Farmer's Weekly

Ever since South Africa went into its first COVID-19 lockdown in March last year, it seemed as if for every one step forward the country took, it took two steps back. Over the past two years, unemployment has increased from 30,1% to 34,9%, and just a

Editor Denene Erasmus, denene@caxton.co.za Managing editor Janine Ryan, janiner@caxton.co.za News editor Julinda Schroeder, julindas@caxton.co.za Art director Louis Kruger Designer Madeline Teles Chief copy editor Paul Sulter Copy editors Fanie de Vi

Neo Masithela, chairperson, African Farmers’ Association of South Africa “On behalf of the African Farmers’ Association of South Africa (AFASA), I would like to wish all farmers and farmworkers a Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2022. Farmers and far

“COVID-19-related lockdowns caused disruption of value chains and linkages to markets, and resulted in changing consumer preferences. These forced many farmers to restrategise and restructure their enterprises to survive and thrive. Producers felt it

“As 2021 draws to a close, I wish to congratulate the men and women in the agriculture sector for their tremendous dedication and perseverance. This past year was truly a year of extremes. With the easing of some COVID-19-related restrictions, the ec

“The world will remember 2021 as the year in which we failed to bring COVID-19 under control, and saw the disruption of businesses and value chains, and contentious vaccination debates and campaigns. As food producers, however, farmers were granted a

“It’s Christmas time again and 2021 is drawing to a close. While many of us are relaxing with our loved ones, let us spare a thought for the farmers and farmworkers who not only provide our festive food, but feed us throughout the year. This year was

“Another year has passed, and farmers and agricultural organisations are reflecting on 2021. But they are also looking forward with hope that things will be better in 2022. Looking back, there are always things to be positive about, which we’re grate

This article looked at a KwaZulu-Natal tomato farmer who had learnt the value of properly packaging and marketing his produce. An astute producer growing top-quality tomatoes will pay as much attention to packaging and marketing as he or she does to

22, 23 and 24 December, Paarl A Lipizzaner Christmas gives one and all the opportunity to spend an unforgettable day with the famous white stallions at their new location in the Western Cape. The show will include the dancing stallions, as well as Ch

Kenya’s Warehouse Receipts Systems Act (2019) provides a legal framework for the development and regulation of a warehouse receipt system (WRS) for agricultural commodities in the country. The law further establishes the WRS Council, an institution m

South Africa’s agriculture sector continues to break records. Although not quite in the same league as 2020, when it grew by more than 13% year-on-year (y/y), despite the COVID-19-related lockdowns, its performance in 2021 was certainly comparable. T

The Gaborone High Court will deliver judgment in a case in which Fresh Standard, a Botswana-based company, is fighting for the right to obtain a licence to grow hemp and cannabis plants for industrial use on Kangwe farms. The company’s attorney, Char

South Africa’s top cattle farmers were honoured during the Agricultural Research Council’s (ARC) recent virtual annual National Beef Performer of the Year Awards. Johan Styger received the award for the National Beef Cattle Improvement Herd of the Ye

Countries around the world have seen significant increases in food and meat prices over the past few months, and South Africa is no exception. While the official figures for November had not been released by Statistics South Africa at the time of wri

Since 2000, the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has used a system of inflation targeting as its major policy instrument. The target range for headline inflation is between 3% and 6%. From 2007, however, the bank has preferred an inflation rate at o

Financial planning and risk management may not be high on your list of favourite pastimes, but you should avoid putting them off. Equally, though, they should not have to be redone every week. A proper financial and risk management plan should be dra

Since its founding in 2009, the nonprofit organisation Mosaic Community Developments (Mosaic) in Wellington has cared for the physical, emotional and mental well-being of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) participating in its programmes. And over

Bitter pit, which affects apples and, to a lesser extent, pears, was first identified in Germany in the 19th century. The most obvious signs of this disorder are dark spots, about 0,5cm in diameter, on the skin or in the flesh of the fruit. The cells

Avoid picking fruit before it is properly mature, as it will be more prone to bitter pit than fruit picked later. Fruit picked after the climacteric (the stage of full ripeness) tends to have the lowest levels of bitter pit. After picking you can dip

We at Farmer’s Weekly were deeply saddened to hear of the sudden passing of columnist Michael Cordes, who died on 3 December at the age of 79. Born in Johannesburg on 28 June 1942, Mike was adopted by Alexander and Nora Cordes. Alexander had immigrat

by Thomas Peschak (HPH, R750) Peschak had an early life plan that would have taken him well into his 50s. Instead, he was derailed by a haunting experience while doing research for his PhD. It centred on one of South Africa’s scourges: perlemoen poac

Gas enters the digestive system in two ways. Air is swallowed (usually while eating) and other gases are produced by bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract. When there is a high build-up of gas, we tend to experience a bloated feeling, abdominal pain

2 packets Tennis Biscuits75g butter4 tins caramel condensed milk100g Peppermint Crisp or peppermint Aero, grated500ml whipping cream • Blend biscuits in a food processor or crush in a plastic bag until they have the consistency of sand. Set aside. •

Baking paper125g butter½ cup sugar2 Tbsp sunflower oil1 egg5ml vanilla extract2 cups flour2, 5 tsp baking powder½ tsp salt 1ℓ milk4 Tbsp butter100g cake flour105g cornflour Pinch of salt6 eggs, separated1 cup sugar¾ tsp almond essence Ground cinnamon

If you were given R30 million to invest in agriculture, either in new or existing farming activities or in the agriculture value chain, how would you spend it? I would direct the investment towards finding solutions for successful land reform, perhap

HOW TO PLAY: Fill in the grid so that each row and column, as well as each of the 3 x 3 squares, contains all the digits from 1 to 9. Look out for the answers to this week’s Sudoku puzzles in next week’s magazine. ■