Farmer's Weekly 15 & 22 April

On 31 March, Farmer’s Weekly hosted a webinar in collaboration with the Botswana Investment Trade Centre on the opportunities for investment in agriculture in that country. The speakers looked at how the Botswanan government was incentivising businesses and companies to invest in the country through tax policies and other means. They also spoke about the shortfalls in Botswanan agriculture in terms of production; Botswana is a net importer of agricultural commodities. Some of the industries highlighted were beekeeping, beef cattle production, feed manufacturing, and citrus production. While there are many challenges to agricultural production in Botswana, some of which cannot be controlled, such as drought, and others that are within the reach of the government or other entrepreneurs to change (such as infrastructure and connectivity problems), the country seemingly remains one…

“Groundwater, which accounts for approximately 99% of all liquid fresh water on earth and is distributed over the entire globe, albeit unequally, has the potential to provide societies with tremendous social, economic and environmental benefits, including climate change adaptation. It already provides half of the volume of water withdrawn for domestic use by the world’s population, and around 25% of all water withdrawn for irrigation, serving 38% of the world’s irrigated land. Yet despite its enormous importance, this natural resource is often poorly understood, and consequently undervalued, mismanaged and even abused. In the context of growing water scarcity in many parts of the world, the vast potential of groundwater and the need to manage it carefully can no longer be overlooked. Groundwater storage depletion occurs when discharge exceeds recharge. Although climate variability and…

Email admin@arabhorse.co.za, or info@arabhorse.co.za. CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS AND EXPOS 12 TO 13 MAY Drone and Unmanned Aviation Conference, Emperors Palace, Kempton Park. Email info@bussynet.co.za. 25 TO 27 MAY Irrigation, Drainage and Water Management Summit, Radisson Blu Hotel, Cape Town. Email Charity Wockelmann at charity@irrigationfmi.co.za. COURSES AND TRAINING 20 APRIL Profitable Boer Goat Production, Potchefstroom. Phone Johan Steyn on 072 594 4626, or email him at info@boergoats.co.za. 25 TO 29 APRIL Pig Management and Production, George. Phone Rothman Livestock Services and Training on 078 546 7985, or email office@RLTSafrica.com. 4 TO 6 MAY Poultry Course, Groenkloof, Pretoria. Phone AgriSkills Transfer on 012 460 9585, or email admin@agriskills.net. 9 TO 13 MAY Introduction to Poultry Production, Agricultural Research Council, Pretoria. Email Mpho Makhanya at makhanyam@arc.agric.za. 23 TO 25 MAY Tractor Operation and Maintenance, Delmas. Phone the Buhle Farmers’ Academy on 063 287 2732, or email applications@buhle.org.za. Visit buhle.org.za. 23 TO 27…

It is with great sadness that the South African Pork Producers’ Organisation (SAPPO) announces the passing of Derick van der Walt, editor of the organisation’s newsletters and online magazine, Porcus Prime Cuts, on 24 March 2022. Van der Walt, a journalist by trade, was born in Virginia in the Free State on 14 July 1958, and grew up in Johannesburg. His family relocated to Pretoria at the start of his high school career, and he matriculated at Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool. He obtained a BA (Hons) in Communication from Unisa and an MA (cum laude) in creative writing from the University of Pretoria. Van der Walt had been in the corporate communication field for many years and, having been involved in the agriculture industry since the days of agricultural marketing boards, he had extensive…

Dear Dr Mac, I came across your excellent column titled ‘Why some horses are bleeders’ (see FW, 10 & 17 December 2021). Here, you share your thoughts on, and general feeding practices, for racehorses in hot and humid climatic conditions. However, would natural betaine be of any help in this situation? From a reference point of view, though, betaine is used in human nutrition for athletic performance. However, I did find some research on the use of betaine in horses, and thought to share some of my findings with you – see bit.ly/36xZFki. Nevertheless, I am seeking your expert opinion. Please let me know about your experience with using such a feed additive for your horses. Dr Devendra S. Verma, veterinarian – Bangalore, India Good day, Dr Verma This is an interesting question. Trimethylglycine is related to…

MOST POPULAR ON FARMERSWEEKLY.CO.ZA AGRI SECTOR JOB CREATION LAUDED AMID INCREASING COST PRESSURE The growing importance of the agriculture sector as an employer in South Africa has again been reiterated by Statistics South Africa’s employment figures for the fourth quarter of 2021. Read the full article at bit.ly/3tSMUtu, or scan here: Posted: 30 March 2022 Follow us at @FarmersWeeklySA FROM TWITTER Ipeleng Kwadi @IpelengKwadi “A comparison of production methods: hydroponics, aquaponics and field production, page 39 @FarmersWeeklySA.” Via Twitter. Posted: 27 March 2022. PHOTO OF THE WEEK Louise Krige @louise_krige “Smallest leopard tortoise I’ve ever seen. So beautiful!” Via Instagram. Posted: 4 March 2022. AGRI NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD ROMAN SHEPHERDS SLEEP WITH FLOCKS TO PROTECT THEM AGAINST WOLVES Sheep farmers on the outskirts of Rome are sleeping in cars alongside their flocks this spring to protect them against packs of wolves…