Farmer's Weekly 22 July 2022

In early July, Dutch farmers began protesting against a proposal by the government of the Netherlands that emissions of nitrogen oxide (N2O) and ammonia be slashed by 50% by 2030. This plan was reportedly in line with that country’s green policy, but essentially meant that farmers would have to kill off some of their livestock or abandon their concerns entirely. The proposal is area-specific, with some parts more affected by the policy than others. According to the Dutch government, the main source of N2O emissions in these areas is animal manure and urine. However, as with many climate agendas that target farmers and agriculture, this proposal has not been properly thought through in terms of what this could mean for broader society. US journalist Kim Iversen explained the knock-on effect of a…

“Human activities, severe climatic events, fires, pests, diseases and other environmental disturbances may degrade forests and thereby reduce the provision of forest goods and services, biodiversity values, productivity and health. Forest degradation may also negatively affect other land uses, for example by affecting groundwater recharge, and cause the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Human-induced land degradation and desertification, water scarcity and climate change are increasing the levels of risk for agricultural production and ecosystem services. Converging evidence indicates that, as agriculture intensifies, so too does the extent and severity of land degradation in terms of soil erosion, nutrient depletion, and salinisation. Human-induced degradation affects 34% of all agricultural land; one-fifth of this human-induced degraded land is in sub-Saharan Africa, 17% is in South America, and 11% is in North America and…

2 August, Montagu Country Hotel This Holistic Drought Management Workshop is offered by the Cape Leopard Trust, in partnership with the Herding Academy. The course focuses on how farmers can improve their production during droughts. One of the methods discussed is the implementation of grazing programmes. Visit capeleopard.org.za. CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS AND EXPOS 17 TO 18 AUGUST International Fresh Produce Association’s Southern Africa Conference, Century City Conference Centre, Cape Town. Email membershipsa@freshproduce.com, or visit freshproduce.com/events/the-southern-africa-conference. COURSES AND TRAINING 18 TO 22 JULY Agricultural Research Council Aquaculture Course, Pretoria. Email Mpho Makhanya at makhanyam@arc.agri.c.za. 20 JULY Calf Rearing, Gauteng. Email Rothman Livestock and Training Services at office@RLTSafrica.com. 20 JULY Profitable Boer Goat Production, Potchefstroom. Phone Johan Steyn on 072 594 4626. 24 JULY TO 5 AUGUST Pasture, Grazing, Agronomy and Feed Production Course, George. Email Rothman Livestock and Training Services at office@RLTSafrica.com. 25 TO 28 JULY Drive a Tractor, Cullinan…

In this letter, Verity Nicholas pays tribute to her father, George Nicholas, who passed away on 28 June at the incredible age of 104. Over the years, George wrote for Farmer’s Weekly on both a freelance and full-time basis My dad was born at the end of World War I, grew up in an orphanage near Bloemfontein, and fought in World War II. He saw a man land on the moon, got his first computer at the age of 70, had to learn how to cope with the Internet and emails, and never quite got the hang of a cell phone. After World War II, he applied for the position of junior reporter at The Friend newspaper in Bloemfontein, claiming that he could do 60 words per minute in shorthand. Of course, this was…

MOST POPULAR ON FARMERSWEEKLY.CO.ZA UNSCHEDULED POWER OUTAGES RESULT IN HIGH CHICKEN MORTALITIES Deidre Carter, CEO of Agri Limpopo, said one of the organisation’s members had reported losing about 2 000 broiler chickens in a single day due to Eskom’s unilateral load-reduction strategy, while another had decided to leave the poultry industry altogether as a result. Read the full article at bit.ly/3alKNHP, or scan here: Posted: 6 July 2022. Follow us at @FarmersWeeklySA FROM FACEBOOK @FarmersWeeklySA When FW posted a link to an article titled ‘Traditional farmers left out of cannabis boom, some of our followers gave us their opinions on the issue. Posted: 1 July 2022. READERS’ COMMENTS Zola Yolisa Motolwana: “The idea was never to include the traditional growers once hemp and cannabis were legalised.” Lorraine Jenks: “Leave the traditional farmers to grow marijuana and let the new farmers grow…

In this article, a Lydenburg fruit farmer explained why it paid to have detailed knowledge of one’s farm, its soil and weather conditions. Do you know your farm like the back of your hand? Have you mapped out the soil types? Do you know the average rainfall for each section; which are the hail-prone ridges and the slopes susceptible to cold? All of these aspects are important to any farmer, but they become crucial when working with sensitive crops such as deciduous fruit. Tron Treurnicht of Boomplaas near Lydenburg, Mpumalanga, says that grassroots knowledge can mean the difference between profit and loss in an industry steadily becoming more competitive. He points out that different cultivars have different preferences in terms of soil and climate, and only produce their best under optimal conditions. “This not only…