Table of contents for 23 November 2018 in Farmer's Weekly

If you have been involved in the farming sector in South Africa for the past decade, you have also probably heard the rumour that state departments are embroiled in a sinister plot to make land reform projects fail on purpose. According to the rumour, one of the reasons for government wanting land reform to fail is so that it can ‘prove’ that the willing-buyer/willing-seller approach has not worked. This argument doesn’t make much sense, and there is no proof this plot exists, which is why I have always given the national and provincial departments of rural development and land reform the benefit of the doubt. I have argued that it is due to incompetence that land reform has been such a disaster, and not because of an orchestrated plot. However,…

Informal trade and distribution data specialists 5M2T (5 Minutes 2 Town) sets the facts straight on common myths about the spaza market. By its very nature, the informal trade is geared around guessing. The lack of definitive data and market research means that once your formalised sales and distribution data reaches the wholesale level, the rest remains a total mystery. The informal trade can fundamentally alter the fortunes of brands in South Africa, and yet market research remains limited to anecdotal evidence and assumptions that couldn’t be further from the truth. As such, 5M2T offers commercial brands that would like to access the difficult, but lucrative, informal market through spazas, salons/ barbers and pharmacies through an app-based, in-market audit platform. This platform provides valuable data on informal trade, such as…

The spirit of political change is sweeping across the streets of Zimbabwe, albeit together with lingering economic underperformance. It is therefore worth looking at which agricultural products Zimbabwe imports in large quantities and whether import substitution would be a possibility in the short to medium term. Import substitution would not only improve the country’s trade balance, but also bring much-needed job opportunities. In 2016, Zimbabwe spent US$1,04 billion (about R15 billion) on agricultural and food imports, up 5% from the previous year. According to data from Trade Map, nearly a third of this import bill was due to maize imports, with soya bean oil and rice accounting for 12% and 11% of the overall import bill, respectively. The other notable products the country imported included wheat, milk, palm oil, sugar,…

Both humans and snakes, including Cape cobras and puff adders, are being protected on the Perdekraal East Wind Farm that is currently under construction in the Witzenberg Local Municipality in the Western Cape. Environmental site officer, Chandré Kok, recently received training from the African Snakebite Institute to safely capture and relocate any of the 16 different species of snakes known to inhabit the wind farm’s 3 055ha fynbos environment. “I was elated with the prospect of being the dedicated snake handler on the wind farm, and know how important it is to be able to correctly identify the type of snake to ensure that staff are kept safe,” said Kok. “I see the training on how to remove a dangerous snake and the knowledge to identify snakes as critical skills,”…

About 63% of the global macadamia supply was forecast to be produced by China by 2025, according to industry experts. Alex Whyte, sales and marketing manager for Green Farms Nut Company, told Farmer’s Weekly that the world supply of macadamias would increase considerably over the next seven years, with South Africa, Mozambique, Malawi and Kenya all producing more nuts. A press release by Green & Gold Macadamias, a macadamia marketing agency, said recent estimates showed that China’s production currently represented around 8% (18 000t) of the global crop of 213 000t per annum. Based on the country’s mid-tier internal projections, China estimated that it would produce around 450 000t by 2025. “If China meets its proposed growth it will change the nature of the industry, with a projected growth of…

DENMARK A water treatment system that cleans run-off from urban streets is being used at a new wastewater facility in Copenhagen. The system purifies stormwater run-off without the use of electricity or chemicals. The run-off is diverted through pipes to the treatment facility, where leaves, plastic caps, bags and other large particles are captured. From there, the water flows into a sandwich-filter system, where double porosity filtering takes place. ENGLAND A study of the mosquito evolutionary tree, which goes back 195 million years, suggests climate change could result in the spread of mosquito-borne diseases to areas where they have been eradicated. Researchers at the universities of Bath and York found that new mosquito species generally evolved faster when the levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide were higher. Factors such as the…

Despite the many resources directed by various role players towards transformation in South Africa’s red meat industry, no real development has taken place in the industry since 1994. This was according to the group managing director of the National Emergent Red Meat Producers’ Organisation (NERPO), Aggrey Mahanjana, who was speaking at the recent annual general meeting of the African Farmers’ Association of South Africa (AFASA) in Kempton Park. Mahanjana said research conducted by NERPO during September this year confirmed that there was a lack of transformation in the sector. “The statistics reveal that there are approximately 2 700 stud breeders in South Africa, with only 15 black stud breeders, and these breeders are struggling to sell their cattle due to a lack of support from other black breeders and government,…

Insects can be used for multiple applications in the agriculture industry, as well as other industries, according to Dr Elsje Pieterse, senior lecturer in the Department of Animal Sciences at Stellenbosch University. Speaking at the recent Animal Feed Manufacturers’ Association symposium in Pretoria, Pieterse, who runs trials on insect production for use in animal feed applications, said insects could be fed both ‘clean’ and ‘dirty’ waste when bred, before being processed into animal feed. Insects could also play a role in reducing waste in the agricultural value chain. Insects such as palm weevils, mealworms, crickets and locusts could be used to consume brewer’s yeast in a brewing business, for example, or food waste in a hotel business. To ensure that breeding insects’ reproduction was synchronised, they were fed formulated feeds,…

South Africa is heading for a promising stone fruit season, with volumes on track to be higher than those of the past season. Hortgro recently released its first stone fruit forecast for the season that indicated a ‘closer to normal’ crop for the 2018/2019 season. The forecast for nectarines was 5% up at 4,3 million 2,5kg equivalent cartons; peaches were expected to increase 3% to just over 2,2 million 2,5kg equivalent cartons, while plum production was expected to be 6% higher at just over 10,8 million 5,25kg equivalent cartons for exports. At 719 588 cartons of 4,75kg equivalent, apricots would be 1% down compared with last year. According to Jacques du Preez, general manager for trade and markets at Hortgro, the increase in production was mainly driven by young orchards…

If you give away more than R100 000 in gifts in a tax year, you are liable for donations tax. Currently, this is set at 20% for donations under R30 million; above this figure, the rate increases to 25%. In other words, if you give R500 000 to your son or daughter, you will pay R100 000 tax. The rules that govern donations tax are found in sections 54 to 64 of the Income Tax Act. But why is there a donations tax at all? Well, without it, a wealthy person could simply give away his or her entire estate prior to death, so no estate duties would be due. Fortunately, there are a number of exemptions from donations tax. The first, as mentioned, is an annual exemption of R100…

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A DROUGHT? Long-term records allow us to build a historical picture of drought in an area. This can be tricky as drought is influenced by many variables, including the amount of rainfall, its timing, run-off, temperature and humidity, season and the environment. However, because these factors are seldom properly recorded, we mostly use weather data, notably rainfall, to define drought. Simply put, drought is an unusually dry period. Arguably, the best way to classify an area as experiencing drought is by its effects on the ground, such as crop failure, scarcity of drinking water, fodder shortages, reduced stream flow, and plant and animal mortality. Droughts are, of course, a feature of semi-arid rangelands owing to the high rainfall variability typical of such areas. It’s small wonder…

At the age of 61, Petros Sithole is far from retiring. “If you’re a farmer, you never retire,” he says. “I’ve still got many more years ahead of me to farm. My only wish is that I’ll have the land to do so.” Sithole got the opportunity to farm relatively late in life, having spent many years as an extension officer for the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. A land reform farm needed a caretaker, and he proved to be a worthier candidate than the government could have imagined. THE ROLE OF CARETAKER Richtershoek farm, outside Malelane, had been bought by the Mpumalanga Department of Rural Development and Land Reform for R27,5 million in 2006 and given to the 72 farmworkers who worked the land. Unfortunately, it had gone…

Jeremia Makhosini Mathebula (39) is the Grain SA/Absa/John Deere Financial New Era Commercial Farmer of the Year 2018. Mathebula farms in the Amersfoort area in Mpumalanga. He was born in 1979 and grew up in Iswepe near Piet Retief on the Ingwempisi Estate Farm where he used to help his father plant maize on a small piece of land. “I was raised by a father who planted maize on 1ha and had a herd of 12 cattle on communal land. He set the example, and I could not help but follow in his footsteps. At the age of 10, I started weeding and planting with him. He was my first mentor,” says Mathebula. SMALL BEGINNINGS In pursuit of his passion, Mathebula bought 10 cows, which he kept on communal land…

The opening line around the neck is an extension of the cut used to slit the throat and cut the carotid arteries and jugular veins. This line is extended around the neck to behind the crown. No facial skin should be left adhering to a hide. The ventral line is taken from the throat along the centre of the body down to the anus and along the centre of the tail to just above the switch. The openings around the legs are cut just below the knees and joined to the ventral line along lines to the front of the front legs and at the back of the rear legs. The line along the rear legs joins the ventral line about halfway between the anus and the udder or scrotum.…

The topic of customer service is often explored and discussed. But its importance cannot be over-emphasised. If customer service is not a priority, the business is heading for trouble. Market agents, market owners and their staff are no exception, and all need to revisit their customer service levels regularly. It’s an imperfect world, and there are people in these groups who make the effort and others who don’t seem to care. THE CORE OF A BUSINESS’S FINANCIAL TROUBLES Many businesses pay only lip service to the concept of keeping their customers happy, and fail to notice when they are dissatisfied. Look closely at any one of these operations and I’d wager you’d find a business that’s slowly dying. Worse, the chances are that management don’t realise that poor customer service…

To make this meal for four diners, you will need: FOR THE CHICKEN MARINADE 8 chicken thighs 2 lemons 8 cloves of garlic 4 tablespoons of chopped, fresh origanum 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley 12mm of a big, red, fresh, depipped chilli 3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil 2 teaspoons of coarse salt Coarse, freshly ground black pepper FOR THE MASH 800g fresh cauliflower 4 leeks 4 cloves of garlic 50ml cream 50ml milk 1 tablespoon of butter (optional) Coarse salt and coarsely ground black pepper on demand 1 First, the marinade. Use a zesting tool, thin knife blade or grater to collect the zest (thin, aromatic outer layer of skin) from both lemons after rinsing and drying them. Squeeze the lemons and reserve the juice for later. Peel and…

WHAT MAKES THEM GREAT? by Douglas Kruger (Penguin, R230) Regardless of the size of your business, success depends on being the one who is chosen over the competition by customers in your market. Yet many of the personality factors, habits and strategies of successful business owners are similar. Kruger provides a lively overview of the ingredients for success with examples from across the globe, from Beyoncé and Simon Cowell to Chelsea Clinton and Mohandas Gandhi, weaving in plenty of personal observation along the way. His short and sharp inspirational insights also make excellent daily motivational readings. IN THE JAWS OF THE CROCODILE by Ray Ndlovu (Penguin, R250) Harare-based Ndlovu’s byline is familiar to all those who follow his incisive commentary and well-covered news from Zimbabwe, both across Africa…

“Inclusive economic growth is essential to achieving long-term poverty reduction and development goals. The transition from traditional, rural societies dominated by farm systems with low productivity toward more diversified, urban-centred societies with high productivity is a complex process that depends on a country’s resource endowments, institutions and other factors. Within the structural transformation of the economy, agricultural transformation has an essential role to play, and successes and failures in this sector have serious consequences for social outcomes, environmental impacts and economic efficiency. Research conducted by the International Food Policy Research Institute and the International Institute for Sustainable Development looked at government policies and public investments that drove agricultural transformation in African, Asian and Latin American countries between 1970 and 2015. A CHANGING WORLD According to the findings, significant progress was…

46 YEARS AGO Pretoria is known as Jacaranda City, and the traditional blue flowers that bloom every spring have attracted many sightseers. However, in 1972, it was not the blue flowers that attracted attention, but rather the white flowers of the hybridised Jacaranda tree. It seems to happen overnight in Pretoria. First the weather appears warmer, the days a little brighter. Then suddenly the whole world is covered in a blue haze and it is Jacaranda time again. Trees covered in blue flowers line the streets. Slippery blue flowers lie on the pavements ready to claim a few more victims. Everything looks beautifully blue – except of course in “snob alley,” Groenkloof. Here everything is different because they can brag about a rarity: a street lined with white Jacarandas. More…

I have serious concerns about the DA’s performance as the official opposition in South Africa at the moment. My first concern is that the DA keeps having wonderful ideas that ‘self-puncture’, and these moments overshadow the party’s achievements. In this regard, there is no better example than the saga that unfolded around the resignation of the former mayor of Cape Town, Patricia de Lille. Nobody got out unscathed; it was painful. In the latest instalment of the Days of the DA soap opera, it has acknowledged the criminal charges laid by De Lille against top party members, but said it was also looking forward to the outcome of a police investigation into corruption involving her. THERE IS NOTHING ABOUT A CONSTITUTION CHANGE IN THE DA’S LAND REFORM POLICY De Lille…

South African cheesemakers Norman and Rina Belcher, of the Belnori Boutique Cheesery near Bapsfontein in Gauteng, walked away with three super gold awards at the recent 31st World Cheese Awards in Bergen, Norway. The couple’s Kilembe hard goat’s milk cheese was named the Best South African Cheese, while all four of the other Belnori entries also received awards. This included a super gold award for the Belnori Kalabash cheese, a silver award for Balmoral, a bronze award for Tanglewood, and a bronze award for Forest Phantom. Rina credited Belnori’s head cheesemaker Bongi Nondzama for the excellent results and praised the integrity of the event’s judging process. The South African entrants were sponsored by Agri Expo, and local cheesemakers achieved two super gold, four gold, six silver and nine bronze awards…

Veterinary students from the University of Pretoria’s (UP) Faculty of Veterinary Science are baring all for a calendar that will be sold to raise funds for drought relief. Speaking to Farmer’s Weekly, Teagan-Leigh Scholtz, a third-year veterinary student and member of the Veterinary Naked Calendar committee, said the initiative was launched 10 years ago when veterinary science students decided to come to the aid of animals in need. Similar nude calendar projects were undertaken by veterinary students across the world, she said. This year’s theme is ‘Why is water important?’ Funds raised through this initiative will go towards the Droogtehulp met Burre Burger group. The calendar will feature a water theme for each month of the year. “Our animals and our farmers are important for our country’s precious future and…

Gaining and maintaining market access for South Africa’s mangoes, avocados and litchis was paramount to ensure these industries’ sustainability. This was according to Derek Donkin, CEO of the South African Subtropical Growers’ Association (Subtrop), who was speaking at the annual Subtrop Symposium in White River. Donkin said that further cultivar development was needed in the litchi and mango industries to ensure market access, while broader market access for avocados would ensure that growing the crop would remain profitable. The industry was currently focusing on accessing the Chinese and US markets for avocados and mangoes. However, negotiations over phytosanitary requirements and access for US products into South Africa were hampering the finalisation of these agreements. “Historically, it can take up to 15 years to gain market access in a new country,…

The Royal Swaziland Sugar Corporation (RSSC) has denied any knowledge of and involvement in the alleged evictions of smallholder sugar cane growers from land in that country, according to a statement issued by the company. “We do not own any land in Vuvulane and therefore we do not have [cause] to evict anyone. As a company we subscribe to high standards of governance and we respect the rights and interests of others,” the statement said. “It is worth mentioning that RSSC has typically maintained a cordial relationship with the communities around it, including farmers in the area. There are other activities that Vuvulane and surrounding communities continue to enjoy as a result of the positive relations between RSSC and these communities.” The Swaziland Justice Forum, which describes itself as a…

The NSPCA has discovered inhumane killing and breeding practices at aquaculture facilities across South Africa, according to Nazareth Appalsamy, the national senior inspector of the Farm Animal Protection Unit at the NSPCA. He said the organisation had inspected 49 aquaculture facilities and found that many of these farms did not produce aquatic species humanely as required by the Animal Protection Act. Appalsamy said there was no published legislation that dealt specifically with harvesting or breeding fish in South Africa. The Marine Living Resource Act (No. 18 of 1998) dealt mostly with permits, while the draft Aquaculture Development Bill was still being discussed in Parliament. As a result, there were no guidelines on stocking rates or killing methods. “We have not finalised space requirements. This needs to be researched and is…

The community-owned Somkhanda Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal has announced that it is establishing an environmental education facility. Somkhanda, which was officially proclaimed in 2005, is owned by the Gumbi community’s Emvokweni Community Trust. The community allocated part of the land that it successfully claimed in 1998 through the land restitution process, for this purpose. Executive director of Wildlands, Dr Roelie Kloppers, the trust’s long-term partner, told Farmer’s Weekly that the Somkhanda Community Conservation Centre would build on Somkhanda’s existing income initiatives by providing environmental education and training facilities. “To date the reserve has hosted mainly foreign students who have benefitted greatly from their visits to Somkhanda. We would like to build on this model as it generates income for the reserve, but then reinvest profit into providing a similar experience…

Jaco Oosthuizen, the RSA Group CEO, was recently appointed by the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Senzeni Zokwana, to serve as a member of the Agricultural Produce Agents Council (APAC) as from October 2018 to March 2021. This, however, is not Oosthuizen’s first APAC appointment as he previously successfully served on the council from 2012 to 2015. APAC is a body that regulates the fresh produce industry with regard to market agencies, individual market agents, export agents, as well as livestock agents. The council’s mission is to fulfil its mandate according to the Agricultural Produce Agents Act and to maintain and enhance the occupations of fresh produce, export agents and livestock agents. Furthermore, the council’s directive is to effectively contribute to the development and transformation of the agriculture sector.…

Ongoing drought in many parts of South Africa has forced many livestock farmers to buy feed from farmers’ co-operatives and other feed merchants to keep their animals alive. But with the fuel price having gone up in the recent past, the cost of feed has also increased steadily. There is only one practical way for a livestock producer to solve this problem, and that is to grow his or her own feed crops. While most communal farming areas have croplands, many have not been used for years and have reverted back to veld. This is because many communities don’t have the tractors or implements needed to prepare lands. The first step is therefore for the community to work together to establish a fund that can pay for outside contractors or…

The Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (GDARD) invites members of the farming community in the province, including agricultural entrepreneurs, smallholders and commercial farmers, organised agriculture, agricultural co-operatives, and previously disadvantaged people, to submit their proposals to apply for funding or assistance for their relevant farming projects. Applications should be in line with the departmental commercialisation programme across different agricultural commodity value chains as follows: • Mechanisation (tractors, planters, ploughs, and combine harvesters, among others); • Production inputs; • On- and off-farm infrastructure; • Farmer training and capacity building; • Agroprocessing business development support; and • Marketing enterprise business development and trade. CRITERIA Applicants must meet the following criteria: • Be able to utilise provided infrastructure with or without production input assistance from government; • Must have relevant documentation,…

‘Lodging’ is the displacement of stems or roots from their vertical and proper placement. The two types of plant lodging can occur at the same time or separately, and both can reduce yield and nutrient density. THE MECHANICS OF MAIZE LODGING A maize plant needs carbohydrates produced by photosynthesis to fill the root and main stem cells and so keep the plant healthy. It also needs to store enough carbohydrates for the grain-filling stage. If maize experiences stress at this stage, photosynthesis is reduced or even briefly stopped. This in turn reduces the amount of carbohydrates available for grain filling. The plant reacts by extracting stored carbohydrates from the leaves, stems and roots, and channels it to the developing kernels. As can be imagined, the stems and roots suffer, and…

Pöttinger Terradiscs, very wide, high-speed disc harrows, were launched at Agritechnica in Hanover last year. According to George Cilliers, sales manager at Valtrac Parys, the South African distributors for Pöttinger, they are scheduled to go on sale here early in 2019. Pöttinger claims that the new Terradisc 8001 T and 10001 T, with working widths of 8m and 10m respectively, can incorporate harvest residue under varying operating conditions without blockages, even with high levels of straw and mulch. With a working speed of up to 18km/h, the 10m-wide Terradisc can cover about 15ha/h. The uniform, shallow working depth and optimal packing effect produce a perfect seedbed. The compact design and aggressive disc angle ensure reliable penetration and thorough mixing of the soil and crop residue. TWIN-ARM SYSTEM To achieve a…

Sauvignon Blanc is a grape variety that has a naturally high acidity, resulting in refreshing wine that is crisp and light-bodied, perfect for hot South African summer days. It’s the most popular white wine. Acidity can split diners’ opinions when both the dish and the wine have plenty of it. This lemony chicken dish is fragrant, with acidity coming through on the fork, but it’s softened by the creaminess of the cauliflower and leek mash. The zippy Sauvignon Blanc in my glass went superbly with this lovely balance. Nederburg has several ranges, and two of their very different Sauvignon Blancs are what I enjoyed here. Nederburg’s Winemasters range has melons, pineapple and a fresh lime character that mirrors the dominant flavour in the dish. It also has a dollop of…

The Windy app from Windy Weather World measures a number of wind parameters and is a must for anyone who enjoys surfing, sailing, yachting, paragliding or fishing. I’m sure it will help farmers when they need to burn firebreaks too. The pro version costs R375 a year or R890 for a lifetime licence, and you can sign up through your Facebook account. GETTING STARTED Using the pull-down menu, you can change the app settings such as speed, distance and air temperature to the units of measurement you desire, for example kilometres instead of miles. A useful feature is ‘Nearest Spot’, which shows the closest spot recorded on the app. In my case, this is Wriggleswade, a well-known fishing spot near Stutterheim. You can also generate a list of all the…

The fifth sale of the winter season saw 93,8% of the more than 83 400kg of mohair on offer being sold. The hair was shorter and had a lower clean yield than at the previous sale, and the average price closed lower at R286/kg. This was due to the lower price levels achieved for the outsorts. Although the sale started off slowly, competition improved later in the day, with all buyers competing actively, especially for some of the excellent individual clips. “With limited quantities available for the rest of the season, buyers are seeking to secure their stock positions as current demand remains at good levels,” said Deon Saayman, general manager at Mohair South Africa. Compared with the previous sale, prices were: kids’ (winter) unchanged; winter young goats’ mohair down…

Thanks to the recent summer heatwave in the UK, English and Welsh vineyards were “booming” and winning international acclaim. This was according to Prof Steve Dorling, a chartered meteorologist at the University of East Anglia (UEA) in the UK. Dorling was part of a research team at UEA that identified almost 35 000ha of prime viticultural land in England and Wales. “This summer’s heatwave has led to a record grape harvest and a vintage year for English and Welsh wine, prompting great interest in investment and land opportunities,” he said. British grape yields were generally quite low and variable. Researchers at UEA thus aimed to identify the best places to plant vineyards to improve the sector’s resilience to the UK’s often fickle weather. They used new geographical analysis techniques to…

To meet the growing global demand for avocados, an additional 190 000t would have to be produced every year. Over the past five years, growth in demand had averaged 10% per annum, which could increase substantially if Chinese consumption rose. Speaking at the recent South African Subtropical Growers’ Association (Subtrop) symposium in White River, Greg Vicherat, European avocado sales manager at Halls, said that the breakfast avocado market in the US alone reached US$65 billion (about R929 billion) this year. “European customers are less sensitive to price, and this year they broke through the 1kg consumption per capita for the first time.” He said that while consumption per capita was currently low in China, it had the potential to become the world’s largest market for avocados. “They like avocados, but…

Two of KwaZulu-Natal’s prominent organised agricultural bodies have stated that they want to play advisory roles in the review, ongoing development and implementation of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s (KZN DARD) Agricultural Master Plan for 2020 to 2025. Representatives of the KwaZulu-Natal Agricultural Union (Kwananlu) and of the KZN chapter of the African Farmers’ Association of South Africa (KZN AFASA) expressed this view after it was learnt that the KZN DARD had recently hosted a strategic planning review in which Kwanalu and KZN AFASA had not been invited to participate. Asked why this was the case, KZN DARD spokesperson, Phathisa Mfuyo, replied that the meeting had been held exclusively for the department’s senior management and for representatives of the KZN DARD’s Agribusiness Development Agency, the Mjindi Farming…

In 2006, a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations shocked the world’s agricultural and agro-processing industries. Titled Livestock’s Long Shadow, it alleged that livestock, largely through methane emissions, were the major producers of greenhouse gases. Since then, it has become clear that the report had exaggerated the role of livestock in this regard, particularly when compared with the transport industry. Newer methodology has resulted in much lower estimates for the greenhouse gases (GHGs) produced by farm animals. Nonetheless, it is true that ruminants are the major culprits of methane emissions. Expressed as kilograms of carbon dioxide per kilogram of food protein, beef cattle, small ruminants and dairy cattle produce significantly more GHGs than monogastric animals such as poultry and pigs. Ruminant food production is also…

Global pork production in 2018 is expected to show an increase due to expansion in China, the US and the EU (see Graph 1). Large investments in China has resulted in a growing number of pigs. However, recent outbreaks of African swine fever (ASF) in that country may lead to a decline in production over the next year. Meanwhile, higher slaughter rates and gains in carcass weights should boost US production in 2018. Pork production is also expected to improve in Russia, where the ban on imports from Brazil has boosted demand for Russian pork. An increase in consumer income is expected to support growth in per capita pork consumption, strengthening demand prospects and encouraging higher production. DOMESTIC INDUSTRY The local pork industry has shown signs of recovery and has…

Limpopo Grey Brahman Champions Limpopo Red Brahman Champions Contacts: Llewellyn Labuschagne 082 579 5479 | Hennie Jacobs 082 890 9496 | Willie Becker 082 903 5847 | Pieter Meiring 082 555 9563 | Marinus van Jaarsveld 082 558 3137 Pinz²yl and Pinzgauer National Champions Contacts: Henry Brits 083 708 3487 | Louw Bierman 079 529 3837 | Igmar Bester 082 839 5106 | Eugene Cilliers 082 333 7559 | Bennie van der Linde 082 851 2215 Afrikaner Champions Limousin Champions Simmentaler Champions Contacts: Dr Pieter de Kock 082 809 7496 Callie Lee 083 417 8342 John and Tracey Devonport 083 454 3095…

Please close your eyes and wait for four seconds before you read another word. If you had been sitting in what is known as a top fuel dragster, you would now be travelling at just over 500km/h. These machines consist of a 6 000kW engine fitted into what looks like a long bed-frame carrying large rear wheels and small front wheels. They are built to race in pairs from a standing start to cover a quarter-mile (0,4km). The first across the line is the winner, and the fastest at the end of the day takes the trophy. There is no time to change gears, so the car has no gearbox. Instead, a controlled-slip, multi-plate clutch combined with rear tyre diameter growth (controlled by wheelspin) are used to accelerate the car…

The lignans (micronutrients) and sterols (organic molecules) found in flaxseed are recognised for lowering blood pressure. Less well known is that they also reduce lipid peroxidation, which is linked to cardiovascular disease. Lipid peroxidation occurs when cholesterol carriers such as low-density lipoproteins (LDL) become oxidised. Lipid peroxidation causes free radicals, which damage blood vessel walls, producing the plaque that causes peripheral artery disease and other cardiovascular diseases. The efficiency of lignans in flaxseed at lowering lipid peroxidation was shown in a study at the University of California. For six weeks, 37 middle-aged adults, divided into two groups, were given flaxseed bars. One group received a bar with flaxseed containing 0,41g lignans, and the other a bar with flaxseed containing 0,15g lignans. Both bars were otherwise identical. The group that ate…