Farmer's Weekly 2 September 2022

At the time of writing, Russia’s war with Ukraine had been ongoing for six months. This is despite the numerous sanctions imposed on Russia and its oligarchs by the West. When Russia first threatened to invade Ukraine, Western governments, including those of the US and Germany, threatened to impose economic sanctions on Russia to dissuade President Vladimir Putin from invading Ukraine. Obviously, as we are now half a year into the conflict, this was unsuccessful. Instead, the sanctions have resulted in a massive surge in the price of oil and other commodities, which has had an extremely negative impact on consumers. Some of the sanctions imposed on Russia include financial sanctions: those on the import of Russian oil, gas and coal, and sanctions on the assets of Russia’s oligarchs. These and…

“The modern focus on scientific and intellectual farming approaches has significantly advanced food production. Innovations such as fertilisers and machinery have enabled food production to keep pace with a booming population, and advances in the preservation of food have resulted in access to a greater variety of food all over the world. However, in this drive to produce more and more food, acknowledgement of the impact of these activities on nature’s balance and resources, and an improvement of the situation, have largely been neglected. The industrial, technological approach to farming works on a never-ending cycle of interference. Pesticides and herbicides destroy beneficial soil microbes and organic matter, which leads to plants not being able to optimally take up and use naturally available nutrients in the soil. This leads to farmers using more synthetic fertilisers,…

CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS AND EXPOS 29 AUGUST TO 2 SEPTEMBER Southern Africa’s Agri-Tech Trends and Technology, Pretoria. Visit africa-agri.co.za/#goingforward. 17 TO 18 NOVEMBER Agribusiness Conference 2022, Protea Hotel, Sandton. Email Buhle Ndokweni at buhle@mathema.co.za, or phone 011 862 4001. COURSES AND TRAINING 6 SEPTEMBER TO 11 OCTOBER Citrus Planting Management (online). Email Agricolleges International at admissions@agricolleges.com. 7 TO 9 SEPTEMBER Basic Sheep Production Course, Groenkloof, Pretoria. Phone AgriSkills Transfer on 012 460 9585, or email admin@agriskills.net. 8 TO 13 SEPTEMBER Commercial: Mushroom Substrate Design, Cultivation, Marketing and Business Planning (virtual or via e-learning). Email registration@mushroomacademy.com. 21 SEPTEMBER Holistic Predation Management, Langgewens Experimental Farm, Western Cape. Email Jeannie Hayward at communications@capeleopard.org.za. 14 OCTOBER Calf Rearing Theory, Gauteng. Email Rothman Livestock and Training Services at office@RLTSafrica.com. 16 TO 21 OCTOBER Wilderness Trails Skills, Makuleke Concession. Email Roxanne Cragg at enquiries@ecotraining.co.za, or phone 013 752 2532. 16 OCTOBER TO 5 NOVEMBER Sheep and…

As part of the FarmSol farmer development programme in North West, smallscale producers will benefit from R8 million in mechanisation and equipment thanks to South African Breweries’ (SAB) smallholder farmer mechanisation sharing scheme. The sharing scheme is a collaborative effort between SAB and agricultural services company FarmSol, which provides mechanisation and equipment to be shared between farmers, who subsequently rent if out at affordable rates. According to Zoleka Lisa, vicepresident of corporate affairs at SAB, the brewery has been working in partnership with FarmSol since 2016, providing non-interest-bearing loans to emerging farmers, enabling them to plant crops such as barley and yellow maize, which they supply to SAB. Lisa adds that some of the funding will go towards the purchase and installation of soil probes that monitor soil moisture and temperature, providing farmers…

MOST POPULAR ON FARMERSWEEKLY.CO.ZA SMALL REPRIEVE FOR SA INDUSTRY AS CITRUS BACKLOG GETS GO-AHEAD Citrus growers are likely to only receive half their expected returns on any fruit released after South Africa was granted leave to process the more than 2 000 containers of oranges that had been stuck at EU ports since the introduction of new phytosanitary regulations there. Read the full article at https://bit.ly/3c6cJAm, or scan here: Posted: 16 August 2022. Follow us at @FarmersWeeklySA FROM FACEBOOK @FarmersWeeklySA When we posted a link to an article titled, “Land Bank denies unethical behaviour towards ‘distressed’ farmers”, some of our followers shared their feelings on the matter. Posted: 16 August 2022. READERS’ COMMENTS Johan Visser: “Isn’t this how the rich get richer?” Braam Filmalter: “Denial … they need a new board for sure.” Zionite Zionite: “Let’s hear from farmers, then hear from…

This article focused on Nguni cattle, and why the breed should not have been ignored for as long as it was. There has been a strong revival of interest in Nguni cattle, the cattle of Shaka and Dingane, after being largely ignored for many years. Today, more and more farmers are realising just how much promise these cattle hold for the South African beef industry, particularly in the eastern coastal regions of the country where they originated. In contrast to exotic breeds, the Nguni has the ability to adapt to conditions like those on the east coast because, through natural selection, it has developed a certain degree of resistance to disease such as heartwater, redwater, nagana and ophthalmia. TICK RESISTANCE The Department of Agriculture and Water Supply has built up its own herd of Nguni…