Dr Michael Bradfield, and Wagyu international consultant Graham Truscott. Speakers from the feedlot…