Farmer's Weekly 30 September 2022

On 10 September, I competed in the national wushu (kung fu) competition at the martial arts school that I attend in Poortview, Johannesburg. I had never competed in this kind of tournament before, but having spent more than two decades competing in various sports, I was astounded by the camaraderie at the event. Wushu schools from across South Africa competed in the nationals, and while we were competing against each other, there was a great sense of community. We cheered for and encouraged one other while we were on the mat, regardless of which school we came from. And similarly, while there was no lack of competitive spirit amongst the participants, there was genuine appreciation for the effort and work that each competitor had put into his or her form. In all…

“African horse sickness, Rift Valley fever, and foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) are just some of the animal diseases that have caused panic among veterinarians and farmers this year. One question is constantly asked: would vaccines be available if we experienced an outbreak? This is where a vaccine bank (also called a vaccine stockpile or strategic vaccine reserve) can play an important role, as it is potentially the single most powerful tool against disease control for both government and the private sector. It’s important to note that vaccine banks focus on proven vaccines, and not those that still need to prove their worth. In other words, this is not about new developments, but rather about cherishing and maintaining the old. While these banks have been used extensively elsewhere in the world for decades, we haven’t…

The Basic Pig Production Course focuses on the fundamentals of pig production. This three-day covers a variety of modules, including biosecurity, breeding, health and nutrition, recordkeeping, and marketing livestock. It is aimed at empowering attendees with the knowledge they require to run successful pig production operations. Phone AgriSkills Transfer on 012 460 9585, or email admin@agriskills.net. CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS AND EXPOS 17 TO 18 NOVEMBER Agribusiness Conference 2022, Protea Hotel, Sandton. Email Buhle Ndokweni at buhle@mathema.co.za, or phone 011 862 4001. 17 TO 18 NOVEMBER Sustainable Innovative Producers and Emerging Farmers Conference, Protea Hotel Balalaika, Sandton. Email Karabo Ramabu at karabo@mathema.co.za. 24 TO 25 NOVEMBER Drones and Unmanned Aviation Conference 2022, Emperors Palace. Email info@bussynet.co.za. COURSES AND TRAINING 26 TO 30 SEPTEMBER Introduction to Layer House Management, Delmas. Email the Buhle Farmers’ Academy at applications@buhle.org.za, or phone 063 287 2732. 3 TO 7 OCTOBER Meat…

In honour of this year’s Clean-Up and Recycle Week, which ran from 12 to 17 September, Fibre Circle, the government-recognised producer-responsibility organisation for the South African paper and paper packaging sector, called on businesses and consumers to practise better ‘separation at source’ to help turn trash into treasure. In 2021, South Africans helped to recycle 1,15 million tons of paper and paper packaging. To put this figure into perspective, if the bales of paper that were recovered last year were laid end to end, they would stretch across 1 357km, which is almost the distance from Johannesburg to Cape Town! WE CAN DO MORE While South Africa has a thriving paperrecycling economy, much more can be done at household, school and business levels to turn waste into wealth. For informal waste collectors, recyclables…

In this article, a dairyman urged farmers and the industry as a whole to take a rational approach to milk production, especially since, at the time, South Africa had a surplus of milk. Setting a milk-production record may be an achievement for a dairy farmer, but it could be bad news for the milk industry as a whole. “At a time when the country is plagued by a surplus of fresh milk, we should decrease production,” says Bill Butler-Porter of Sunnymead farm near Greylingstad, Mpumalanga. He believes there is an urgent need for individual farmers and the industry as a whole to rationalise their approach to milk production. “It is a mistaken policy to feed cows for maximum levels of milk production at a time when we are being forced to find ways to…

It is becoming increasingly evident that we are approaching another positive agricultural season. Not only are the weather conditions positive, but agricultural machinery sales are robust, an indication of farmers’ optimism. Sales of tractors and combine harvesters have remained strong for the past eight months, which has surprised me. I had thought that higher input costs and rising interest rates would put the brakes on sales after the strong results of 2020 and 2021. I had also predicted that the solid machinery sales of these years would lead to a low rate of machinery replacement this year. But the data obtained so far has proved me wrong. SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN SALES The figures for August showed that tractor sales were up 3% year-on-year, with 792 units sold. Combine harvester sales were at 24 units,…