Farmer's Weekly

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

In early July, Dutch farmers began protesting against a proposal by the government of the Netherlands that emissions of nitrogen oxide (N2O) and ammonia be slashed by 50% by 2030. This plan was reportedly in line with that country’s green policy, but

This year will see a departure from the strong performance of South Africa’s agriculture sector in 2020 and 2021. I expect the sector’s gross value-added figures to fall by 3% to 5% year-on-year, given the high base of 2021. The overall field crops h

In this article, a Lydenburg fruit farmer explained why it paid to have detailed knowledge of one’s farm, its soil and weather conditions. Do you know your farm like the back of your hand? Have you mapped out the soil types? Do you know the average r

The Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, Corruption and Fraud in the Public Sector including Organs of State (Zondo Commission) presented its final report in July, four-and-a-half years after starting its investigation. T

The wildlife economy contributed R10,66 billion to South Africa’s GDP in 2014, and had been anticipated to double to R20 billion by 2019. But it had not reached its full potential because of overregulation and under-administration by the Department o

Dr Gerhard Verdoorn, CropLife South Africa’s stewardship manager, expressed serious concern about the exporting of donkey skins from South Africa to China. In China, the skins were being boiled down to a gelatinous stage and used in traditional medic

Sustainability, efficiency and profitability, rather than transformation, should take centre stage in the Agriculture and Agro-processing Master Plan. This was according to Dr Theo de Jager, chairperson of the South African Agri Initiative (SAAI), sp

Botswana is set to launch commercial rice production, after recent research and trials indicated that the crop can be grown successfully in that country. Researchers at the Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources confirmed that a fir

The planned reopening of a satellite fresh produce market in Soweto in November this year has been welcomed by the local farming and business communities. Thokozani Thwala, chairperson of the Joburg Market, told Farmer’s Weekly that reopening the mar

In order to expand its fisheries and agriculture sectors, the Angolan government recently made almost R245 million available for the implementation of its national programme to support technical and material supply. Approximately R114 million was set

Moldova will be able to export double the volume of agricultural products to the EU tariff-free for the next 12 months. The International Trade Committee has approved a proposal to double the quotas for plums, table grapes, apples, tomatoes, garlic,

Germany’s federal agriculture ministry has announced that two more case of African swine fever have been confirmed on farms in that country. The first incident was in the western state of Lower Saxony, which was previously free of the disease, and th

Stakeholders in the South African agriculture sector have welcomed a new international partnership aimed at strengthening the participation of smallholder farmers and their communities. In a joint statement, international certification body Global GA

While the drought in most parts of the Western and Eastern Cape has been broken, its effects on the veld and farmers’ earnings may linger for years to come. Agricultural meteorologist Johan van den Bergh confirmed that most parts of the Western Cape

Although the South African egg industry has been able to meet local demand, high input costs, avian influenza, and constant power supply disruptions have placed the industry under immense pressure. This was according to Dr Abongile Balarane, general

While deforestation remains a major problem worldwide, the latest research by the World Resources Institute (WRI) has shown that 130,9 million hectares of land gained tree cover between 2000 and 2020. New data from a study by researchers at the Unive

Restarting successful farming operations in the deep rural areas of the Eastern Cape will rely on re-establishing confidence in the concept of family farming. This was according to Dr Theo de Jager, chairperson of the Southern African Agri Initiative

Consumer price inflation (CPI) in the US reached 8,6% in May, the highest level since 1981. On the other side of the Atlantic, inflation reached an all-time high of 9,1% in the UK, and an estimated 8,1% in the EU. The main culprits driving these incr

Global energy prices were already higher before Russia invaded Ukraine. The price of Brent crude oil increased from a low of US$24/barrel (about R400/barrel) in April 2020 to peak at US$130/barrel (about R2 180/barrel) in March 2022. For the four mon

Experiments with avocado production in South Africa started in the Tzaneen area, Limpopo, in the 1930s. For many years, however, the industry was held back by the prevalence of root rot (Phytophthora cinnamomi), brought on by the humid climate and po

Streaming now on Netflix It’s the 1800s, and free spirit Anne Elliot (Dakota Johnson), with her modest sensibilities, is living with her snobbish family in Bath, England. When the dashing Frederick Wentworth (Cosmo Jarvis), a man of modest origins an

Endorsed by former COVID-19 ministerial advisory committee chair Salim Abdool Karim and former public protector Thuli Madonsela, In Our Own Words is a tribute to the nurses who worked so hard against the ravages of the pandemic in South Africa. As th

Dear Prof McCrindle, What causes egg binding and how can an owner help? Kind regards,Anonymous Dear Anonymous, The main causes of egg binding (where the egg is stuck in the reproductive tract) are stress, weakness, diet, dehydration, internal parasit

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. ■

The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands, Wageningen Food Safety Research, Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR) and Utrecht University recently released a report indicating that gut bacteria in farm animals