Farmer's Weekly 27 January 2023

I recently spoke to a cashier about the expense of raising children in South Africa. During the course of our conversation, she mentioned to me that she has two young children: one is nine years old, and the other is 11. She revealed that her children didn't go to school in 2022, because the school they were placed in by the Department of Basic Education (DBE) was too far away from where they lived and, because of the distance, she didn't have the means to get them there every day. She added that the DBE had placed her children in a different school for 2023, one that was much closer to where they lived. However, she couldn't send her kids to this school either because of the gang violence, drug use and…

The views expressed in our weekly opinion piece do not necessarily reflect those of Farmer's Weekly. Michael Esmeraldo took up the post of managing director of Netafim South Africa on 1 November 2022. Netafim is the global leader in irrigation solutions for sustainable agriculture, and launched the world's first drip irrigation system in 1966. Visit netafim.co.za. “It cannot be denied that 2022 was a tough year for most of us in agriculture. To be more specific, in my time at Netafim, where I started as an agronomist about eight years ago, 2022 was the toughest year for the irrigation industry. The rising costs of farming inputs, logistical nightmares at South Africa's harbours, and all the barriers to entry into the European market are but a few of the reasons that anyone in the sector…

15 to 17 March, Ganico Organic Estate, Johannesburg The Floral Intensive Workshop is ideal for those who wish to grow their floral-design skills. Topics covered include practical work, such as designing two to three large installations; as well as theory, including information about colour, shape and texture. Email Wilde Flower at hella@wildeflower.co.za. CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS AND EXPOS 20 TO 24 MARCH Africa Regional Apimondia (bee) Symposium, Inkosi Albert Luthuli Convention Centre, Durban. Visit apimondiaafrica2023.org.za. 20 TO 31 MARCH Smart Farming: Transforming Agriculture for Sustainable Food Security in Africa, Protea Fiotel Fire & Ice! Pretoria. Phone Edna Lupiya on 011 862 4001. 24 TO 26 MARCH Cannabis Expo, GrandWest, Cape Town. Visit theeannabisexpo.co.za. COURSES AND TRAINING 23 TO 25 JANUARY Cattle: Artificial Insemination, George. Phone Lily Rothman on 078 546 7985. 26 JANUARY Cattle Pregnancy Awareness, George. Email Rothman Livestock and Training Services at…

My early copies of Farmer's Weekly were in the small house at the end of the farmyard at the edge of the bluegums. That was in the 1950s in the Midlands of Rhodesia [now Zimbabwe]. Since then, I have read the magazine on a regular basis. At intervals during my working life, but since retiring to Langkloof in the Eastern Cape 22 years ago, I have read it every week. All things change, and since computers took over the world, that change has been rapid, especially in mass information. Farmer's Weekly magazine changes, too, but today is as good as ever. However, with most people, there is a tendency to follow the trendy crowd, even over a cliff. When it comes to global warming, alien plant invasions, or the price of chickens, the…

MOST POPULAR ON FARMERSWEEKLY.CO.ZA 'POACHING CAN LEAD TO LOCAL SUCCULENT SPECIES BECOMING EXTINCT' The poaching of endemic succulent species in South Africa presents a very serious threat that could lead to many species becoming extinct, including those in the Hoodia, Conophytum and Euphorbia genera. This was according to Dr Gerhard Verdoom, operations and stewardship manager at CropLife South Africa Read the full article at bit.ly/3vSUgO5, or scan here: Posted: 9 January 2023. Follow us at @FarmersWeeklySA FROM LINKEDIN @FarmersWeeklySA When we posted a link to an article titled, 'What does the future hold for agricolleges?', a few of our followers shared their thoughts on the issue. Posted: 7 January 2023. READERS' COMMENTS Schaik Van Heerden: "Government should put its hand up and accept responsibility for the failing education system. The private and agriculture sectors can't bail them out forever." Sonny M:…

In this article, it was revealed that an outdoor set-up for raising pigs could be profitable. However, the management of the animals needed to be vigorous and dedicated. Two factors have brought outdoor pig breeding back into fashion overseas and enabled it to compete with intensive farming on equal terms: three-week weaning, and mains-operated electric fencing with a real kick in it. It has been said that land suitable for growing grain will also be suitable for outdoor pig farming, but this isn't strictly the case. In wet seasons, heavy land spells misery for such an operation. The temporary pasture is churned up by the pigs' sharp hoofs, and soil impaction results from regular servicing trips by tractors pulling trailers loaded with feed or animals. For a herd of pregnant soivs, all that is…