Table of contents for 17 August 2018 in Farmer's Weekly

Let me start by apologising to all the civil servants working for the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF), those hard-working citizens who show up at the office every day with an honest intention to contribute in some way to the future of the agriculture sector in South Africa. This article is not about you. It is about and intended for your leaders who have let you down as much as they have disappointed anyone with a connection to farming. Under the leadership of Minister Senzeni Zokwana, the rot that started even before his time has deepened so severely that farmers can no longer depend on DAFF to provide even the most basic services. This became clear to me when I attended the annual conference of the Limpopo branch…

57 YEARS AGO Many of South Africa’s best-loved garden flowers are grown from bulbs or fleshy-rooted plants. This article provides a guide on how to cultivate these plants. “The two main planting seasons are spring and autumn and, with few exceptions, the same planting rules apply. “Plant them two to three times their own depth in the soil. Exceptions include Babiana, which likes to be planted deeply, and chincherinchee, Amaryllis and Hippeastrum species, which prefer to be near the soil surface. Consideration should, also, in the case of indigenous bulbous plants, be given to the area from which they come. “Bulbs from winter rainfall areas should be kept dry in summer and those from summer rainfall areas dry in winter. “While bulbs are not very particular as to soil, they…

Beef cattle bulls and sheep rams marketed as veld bulls or rams must be officially branded and certified as such by Veld Bull and Ram Southern Africa (VBRSA), according to Dr Hannes Dreyer, managing director of VBRSA. “About 60% of South Africa’s red meat originates from feedlots, and the majority of slaughter animals by far are produced under extensive veld conditions. That is why optimal performance on veld is so important.” VBRSA was formed in 2001 and has since registered an official logo. Only animals selected on completion of a veld test approved by the different breeders’ societies qualify to be branded with the VBRSA logo. VBRSA works in conjunction with both SA Stud Book and the Agricultural Business Research Institute’s Breedplan animal registering systems. The aim of the programme…

US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership will have serious financial implications for US beef producers. Projections by researchers at the University of Tennessee’s Institute of Agriculture indicate that beef exporters in the 11 countries that form part of the newly established Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership will benefit from an immediate reduction in and phasing out of tariffs over a 15-year period. Countries would see significant reductions in tariffs imposed by Japan from 38,5% to 9% for muscle cuts, with tariffs on offal products phased out completely. At the same time, Japan would continue to levy tariffs of between 38,5% and 50% on beef from the US, in addition to the global safeguard tariff of 50%. US beef exports accounted for more than…

The new reality for South Africa is that the water supply will be insufficient for its citizens’ burgeoning needs and will therefore become more expensive, according to Dr Langelihle Simela, business development manager at Absa AgriBusiness. Simela was speaking at the recent Absa AgriBusiness Spring Outlook for 2018 in Johannesburg. To address the projected water supply deficit of approximately 3,6km3 expected for South Africa by 2030, drastic measures will need to be introduced, she said. At present 35% of water in the country was lost due to dilapidated municipal infrastructure before it reached the consumer, and it was estimated that R89,9 billion/year would have to be invested to achieve the desired water security status. Currently this figure stands at R56,6 billion/year, Simela said. About 95% of all agricultural water in…

More than half of this season’s citrus production is now packed, with the Perishable Products Export Control Board indicating that exports will increase from 123 million 15kg cartons last year to 131,4 million cartons this year. The export estimate for grapefruit has been adjusted upward to 17,9 million cartons, which is significantly higher than last year’s 15,7 million tons. Ben Vorster, chairperson of the Citrus Growers’ Association, ascribes this to favourable weather conditions in the major grapefruit producing areas during fruit set. “While we have higher tonnages, grapefruit are generally smaller than usual [due to an] absence of follow-up rain. Farmers would have to be extra vigilant to ensure they get fruit sizes right.” The estimate for soft citrus volumes had also been adjusted upwards to 16,6 million 15kg cartons,…

Climate, politics, water, land and transformation were among the key talking points during the 17th Annual Agri Eastern Cape Congress held in Jeffreys Bay recently. Agri Eastern Cape president, Doug Stern, who was re-elected for another term, told Farmer’s Weekly that a lot of challenges had been discussed, including the drought and politics that were being governed by electioneering. Despite this, Stern said he believed agriculture was in a good place. In a statement, Agri SA president, Dan Kriek, emphasised the economic case against land expropriation without compensation: “The expropriation debate is an unnecessary one.” Deputy president of Agri Eastern Cape, Wayman Kritzinger, highlighted concerns about water-use rights and relayed the contents of an internal Department of Water and Sanitation circular he had received, which dealt with the interpretation of…

Mariska Jaars (above), a general worker at Moddergat near Worcester, won this year’s ‘Agri’s Got Talent’ competition, which was hosted by Hortgo, the Vinpro Foundation and the Western Cape Department of Agriculture at Alleé Bleue near Simondium. Chantel Hess of Boomerang Fruit near Grabouw took second place, and Tersia Rhodes of Diemersfontein near Wellington took third place. Jaars won a cash prize and an opportunity to perform at various industry functions over the next year.…

The first section of our Constitution holds that South Africa is one sovereign, democratic state founded on human dignity, the achievement of equality, and the advancement of human rights and freedoms, non-racialism and non-sexism, and supremacy of the Constitution and the rule of law. Considering this, would a person whose property is expropriated suffer a blow to his or her constitutionally guaranteed dignity? If so, then the right to dignity is a potential bulwark against expropriation without compensation. In S v Makwanyane, 1995 (3) SA 391 (CC), the Constitutional Court held that “recognition of the right to dignity is an acknowledgment of the intrinsic worth of human beings: human beings are entitled to be treated as worthy of respect and concern.” BEING HUMAN Philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah states that human…

While South Africa is expected to produce 13,2 million tons of maize this season, this is still below the 16,8 million tons produced the previous season, of which a surplus remains. Due to lower export demand driven by intense global competition, the South African maize market is currently characterised by high stock levels, high production levels and lower prices for farmers. While South Africa’s white and yellow maize stocks remain high, they have declined from the corresponding period last year. At the end of June, white maize stock levels stood at 2,81 million tons, according to the South African Grain Information Service. This is well below the 4,1 million tons seen last year. Yellow maize stock levels were reported at 2,7 million tons, also well below the 3,3 million tons…

Nelius Ferreira, 37, this year’s Free State Agriculture’s Young Farmer of the Year, says there are numerous elements that feed into the success of a family business. But at Ferrero Bonsmaras, which was featured in Farmer’s Weekly earlier this year in the 23 February issue, the focus is undoubtedly on quality production. Ferreira studied as an engineer before joining the farming operation in partnership with his father Kiewiet and brothers Theo and Johan. CROPPING FORMS THE LARGEST PART OF THE OPERATION The business, located on the farm Grootdraai near Harrismith in the eastern Free State, comprises six separate farm units and practises various types of cropping, as well as beef cattle production and apple farming. The cropping component, managed by Ferreira’s father and brothers, remains the largest part of the…

There are some farmers – fortunately not many – who seem to think loyalty is a one-sided affair, and it all rests on the market agent’s shoulders. However, nothing could be further from the truth. The relationship between producer and salesperson is built on trust, which must be applied in equal measure by both parties. This leads me to the third instalment of the series on what farmers and market agents expect from one another. Looking at the relationship from the agent’s perspective, a producer is expected to remain loyal and not hop from one market agent to the other supposedly looking for better prices. A new producer to the market might well have to try different agents over a period of time until they find the right one with…

To expose four diners to culinary greatness, you will need: 400g of spaghetti 4 chicken breasts A generous bunch of parsley and oregano 1 large clove of garlic 4 lemons Salt and freshly ground black pepper on demand 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil 1 Begin with the chicken breasts. Remove the bones and discard the skin. Freeze these for stock if you like. Lightly pound the fillets with a rolling pin, with just enough force to make them all relatively uniform in thickness. With a thin-bladed knife, cut a lateral pocket in each fillet. 2 Next, thinly slice three of the lemons and select eight slices. Remove and reserve the zest and juice from the fourth lemon. Crush, peel and mince the garlic. Very finely chop the parsley…

AgriWebb, a farming app developed in Australia, was named Start-up of the Year at the 2016 Australian iAwards.Co-founder John Fargher claims that it redefines online farm management through continual improvement based on user feedback. Today, the app is used worldwide, including in South Africa. SIMPLE YET COMPREHENSIVE It has a simple drop-and-drag interface based on maps. Camps or boundaries can be created, allowing you to gather records of farming activities and integrate almost every aspect of the farm. An excellent feature of the app is its ability to record activities offline. These are then added to your database when you next use your smartphone or Wi-Fi connection. The AgriWebb portal generates reports, enabling you to make performance-based decisions and so increase the productivity of farm employees. The app has multi-user…

Agbiz Grain Symposium 21 AUGUST THE THEME FOR THIS YEAR’S SYMPOSIUM, WHICH WILL BE HELD AT THE CSIR RUBY AUDITORIUM IN PRETORIA, IS ‘VALUE CHAIN IMPACTS’. TOPICS INCLUDE THE POTENTIAL OF COMPLEX NETWORK MODELLING IN THE GRAIN TRANSPORT INDUSTRY, AND EARTH OBSERVATION IN AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECURITY. CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS & EXPOS 4 TO 6 SEPTEMBER No-Till Conference, ATKV Drakensville, Bergville. For more information, email Richard Findlay at richardfindlayntc2@gmail.com  or phone 074 104 7081. 20 TO 21 SEPTEMBER AGRI 5 Commodities Workshop and Expo, East London Showgrounds. For more information, email info@atoneworks.co.za . 25 TO 27 SEPTEMBER 56th Annual Conference of the Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa, Somerset West. For more information, visit centeqevents.wixsite.com/aeasa2018 . COURSES & TRAINING 14 TO 15 AUGUST…

THE WESTERN CAPE ACCOUNTS FOR 21% OF NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL JOBS The recent Quarterly Labour Force Survey data from Statistics South Africa told an interesting story about the country’s aquaculture industry. An additional 3 000 jobs were created in the industry in the second quarter of 2018 compared with the corresponding period last year, amounting to a total of 11 000 jobs in the industry as a whole. In this context, aquaculture refers to ocean and coastal fishing, as well as fish hatcheries and fish farming operations. This is the highest number of jobs in this industry since the last quarter of 2014. The notable uptick in jobs was for fish hatcheries and fish farms, with a modest uptick in ocean and coastal fishing jobs. It is not quite clear what…

Extension and support services to the red meat industry that are supposed to be provided by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) have deteriorated to such an extent that the only option left to producers is to set in motion a strategy to become self-reliant. Leaders of the Red Meat Producers’ Organisation (RPO) and farmers who attended the Limpopo branch of the RPO’s annual conference in Modimolle recently, wasted no time speculating about ways in which the state and DAFF, in particular, could be compelled to provide essential services such as animal health measures. Instead, members of the RPO were urged to support the red meat industry’s application to increase statutory levies that would enable the organisation to proactively address biosecurity risks, such as animal health, itself. “The…

Entries are now open for the national Engen Pitch and Polish workshop and competition, which will enable entrepreneurs in different fields, including agribusiness, to receive expert guidance on how to pitch their business ideas effectively to prospective clients. Entrants will gain exposure to and learn from internationally accredited experts on how to “pitch for business”. Different workshops will be held in every province between August and October, and prospective entrants can find dates for these workshops on the Engen Pitch and Polish website. If selected, entrants will be given the opportunity to pitch their business ideas to workshop attendees, as well as a panel of judges. One contestant will be selected from each town to move on to the second round. From there, he/she could potentially compete in the semi-final…

The impact of climate change on global agriculture will have serious consequences for city dwellers and food security around the world, according to a report called ‘The Future We Don’t Want’ by the Urban Climate Change Research Network, an international consortium of scholars and experts from universities and research organisations. Although more than half the world’s population lived in cities, very little of the food consumed was produced there. Cities, therefore, required complex systems to feed their growing populations, the report said. “Around 2,5 billion people will be living in over 1 600 cities, [while] national yields of a major crop are projected to decline by at least 10% below present-day levels [by 2050]. “The four pillars of food security, [namely] its availability, accessibility, utilisation and stability, will all be…

UNITED STATES US researchers have found that material derived from crab shells and tree fibres has the potential to replace flexible plastic packaging used to keep food fresh. According to Prof Carson Meredith of the Georgia Institute of Technology in the US, the film is produced by suspending cellulose nanofibres from trees and chitin nanofibres from crab shells in water and spraying them onto a surface in alternating layers. Once dried, the material is similar to plastic packaging film, but compostable. AUSTRALIA The price of Australian lamb continues to soar, achieving almost daily records at sale yards. According to Meat and Livestock Australia, this market dynamic was not restricted to Australia, with the lamb price in New Zealand increasing 15% year-on-year. The two countries account for about 70% of the…

Grain SA is expecting to bring more stability to the beneficiaries of its 1ha farmer development programme as the organisation has changed its funding model, according to Jane McPherson, programme manager of farmer development at Grain SA. The programme was established in 2015 in collaboration with National Treasury’s Job Fund, Monsanto, SA Lime and Gypsum, Kynoch, Syngenta, Sasol Trust and Villa. “With this new model [subsistence farmers participating in the programme] all contribute 50% of the direct input costs irrespective of the time they have been involved in the programme,” McPherson said. Previously, the farmers were expected to increase their own contribution each year from 25% to 100% of costs by year five of their involvement in the programme. In year one, the farmers were meant to plant 1ha and…

In the case of wool farming, you will still obtain some form of income, albeit small, through wool production from an ewe that doesn’t lamb in a breeding season. In the case of cattle or meat sheep, though, a cow or ewe that doesn’t reproduce a calf or lamb is effectively not contributing to your farming operation. Such unproductive females eat as much grass and feed as animals that give birth. You’re also spending money to dip them and so forth. But they’re not providing you with offspring that can grow your farming operation or be sold for income. In fact, these animals are actually costing you money! During training and research I’ve undertaken in the communal farming areas of the Eastern Cape over the past five years, I’ve seen…

What exactly is the Fourth Industrial Revolution? It is a revolution taking place due to machines becoming smarter and things or the world becoming more interconnected, thanks to huge advances in the speed of data processing. It is characterised by a fusion of technologies that are blurring the lines between the physical, virtual and biological spheres. How does the fourth revolution differ from previous revolutions? In comparison with the first revolution, which used water or steam to mechanise production; the second, which used electric power; and the third, which used electronics and information technology to automate processes, the fourth will have a much broader scale, scope and level of complexity. It will fundamentally change the way in which we live, work and relate to one another. Falling behind will have…

The cancer bush (Sutherlandia frutescens) is indigenous to South Africa, Botswana and Namibia. In South Africa, the plant is found in the Northern Cape, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape and Mpumalanga. It is a hardy, perennial shrub that can grow up to 3m tall. The leaves are slightly to densely hairy and silvery in appearance. They have a very bitter taste. The flowers (July to December) are bright scarlet and up to 35mm long. The fruit is large and the seeds are black and 3mm in diameter. Cancer bush grows almost everywhere, but prefers full sun, well-drained soils and a moist location. The optimal day temperature should be about 25°C. An infusion made from the leaves is a traditional remedy for treating fever, chicken pox, flu, rheumatism, haemorrhoids, diarrhoea, and…

Kuhn has been building implements for 190 years and has supplied Rovic Leers for the past 46 years. Today, it is the largest agricultural implement manufacturer in the world, with four factories in France, one in the Netherlands, two in Brazil and two in the US. The plant in the town of Severn in France is on the site of the original factory, and this remains the head office. The company holds more than 2 000 patents and reinvests 4,5% of its annual turnover in research and development. Kuhn is distributed in South Africa by Rovic Leers. FACTORY TOUR Recently, Kuhn’s export manager for Africa, Dominique Nicolas, took a group of farmers and Rovic Leers dealers from South Africa and Zimbabwe for an 8km walk through the Severn factory, showing…

We know that lemon and herb go well with chicken, and this dish is no different. The emphasis here is on the lemon making the dish very fresh, if not slightly acidic, so pairing the perfect wine is a little difficult. The trick is to match the intensities of the dish and the drink, so a light, soft white wine without too much acidity or dominating characters, such as a fruity white blend or an unwooded Chenin Blanc, will work nicely. A dry, fruity Rosé could also make a good partner, but what really stood out for me was an ice-cold beer. No ordinary beer, but a Pilsner. Choose a pale, fruity and slightly floral style of Lager with the unique hoppy character of the Saaz hops. Pilsner Urquell, the…

The dietary intake of magnesium has plummeted over the past 100 years. We eat more refined foods, containing very little magnesium. Many city dwellers drink fluoridated water, which binds to magnesium, making it less bioavailable. Alcoholics, diabetics and seniors are at particular risk for low magnesium. Gastrointestinal problems such as celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome and intestinal flora imbalance prevent magnesium absorption. Supplements seem to be the best route to increase magnesium levels. The kind of magnesium in a supplement matters a lot. Inexpensive magnesium supplements use magnesium oxide, which does not increase magnesium levels. Magnesium sulphate, the kind found in Epsom salt, is good for sore muscles in a warm bath, but too harsh to take internally. Magnesium citrate is a water-and milk-soluble magnesium supplement, with moderate…

Albert Lewis was born in 1918 in Kimberley, where he attended Kimberley Boys’ High School. An excellent sportsman, he was also passionate about aircraft and flying, and took flying lessons. At the age of 20, he made his way to England and joined the Royal Air Force (RAF). His instructors noted his ability to convert rapidly to any aircraft type, a skill that was to stand him in good stead. The transition in aircraft design from the two-winged biplane to the faster, one-winged monoplane was well under way, producing such legendary aircraft as the Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire. These fighters would face similar formidable foes in the Messerschmitt Bf 109 in Europe, and the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero in the Pacific theatre. In March 1939, Lewis was awarded his…

RAMAPHOSA IS IN A WEAK POSITION IN A PARTY FULL OF ZUMA SUPPORTERS There is an important theoretical principle that states you cannot understand a single event in isolation, as everything exists relative to everything else. So, let’s try to interpret and contextualise President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent announcement that the ANC will move to change the Constitution to allow expropriation of land without compensation. Firstly, the South African currency did not take the news well. Following the announcement, the rand plunged from about R13,11 against the US dollar shortly before 9pm to about R13,27 by 10pm on the same day, weakening 16c within the space of an hour. The question is why Ramaphosa, a capitalist and businessman, who is surely aware that there would be consequences, took this decision? The…

The ANC’s national executive committee has reportedly identified 139 farms across the country to serve as test cases for land expropriation without compensation (EWC). No details on where the farms were situated or whether they were currently subject to land claims have been made available. This followed the recent two-day lekgotla held by the ANC’s national executive committee in Irene near Pretoria. Farmer’s Weekly previously reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement after the meeting that the ANC would move to amend Section 25 of the Constitution to “explicitly” allow for expropriation of land without compensation had caused confusion in many quarters. Speaking to Farmer’s Weekly, Prof Ruth Hall, associate professor at the Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) at the University of the Western Cape, said she believed…

Recent media coverage highlighting suspected adulteration of honey imported to South Africa has raised awareness about the importance of cooperation between all parties involved in the local bee industry, according to Mike Miles, chairperson of the South African Bee Industry Organisation (SABIO). “We are looking at government to revise the honey standards as they stand at the moment. The standards have, to a large extent, become irrelevant,” he said. However, there were some challenges that needed to be addressed in order to upgrade standards. A lack of credible laboratory testing was one of the stumbling blocks, as the only way to test honey samples at the moment was to send them overseas, he said. The local honey industry was also looking into the possibility of registering honey labels. “We are…

The current drought in Ireland as a result of the rare, hot summer following a long winter and abnormal spring rainfall patterns is set to severely impact the income of farmers in that country. According to economists from Ireland’s Agriculture and Food Development Authority (Teagasc), by the middle of summer, drought conditions had led to a collapse in grass growth, limited grazing and interrupted silage production. For dairy and beef farms, this resulted in a depletion of existing silage stocks intended for the coming winter and land used for silage production being used for grazing. Grain farmers also found that crops sown in spring failed to mature properly, according to a report by Teagasc. Dairy farmers in particular had been badly affected, with many reporting that feed bills had doubled…

Field crop production, which has long played a central role in South Africa’s primary agriculture sector, has over the past decade competed poorly in terms of producer value compared with livestock and horticulture crops. According to Wessel Lemmer, senior agricultural economist at Absa AgriBusiness, the most widely planted field crops such as maize, wheat and sunflower would most likely continue to struggle to compete against industries such as beef, mutton, wool and cotton. These industries will benefit from strong producer prices due to high demand and constrained supply over the next decade. Presenting the Absa Agribusiness Spring Outlook for 2018 in Johannesburg recently, Lemmer said the gross producer value (GPV) index had strengthened between 2010 and 2017, mainly as a result of improved performance in the horticulture crops and animal…

Over the past year, the Western Cape, which contributes less than 15% to the national economy, has managed to create 77 000 of the 188 000 new jobs in South Africa, according to the Quarterly Labour Force Survey for April to June by Statistics South Africa. The province, nevertheless, recorded a 50 000 decline in jobs between the first and second quarters of this year, with more than half these jobs (about 27 000) being lost in the agriculture sector. Over the course of the year, however, the province’s agriculture sector created 2 000 new jobs. Year-on-year, agricultural jobs increased 3,4% in Limpopo to 143 600; 1,4% in KwaZulu-Natal to about 2,6 million; 8,9% in the Northern Cape to 317 000; 1,5% in the Free State to 788 000; and…

Groot Constantia Wine Estate recently won South Africa’s Top Wine Estate and Top Terroir Producer titles in the Novare SA Terroir Wine Awards for producing the best port-style and natural sweet wines. Six of the estate’s other wines also scored high marks in the competition. Groot Constantia, which celebrated its 333-year anniversary in July this year, has 85ha planted to vineyards, with Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinotage and Shiraz grapes representing about 50% of the plantings. Boela Gerber, winemaker at Groot Constantia, attributed the estate’s winemaking success to a loyal production team that has good knowledge of the farm. “Most of the production team has been working on the farm for 15 to 20 years, which has given them wonderful insight into the way in which the vineyards should be managed…

Food producers are complaining about the slow to negative growth in retail demand. In real (constant price) terms, retail trade sales grew 0,5% in April and 1,9% in May 2018 year-on-year, according to Statistics South Africa (Stats SA). This is much lower than the 5,1% growth seen in December 2017. Sales by general dealers and specialised food stores had negative growth and contributed -0,5 and -0,1 percentage points respectively to total retail sales growth. Retailers in the textile and household furniture sectors saw positive growth. According to the South African Reserve Bank (SARB), the per capita disposable income of consumers has increased in real terms from R30 730 in 2009 to R34 250 in 2017, an annual growth rate of 1,3%. Consumer debt peaked at 85,7% in 2008 and has…

As noted before, hunting the caracal is different to hunting the jackal in many ways. For one, cats come in low and mostly slow, blink very slowly and will often vanish, to reappear in another area. Here are some other basics you need to get right: • Cover. Call near cover like koppies, dry waterbeds and places where cats travel; avoid dead ground they can hide in when coming in to your call. Only hunt on moonless nights. (There’s an exception to this, which I’ll discuss in due course.) • Weather. Before a cold front is a good time. Make use of easterly winds like a southeaster. Cats travel a lot in wind (99% of my cat kills have been in wind). The caracal can’t smell and wind a human, so watch…

On a 100ha piece of land in Boxtel, the Netherlands, 165 ordinary families are renting land and paying a farmer to raise free-range pigs, cattle and chickens, and to grow 55 different types of vegetables to their organic specifications. The co-operative, called Herenboeren, was initiated by Boudewijn Tooren and a group of friends in 2015. While the families rent 100ha of land from a foundation, production is only on 20ha. Despite the apparently small area of production, the operation provides a box with five types of vegetables and some meat to each family per week. STARTING OUT According to Tooren, a board member of Herenboeren, he and his friends had been thinking about the concept since 2012. “We were four or five people that discussed how we can have more…

The soil at Graham Beck has been thoroughly mapped according to soil-profiling results from about 3 000 profile pits. “We tried to dig at least a metre deep to get a good picture of what is happening in the root zone, which is usually 600mm to 750mm deep in our clay soils. I use this information to govern planting decisions, rootstock choices and irrigation decisions,” says Pieter Fouché, the estate’s viticulturist. A neutron moisture probe is used for evaluation. Sandy soils are irrigated two to three times a week, depending on weather conditions and time of year, in comparison with about once a week for heavier soils. “While clayey soils have a better water-holding capacity than sandy soils, it is important to keep an eye on them, as water deficiencies…

I spoke about soil pH and fertilising with manure and compost in my previous column (FW, 10 August). This column will address the next step in the no-till approach. After you have added as much manure or compost as you can to the land, and administered a generous amount of phosphorus and lime (if required), your beds will not need ploughing again for many years. You thus now need to gradually build up the humus content in your soil with crop residues, either placed on the surface or worked in very shallowly. Growing a legume cover crop in the off season will also help. This can be grazing vetch in winter and sunn hemp in summer. A legume adds a considerable quantity of free nitrogen taken from the air, while…

Dear Anne and Graham, Thank you for the informative meeting. Based on your requirements, I’ve conceptualised a layout that considers the sunshine and views. The styling is typical of the farm homes of yesteryear, with a bit of modern character incorporated. As your site is in a private home development along the Orange River in the Karoo, I’ve kept the design in terms of the estate’s development criteria. The kinked shape of the house creates a feeling of inclusion. Because you are keen to be off-grid, I suggest that solar panels be located on a separate stand at the rear of the house. The four-car garage you asked for is located on the slope below the lounge, scullery and veranda, and is shown dotted. This is a highly functional home,…

BOEREKOS WITH A TWIST by Annelien Pienaar (Human & Rousseau, R335) As a food scientist who runs a pecan nut farm with her husband, Pienaar is ideally placed to give farmhouse food an added twist of her own. And when she claims to demystify the cooking process, she means it; she reminds us, for example, that meringues are not baked but simply dried. At the same time, she warmly acknowledges how her mother and grandmothers’ adventurous cooking helped shape her own 21st-century version of boerekos. Pienaar has benefitted from the immediacy and reach of social media, attracting a huge number of followers to her blog. BECOMING IMAN by Iman Rappetti (Macmillan, R290) Celebrities who bring out their autobiographies tend to follow a familiar pattern: snippets of…

THE NEW MERCEDES-BENZ BAKKIE IS BASED ON THE NAVARA The Nissan Motor Company, which is a part of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, has its headquarters in Yokohama, Japan, and sells cars under the Nissan, Datsun (low-budget) and Infinity (luxury) brand names. This alliance is one of the four big groups that annually each produces more than nine million vehicles. (The others are Toyota, Volkswagen Group and General Motors.) The venerable Datsun 1200/1500 series of cars and half-ton bakkies has played a major role in giving Nissan a firm foothold in this country. When the company decided to change the name of its products to Nissan, it did not go down well with many Datsun owners. Masujiro Hashimoto founded Japan’s first automotive manufacturing company in 1911 and sold the products under the…