Table of contents for 5 March 2021 in Farmer's Weekly

Ever since it was announced by Minister of Labour Thembelani Nxesi in the Government Gazette in early February that the minimum wage for farmworkers would increase 16% to bring it in line with the national minimum wage, I have been reading the news and commentary published about this with a growing sense of discomfort. The increase will come into effect from 1 March 2021 and will see the minimum wage of farmworkers increase from R18,68/hour to R21,69/hour. The previous large adjustment to the farmworker minimum wage rate happened in 2013 when it increased by 51%. At the time, farmworkers were earning a minimum of R7,71/hour. After much deliberation and protest action by farmworkers (they were asking for R150/day) the wage rate was increased in 2013 to R11,66/hour. In the 10…

In 1978, the Zimbabwe War of Liberation meant that many farmers abandoned their farms on the border of Zimbabwe and South Africa to avoid being caught in the crossfire. This article focuses on those who stayed. The whine of aircraft engines and the crash of bombs brought Andries van der Walt and his wife hurrying from their farmhouse on the South African side of the Limpopo River as the bush on the Rhodesian bank opposite erupted in flames and dust. Mortar explosions joined the crackle of small-arms fire. “Finally, I could see nothing but dust,” Van der Walt, of the farm Vryheid about 20km east of Messina, recalls. “About 200 bombs must have been dropped and the mortar fire seemed continuous. The noise of the fighting went on all morning.”…

The effects of the drought in the Eastern and Northern Cape are escalating, and drought-stricken communities are finding themselves in a humanitarian crisis. This was according to Naudé Pienaar, Manna for the Farmers support group coordinator, who told Farmer’s Weekly that many families were struggling to afford essential items such as food and toiletries. “The need is immense and cuts across the entire community. Farming communities have, in the past, been the mainstay of rural economies and played an integral role in keeping institutions such as old age homes and schools going. This has ground to a halt because drought victims simply do not have the money to support such establishments any more. The drought has caused a far-reaching humanitarian catastrophe,” he said. He praised South Africans’ ongoing support for…

A report outlining the themes that arose in oral submissions made at the countrywide public hearings about the amendment of Section 25 of the Constitution was recently tabled to members of the ad hoc committee overseeing the process. The report also included a summary of written submissions made to the committee. At the start of the meeting, the DA MP Dr Annelie Lotriet said members had not been given enough time to work through the 90-page report. “There’s just no way that I can, in good faith, do justice to my responsibility as a member of this committee by hearing this presentation when I have not yet had the opportunity to study the report.” Floyd Shivambu, EFF MP, however, accused the DA of delegitimising the committee’s processes with frivolous objections.…

Western Cape businesses and producers will be able to take further advantage of trade with the US after the province recently signed a bilateral trade agreement with that country. The US Consulate General in Cape Town and the Western Cape government jointly launched a Trade and Investment Promotion Partnership in February that would build on the momentum of their existing economic relationship to promote shared economic development. In 2020, bilateral trade grew despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The US acting consul general in Cape Town, Will Stevens, said in a statement that this growth included a 68% increase in citrus exports and a 78% increase in wine exports to the US. “Hundreds of companies in the Western Cape export to the US as part of this reciprocal trade [agreement]. Western Cape…

The Agricultural Research Council (ARC) has announced that it is gearing up for broader testing for huanglongbing, better known as HLB or citrus greening, which is regarded as the most destructive disease of citrus. This was according to a statement released by the ARC, which said the testing for HLB would be in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, and Citrus Research International (CRI). The disease has caused the near-collapse of the citrus industry in Florida in the US. According to the ARC, the disease gave the appearance of a yellow dragon being draped over citrus trees, due to the mottling symptom associated with it. HLB has to date not been reported by commercial citrus growers in South Africa, but has been identified in Asia,…

Crossbred or indigenous chickens farmed in a free-range system are hardy animals. The biggest threats they face are from lice outbreaks. One of the main ways of introducing these ectoparasites to your clean flock is by bringing in new chickens from an unknown background. It’s important, therefore, to quarantine new chickens for a period while you look for signs of lice infestation. In communal farming areas, chickens from numerous homesteads often mingle, and this can lead to lice from infested birds spreading to clean birds. It is essential to keep chicken coops clean, because dirty, moist housing creates a perfect environment for the proliferation of lice. If you discover lice in your chicken coops, spray the houses down with Karbadust mixed with water. You will need to spray three times…

Growing up on the family grain and cattle farm in Balfour, Mpumalanga, Danie Bester developed an interest in computers alongside a love for farming. This has benefitted him in an era of technology and precision farming, where GPS-linked systems and software programs have enabled him to optimise every square metre of his farm. He also leans on a group of farmers in the US who share a common vision to obtain the maximum possible yield using the latest technology, their own research and shared learning. “Being part of such a group has made a world of difference to the way I farm. I’m challenged to think differently about how we farm in South Africa, and question the norms,” says Bester. NEW THINKING One of the shifts he has made is…

Some element deficiencies are easy to pick up; others are confusing because the symptoms may be very similar to those of other deficiencies. In some cases, toxicity from herbicide residue may also look similar to nutrient shortages. A PATCHY PROBLEM Firstly, note the pattern of symptoms in the land. A deficiency of trace minerals never manifests uniformly; deficiencies always develop initially in patches. If you start to see such patches and cannot figure out the problem, take soil samples from the bad patches and another from areas where the crop is growing well. Using the results of the analysis, you should be able to narrow down the range of possibilities. An element such as molybdenum, for example, is unavailable to the plant when the soil pH is low. This may…

MAKES ONE LOAF 2 cups cake flour ½ tsp baking powder 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda ½ tsp cinnamon (optional) 1 cup sugar 2 ripe bananas, mashed ½ cup pecan nuts, chopped, reserving some for the top of the loaf 1 cup milk 180g butter, melted • Preheat the oven to 180°C. • Sift together the flour, baking powder, bicarb and cinnamon (if using). Add the sugar, banana and most of the nuts. • Beat the milk and butter together, add to the dry mixture, and combine until the flour is moistened. The batter should still be lumpy. • Pour the mixture into a rectangular tin that has been greased and lined, and sprinkle the reserved nuts over the top. • Bake for about 20 minues or until golden brown.…

The body is home to a vast community, the microbiome, comprising tiny life forms called microbiota. These organisms, which include bacteria, fungi and other types, are in delicate balance, and this balance can be upset, particularly in the intestine, by antibiotics and other medication. Probiotics, which are beneficial bacteria and yeasts, bring balance to the microbiome and so assist the body’s immune system to fight off harmful bacteria and viruses. They also perform another invaluable function: protecting against post-menopausal bone loss, thanks to the metabolic connection between the immune system and the skeleton. In one study, researchers removed the ovaries of female mice, and the resulting loss of oestrogen made the animals’ intestines more permeable and hence more vulnerable to infection. Their immune systems responded by increasing the number of…

PITCH BATTLES by Peter Hain & André Odendaal (Bowman & Littlefield, R310) The authors share vivid accounts of the birth of the anti-apartheid sports boycott, its impact within South Africa and especially on apartheid’s longevity, and the use of sport as a nation-building tool, from 1994 to Siya Kolisi’s acclaimed captaincy in Japan at the Rugby World Cup. Absorbing and as firmly argued as ever. THE DARKEST EVENING by Ann Cleeves (Macmillan, R330) One of Cleeves’s favourite series detectives, DCI Vera Stanhope, is for once starting her investigation on the back foot. After getting lost on back roads in a blizzard, she finds a toddler strapped into an abandoned car. Vera takes the toddler and happens upon Brockburn, a stately home in which her father had…

Whisky Magazine recently announced that Andy Watts, master distiller at Distell of a range of proudly South African whiskies including Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky and Three Ships Whisky, will be bestowed the great honour of being inducted into Whisky Magazine’s Whisky Hall of Fame. The honour of the Whisky Hall of Fame has been bestowed on just a handful of people since its inception in 2004, as a permanent tribute to their lasting contribution to the whisky industry. Watts will receive this accolade in recognition of his lifelong commitment to the South African whisky industry and subsequently, the World Whisky Category (whiskies produced outside of Scotland, the US and UK). Watts’s career didn’t start off in the world of whisky. He grew up in Penistone in Yorkshire, England, and arrived…

The uptake of machinery in Ethiopia’s agriculture sector has historically been low, with fewer than 1% of farming units being cultivated with a tractor. However, the International Food Policy Research Institute has reported an increase in imports of combine harvesters and tractors into Ethiopia as farmers try to counter the increasing costs of agricultural labour and animal traction. Despite indications of a growing desire to adopt more advanced farming machinery, there have been a number of factors that have limited the further expansion of mechanisation in Ethiopia. These include: • Structural constraints, such as small farm sizes and consequent limits in scale, land fragmentation, and crop diversity. • Biophysical constraints, such as rocky farmland, steep slopes, and unsuitable soil types. • Economic and financial constraints, which include limited access to…

As long as South Africa’s already hefty taxes on tobacco products remained higher than those in neighbouring countries, rampant illegal imports of such products were unlikely to reduce substantially. The country’s flourishing illicit tobacco trade, which reportedly gained a hugely increased market share during government’s controversial ban on legal tobacco product sales during the COVID-19-related hard lockdown, continued to plague the country’s legitimate tobacco value chain. This was according to Sinenhlanhla Mnguni, chairperson of South Africa’s Fair Trade Independent Tobacco Association, in response to an exposé published recently by the Daily Maverick, and titled ‘Cartel power dynamics in Zimbabwe’. This report alleged that large criminal syndicates operated between Zimbabwe, China and South Africa to circumvent tobacco products manufacturing, trade protocols and systems in order to get large volumes of low-cost…

The JSE-listed Kaap Agri group, trading in agricultural, fuel and related retail markets in Southern Africa, has produced a robust financial performance amid the COVID-19 resurgence during the first quarter (Q1) of its current financial year, which ends in September 2021. The company’s statutory revenue increased by almost 17% and gross profit by 19,6% compared with Q1 of the previous financial year. Recurring headline earnings for the quarter grew 35,4%, from R84 million to R113,7 million. Headline earnings increased 38,2%, from R82,2 million to R113,6 million. According to Kaap Agri CEO Sean Walsh, the company achieved strong operational performance across all divisions, especially in the increase in grain trading income, with retail-related revenue growing 14,5% compared with the previous year. Growth was underpinned by sales in building materials, pet accessories,…

Zambia’s financially struggling crocodile farmers are reportedly optimistic about the future after an onerous two-year-long export tax on raw crocodile skins came to an end on 1 January. The 10% tax was implemented suddenly by the country’s government in January 2019, prompting the Zambian Crocodile Farmers’ Association (ZCFA) and its members to call unceasingly, and ultimately successfully, for the tax to be scrapped. ZCFA spokesperson and crocodile farmer, Bill Thomas, said that the country’s crocodile industry was already “quietly confident” that its fortunes were improving following the lifting of the tax. This positive sentiment could be seen in a 28% increase in employment in the industry to over 600 permanent workers; a 37% increase in gross payments from the industry to government agencies; and news of a plan to construct…

Farmers in New Zealand have expressed serious concern about the country’s Climate Change Commission draft advice, which recommends that livestock numbers on farms be reduced in an effort to meet the country’s greenhouse gas emission obligations. According to the Otago Daily Times, some farmers feared that a possible 15% reduction in livestock numbers on red meat and dairy farms by 2030 could “break New Zealand’s under-pressure agriculture industry”. Most industry groups were therefore taking a cautious approach to the Climate Change Commission’s draft advice package. “The already weary farming sector fears that an urban-centred government could again make changes for rural New Zealand that don’t match what is happening on the ground,” sheep farmer Leon Black said. Black, a former director of Beef + Lamb New Zealand South Island, said…

Large parts of Namibia remain in the brutal grip of drought despite the good rain that has occurred so far this summer in that country. Henriette le Grange, project manager of the Namibia Drought Relief Fund, said Aus, Rosh Pinah, Bethanie and Warmbad in the south had not received any rain, while Khorixas and the area west of Outjo in the north had received little or none. The western part of Leonardville and parts of Khomas Hochland were also very dry. “Tens of thousands of hectares were also lost to veld fires. Indications are that damage by veld fires following the good rain in the country this summer could also be expected later in the year,” she said. The fund had therefore decided to expand its support initiatives to farmers…

Funds collected through levies within South Africa’s primary dairy value chain, rather than from government, are supporting much-needed research into preventing mastitis and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the country’s dairy herds. Without this research, the primary dairy value chain would face a growing animal welfare problem, less economic competitiveness and sustainability, threats to food safety, and a major hurdle to transformation. This was according to Dr Chris van Dijk, a specialist veterinarian and CEO of the Milk Producers’ Organisation. Van Dijk said that a 2015 survey of South African dairy farmers, which had been supported by laboratory work at the Agricultural Research Council’s Onderstepoort Veterinary Research Institute and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Allerton Laboratory, “suggested significant and widespread” resistance by mastitiscausing bacteria to commonly available antimicrobials.…

A small-scale pig, layer hen and fresh produce farm in the Western Cape recently became the second such operation in Africa to achieve Certified Animal Welfare Approved status by the international A Greener World (AGW) organisation. “Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW is the only high animal welfare certification in South Africa,” the AGW said in a statement. Its standards were developed in collaboration “with scientists, veterinarians, researchers and farmers across the globe to maximise practicable, high-welfare animal management”, the AGW added. When used on food labels, the certification informed consumers that the animal products they were buying were raised outdoors on pastures or veld according to the “highest” animal welfare standards in South Africa, the statement said. Nicky du Plessis, who along with her husband, Hannes, and another couple,…

The heavy rain that parts of South Africa received during January and February has had a minor impact on the national tomato crop, and production is expected to return to normal as the rain subsides. This was according to Chanay du Plessis, spokesperson for the Tomato Producers’ Organisation, who said that during January and February, production was probably at about 60% of average in the north of the country, where there was heavy rain. The southern region was unaffected. According to estimates, South Africa would produce about 450 000t of tomatoes in 2021, similar to last year’s figure, Du Plessis said. “As the South African economy is not showing any growth, the industry will probably grow only [in line with] the increase in the population.” The average price of tomatoes…

South Africa’s labour environment is highly regulated, and a wide range of legislation is applicable in the workplace. The strict requirements set by labour law are not negotiable, and farmers put their businesses at unnecessary risk by failing to address labour law proactively and with caution. The national minimum wage (NMW) plays a major role in South Africa’s current labour climate, especially in the agriculture sector. Despite the weak state of the economy, as well as the impact of COVID-19, Minister Thembelani Thulas Nxesi of the Department of Employment and Labour announced the amended NMW on 8 February in the Government Gazette. This means that farmworkers will, from 1 March, have to be paid R21,69/hour. The agriculture sector previously received an exemption that allowed it to pay only 90% of…

Mabel Dikobe produces vegetables and sugar bean on her 1ha farm in Eikenhof, Johannesburg. She also runs a feeding scheme in Alexandra and manages a community upliftment NGO called Mveledzo. Dikobe, 68, was still at school when she first discovered her passion for agriculture. From a young age she cultivated vegetables in her family’s garden at home. This eventually led her to join the Alexandra Renewal Project in 2005. This project identifies opportunities for agricultural development in the community. That same year, she established Mveledzo, before starting her feeding scheme in 2007. When the Alexandra Renewal Project first started, it was mainly a waste-management community programme. Dikobe organised campaigns, with the assistance of the Department of Environmental Affairs and the then Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, to clean up…

Anyone familiar with the export of fresh produce appreciates the extent of the international trade in fruit and vegetables; it’s enormous and continues to grow annually. However, operating successfully in this highly competitive environment is another matter. One of the main challenges is finding new markets. An ever-changing international trade scene means that a marketer has to keep a sharp eye on new marketing opportunities. Developments in trade are driven mostly by retail chains, which demand high standards in all respects from their suppliers. If these suppliers fail to deliver, they are readily replaced by their competitors. PARTNERSHIPS One of most common practices is for exporters to form alliances with established importers overseas, many of which can offer added benefits to their marketing objectives. Numerous South African exporters use this…

Dear Jonno, As per our conversation, I’m attaching the layout of our dream home next to the Zambezi River. I hope you’ll be able to spin your magic and improve my design. Please bear in mind that we love the bush and have spent most of our lives in a wilderness environment. Here are our requirements: • We need three bedrooms, with one on either end of the structure and an attic bedroom. The bedrooms should each be at least 5m x 6m in size and have an en-suite bathroom. • We would like the lounge, dining and kitchen areas to be as spacious as possible, and the kitchen needs to have an island stove. • There should be a study and guest loo. Please place these wherever you see…

We’re approaching a year of living with the stop-start of COVID-19 lockdowns and the trauma and tragedy of the disease itself. For strategist and consultant Abdullah Verachia, it’s as if all the disruptive changes to business, from the gig economy to dating apps and new approaches to tourism, have been thrown in a blender with healthcare and holism, and thoroughly mixed with the unanticipated pandemic effect. As his title DISRUPTION AMPLIFIED (TMP, R280) suggests, this is the disruption we half-expected and half-denied meeting disruption on a scale we had never anticipated. His well-focused discussions urge you to think broadly of the kind of world and business environment that can rise from this maelstrom.…

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? I would establish a financial institution that focused on primary agriculture, driven by data analytics and artificial intelligence, targeting farmers with a turnover of between R1 million and R50 million. What is the best advice you have ever been given, and who gave it to you? The best advice I was given was from my late husband, Pius Nwoko, which was to always make use of your network. If you were given carte blanche to effect one major change in South Africa tomorrow, how would you use this power? I would like to start by changing the whole government. I strongly feel…

Farmer’s Weekly celebrates its 110th anniversary this year, and this is your chance to get involved and be featured in the collectors’ commemorative edition. We are looking for former cover stars and couples who met and fell in love via the Hitching Post. We are also looking for South Africa’s oldest farmers; if you are, or if you know of, a farmer who is older than 80 years of age and still farming, please get in touch! We would also like to speak to any farmers who were dispossessed of their land prior to 1994. Please send your details to Farmer’s Weekly editor, Denene Erasmus, at denene@caxton.co.za.…

Much has been said and written about the excellent performance of South Africa’s agriculture sector during 2020. Even President Cyril Ramaphosa, in his State of the Nation Address on 11 February, acknowledged farmers’ stellar achievements last year, highlighting the fact that “in the midst of the economic damage caused by COVID-19, South Africa’s [agriculture] sector has performed remarkably well”. In his speech, Ramaphosa proudly acknowledged the fact that South Africa became the world’s second-largest exporter of citrus in 2020, and had strong export growth in wine, maize, nuts, deciduous fruit and sugar cane. He added that government would be pursuing programmes to assist smallholder and emerging farmers with market access to develop skills across the entire agricultural value chain. IMPLEMENTATION OF REFORMS While Ramaphosa may have managed to hit a…

The Ingonyama Trust Board (ITB) does not agree with the Auditor-General of South Africa’s (AG) recent findings on the ITB’s irregular expenditures, and has declared a dispute. This emerged during a briefing by the ITB to the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Rural Development and Land Reform on its divergence with the findings of the AG, and to explain why only the trust’s board, and not the trust itself, should be subject to the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA). Farmer’s Weekly previously reported that the ITB had obtained a qualified audit opinion from the AG, which meant that the trust did not produce credible financial statements, and provided misstatements. The AG’s report found that the ITB had not disclosed the full extent of its irregular expenditure. “We’re saying this finding is…

Plans to mine the deep seabed for metals and minerals such as cobalt, lithium and nickel would result in a destructive impact on deep-sea ecosystems and biodiversity. This could have serious knock-on effects on fisheries, livelihoods and food security, and could compromise ocean carbon and nutrient cycles, according to a statement recently released by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). According to the statement, the WWF, other organisations, political leaders and scientists were calling for a global moratorium on deep seabed mining unless and until the environmental, social and economic risks were comprehensively understood, all alternative resources exhausted, and there was clarity on whether deep seabed mining could be managed to ensure the effective protection of the marine environment and prevent loss of biodiversity. Craig Smith, senior manager of…

World Wide Fund for Nature South Africa (WWF-SA) has welcomed five new farms into its Conservation Champion programme, which recognises environmental leaders in the Western Cape winelands. Conservation Champion farms were committed to regenerative farming practices, including conserving natural systems and biodiversity on their land, and optimal water and energy efficiency. The five farms that joined the programme over the past six months were Anthonij Rupert Wyne (Franschhoek), Journey’s End Vineyards (Somerset West), Mooiplaas (Stellenbosch), Nederburg Wines (Paarl) and Tierhoek (Robertson). WWF-SA said in a statement that in exchange for their commitment to nature and adherence to WWF-SA standards, Conservation Champions were entitled to use the distinctive sugarbird logo on their wines to guide environmentally concerned consumers in their purchases. “[WWF-SA] also supports these farms by co-developing detailed environmental management…

FRANCE BNP Paribas bank in France has announced that it will not finance customers producing or buying beef or soya beans from land in the Amazon that was cleared or converted after 2008. The bank, France’s largest listed lender, said it would provide financial products or services only to producers and meat traders that had a strategy to achieve zero deforestation in their production and supply chains by 2025. UNITED STATES Blueberry imports are not causing “serious injury” to US producers, according to that country’s International Trade Commission. The commission dismissed complaints from farmers in Florida and Georgia, and said it would not recommend further action to reduce imports. In recent years, US producers have claimed that their businesses were being damaged by what they argued were unfair trade practices…

Free State Agriculture (FSA) has expressed concern over the increase in farm attacks in the province in 2020 compared with 2019, according to Jakkals le Roux, chairperson of FSA’s Rural Safety Committee. An analysis by FSA showed a 12,5% increase in the number of farm attacks and murders. “In 2020, 60 farm attacks and 12 murders were recorded, while in 2019 a total of 52 farm attacks and 11 murders were documented,” he said. Le Roux added that 37 towns were affected by this type of crime. Smallholdings around Bloemfontein and farms in the areas of Hobhouse, Marquard, Odendaalsrus, Theunissen and Virginia were identified as high crime areas in 2020. Almost 30% of farm attacks and murders occurred along the Lesotho border. According to Dr Jane Buys, a safety and…

Soya bean prices have soared over the past year, resulting in increases in animal feed prices. These higher feed prices will result in sharp increases in production costs for poultry producers which will, in turn, reduce the profitability of these farmers. This was according to Dr Sifiso Ntombela, chief economist at the National Agricultural Marketing Council. He said that soya bean prices were currently as high as R9 600/t, compared with an average of R6 100/t at the same time last year. Ntombela added that the reason for the increase was that the South African soya bean market tended to follow price trends in important global soya bean markets such as the US, Argentina and China. “These countries have recorded relatively high soya bean prices compared with a year ago,…

Nigeria has become the first country in Africa to issue gene editing guidelines. This will accelerate the use of gene-edited crops in the country, making a significant contribution to food security. The government of Nigeria, through the country’s National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), has authorised guidelines on gene editing. The government views science and technology as major drivers of agricultural productivity, and the approved guidelines will ensure that the technology is safe and does not have an adverse impact on human health or the environment. In 2018, Nigeria was ranked ‘the poverty capital of the world’, with an estimated 90 million people living in poverty. Ebenezer Boluwade, agricultural specialist at the US Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service in Nigeria, said Nigeria viewed gene editing as a tool for helping…

The South African wool market shed some of its gains and declined 4,2% to close at R162,54/kg at the 20th auction of the season. A total of 12 816 bales was offered, with an overall sales clearance of 95,5%, according to Cape Wools SA. The bulk of the offering consisted of 20-micron and finer wools of medium length, with sustainable wools comprising 23% of the Merino wool offering. There was good competition for the finer micron and longer length wools, especially the sustainable certified wools, but the market was ultimately dragged down by the weaker performance in the broader micron categories. At the time of the auction, the rand was trading 1,6% stronger against the US dollar, resulting in a 2,7% decrease in the market in dollar terms. The major…

Andries’s cell phone chimed, interrupting our discussion. There was annoyance in his voice as he spoke to the caller, and he ended the conversation clearly exasperated. “I gave John the job of cutting, baling and storing the hay, but he’s dithered for so long that the rain will now delay it further.” Andries had asked me for help in setting up some training for his staff, saying that the farm seemed to “stumble from crisis to crisis”. Back at his office, I met with each of his managers to canvas their views on what training would be useful to them, and I heard exactly what I expected: the person who needed the training most urgently was Andries himself. As technically competent as he was, his management and delegation skills were…

Agriculture is a complex sector that requires a knowledge of science coupled with a passion for nature and farming animals and crops in a sustainable manner. To achieve this, there is a need for the intergenerational transfer of knowledge and opportunities in the sector. Despite this, the prospect of educated young people entering, and succeeding in, South Africa’s agriculture sector is narrowing because of increasing barriers to entry, underpinned by inadequate farmer support and slow progress in transformation. According to the Department of Higher Education and Training, the country’s higher learning institutions produce, on average, 5 000 agriculture graduates per annum. But despite undergoing intensive study in agricultural colleges, universities and training centres, the majority struggle to secure either jobs or business opportunities in the sector. This low absorption rate…

The Tomis Group, based near Hermon in the Western Cape, had humble beginnings. Established in 1993 as Tomis Abattoir by Tommy Moolman and Isabelle Terblanche (later Moolman), it started out as a small sheep abattoir with the capacity to slaughter just five animals a day. The business grew steadily, however, and in time expanded its services to include a feedlot, a cattle abattoir, and deboning, packing and composting plants. On the night of 21 November 2017, disaster struck: an electrical fire broke out and wiped out almost the entire operation. “It was a tremendous blow. The insurance didn’t cover all the damages, leaving us at a crossroads: whether or not to continue the business, and if we did carry on, whether to reposition ourselves,” recalls managing director Laurie Terblanche. Terblanche,…

Wildlife photographers Peter and Beverly Pickford embarked on a five-year expedition to produce their stunning photographic book, Wild Land. Peter began writing a diary from early on in the expedition, and gradually this became a journey where he explored his writing skills. It has culminated in the fascinating TO THE EDGES OF THE EARTH (Bookstorm, R395), a read to savour at leisure, like sipping malt whisky. These five words highlight his path. 1. Farm: It was Beverly’s idea to sell her Western Cape family farm, where her parents are buried, to fund the journey we wanted to make, recording the world’s most remote places. Fortunately, we’ve found another small place on the West Coast! 2. Plan: We found it was impossible to research everything and hope it will be the…

An all-terrain vehicle (ATV), also known as a four-wheeler or quad bike, is usually built for one person. A utility task vehicle (UTV) is a much more robust vehicle and allows for side-by-side (SxS) riding. These 4WD vehicles can go almost anywhere, as they are far more compact than a bakkie, and have become popular with farmers and game park owners. WALKING In February this year, Hyundai made many jaws drop when it introduced a bizarre walking robotic vehicle whose four wheels mounted on articulated legs give it the ability to drive, climb, mammal-walk and spider-walk over a broader range of terrain than any other vehicle yet produced. The Transforming Intelligent Ground Excursion Robot (Tiger) unmanned vehicle (UMV) is being developed by Hyundai Motor Group’s New Horizons Studio in partnership…