Farmer's Weekly 14 June 2019

Any person who has endured tragedy will know that bewildering feeling that settles in soon after the traumatic event when you realise that for other people, and the world around you, life simply moves on, and this only amplifies the tragedy for those who are touched by it. I wish it weren’t so easy for me to continue with my day, as I did today, after reading of another farmer that has been murdered, a truck driver that was set alight while taking a rest at the side of the road, and a woman who was murdered, and her nine-year-old daughter raped, by her boyfriend. I have been reading news reports in foreign publications about the recent murders of South Africans such as Stellenbosch farmer Stefan Smit, Bonnievale farmer Tool…

“Soil erosion continues to be a major threat in many regions of the world, despite decades of focused scientific research and societal concern. In its 2015 ‘Status of the world’s soil resources’ report, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) stated that soil erosion was judged to be the number one threat to soil functions in five of seven regions, namely Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Near East and North Africa, and North America. In the first four, erosion showed a deteriorating trend. Erosion is a natural geological process and is impossible to stop. The goal is to manage human impact on the soil so that the rate of erosion is within an acceptable range. Soil erosion is defined as the net long-term balance of all processes…

12 TO 23 AUGUST Farm Planning THIS COURSE SHOWS DELEGATES HOW TO PLAN THE LAYOUT OF PRODUCTION UNITS AND INFRASTRUCTURE ON THEIR FARMS, AND ASSESS THE AGRICULTURAL POTENTIAL OF THEIR LANDS. DELEGATES LEARN HOW TO DRAW A BASIC MAP DEPICTING THE PROPOSED PRODUCTION UNITS AND BASIC INFRASTRUCTURE LAYOUT. CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS & EXPOS 27 TO 28 JUNE Cannabis Conference, Emperors Palace, Kempton Park. Email Connie@vukanicomms.co.za. 10 JULY Agribusiness Africa Conference, Premier Hotel OR Tambo, Kempton Park. Email Marianna du Plessis at africa@caxton.co.za. COURSES & TRAINING 11 TO 12 JUNE Advanced Water Treatment Control: Coagulation and Flocculation, Durban. Email Anita Pillay at training@wisa.org.za. 13 TO 15 JUNE Cattle Embryo Transfer, George.Visit RLTSafrica.com, or email office@RLTSafrica.com. 17 TO 19 JUNE Cattle Semen Collection, George.Visit RLTSafrica.com, or email office@RLTSafrica.com. 18 TO 20 JUNE Pig…

On 5 June, the world celebrated World Environment Day, which puts the protection of the earth’s ecosystems under the spotlight. Used lubricating oil and grease is a hazardous waste that, if dumped down drains or poured onto the ground, can contaminate water resources. The Recycling Oil Saves the Environment (ROSE) Foundation is thus calling on South Africans to store and recycle used oil responsibly to protect the environment. WHAT IS USED OIL? Used oil is drained from machinery, engines, gearboxes, hydraulic systems, turbines and air compressors. It is contaminated with many hazardous organic molecules, which arise from the breakdown, decomposition and deterioration of additives and base oils during use. It is also contaminated with wear debris. Used oil contains harmful carcinogens and compounds, as well as metals such as iron,…

4 JANUARY 1967 Seed-eating birds survive in the desert 52 YEARS AGO A study conducted at the Transvaal Museum investigated the water economy of seed-eating birds, and the remarkable ability of certain finches to live in the desert without water for long periods of time. The species are the scaly-feathered finch (Sporopipes squamifrons) and the red-headed finch (Amadina erythrocephala); these are not the types known as pests to farmers. They are found mostly in the arid western regions of South Africa, such as the Kalahari Desert, and in the Namib Desert in South West Africa [Namibia]. Both species can tolerate dehydration for three months, living on dry manna seed and millet that has a moisture content of about 5%. Insect-eating birds require little water; they get enough moisture from their…

Implementing development projects is technically challenging and demands a degree of finesse in handling relationships at ground level that cannot be presumed or easily taught. Simon Leshoai, a development practitioner at Seriti Institute, argues that establishing sound community relationships remains the foundation of attaining desired project results. He stresses, however, that community relationships not only supply the much-needed enabling environment, but can also become the stumbling block that stalls progress and sinks intervention programmes. “Dealing with relationships is an extremely tricky affair, especially in a large community with various groups, which at times, have diverse interests. The idea is to ensure that one understands what is important to the various groups and try to balance and align their interests to those of the project,” he says. Leshoai understands this all…