Farmer's Weekly

On 31 March, Farmer’s Weekly hosted a webinar in collaboration with the Botswana Investment Trade Centre on the opportunities for investment in agriculture in that country. The speakers looked at how the Botswanan government was incentivising busines

Editor Janine Ryan, janiner@caxton.co.za News editor Julinda Schroeder, julindas@caxton.co.za Art director Louis Kruger Chief copy editor Paul Sulter Copy editors Fanie de Villiers and Jenna van der Walt Digital editor Sindira Chetty, sindirac@caxton

It is with great sadness that the South African Pork Producers’ Organisation (SAPPO) announces the passing of Derick van der Walt, editor of the organisation’s newsletters and online magazine, Porcus Prime Cuts, on 24 March 2022. Van der Walt, a jour

Dear Dr Mac, I came across your excellent column titled ‘Why some horses are bleeders’ (see FW, 10 & 17 December 2021). Here, you share your thoughts on, and general feeding practices, for racehorses in hot and humid climatic conditions. However, wou

There are clear signs that the world is heading towards a historic food price crisis after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February. The two countries are among the world’s largest agricultural producers and exporters. Russia and Ukraine collectively

In March, Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane hosted a roundtable discussion, during which a variety of issues concerning the province’s economic recovery and reconstruction were discussed. Earlier in the year, in his State of the Province Address, h

The Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) has highlighted the vital importance of thoughtful and thorough consultation and debate to ensure the successful implementation of land reform in that country. In his annual report for 2020, Piet Gouws, NAU presid

South Africa’s black rhino will be the first wildlife species to benefit from a new conservation bond issued by the World Bank. Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment Barbara Creecy welcomed the opportunity for South Africa to be the recipie

There is no certainty about whether South Africa will plant more wheat in the coming season, despite the impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on global supplies. Wandile Sihlobo, chief economist at Agbiz, said that in 2021/22, South Africa had produ

The Crop Estimates Committee’s (CEC) latest report indicates that South Africa can expect a 2022/23 national maize harvest of above the 10-year average of 12,8 million tons. According to the March 2022 report, white and yellow maize harvests of about

Botswana’s ministry of agriculture and farmers in that country are struggling to control quelea birds (Quelea quelea) that continue to destroy sorghum crops. As a result, some producers are being left with little sorghum to sell, and are struggling t

With Ukrainian seaports remaining blocked due to that country’s conflict with Russia, the first supplies of maize have been transported to Poland by train, the APK-Inform agriculture consultancy reported. As Ukraine still had significant volumes of g

Despite higher prices for palm oil, producers in Indonesia and Malaysia will continue with the mandatory biodiesel programmes in those two countries in an attempt to reach green energy goals, senior officials announced. In a bid to reduce imports of

It has been a nerve-racking season for most canning producers. Jacques Jordaan, CEO of the Canning Fruit Producers’ Association (CFPA), said most farmers had received sufficient winter rainfall, but cool spring temperatures had resulted in apricots,

The North West Department of Agriculture and Rural Development recently handed over 11 livestock-handling facilities, valued at a total of about R5,9 million, to farming communities in the Bojanala Platinum District Municipality. The facilities inclu

Although South Africa will not benefit directly from a newly opened fertiliser plant in Nigeria, local farmers could see a drop in fertiliser prices should this factory live up to expectations. This was according to Wandile Sihlobo, chief economist a

The Russia-Ukraine conflict is the worst Europe has faced since the Second World War, and it will have a lasting impact on globalisation. This was according to Marlene Louw, senior agricultural economist at Absa AgriBusiness, who spoke during a recen

Concern is mounting over what has been referred to as draconian legislation proposed in the EU’s Green Deal. The deal calls for a 50% reduction in pesticide use by 2030 and a large increase in organic cultivation. If the legislation is passed, 27% of

A call for more responsible management of pest control measures was made during the recent CropLife South Africa conference in Pretoria. Without greater stewardship, farmers could face having to produce crops with no way of protecting them against pe

An 18-month mature Cheddar cheese made by Lactalis South Africa (Lactalis SA) has been crowned South Africa’s Dairy Product of the Year at the 2022 South African Dairy Championship. This is the third year in a row that a cheese made by Lactalis SA ha

The time has come for government to urgently invest in the development of the latest beef production technologies, such as genomic editing. This was according to James Faber, chairperson of the Red Meat Producers’ Organisation, who said local produce

A public-private partnership between the South African Anti-Money Laundering Integrated Task Force (SAMLIT), the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) and Investec has resulted in 12 arrests and the seizure of 78 rhino horns, ivory and other wildlife p

Prospective cannabis farmers have been warned to do their homework on the true cost of starting such a business before embarking on the journey. This comes amid a slew of farmers having to close down their operations after their initial investments p

Although the effects of the heavy rainfall experienced earlier in 2022, which resulted in lower quality and volumes of vegetables, might have abated, input cost pressures are likely to limit the degree to which prices will ease over the next few mont

When last did you take a long walk? Apple CEO Steve Jobs used to love walking; he believed his most creative ideas came while he was on a walk. He often held meetings while walking, and whenever he wanted to have a serious conversation he’d suggest a

I have known lamb weaning rates in communal farming areas to be as low as 8% to 15%. This means that only eight to 15 lambs from every 100 breeding ewes survive into adulthood! If you wish to be profitable and grow your farming enterprise, you should

Please give us a short background on the reasons behind the development of the Bonsmara breed. The Bonsmara was developed through a scientific crossbreeding programme that started in the 1930s. Prof Jan Bonsma wanted to produce an animal with good ca

(11 CHAMPIONSHIPS; FOUR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS) VARIOUS ARENAS Vleissentraal SA / Stud Book Elite Bull Growth Test Class: 2 May (3pm) at the ID-scan cattle ring. Pre-screening at 10am. Beef Shorthorn Regional Championship: 3 May (8.30am) at the Dexte

Here’s the perfect escape for the Easter holiday: a semi-aristocratic family saga set on a French wine estate, beginning in the 1920s. The story is centred on the Salignac family: the ‘poor-little-rich-boy’ father who almost runs his family vineyard

The effects of stress on animal health have long been documented. Research shows that the greater the level of stress an animal is under, the more likely it is to get sick. This is because high levels of stress raise catecholamine and suppressor T-ce

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. ■

Dear Prof McCrindle, I’m a goat farmer near Beitbridge, and my goats were mated during the first half of February. What medications and/ or vaccinations should I administer during gestation? Also, what must I vaccinate or dose kids against just after