Farmer's Weekly

Climate change is an increasing reality for everyone, everywhere, and has manifested in extreme weather patterns, which have had a particularly dire effect on farmers. While the discussion around climate change is one that we must have, the greatest

Managing editor Janine ryan, janiner@caxton.co.zaNews editor Julinda Schroeder, julindas@caxton.co.zaArt director Louis KrugerChief copy editor Paul SulterCopy editors fanie de Villiers and Jenna van der WaltDigital editor Sindira Chetty, sindirac@ca

In this article, a father-and-son team discussed their paprika operation, as well as the market constraints that South African paprika farmers and processors faced at the time. Paprika has enjoyed a boom in recent years, as the price paid for the pod

Africa’s agriculture sector is often at the mercy of climate shocks. If it isn’t droughts that lead to poor crop yields and the destruction of livestock, then it’s excessive rainfall that floods farmland. These shocks can devastate food security on t

Is South African agriculture ready for the transition that climate change demands? Some parts of South Africa experienced more than seven years of drought before 2021/22, while other regions have exceeded rainfall records that had been standing for o

The South African Sugar Association (SASA) had paid out over R225 million to small-scale sugar cane growers by the end of January. “This is a welcome move and shows the sugar industry’s commitment to transformation interventions under the rubric of S

The South African Police Service (SAPS) recently arrested two men and one woman on charges of fraud and corruption, after following up on intelligence about individuals who were diverting goods to avoid paying customs duties and VAT. According to a s

Farmers are being called upon to join the fight against pompom weed (Campuloclinium macrocephalum), an invasive alien species that suppresses native species and reduces animals’ grazing. This was according to Liamé van der Westhuizen, a researcher at

Cases of wildlife attacks on farmers and their livestock in Botswana could increase as the government struggles to maintain fences that control the movement of dangerous wild animals in wildlife management areas. In recent interview, with Farmer’s We

In an attempt to address the challenge of increasing food insecurity that is forecast to continue in Namibia this year, Calle Schlettwein, that country’s minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform, has announced that the government acquired 10 fa

To reduce the need for synthetic fertilisers in farming, US technology companies are raising hundreds of millions of dollars to develop products that use living organisms such as microbes and seaweed to fertilise crops, according to Reuters. Although

Mining has a poor reputation when it comes to mitigating its effects on the environment, particularly on the agriculture sector, according to Janse Rabie, Agri SA’s head of natural resources. “In the Northern Cape, for example, mining activities have

Two villages on the island of Java were declared red zones by Indonesian authorities after seven head of cattle and one goat tested positive for anthrax infections in late January. The movement of all livestock from the area was banned, and the agric

The ANC has called for the taxation of “underutilised land” at its recent lekgotla. The proposed tax is not new, but builds on the idea that the additional taxation of underutilised land and land used for speculative purposes would force owners to se

The recently released official breeding standards for Zimbabwe’s Mashona goat breed are aimed at regulating the utilisation and conservation of this indigenous goat type. The standards were drawn up by the Value Chain Alliance for Livestock Upgrading

The South African Retail Clothing, Textile, Footwear and Leather Value Chain Master Plan is already bearing fruit for the manufacturing industry, with local procurement having recovered to 44% in recent years. The Department of Trade, Industry and Co

South Africa is gearing up to start exporting cooked poultry meat to the EU within the next 12 months. Izaak Breitenbach, general manager of the South African Poultry Association’s (SAPA) Broiler Organisation, said that five poultry companies were in

Farmers should not depend on previous industry averages when determining operating margins and profits for the macadamia industry. This was the advice of Juan Winter, managing director of Source BI, who was a guest speaker at the recent AmberMacs Mac

Pesticide applications and pheromones are proving to be less effective as macadamia nut orchards mature, resulting in a higher prevalence of low-quality nuts and reduced farm profits. This was according to Schalk Schoeman, research extension manager

Astral Foods has announced that it expects earnings per share and headline earnings per share for the six months ending 31 March 2022 to increase by at least 100% to 1 184c and 1 194c per share respectively year-on-year (y/y). In response, Chris Schu

“The last season was a horror,” citrus producers were told at the Citrus Research International postharvest workshop held recently in Mbombela, Mpumalanga. Providing an overview of the previous season for the Mbombela area, citrus farmer Hannes Breed

Energy prices increased sharply after the economic collapse in 2020. The price of Brent Crude oil, for example, slumped in April 2020 to US$23/ barrel (around R326/barrel, adjusted for inflation). At the time of writing, the price of Brent Crude oil

In its December 2021 issue, Food Technology magazine, which is published by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), shared the industry’s expectations on food consumption trends for 2022. The IFT has members in more than 90 countries. During the C

Let’s begin with a brief recap on cannabis basics. Cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are the two principal natural compounds found in plants of the Cannabis genus. Both offer medical benefits, such as the relief of pain and anxiety, an

The contribution of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to sustainable agriculture is growing rapidly as the industry learns to harness this technology. According to Berkshire Hathaway’s Business Wire website, the global agriculture drone market was esti

Foreleg breaks are the most common fractures seen in goats, sheep and cattle. The key to treating a broken foreleg is to immobilise the broken limb. The easiest and most effective way to do this is to apply a splint. A splint can be made easily by cu

Understanding the growth curve (illustrated by a sideways ‘S’ shape) of your animals will help you to farm more efficiently. Growth is simply the increase in body size as the animal grows older, but the concept gets a bit more complicated as the anim

SERVES FOUR 12 chicken wings2 Tbsp cooking oilSalt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste1 cup mango chutney1 red chilli, deseeded and sliced1 fresh mango, peeled and cubed1 punnet coriander leaves, chopped1 lime, cut into wedges • Preheat the ove

As I described in last week’s column (see FW, 18 February), cooking with refined avocado oil has several advantages, one of which is the fact that it has a very high smoke point (270°C). An oil’s smoke point is the temperature at which it begins to b

by Eddie Jones (Macmillan, R340) With the Six Nations rugby series underway, Jones’s leadership skills (his “lessons from my life in rugby”, as the subtitle puts it) will be tested as much as his team. His 2019 autobiography, My Life and Rugby, was p

Dear Prof McCrindle, As a farmer, I find the most challenging situation is when an animal’s mother dies just after giving birth. How can I help the infant survive? I’m specifically asking with regard to sheep and cattle. Kind regards,Anonymous Dear A

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. ■