Farmer's Weekly 2 December 2022

The UN's Conference of the Parties (COP27) ran from 6 to 18 November and was held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. On the agenda, as always, was climate change. And, as always, the world's leaders delivered very little in terms of decisive climate-change mitigation strategies. The event held an important lesson in irony for all of us, as the conference was dominated by talk of climate change and the need to act fast on the growing problem, while being supported by massive corporations and polluters. For starters, and perhaps not all that surprisingly, the world's leaders arrived at the conference on private jets, which emit 4,5 to 14 times more carbon dioxide than a flight by a commercial airliner, depending on the distance of the flight, according to the European Federation for…

“World Food Day is an important day to drive awareness of the plight of hunger and malnutrition. People come together to pledge their commitment and offer solutions to eradicate world hunger by 2030. According to the World Economic Forum, over 20% of Africa's population, or 278 million people across the continent, suffer from chronic hunger. Climate change, political and economic instability, inflationary pressures and soaring food prices have resulted in the threat of starvation in many African countries. Food price shocks come when food security has already been under severe stress following the COVID-19 pandemic. In the aftermath of the pandemic, world hunger increased substantially. Estimates from Unicef's 2021 edition of its report, The State of Food Security and Nutrition around the World, reveal that as many as 161 million people suffered…

CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS AND EXPOS 20 TO 24 MARCH 2023 Africa Regional Bee Symposium, Inkosi Albert l.iithull Convention Centre, Durban. Visit apimondiaafrica2023.org.za. 24 TO 26 MARCH 2023 Cannabis Expo, Grandwest, Cape Town. Visitthecannabisexpo.co.za. COURSES AND TRAINING 5 TO 9 DECEMBER Academy Poultry Module, George. Email Rothman Livestock and Training Services at office@RLTSafrica.com. 7 TO 9 DECEMBER Basic Goat Production, Groenkloof, Pretoria. Email karabo@mathema.co.za. 9 DECEMBER Calf Rearing, Gauteng. Email Rothman Livestock and Training Services at office@RLTSafrica.com. 9 TO 14 DECEMBER Commercial Mushroom Substrate Design, Cultivation, Marketing and Business Planning (online). Visit mushroomacademy.com. 31 JANUARY 2023 Citrus Planting Management (online). Phone Agricolleges International on 063 940 0334, or email info@agricolleges.com. 10 TO 15 FEBRUARY 2023 Industrial: Mushroom Substrate Design, Cultivation, Marketing, Business Planning and Operational Management System Design (online). Visit mushroomacademy.com, or email registration@mushroomacademy.com. SHOWS 1 TO 3 DECEMBER Boerperd Gauteng Regional Championships, WetNose Equestrian Rescue Centre, Bronkhorstspruit. Phone Bertha Dorfling on 072 244 4734, or Jan Joubert…

It was in 1997 that Wayne Mudge, who hails from an apple-and-pear farm in the Western Cape, teamed up with four like-minded individuals to form fruit exporter Cape Five. “Coming from a family that had been farming in the Cape since 1954 and having experienced the restrictions of the erstwhile single-channel [export] system, which was proclaimed by government in 1926,1 always felt that our fruit industry's true opportunity couldn't be realised under that situation. “It just seemed enormously restrictive having one body unilaterally telling farmers what could be exported, to where and at what price,” recalls Mudge. “I see the establishment of Cape Five as something that began with my grandfather when he was running the family farm and involved with exporting apples and pears. “My grandfather always made his opposition to this restrictive…

MOST POPULAR ON FARMERSWEEKLY.CO.ZA FEARS OF EGG SHORTAGE IN THE UK AS FARMERS’ INPUT COSTS SOAR Egg producers in the UK are being forced to reduce the size of their flocks, with some leaving the industry altogether as soaring production costs make their businesses unviable. Read the full article at bit.ly/3TEwGhf, or scan here: Posted: 11 November 2022. Follow us at @FarmersWeeklySA FROM FACEBOOK ©FarmersWeeklySA We posted an article titled ‘Mynah population surges in Kruger National Park’ and some of our followers had the following comments to share: Posted: 16 November 2022. READERS’ COMMENTS Ashell Maenetja: Saw two earlier today in my home (rural Tzaneen) moving around my cows with calves on foot! They are a common sight in Limpopo, I often spot them amongst cattle! Eugene Ncube: Being opportunistic feeders [ensures that they] survive and populate rapidly. There must have…

In this, the first article of a two-part series, a farmer spoke about his small yet highly diversified operation. There is no reason that a small-scale farmer cannot earn a reasonable income if he or she works hard and makes the most of their opportunities, says Frank Olschewski ofBirkenhain farm near Ermelo. He runs a highly diversified business comprising 40 sows, 5 000 broiler chickens, 40 dairy cows, about 70 Simmentaler cows, a small woodlot and a few other operations. Each section of his overall operation, he says, is small enough to manage comfortably and is making money. In addition, each one adds to the total, providing a “reasonable” income for the farm. SEVERAL SMALL UNITS “I find that working with a number of small units is a good way to spread the risk. It…