Table of contents for 08 May 2020 in Farmer's Weekly

Since South Africa went into lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) more than a month ago, several initiatives have been launched to provide South Africans with a platform from which to express their gratitude for farmers, farmworkers and all those involved in the agriculture supply chain. South Africans and others across the globe have taken to social media to post messages of appreciation and to encourage farmers and others in the value chain during the crisis (see page 9). Earlier this year, just a few weeks before our lives were so irrevocably changed by the pandemic, I quoted Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng, who said to farmers at the Grain SA Congress in Bothaville: “You could have chosen to be doctors, or lawyers [...], but chose instead…

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has had a negative impact on businesses and economies worldwide. While many people have been told to stay at home to prevent the spread of the disease, essential workers, such as doctors, nurses, cashiers and rubbish collectors, have continued going to work to ensure that basic services are delivered. Amongst these essential employees are farmers and farmworkers. Farming is a thankless job, and farmers have often been the scapegoat for global warming and climate change. However, if there is a silver lining to the COVID-19 cloud, it is that society has slowly begun to realise the importance of farmers. In honour of farmers and farmworkers across the globe, Farmer’s Weekly has included some of the #thankafarmer tweets from the social media platform Twitter. #Thankafarmer was…

It became increasingly clear during the lockdown of the past several weeks that there are two factions competing for power. One is the government centred around President Cyril Ramaphosa and his supporters, and the other is the ‘so-called ANC’ based in Luthuli house headed by ANC Secretary General Ace Magashule, uMkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans Association spokesperson Carl Niehaus and others. Actually, this latest cabal does not involve the entire ANC, just a prominent faction opposing Ramaphosa, informally called the Radical Economic Transformation Movement. According to Bloomberg, the ANC has struggled to convey a coherent and consistent message about how the country should be run, with senior officials from opposing factions issuing conflicting policy statements. While Ramaphosa, Finance Minister Tito Mboweni and ANC economic transformation head Enoch Godongwana have stressed the…

The Western Cape Department of Agriculture had made available a R10 million once-off grant for the establishment of a tissue culture facility in Paarl. The funds would be used for the infrastructure and key equipment required to establish a new company, the Tissue Culture Facility, which would be owned and managed by the five deciduous fruit grower associations that own SAPO Trust, namely Hortgro Pome, Hortgro Stone, Canning Producers’ Association, South African Table Grape Industry, and Raisins South Africa. According to the Western Cape Department of Agriculture, the facility would improve the competitiveness of the deciduous fruit sector in the province and its ability to penetrate global markets. Agriculture MEC Ivan Meyer, said the facility would create the opportunity to multiply and provide quarantine-compliant plant material to the local industry…

Despite food production being deemed an essential service, many farming businesses have been negatively affected by measures aimed at curbing the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. According to Omri van Zyl, executive director of Agri SA, commodities associated with wine, beer, liquor, game ranching and fibre production were in full or partial lockdown, and producers were also unable to cash in on tourism opportunities, which for many has become an important income stream. “And, of the businesses that can operate, many are adversely affected by the closure of fresh [produce] markets, street vendors and restaurants, as well as the impact of the poor economy on demand.” GOVERNMENT FUNDING Government has set up various funding schemes to support struggling businesses. The majority of agricultural businesses, however, will have difficulty benefitting from these…

Tell us about your career in agricultural economics. INCREASING COMPLEXITY REQUIRES MORE SPECIALISATION I obtained my BScAgric and Honours in Agricultural Economics at Stellenbosch University [SU] in 1981, followed by an MScAgric from Natal University (Pietermaritzburg) during my second year of military service in 1983, and a PhD (Agric) from SU in 1991. I started lecturing in the Department of Agricultural Economics at SU in 1984 when I had to choose between full-time farming or part-time farming in combination with an academic career. I chose the latter. Due to my interest in farmland value, I qualified as a professional property valuer and do farm valuations once in a while. What courses does your department now offer? Like other departments of the AgriSciences Faculty at SU, it offers a four-year BScAgric,…

Macadamia farmer Dian Pretorius from Brondal, Limpopo watched as his unsound kernel recovery (USKR) percentage rose year after year. Averaging under 3% in the late 2000s, it steadily climbed to reach 5% and then over 6% in 2018, causing his profits to dwindle. Then, in a single year, Pretorius dramatically reversed the decline, so much so that he received a quality award at his local processor, Green Farms Nut Company, for the 2019 season. In the macadamia industry, the 5% USKR mark is regarded as critical; once farmers exceed it, they very seldom recover. Instead, it tends to rise steadily thereafter. Barry Christie, group agricultural technical manager at Green Farms Nut Company, notes studies where farmers’ USKR was measured over five seasons. “In general, growers who ended under 5% USKR…

THE STORY OF TREES by Kevin Hobbs & David West (Laurence King, R700) This handsome hardback is far from cheap, but it’s beautifully illustrated, and its polished précis of how approximatly 90 important trees have changed our lives will intrigue many more than the steadfast tree fans. Who wouldn’t want to drop into conversation the fact that cork bark is now used to insulate spacecraft? Unfortunately, no trees from South Africa are featured; most of the trees described come from Australia, India and the Americas. Moreover, the list of world botanic gardens and arboreta names has only Kirstenbosch listed for the country, despite the fact there are 11 national botanic gardens in the network, as well as extra and important independents such as Durban Botanic Gardens, which is…

18 NOVEMBER 1981 Rabbits for reward 39 YEARS AGO Selective breeding is essential to produce rabbits with long and high-quality wool, says two Gauteng breeders. There are three ways to make money out of rabbits. You can breed them for meat, or you can sell them as stud animals, or you can make money out of their wool. People who dislike the idea of slaughtering them could well profit from the experience of Tjaart and Caroline Steenekamp, of De Deur, near Vereeniging, who are producing Angora rabbits for stud and for their wool. Caroline is the daughter of the well-known Cape Town breeder and Aubrey judge, Marion Keller, who had a lot to do with developing the Angora rabbit in South Africa. Caroline took over the rabbitry and continued improving…

Farmers have time until 15 May to enter the summer grain category in the 2020 Santam Agriculture National Silage Competition, which will be presented for the seventh time this year. According to a statement issued by Santam Agriculture, silage played an important role in many crop and livestock farming businesses. For livestock producers, having access to good-quality silage could enhance effectiveness and drive profitability in the business. “Ultimately, the goal is to increase production by enhancing feed quality with fewer input costs and minimal impact on the environment,” the statement said. Gerhard Diedericks, head of Santam Agriculture, said the specialists who had been involved in the competition over the years, such as silage experts John Bax, Prof Robin Meeske and Richardt Venter, helped to determine the efficiency levels of various…

The countrywide lockdown enforced to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has offered a temporary respite for egg producers, as home-cooked meals and baking activities spiked. During the previous 12 months, the egg industry suffered continuously low prices as egg production increased, while demand remained stable. “But since consumers have been confined to their homes during the lockdown, egg sales have shot through the roof,” said Leander Robbertze, CEO of Heidel Eggs in Mpumalanga. “There has been a huge increase in demand and sales have increased by between 50% and 60%. People are baking, making proper breakfasts, and entertaining themselves in the kitchen. In the Mpumalanga area that we supply, we have also seen a greater demand from the lower income groups that have returned home from the…

The 2020 pecan nut harvest is currently underway in most of South Africa’s production regions. According to André Coetzee, chairperson of the South African Pecan Producers’ Association (SAPPA), the harvest was looking promising so far. “However, the final figures for the current pecan nut season’s volumes are not yet available, as it is still too early to make any predictions.” According to Dries Duvenhage, a pecan nut farmer near Hartswater, the pecan nut production area around the Vaalharts Irrigation Scheme had experienced a good production season thus far. “We generally experienced a moderate season with sufficient water. Currently, the crop on the trees look good, and so does the quality of the nuts. We are cautiously optimistic that this season will be better [than] the previous year.” He said the…

Farmers, particularly those in South Africa, carry more than their fair share of risk. Agricutural pests and diseases, adverse weather, see-sawing market prices, unpredictable foreign currency rates, soaring input costs, and politics are all frequent threats. But then, like business people everywhere, farmers face the occasional ‘black swan’, a rare, unpredictable event that has severe consequences. You seldom forget the arrival of a black swan. Think of 9/11 and those horrific images of airliners being flown into the World Trade Center in New York. Nearly 3 000 people were killed that day and the US stock exchange lost more than 7% of its value in the aftermath. As the world was on the road to recovery, another black swan flew in: the global market crash of 2008. This was caused…

As a farmer, you would naturally want your produce to get top prices and enjoy demand from buyers and consumers. One of the ways of achieving these goals is to introduce product differentiation, as is done so successfully with the many varieties of apple and citrus. But to better illustrate differentiation, I’d prefer to use the lowly cabbage as an example, precisely because it is such an unremarkable product. ORDINARY, BUT SPECIAL Let’s be realistic; cabbage doesn’t enjoy the heady accolades of shiny apples or sweet ‘easy peeler’ citrus. This may seem rather unfair for a crop that has nourished us for thousands of years, but it’s the truth. So, what can you do to set your cabbage apart from the rest? What innovation can you introduce to make it…

Serves four WHITE SAUCE 60ml (4 Tbsp) butter 60ml (4 Tbsp) cake flour 250ml (1 cup) full-cream milk 1ml salt Black pepper SOUFFLÉ 4 eggs, separated 250ml (1 cup) white sauce (see above) 250ml (1 cup) Cheddar, grated 15ml (1 Tbsp) Parmesan Pinch of red pepper WHITE SAUCE 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. 2. In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and mix well. 3. Add the milk slowly, and cook for three to five minutes over low heat until the sauce is smooth and thick. Season with salt and pepper. SOUFFLÉ 1. Beat the egg yolks and add to the white sauce. 2. Add the cheeses and red pepper and mix. 3. Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, then fold…

Free State farmer Pietman Heyns decided he needed a simple program that enabled him to record data where it would be easily accessible and help him better organise farming tasks. The result was the Farmhand app, a handy farmer’s management tool. It operates solely from farmhandapp.co.za. Before you can use the program, you will need to register and create a password for your profile. The program costs R80/month and has a 30-day free trial period. Once registration is completed, you are taken to the landing page. This is divided into farms and camps, herds and animals, and rainfall. To input your farm’s details, click on ‘Farms and camps’. Here you can assign a name to a farm and create a camp. This is done by selecting an area with markers,…

Due to the global coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, South Africa’s National Coronavirus Command Council has announced a nationwide lockdown until 30 April, resulting in many events in the Farmer’s Diary being cancelled or postponed. At the time of going to print, Farmer’s Weekly could not confirm whether some of the listed events had been officially cancelled. However, most of the organisations hosting these events are due to make announcements in this regard shortly. Readers will be kept up to date. Farmer’s Weekly urges its readers to contact the relevant organising body before attending any course or event to confirm whether the event has been cancelled or postponed. CANCELLED EVENTS 24 APRIL TO 2 MAY Bloem Show, Bloemfontein.Visit bloemskou.co.za. 27 AND 28 APRIL Free State Regional SA Boerperd Championships, Bloemfontein Showgrounds.Email…

Global food and agricultural supply chains are taking strain due to the disruptions caused by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. This is the case whether one looks at meat or grain supply chains. The US, Brazil and Canada, which accounted for nearly a third of global meat and edible offal exports in 2019, closed some of their meat processing plants during the last week of April. This was in response to the spread of COVID-19 among employees. In the US and Canada, the main closures are in beef and pork processing plants, while in Brazil, the closures are of poultry-related plants. Given the significant contribution of 28% these countries make to global meat exports, if the closure of processing plants is extended and they remain closed for a prolonged period,…

South Africa’s blueberry production for 2019/2020 has increased 53% to 18 000t from 11 700t the previous season. “Our projections for the year ahead indicate that blueberry production could reach 25 000t for the 2020/2021 season, a solid increase considering the impact of the [coronavirus disease] COVID-19 crisis,” Justin Mudge, chairperson of the South African Berry Producers’ Association (SABPA), said in a statement. Production expectations in Limpopo and Mpumalanga were particularly good at 136% and 102% respectively by 2025, he said. “Earlier this month, we announced a new record in blueberry exports with 12 282t exported in 2019/2020. Read together with the production figures, the data shows that exports account for 68% of the industry’s production.” This year’s planting season was already underway, and according to Mudge, it was expected…

A strong increase in global demand for citrus has so far been evident in the 2020 export season, according to Justin Chadwick, CEO of the Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa. In a statement, Chadwick said increased global demand for lemons had resulted in 4,5 million 15kg-equivalent cartons being shipped to date. This was double the 1,8 million cartons exported during the same period in 2019. “The bulk of these shipments (64%) have been shipped to the Middle East, while shipments to Russia have increased from 9% to 12% [of total volume]. [Volumes] of soft citrus, at 424 000 cartons to date, and grapefruit, at 411 000 cartons to date, are similar to the previous year’s exports [for the same period].” Gert Upton, marketing and sales representative at Schoonbee Landgoed,…

A total of 5 382 bales were on offer at the 25th sale of the 2019/2020 wool season, of which 87,9% were sold. The market closed 6,4% (988 points) higher at a value of R165,57/kg (clean). The rand was 9,8% weaker against the US dollar and 9,5% weaker against the euro, compared with the average rate at the previous sale, which meant the market weakened 3,1% in US dollar terms, according to Cape Wools. Amidst the current nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the first ever electronic sale in South Africa was held for the bales already in brokers’ stores that had already been valued and tested. Although the sale was regarded as successful, it was not without teething problems, for example, it took longer…

The impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has been felt worldwide as governments have implemented stringent measures to protect their citizens. Many businesses have also felt the severe impact that COVID-19, and trade and movement restrictions put in place to slow down the spread of the disease, have had on their bottom lines. The general assumption is that because people need to eat and farmers produce food, farmers would never find themselves in a situation where they have to close shop. The food value chain has, after all, been declared an essential service. But as a crop farmer, my experience proves that farmers have not been as unaffected as many might believe. SLOW DEMAND FOR FRESH PRODUCE It is easy to assume that the COVID-19 lockdown would result in…

John Viedge of the Lehana’s Pass Sussex Stud run his animals on the farm Highfield, 10km south of Maclear in the Eastern Cape. The property consists of 2 200ha of very hilly terrain, at an altitude of 1 500m; average rainfall is 700mm with the occasional snowfall. Viedge is the second generation of the family on the farm. His father, Robert, started farming here in 1931, and launched a Sussex enterprise when he bought four Sussex heifers from Bruce Evans of the Shackleton Stud in Viljoenskroon in 1962. Viedge joined the family business in 1964 after having studied at Cedara Agricultural College. The family was intially predominantly sheep farmers, running a flock of about 2 000 ewes. However, stock theft on their farm, which borders the former Transkei, escalated to…

Makes 12 CUPCAKES 1 extra-large egg 125ml (½ cup) caster sugar 60ml (4 Tbsp) oil 187ml pulped mango 30ml (2 Tbsp) milk 250ml (1 cup) cake flour 5ml (1 tsp) baking powder 1ml baking soda Pinch of salt DECORATION 30ml (2 Tbsp) soft butter 500ml (2 cups) icing sugar, sifted 75ml (5 Tbsp) mango pulp CUPCAKES 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with cupcake liners. 2. Using a stand mixer or electric beater, beat the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the oil, and continue beating. 3. Add the mango pulp and milk and mix well. Set aside. 4. Sieve the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. 5. Mix the flour mixture with the mango mixture. Divide the mixture amongst…

Paracetamol and ibuprofen are both effective for pain relief and reducing fever. Their actions and side-effects are not the same, however. Ibuprofen is generally preferred for muscle pain, such as back pain, premenstrual syndrome (PMS) with cramps, and osteoarthritis, according to the British Medical Journal. (The mood swings, water retention and cramps of PMS can be addressed by a combination of magnesium and Vitamin B complex. Take it at least a week before menstruation is due.) If you have problems with general bleeding, or bleeding in your gastro-intestinal system, such as a stomach ulcers, rather use paracetamol. People with liver problems should avoid taking ibuprofen, and anyone with a heart condition, who has had a stroke, or who suffers from a peptic ulcer should use it with care, as it…

If you were given R30 million to invest in agriculture, either in new or existing farming activities or in the agriculture value chain, how would you spend it? The market for alternative animal protein sources is, in my opinion, going to grow a lot in future, so investment in local companies involved in protein-rich feed and food ingredient production from fly larvae seems like a good idea. Vertical farming and the cannabis value chain would also be investments I’d consider. What has been one of your most memorable moments as an agricultural journalist? Interviewing a farmer in his milking parlour and not noticing one of the Jersey cows, fresh from the kikuyu pastures, lifting her tail. Long story short: I was covered in runny manure and had to go to…