Table of contents for 27 July 2018 in Farmer's Weekly

African countries have substantially improved their general macroeconomic conditions and performance over past years and are now home to some of the fastest growing economies in the world. However, most regions within the continent are still trapped in the trade of unprocessed commodities, the prices of which declined sharply in 2014. According to Brahima S Coulibaly, director of the Africa Growth Initiative at Brookings Institution, Africa will have to undergo a period of renewed industrialisation to reverse this trend. In the report, ‘Foresight Africa: Top Priorities for the Continent in 2018’, Coulibaly writes: “African industrialisation should not be financed through old forms of foreign aid with miserabilist connotation, but through a series of new global pacts combining substantial amounts of public and private money in search of good returns.” The…

AgriWorks Farmers’ Expo 26 TO 28 JULY AGRIWORKS RETURNS TO POTCHEFSTROOM FOR ITS FIFTH AGRIWORKS EXPO AT THE CENTRALLY LOCATED TRIM PARK GROUNDS BEHIND THE MOOIRIVIER MALL. THE LOCATION OFFERS EASY ACCESS FOR VISITORS FROM NORTH WEST, THE FREE STATE AND GAUTENG. FARMERS CAN VIEW A RANGE OF PRODUCTS ON DISPLAY AND NETWORK WITH AGRICULTURAL SUPPLY COMPANIES. CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS & EXPOS 25 TO 27 SEPTEMBER 56th Annual Conference of the Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa (AEASA), Somerset West. For more information, visit centeqevents.wixsite.com/aeasa2018 . COURSES & TRAINING 23 TO 25 JULY Cattle: Artificial Insemination, George. Phone Lily Rothman on 078 546 7985, or visit rltsafrica.com . 23 TO 25 JULY Pigs: Artificial Insemination, George. Phone Lily Rothman on 078 546 7985, or visit…

THE FREE TRADE AREA AGREEMENT WILL OPEN UP A MARKET OF 1,2 BILLION PEOPLE The next best thing besides South Africa signing the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement would undoubtedly be Nigeria also signing it. South Africa recently urged Nigeria to do just that. This follows business groups in Nigeria objecting to signing the agreement at the Kigali Summit earlier this year, citing inadequate consultation. With the two largest economies in Africa committed to trading with each other and other countries on the continent under AfCFTA, this would help to rapidly advance regional trade and integration, and the continent’s overall economic development. REVOLUTIONISING TRADE Ultimately, it is envisaged that AfCFTA will revolutionise the way in which African countries trade with one another. This will be achieved by creating…

RTS Industries, which together with Technical Systems faces prosecution for charges relating to division of markets by allocating territories, is cooperating with the Competition Commission and will assist the commission in its prosecution of Technical Systems. This comes after RTS had applied for leniency in the matter, according to a statement by the commission. Spokesperson for the Competition Commission, Sipho Ngwema, told Farmer’s Weekly that Technical Systems could either face prosecution or come to a settlement, which would then be presented to the Competition Tribunal. The commission had referred the matter to the Competition Tribunal for prosecution of the two companies, which manufacture and supply flat wire, augers and auger coiling machinery to the global poultry feeding market. According to the commission’s statement, the collusive conduct between the companies started…

Following their much-publicised visit to Russia, the Schlebusch family, who farm near Bloemfontein in the Free State, have clarified the reasons for their trip to Farmer’s Weekly. The visit was undertaken by Dr Jann Schlebusch, his son, Dr Adi Schlebusch, and daughter, Theresa Schlebusch. Adi said the purpose of their visit to Russia was threefold. The first was to meet various stakeholders in Russian agriculture “to discuss potential opportunities for white farmers and other interested parties who would like to relocate from South Africa to Russia given the current uncertainty of our property rights in South Africa”. “[The second purpose was] to make known to the Russian officials and public the troublesome situation that white farmers in South Africa currently experience in terms of farm murders and land reform,” he…

The harvesting of soya bean in the summer grain production region of South Africa has been completed, while sunflower harvesting is nearing completion, according to Grain SA economist Petru Fourie. At the time of going to print, maize harvesting in the eastern parts of South Africa had largely been completed, but only a small number of maize lands had been harvested in the west. Fourie said in a statement that up to 70% of the sunflower harvest and between 20% and 30% of the maize harvest in North West had been completed by the first week of July. Sunflower yields had been negatively affected by widespread Sclerotinia fungus outbreaks. The sunflower harvest in the western and central Free State had nearly been completed, but the crop had suffered damage from…

Trust “is the one thing that changes everything”, says author and motivational speaker Stephen Covey in The Speed of Trust. But if someone had to ask you to define ‘trust’, you might have some difficulty. It’s a complex concept, often driven by emotion rather than good sense, and it doesn’t necessarily depend on the integrity or morals of the people who share it. Criminals often have deep trust in one another. Perhaps the best way to define trust is to use an example: imagine having a friend or colleague who would never, deliberately or accidentally, consciously or unconsciously, take advantage of you. Someone in whose hands you could, with complete confidence, place your entire situation – your status, self-esteem, career, and even your life. That’s trust. The concept was drawn…

The gestation period of a cow is 283 days, or about nine months. After calving, a cow should be allowed to rest and recover for at least 50 days before being brought to the bull again. In herds where calving takes place in a restricted breeding season, a cow has only 32 days in which to conceive so that she calves at the same time the following year (365 days - [50 days + 283 days] = 32 days). On average, a cow comes on heat for six to 18 hours every 21 days. She, therefore, has no more than two chances (often only one) during these 32 days to conceive again. During the first days after conception, the chance of successful fertilisation and implantation of the fertilised ovum is…

Company representatives often bombard farmers with products claimed to increase yield at little cost. One of their favourites is foliar feed spray mixtures, which, they say, supply virtually every mineral that a crop needs to flourish. My first experience of a foliar feed mixture was when I started working for a large agricultural estate many years ago. A highly persuasive rep gave me a thick brochure outlining the benefits of foliar sprays, complete with reports on farmer trials. It took three evenings to read, and I became fired up with enthusiasm. Due to the scale of production on the estate, I was required to conduct trials to substantiate any proposed change to its existing practices. So I laid out two trials, far apart, in different soil types, and included competitive…

Over the past 20 years, India has blossomed into an industrial powerhouse. Its motor manufacturers have been part of this massive growth, attracting automotive assembly operations from multinational companies. Mahindra and Tata are the country’s two largest automotive groups. MAHINDRA The Mahindra group, headquartered in Mumbai, has operations in more than 100 countries. These activities include aerospace, automotive, components, construction equipment, defence, energy, tractors and other farm equipment, finance and insurance, information technology, and logistics. The company, originally called Mahindra & Mahindra, was formed in 1945 by the brothers JC and KC Mahindra, plus a third person who left the company two years later. The brothers, who were experienced in the steel trade, initially focused on trading this commodity with the UK and Europe. They entered the automotive world in…

This is a very fragrant curry with not much bite, but full of lovely, soft, spicy aromatics. The coconut milk pulls it all together, while adding its own warm flavours. Spicy dishes often need some sugar to balance the flavour, but this is not the case with this dish. Most pink wines available today are dry, and many of these would be perfect for this meal as it needs a wine with ripe fruit and soft, fresh flavours. A wine such as River Garden Rosé from Lourensford Wine Estate, while dry, is delicious and contains plenty of sweet, ripe strawberry and subtle orange and lime notes, with 4,3g of sugar rounding it off and softening the acidity. The blend is predominantly Mourvedre and Chardonnay with some Pinot Noir and a…

The main reason to stop a head cold in its tracks is that it can easily develop into sinusitis, which is harder to shake off without a visit to the doctor. By the time you have a bad bacterial infection in the sinuses, you may need antibiotics to clear it up. One of the first signs of a head cold is a postnasal drip, which will irritate your throat. You may sense a tingling in the ears and become oversensitive to cold draughts. Overall, there is a general feeling of malaise. Instead of immediately going to the pharmacy, take stock of your everyday habits. We need to take more care of our bodies during the winter months. Don’t wash your hair unnecessarily; if you do, make sure it is completely…

A wage strike lasting nine days and involving about 700 of Parmalat SA’s 2 400 workers has finally come to an end. Katishi Masemola, general secretary of the Food and Allied Workers’ Union (FAWU), said the union originally demanded a 12% annual raise, which Parmalat countered with a 7,3% offer. “FAWU’s demand was reduced to 9% and then 8%, after which the parties settled on 7,75%. We are still in negotiations [with regard to] bonuses,” Masemola said. Chris Vermeulen, Parmalat SA’s human resources executive, welcomed the settlement, which he said he regarded as fair and reasonable given current economic conditions. He, however, lamented the fact that the strike had been accompanied by high levels of intimidation and incidents of violence that had resulted in damage to property. The strike had…

Australian researchers are looking into the use of medicinal cannabis to treat horses, dogs and cats suffering from a range of medical problems. Arthritis affects 61% of cats over six years of age and 20% of dogs older that one year. Half of older dogs are also affected by cancer. Many pet medications have negative side-effects such as nausea, loss of appetite, depression and internal bleeding. Resistance to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and other pharmaceutical therapies are also increasing. CannPal Animal Therapeutics was now researching and developing medicines derived from cannabinoids to treat animals. CannPal founder and managing director, Layton Mills, said the global market for pain treatment for companion animals was worth more than US$1,4 billion (about R18,8 billion). The company was working with the federal Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial…

An amendment to the Marketing of Agricultural Products Act, which made the reporting of contracts for importing or exporting maize compulsory, has been welcomed by Grain SA. A notice of the amendment was recently published in the Government Gazette and stated that importers and exporters of maize would, in future, have to provide the South African Grain Information Service (SAGIS) with information about contracts that had been concluded but still had to be delivered. This information had to be provided eight weeks prior to the date on which the vessel transporting the maize was expected to arrive in, or depart from, South Africa. Manager of grain economics and marketing at Grain SA, Dr Dirk Strydom, said a free market system could only work if there was good market information. It…

The growing number of people choosing a vegan lifestyle is affecting not only the food industry, but the wine market. According to Frank Meaker, cellar master at Org de Rac near Piketberg in the Western Cape, the winery had been cashing in on this trend by replacing some of the traditional animal products used in wines, for example to enhance their clarity, with non-animal agents, such as clay-based bentonite. “[Veganism] has become mainstream, with various US researchers naming it the number one food trend of 2018,” he said. When it comes to South Africa’s traditional wine export market, surveys by GlobalData revealed that the number of consumers in the UK claiming to be vegan increased from 0,8% in 2014 to 3% in 2017, while the number in the US rose…

The Oliphants River Basin is in a critical condition and this could place the R1 billion export market, which relies on irrigation water, at risk. Speaking at a seminar on sustainable water use at the University of Mpumalanga in Mbombela, Dr Cryton Zazu, natural resource management coordinator at the Association for Water and Rural Development (AWARD), said that the whole Oliphants River Basin catchment area was being degraded by mining activity, an expanding human population, and an increase in agricultural production. “Ecosystems are disappearing. Most of the rivers feeding into the Oliphants River are in a critical condition as they are either not flowing, or very polluted. The drought and an increase in evaporation due to increased temperatures have concentrated the pollution in the rivers as the water levels have…

African countries are taking their cue from South Africa’s bio-economy strategy to implement similar strategies in their own countries. South Africa is set to host the first Bio Africa Convention in Durban from 27 to 29 August this year. The event is expected to attract bio-economy stakeholders from across the globe. The theme of the event, spearheaded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), is: ‘Africa: Open for business – building the bio-economy together’. The DST launched the bio-economy strategy in 2014 to act as a roadmap on how to develop South Africa’s natural biological resources into commercial products. The bio-economy strategy focused on health, agriculture and industrial applications, and aimed to facilitate the development and manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals, vaccines and biofuels, as well as improve and adapt crops…

Accusations by conservation agencies that the tilapia industry is ‘irresponsible’ to promote the culture of the Nile tilapia throughout South Africa, and that the indigenous Mozambique tilapia should receive more promotion, deserve comment. To avoid a partisan approach, let’s examine the science behind the issue. PERFECT FOR AQUACULTURE? The Nile tilapia, which forms the bulk of the world’s tilapia production, is exotic (not indigenous) to South Africa. The Mozambique tilapia is native to the eastern coastal rivers southwards to the Bushman’s River in the Eastern Cape, where it is found in brackish estuaries. Inland of this, it is also exotic (in that it is introduced), where it exists largely in dams and some lakes in the Western Cape. The species shows remarkable ability to adapt to different environments. Its temperature…

In ‘Managing for Profit’ in this week’s issue of Farmer’s Weekly (see pg 27), Peter Hughes discusses the importance of trust in business. I couldn’t agree more. All business is built on relationships, which in turn are built on trust. And nowhere is this more true than in the fresh produce trade. There are a number of reasons for this, and space will not allow me to cover them all here, but let’s look at the overriding one: the perishability of fresh produce. Because the products sold on a market have a limited shelf-life, decisions on prices or holding on to stock become crucial. Mobile phones make it much easier than before for agent and farmer to communicate, but that doesn’t lessen the urgency of the matter. After all, even…

The word ‘quarantine’, as it applies to animals, describes the period of isolation needed to prevent the introduction or spread of disease. Although many owners are aware that imported horses must be quarantined, they may not realise the benefits of applying this to their own stud or riding stables. WHY QUARANTINE NEW HORSES? A new horse can bring in parasites and disease. Immature ticks, as well as internal parasites, can spread widely over a property within a few days. As these parasites multiply in the environment, they eventually affect the entire herd. There is also the possibility that the horse is carrying a disease such as African horse sickness (AHS) or West Nile and may infect the midges and mosquitoes already present on the property. Herpes virus carriers can cause…

Dear Samantha, Thank you for the opportunity to assist with the addition to your home, and for supplying the original plans. I’ve redrawn the built-on layout and its positioning. As you know, the building lines relative to the boundaries of the site are extremely restrictive, and the only available building extension area is 10,4m wide. Adding on to the home on that side will block out both the present bedroom windows and perhaps even the living room window. Because of this, the only practical solution is to go up. Shown in red on the layout is a cost-effective, first-floor, main en suite addition, which preserves the ground-floor rooms, and an extension to bedroom three. This bedroom can also be opened up to form part of the current very small living…

A MAN OF AFRICA edited by Kalim Rajab (Zebra, R250) Harry Oppenheimer was far more than a business magnate. He saw himself and his colleagues as having key roles to play beyond duties owed to shareholders and other stakeholders. As a citizen of a country about to develop into democracy, he engaged pragmatically with the issues of the day and opposed sanctions against the apartheid government. An absorbing collection urging the value of creative negotiation. THE OTHER SIDE by Harvey Tyson (Print Matters, R349) From the point of view of a nonagenarian, Tyson, one of South Africa’s greatest newspapermen, draws some conclusions on how politicians and their actions have shaped South Africans’ lives over the past tumultuous century, and whether the media have succeeded in bringing…

Regional business associations met with the new Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) director for industrial development and trade (IDT), Tapiwa Samanga, in Gaborone earlier this month to discuss a more efficient mechanism of interaction between the private and public sectors at regional level. The IDT specifically needed input from the private sector about a strategic position that could be proposed to the SADC Council of Ministers for Trade, whose recommendations would be presented to the upcoming Summit of Heads of State. This meeting was held against the background of three previous meetings that convened regional business chambers, various national associations, and private sector apex bodies to discuss a structure that would allow business to interact more effectively with the SADC. A presentation by Dr Ullrich Klins from the Southern African…

Grain SA has welcomed Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Senzeni Zokwana’s announcement that the statutory levy on soya bean has been approved. Called the breeding and technology levy, it will be administered by the South African Cultivar and Technology Agency (SACTA) and has been approved for a period of two years, with effect from 1 March 2019. The levy, which is compulsory, will be R65/t for the first year and R80/t for the second year. In the past, these values had been calculated based on the marketing year’s average soya bean price, according to a Grain SA statement. Once collected, the funds will be paid over to seed companies in the country according to their market share for technology and cultivar development. This would provide local soya bean producers…

The Namibian government’s decision to put off a restriction on the posting of photos depicting trophy animals that had been hunted on social media has been welcomed by the Namibia Professional Hunting Association (NAPHA). This was according to NAPHA president, Danene van der Westhuyzen. She said the Department of Environment and Tourism in that country had taken a decision earlier to add the condition to all hunting permits to prohibit the posting of photos of hunted trophy animals on social media. “This [decision] will stay in place until such time as the industry has reverted back [to the department] with proposed guidelines for ethical marketing practices for the hunting community.” Van der Westhuyzen said that NAPHA had taken the lead in this initiative and had already tabled proposals in this…

Buckwheat researchers in Japan have identified the most accurate genome for the plant to date, according to a statement by the country’s Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution. The research results were presented during a recent seminar on the identification of genes at the society’s annual meeting, held in Yokohama, Japan. The research was undertaken by Dr Yasuo Yasui, a buckwheat scientist at Kyoto University in Japan, in cooperation with NRGene, a genomic data company in Israel. According to a statement by NRGene, buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) was neither a grain nor a grass, but was related to the rhubarb species and was considered a pseudo-cereal. The “grain” was ground into flour and used in foodstuffs, such as noodles, or eaten as a breakfast porridge. It was also gluten-free and relatively…

UNITED NATIONS With new studies shedding a more positive light on the health implications of dairy fat consumption, the OECDFAO Agricultural Outlook 2018-2027 has predicted that consumers would consume an additional 0,3kg of butter per capita by 2027. According to the report, this could be attributed to consumers’ preference for the taste, which had encouraged its use in bakery products and other recipes. EUROPEAN UNION Beef and sheep meat exports from the EU have been falling sharply with no end in sight, according to the recently released report ‘Short-term outlook for EU agricultural markets’. Beef exports were down 15% year-on-year in the first four months of 2018. The report blamed increased competition between export countries, with beef exports from Brazil at 25%, while the US, Argentina, New Zealand and Paraguay…

The 2017/2018 cotton harvest was in full swing during the last week of June, with producers well on track to bring in nearly 140% more than the previous season’s harvest. This was according to the sixth Cotton Crop Report released by Cotton SA at the end of June. The commodity organisation was expecting a total crop of over 187 500 lint bales of 200kg each. This was slightly down from the previous estimate of just over 188 000 bales. CEO of Cotton SA, Hennie Bruwer, said the organisation was extremely positive about the growth of the industry, investments in ginning capacity, and price prospects for the next production season. “The future looks very promising. The expectation is that our harvests will [increase] even more next year.” By mid-July, about 15%…

A united approach to land reform is being hindered by the many divergent viewpoints held by organised agriculture organisations in South Africa. This was evident during a panel discussion at the University of the Free State’s (UFS) inaugural Thought-Leader Series; it was titled ‘Land reform and organised agriculture’. The panellists were Motsepe Matlala, president of the National African Farmers’ Union (NAFU); Annelize Crosby, head of land affairs at Agri SA; Pitso Sekhoto, president of the African Farmers’ Association of South Africa (AFASA); Bennie van Zyl, general manager of TAU SA; and Dr Ina Gouws, a senior lecturer in the Department of Political Studies and Governance at UFS. Both Matlala and Sekhoto said their organisations were in favour of land expropriation without compensation (EWC), but had very different opinions about the…

Local and international stakeholders recently gathered in Bloemfontein for a workshop aimed at paving the way for the implementation of a multinational climate-smart agriculture initiative. Funded by the UK government’s Global Challenges Research Fund, the Agricultural and Food Systems Resilience Increasing Capacity and Advising Policy (AFRICAP) is a climate-smart agricultural development initiative. The initiative is also championed by the University of Leeds in the UK, in collaboration with the Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN). Dr Tobias Takavarasha, an adviser to the CEO of FANRPAN, told Farmer’s Weekly the initiative was about finding out how both large- and small-scale farmers needed to adapt to climate change, and how to equip them with the necessary resources. “First and foremost, what this project is all about is to reach…

The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) needs to make a substantially greater effort to prevent the possible introduction of the TR4 strain of Panama disease (TR4) into South Africa’s commercial banana plantations. This was according to the Banana Growers’ Association of South Africa (BGASA), which said that TR4 had “all but wiped out” the two northern Mozambique banana farms where this fungal disease was first identified in 2013. “BGASA definitely feels that the threat posed by TR4 to the South African banana industry is not being taken seriously by either DAFF or growers, and believes that a preventative plan needs to be drawn up as a matter of urgency,” he said. Lourens added that significantly assisting with preventing TR4 from entering South Africa would require DAFF “playing a…

Shadrack Mbele was attending a meeting in Pretoria one morning in February when he received the phone call he had been dreading all season. His cropping manager and nephew, Champion Mbele, told him that a hailstorm had destroyed his entire sugar bean crop, which was uninsured. “I just left my meeting and drove straight back to the farm,” recalls Mbele. Looking at photographs of the sugar bean lands, it is difficult to imagine that anything could have recovered. The crop had been reduced to little more than broken stalks on the 80ha he had leased for the 2017/2018 cropping season. Yet some months later, Mbele managed to achieve a harvest of 1,5t/ha, thanks to getting the right advice at the right time. BEGINNING WITH DAIRY SHORTHORN CATTLE Mbele lives on…

Sprayed on plants as a preventative, the mixture was invented in the Bordeaux region of France in the late 19th century. Mix 90g of copper sulphate fine crystals in 6,5ℓ of cold water in a non-metal container. The solution must be thoroughly stirred, or it will not adhere to the plants. Mix 125g of calcium hydroxide (builder’s lime) in 2,5ℓ of cold water. (The calcium hydroxide must be from an unopened bag; when exposed to air it becomes carbonated and could be dangerous to plants.) If either liquid is lumpy, strain to prevent the mixture blocking the spray nozzle. Mix the two solutions together and stir well. Dip an old nail in the mixture for 30 seconds. If it comes out blue, add more lime or stir the mixture more…

The Maize Master MM3500 Container Mill, as displayed at Nampo 2018, is a compact milling plant with a capacity of 3 500kg/h, or 80t/day. Despite its small size, it produces maize meal of quality comparable to that produced by far more expensive milling plants. Perhaps more importantly, it can be set up in remote locations and powered by a generator, if necessary. As a bonus, it is simple to operate. The entire mill fits inside two 6,1m shipping containers and can be transported to the site on a standard container truck. It can be set up almost anywhere, without the need to construct special buildings, and just as easily relocated. FULLY EQUIPPED The Maize Master M3500 has all the components of a normal-sized maize milling plant: a pre-cleaner, moisture control…

A smart farm is an operation that grows vegetables without soil or natural sunlight in a controlled, automated environment. More and more of these farms have appeared worldwide over the past decade. China’s Sanan Sino-Science 5 000m² plant, unveiled in July, can produce between 8t and 10t of vegetables daily, enough to feed 36 000 people. Smart farming is said to be 75 times more efficient than conventional farming. Vegetables grow in stackable trays and not a drop of pesticide is needed. MINIMUM LABOUR The enormous incubation room of the Sanan Sino-Science plant requires only four workers. Temperature, water, humidity and nutrients supplied to the vegetables are all regulated, and LED light is substituted for natural sunlight. “This maximises the plant’s growth potential while maintaining a sustainable and continuous growth…