Farmer's Weekly

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) global pandemic has brought most of us face to face with great uncertainty. Not only is there still much that we don’t know about this disease, we also don’t know yet how severely the global and national economies w

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 Vian Roos DESIGNER Louis Kruger CHIEF COPY EDITOR Paul Sulter COPY EDITOR Fanie de

According to the Indigo Wellness Index, South Africa is one of the unhealthiest nations in the world. This means that we are eating the wrong foods and our health is suffering. Knorr would like to help South Africa move towards a better food future b

Thirteen-year-old Farmer’s Weekly reader Itumeleng Kutumela from KwaMhlanga in Mpumalanga says there is no age limit to farming. Recently, after learning the basics of pig farming, he purchased his first two piglets. “While I have a lot to learn, I a

Send your letters to: Farmer’s Weekly, PO Box 1797, Pinegowrie 2123, SA, fax 011 889 0862, or email farmersweekly@caxton.co.za. The views and opinions expressed on the letters page do not necessarily reflect those of Farmer’s Weekly or Caxton. Reader

Due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, South Africa’s National Coronavirus Command Council has announced a nationwide lockdown, resulting in many events in the Farmer’s Diary being cancelled or postponed. Farmer’s Weekly will continue to

When the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was declared a global pandemic at the end of January, it was expected that there would be a coordinated global response ranging from fiscal and monetary policies, to health and food policies, among other interv

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is far more than a health crisis. It has and continues to affect every sector of the economy, bringing havoc and threatening the livelihoods of many, especially in poor communities. To pull the South Africa

The low supplies of maize currently being experienced in South Africa has resulted in a short-term squeeze and volatility on the market. Among other factors, this was the result of late plantings, according to Luan van der Walt, Grain SA economist. H

Drought conditions are still having a devastating impact on farmers and other role players in the agriculture sector in some areas of the Western Cape, according to Western Cape MEC for agriculture Dr Ivan Meyer. “For that reason, the Western Cape De

Economic challenges faced prior to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) global pandemic had already changed the demands of South African consumers, according to Dawie Maree, head of information and marketing at FNB Agriculture. Maree said the low econo

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has exposed the inadequacies in South Africa’s current food system, as well as the reality of hunger faced by millions of South Africans. This was the conclusion of panelists during an Institute for Poverty

Members of the KwaZulu-Natal chapter of the African Farmers’ Association of South Africa (AFASA KZN) recently donated beef cattle to be slaughtered and used in feeding the growing numbers of poor and hungry people, due to the national lockdown to con

The global consumption of fruit, vegetables, legumes and nuts is expected to double by 2050, while the consumption of red meat could decrease by more than 50% during the same period. This was according to Prof Hettie Schönfeldt, director of the Afric

The prolonged drought in Romania’s wheat production regions is expected to result in a sharp decline in output this season to between 7,3 million tons and 7,4 million tons. Last year, the country harvested a record wheat crop of about 10 million tons

In future, plants and animals derived from conventional breeding will not be able to be patented in Europe. This was the verdict of the Enlarged Board of Appeal, the highest judicial authority at the European Patent Office (EPO). The EPO, which had r

China’s pig production is expected to recover in 2021 from the African swine fever (ASF) epidemic of 2019, according to one of the largest pig breeders in China, the New Hope company. However, pork prices were expected to fall, following a rush of ne

Despite facing the negative socio-economic impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic during this period, Corteva Agriscience (Corteva) reported a significant increase in sales during the first quarter of 2020 (Q1 2020). The company report

The Astral Group (Astral) came close to having its interim financial results for the six months ended 31 March 2020 (H1 2020) significantly negatively affected by the nationwide lockdown to contain the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The com

During Level 5 of the national lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), many of the wildlife ranching industry’s activities were prohibited, unless absolutely vital. These included game capture and translocation; the hunt

A total of 77 769kg of mostly good-quality mohair was on offer at the fourth sale of the 2020 summer mohair season, with 95% being sold. This sale was the first since the suspension of mohair auctions due to the national lockdown to contain the coron

Reusable plastic carrier bags that are repeatedly used by consumers have a substantially lower negative environmental impact than single-use plastic carrier bags. This was according to the recently released results of a study conducted by the Council

South Africa’s mango harvest has seen a more than 20% decline this season, due to ongoing drought conditions in the country’s main production regions. This was according to André Botha, technical coordinator at the Southern African Mango Growers’ Ass

The news that South Africa’s economy again went into a technical recession in 2019 came as no surprise. Neither did Moody’s Investors’ Service (Moody’s) downgrading South Africa’s loans to non-investment grade (‘junk’ status). From 2018, South Africa

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has had serious implications, either directly or indirectly, for many South Africans, as well as a negative effect on the economy as a whole. Many employers are concerned about whether they can stay viable

Research shows, and common sense dictates, that rewarding and incentivising employees is an effective method of improving employee productivity and company morale. If you carry this out properly and officially recognise the contribution they make to

• Jacquies Steenkamp produced the 2019 ARC Afrikaner National Performance Test Class bull. • Selection of Derus Afrikaners is first and foremost based on functional efficiency, adaptability and fertility. • The Afrikaner Cattle Breeders’ Society of

“The Afrikaner is a low-input animal with good-quality beef. Herein lies the real value of the breed,” says Jacquies Steenkamp, who registered his Derus Afrikaner Stud in 1996. Today, he runs 240 Afrikaner female animals, half of which are registered

• Distillation of lavender and rosemary started on Kasselhoft in 2007 and has led to a well-marketed brand of herbal products. • Kasselhoft has not only become a profitable business, but created jobs and transferred skills. • Essential oils are sai

The Afrikaner Cattle Breeders’ Society of South Africa registered the Afri Beef brand with the then Department of Agriciulture, Forestry and Fisheries in 2016 to legitimise the marketing of premium, free-range Afrikaner beef. This was underpinned by

• Developments in the breeding of new sunflower varieties mean that East Griqualand farmers can now grow this crop in rotation with maize. • Analyses of initial commercial sunflower crops in East Griqualand have found that a density of 40 000 to 45

Begin by ensuring that the soil is damp when you till it; this will help prevent deterioration of the soil structure. Cross-rip the land to a depth of at least 50cm. Deep ripping is important, as the potato plant has a relatively weak root system and

Are we, the fresh produce sector, which is such a key component of agriculture and the overall economy, in danger of losing our focus? Your answer to that question may well lie in another one: what is your focus? It depends on where you stand. Are yo

Nose to Tail is a detailed, all-in-one app that offers more than 80 beef cuts, with recipes, preparation and cooking methods. It is available free for Android and iPhones, and for just R45,99 you can download 40 additional cuts of mutton, chicken and

Kitchen gardeners have had plenty of time to get their hands dirty during lockdown. The beautifully produced guide GROW FRUIT & VEGETABLES IN POTS (Phaidon, R705) by Aaron Bertelsen shows how even someone living in a tiny city space can experiment wi

Pumpkin seeds are rich in zinc, iron and other minerals. To enable these to be more easily absorbed by the body, they should be soaked in water before roasting them at low/medium heat. The reason for soaking them is that seeds, nuts and legumes all c

by Tony Raphaely (Raphaely/Penguin South Africa, R360) Having seen the Jewish population in his native Cape Town halve since the 1940s, Raphaely believes that “history teaches us that no Jewish diaspora community has tenure”. The text accompanying th

(Pan, R285), ranger Alex van den Heever and tracker Renias Mhlongo recall the challenges of building trust and a working relationship at Londolozi Game Reserve. Their experiences can serve as a guide to forging successful multicultural business relat

TO ENTER: Email the word LEOPARD and your name, physical address and ID number to farmersweekly@caxton.co.za with the subject line ‘Win a Book’. Competition opens on 1 June 2020 and runs until 26 June 2020. Visit farmersweekly.co.za for full competit

Steve Maresch, owner of the Local Grill restaurant in Parktown North, Johannesbrug, shares his recipe for Wagyu short rib. COOKING TIP: If your short rib has little fat, roast it covered, and use a rub rather than coarse salt. This beef cut is excell