Farmer's Weekly

It has been almost 13 years since I wrote my first stories for Farmer’s Weekly as a freelance journalist, and now, as we start a new year, the time has come for me to start something new. This is my last letter to you as editor of this publication, 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

A Paarl farmer found a Danish variety of cauliflower to be much better than any other for summer planting in the winter rainfall area. An imported early cauliflower variety suitable for growing in summer in the Western Cape has had a great reception

Dear Farmer’s Weekly, I have tried my best to grow cucumbers in the past, but never had any success, because insects destroyed the plants every time. So see here my 100% successful first experiment with a small cucumber, which doesn’t have any insect

At the dawn of democracy, few probably thought that nearly three decades on, South Africa would still be battling with the phenomenon of ‘two agricultural systems’. Some progress has been made, with a number of black farmers joining commercial produc

The COVID-19 pandemic and its impact continued to be the backdrop of most global events in 2021, and it is generally accepted that countries will still have to manage the pandemic, albeit at reduced levels, in 2022. In South Africa, however, we faced

Despite South Africa exporting substantial volumes of maize, ending stocks as a proportion of local usage are projected to remain above 20% for both the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons. As a result, local maize would continue to trade at export parity le

There are different reasons for sunflower, soya bean and canola producers to greet the new year with optimism, according to Corné Louw, senior economist at Grain SA. These include increases in area planted, good harvests, and the possibility of expor

Good rainfall early in the season bodes well for South Africa’s vegetable farmers, although many smaller participants may leave the industry due to cost pressures. This was the opinion of Clive Garrett, marketing manager of ZZ2 and director of the To

With profit margins under pressure, many smaller pig farmers will leave the industry, while bigger farmers will consolidate and become more efficient, according to Johann Kotzé, CEO of the South African Pork Producers’ Organisation. “Overall, we pred

South African wildlife ranchers are optimistic that 2022 will be a good year for them, according to Richard York, CEO of Wildlife Ranching South Africa. York said that low investor confidence, relentless drought, devastating veld fires, and the COVID

Prediciting the future of the South African mohair industry is always a challenge, according to Marco Coetzee, Mohair South Africa’s general manager. He told Farmer’s Weekly that the exchange rate of the rand would inevitably affect the industry in 2

The ostrich industry is looking back on a year marked by frustration due to the way in which government interpreted and applied disease control measures. This was according to Piet Kleyn, CEO of the South African Ostrich Business Chamber. “Our main c

Various factors will influence potato production in 2022, according to Willie Jacobs, CEO of Potatoes South Africa. High grain prices in the summer rainfall region could result in farmers downscaling production in favour of maize and soya bean, for e

A bright 2022 awaits the South African cotton industry, given increasing international prices, a weakening exchange rate, and record local prices. This was according to Hennie Bruwer, CEO of Cotton South Africa (Cotton SA), who said the favourable we

South Africa’s olive industry experienced a good year in 2021 in terms of both volumes and quality, with oil production coming in at 1,7 million litres. This was according to Vittoria Jooste, manager of SA Olive. “Quality was excellent, with five Sou

With South Africa being a small player in the global agricultural commodity arena, local prices are inevitably influenced by global issues. As a result, they are likely to remain high, in tandem with prices across much of the world. According to proj

Breathing bracing sea air, getting salt water in our hair and sand between our toes, enjoying some fishing … All these were on the cards as we headed off down to the coast on a recent holiday. Instead, we experienced nothing but gale force winds, rai

Generally, abattoirs prefer fairly large groups of cattle for slaughter and employ trained meat graders who class the animals according to fat and age grade. The most desirable grades are 2 or 3, which are carcasses with some decent fat covering. Ove

It is estimated that Africa has 60% of the world’s uncultivated arable land, which means that the continent has the potential to feed itself and the world. However, Africa’s great potential is constrained by an inability to formulate and implement po

South Africa’s labour environment is highly regulated, which makes it very important (and challenging) for employers to comply with labour legislation on an ongoing basis. Non-compliance poses a serious business risk to any employer, with a possible

Developing a production calendar can be a daunting task, as there are so many variables to consider. The trick is to keep it simple, and that’s exactly what Dr Danie Odendaal, founder and director of the Veterinarian Network (V-Net), has done with th

1 red onion, sliced6 ripe avocados, peeled & sliced2 naartjies, broken into segments or sliced1 orange, cut into segments100g caramelised pecan nutsMicro herbs to garnish ¼ cup honey¼ cup apple cider vinegar¼ cup poppy seeds • Make the dressing by ad

Glaucoma is a group of conditions in which the optic nerve becomes damaged, often as a result of abnormally high pressure in your eye. It is most common in adults, and is one of the main causes of blindness in those over the age of 60. The Mayo Clini

by Alex von Tunzelmann (Headline, R355) If you are famous, please advise your supporters not to erect a statue of you when you are gone. It would be much better to have your profile on a postage stamp; the worst that people can do is stick it on the

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? Not all of us are or can be farmers, but each individual in the agriculture sector has an

MEDIUM DIFFICULT 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. ■