Indholdsfortegnelse for 18 August 2023 i Farmer's Weekly

After my grandfather was retrenched in his mid-50s, he used his pension payout to buy a farm in the Karoo near Uniondale, where he farmed ostriches, goats and sheep. He didn't know much about farming when he began, and this was exacerbated with the outbreak of bird flu in the late 1990s, which led to the ban on ostrich meat exports. Like many ostrich farmers, my grandfather never quite recovered from this setback. He spent 12 to 14 hours a day running the farm and the farming business. He would leave the house before sunrise and return after sunset, only coming back to the homestead for lunch. Despite the effort it took, he remained passionate about farming until he passed away. But someone who never received much recognition for her…

A Gauteng man recently received a fine of R1 million in the Kempton Park Regional Court for his role in the smuggling of sungazer reptiles from South Africa. According to Dr Gerhard Verdoorn, CropLife South Africa's operations and stewardship manager, this was the highest fine he had ever heard of for smuggling. “I welcome the sentence. Sungazers are a highly endangered species in South Africa and occur in small parts of the country, such as the eastern Free State and Mpumalanga. I hope similar sentences are meted out in future to comparable misdeeds, such as the smuggling of succulents,” he told Farmer's Weekly. According to the South African National Biodiversity Institute, sungazers are the largest lizards in the girdled lizard family. Their bodies are protected by scales covered with spines.…

Cases of African swine fever in the Eastern Cape have prompted the Eastern Cape Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform (EC agriculture department) to call on farmers to prevent the spread of the virus. The department had received reports of four African swine fever (ASF) outbreaks in different areas of the province. African swine fever was a highly contagious viral disease that mainly affected domestic pigs as well as wild pigs. Affected areas included the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, with two reported outbreaks, Mnquma with one reported outbreak and Makana, also with one reported outbreak. Dr Zoleka Ntondini, animal health director for the department, said the disease was spread by direct contact between infected and healthy pigs, and through swill feeding (feeding pigs food waste from the table). Ntondini…

The ban on opium in Afghanistan has left farmers with little choice for an income as the country faces an economy crisis, according to a group of UN agricultural researchers. Farmers from the Kandahar Maiwand district told the UN that opium farmers in the area had been hard hit as some of them had been farming the plant for more than a decade. The Afghan government's ban on the product was imposed in April 2022 as part of its complete ban on narcotics. This included making cultivation of opium poppies illegal. Afghanistan was the biggest producer of the plant, accounting for 85% of global production. The US Institute of Peace said the ban was instituted due to widespread addiction problems in the country, but had led to huge economic losses…

Staple food prices continue to rise placing pressure on higher-end produce like avocados. Compared with the same period last year, potatoes were trading 77% higher, with carrots trading 6% higher. Dr Johnny van der Merwe, managing director of AMT, noted these and other price increases. “Pepper prices increased by 30% during August due to colder weather. Apples, red peppers and pears are expected to continue their upward trend during the year,” he said. Onion prices were, however, on a downward trend, after spiking over the past few months. Hester Vermeulen, economist at the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP), noted that cold weather and load-shedding were the main reasons for price increases. BFAP's data showed that food prices had increased by 11% year-on-year, with staples like vegetables, bread, sugar…

Global market price fluctuations of commodities were caused by supply concerns, and looking forward, weather conditions will play a key role in August for expected yield volumes. MAIZE The global maize price decreased by 6% month-on-month (m/m) for the week ending 28 July. The price also showed a downward trend after easing concerns for US weather conditions in key production areas. Analysts note that Brazil's second bumper crop is expected to depose the US as the biggest supplier of maize this season as well as offer assurance to global supply volumes, and this should help keep the price steady. Brazil is expected to export 6,8 million tons, compared with 5,6 million tons in 2022. The World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report in July noted an uptick in supply…

JOANDRA CLOETE GREEGORY OWNER, OUR POULTRY PALACE (BROILERS), JOOSTENBERG VLAKTE, WESTERN CAPE WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO GET INVOLVED IN AGRICULTURE? Agriculture was never my choice; it chose me. I guess you can call it destiny. We often live our lives thinking that a certain career path is what you want, but I am very sure agriculture is where I need to be. It is a very humble industry and while everyone in it will tell you that you need to have ‘hair on your teeth’ to succeed, you really need to have the heart for it. PLEASE EXPLAIN YOUR ROLE IN THE BUSINESS. I am a Jack of all trades! I'm the owner, founder and farmer. WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES FACING WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE? There is nothing a woman…

Club root is an extremely destructive disease of all plants of the cabbage family, which includes some weeds such as shepherd's purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris). It's caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae, which was once considered a slime mould, but is now classified in the group Phytomyxea. It is known to remain in the soil for up to 20 years in the absence of a host due to resistant spores. This is a disease you don't want on your property as it has the potential to wipe out a crop. The first sign of an infection is patches in the land where the plants start to wilt and become light coloured, even when the soil is moist. Developing plants may not show any symptoms, but as the plants get older they will start…

SERVES 6 For the potjie Sunflower oil, for frying 8 chicken pieces with skin (for a healthier option, remove the skin) Salt and pepper 2 onions, chopped 3 carrots, cut into 3cm pieces 3 garlic cloves, crushed 5 cups hot chicken stock 2 sprigs thyme, plus extra 2 eggs, beaten ¼ cup chutney For the dumplings 2 cups self-raising flour 5ml (1 tsp) salt 2 eggs, beaten ½ cup full-cream milk (for a healthier option, use low-fat or fat-free milk) • For the potjie, heat a splash of oil in a 23cm flat-bottomed cast-iron potjie over medium-hot coals and fry the chicken for about five minutes or until browned. Season with salt and pepper. • Stir through the onions and fry for five minutes until browned. Add the carrots, garlic,…

LIFESTYLE Travel The art deco movement, or art décoratifs, began in France in the 1920s after the country sponsored a design expo. It was the predominant design ethos until 1939. With its aerodynamic shapes made possible by the new machine age, art deco's bright colours represented a hopeful age while materials such as chrome and steel were celebrated. In South Africa, this form of architecture became increasingly prominent. Cape Town buildings such as Old Mutual's headquarters in Darling Street and Market House on Greenmarket Square are among the best examples. In Pretoria, the Voortrekker Monument epitomised the movement. While the Montagu Hotel was built in 1875 in the Cape Victorian style, the Montagu Country Hotel of today was built directly in front of the original hotel in 1932. It is…

“Global fertiliser suppliers have made incredibly high profits in 2022/23 on the back of price spikes attributed to the Russia-Ukraine war. The profits of the world's top nine producers trebled in 2022 from two years previously. The margins and impacts have been even greater on fertiliser supplies to African farmers. Moreover, the super-high profit margins are being sustained in 2023 in many African countries even while international prices have come down. The harvest season has recently come to an end in most countries in Southern Africa, with farmer margins and production being squeezed by high input costs. The wide gaps between fertiliser prices in the region and international fertiliser prices point to major issues within the supply chain, with excess margins of some 30% to 80% being earned on sales…

Proudly SA has celebrated the success of its recently concluded three-day Local Wine Expo, which provided an extraordinary platform for 30 passionate winemakers to showcase their exceptional products to the media, retail buyers, and discerning consumers. The Local Wine Expo not only celebrated the diverse flavours of local wines but also played its part in promoting emerging wine brands, emphasising the significance of fostering innovation in the industry and its profound impact on job creation. Held from 13 to 15 July, it brought together an array of talented winemakers, 70% of whom were womenowned brands. At least half of the traders sold out their stock by the end. Now in its second year, the primary objective of Proudly SA's Local Wine Expo was to create an environment where up-and-coming wine…

Canning production remains under pressure, with most farmers struggling to make a profit, Jacques Jordaan, CEO of the Canning Fruit Producers’ Association (CFPA), said during its recent annual general meeting held near Rawsonville in the Western Cape. He referred to a production cost estimate done by Optimal Agricultural Business Systems, indicating that 2022 production costs averaged R162 764/ha for apricots, R196 461/ha for peaches and R183 349/ha for pears. These costs have increased to R179 040/ha for apricots, R216 107/ha for peaches and R201 684/ha for pears if a return on investment of 10% is included. Considering the effect of fruit grading and a mandatory requirement from canners that 10% of volume must be delivered as juice grade, farmers had to produce an average of 32t/ha of apricots at R5…

Agri SA recently submitted its objections and comments on the Water-use Licence Applications, Amendment and Appeals Regulations, which were published in May, that proposed that certain enterprises would need up to 75% black shareholding to apply for water-use licences. The Department of Water and Sanitation clarified in June that the transformation requirements would only apply to the 1,5% water resources in South Africa that had not yet been allocated. Janse Rabie, legal and policy executive at Agri SA, said they welcomed the clarification, but were concerned that the draft regulations, if passed as published, would undermine transformation and food security in the country. He explained that the draft was inconsistent with the provisions of the National Water Act, the Equality Act and the Constitution, and attempted to replace the current…

GREECE Olive farmers in Greece were suffering the effects of their hottest summer ever, with temperatures reaching as high as 50°C. According to farmers’ associations on the island Kos, farmers had also experienced lower rainfall, and were concerned olive oil production would drop significantly throughout the country as olive trees needed cooler weather to grow properly. The associations said they expected a 30% drop in olive oil production. AUSTRALIA The agriculture minister recently announced the new Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Poultry after seven years of discussions. According to the guidelines, egg producers needed to have phased out the use of conventional layer hen cages by 2036. All provinces in the country had agreed to the guidelines, except for New South Wales (NSW). The NSW agriculture department said…

For beef producers to become more competitive and to increase profitability and production, the commercialisation of the emerging sector was of utmost importance. This was according to Dr Ben Greyling, research team manager for the Agricultural Research Council's (ARC) Beef Cattle Improvement Scheme. Speaking at the ARC's recent Beef Cattle School function held in Thabazimbi, Greyling said that South Africa's 40 000 commercial, 240 000 emerging and three million small-scale farmers were responsible for feeding the nation. It was estimated that 13,8 million people lived below the food poverty line. According to Greyling, these people needed access to affordable food, and this was why it was so important that the performance disparities between the commercial production beef cattle sector and the small and subsistent sectors be addressed. “Ever-escalating beef production…

Russian President Vladimir Putin's undertaking to donate between 25 000t and 50 000t of grain free of charge to six African countries each is nothing more than a symbolic effort by the Russians to increase their footprint in Africa and to try to gain the moral high ground on the continent. This was according to Prof Andre Duvenhage, a political analyst at North-West University. Putin made the announcement at the opening session of the two-day Russia-Africa summit held recently in St Petersburg. The grain was earmarked for Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, the Central African Republic and Eritrea. Duvenhage said the announcement followed Russia's decision not to renew the agreement that allowed safe passage for grain exports from Ukraine across the Black Sea. “Putin is using food exports to boost…

A recent study shows that South Africa's e-commerce market will grow by 11,9% per year in the period from 2023 to 2027. The market will grow by 7,7% this year. While electronics and media make up the largest online market with a 26% share, food and personal care are a close second with a 23,8% share. Various factors contributed to the growth of online shopping. The COVID-19 lockdown resulted in consumers getting familiar with the online world. Virtual meetings became generally acceptable, whereas managers had regarded these with distrust in the past. Online shopping platforms, such as Amazon in the US and Takealot in South Africa, developed practical systems that include easy payment methods, either online or at delivery. Recently, the larger retail chains got onto the online bandwagon. The…

Precision farming can save farmers hours, allowing them to work smarter and not harder. Research funded by the EU and Research-Create-Innovate shows tech advances are making a real difference. In the research paper, ‘Machine vision systems in precision agriculture for crop farming’ written by Dr Eleni Vrochindou, scientists touch on using machinery in not only harvesting but also yield estimation and disease detection. In terms of cutting-edge technology, researchers stress the need to implement guidance technology in the form of visionbased agricultural robots, or agrobots. The purpose would be to allow farmers to use farming machinery with extreme accuracy. Vrochindou writes that typically this task is performed manually by a person, but the job has become more demanding, costing farmers time and money. Agrobots were introduced to apply precision techniques…

Rabies is a viral disease that affects the nervous system of mammals, including humans. It is caused by the rabies virus, which belongs to the Lyssavirus genus. The virus is primarily transmitted through the saliva of an infected animal, usually via a bite or scratch. • Transmission Rabies is typically transmitted to humans through the bite or scratch of an infected animal. The most common sources of rabies transmission to humans are domestic dogs, cats, and wild animals like bats, raccoons, foxes and skunks. In some cases, rabies can also be spread through contact with infected animal saliva via broken skin or mucous membranes. • Incubation The incubation period for rabies, which is the time between the viral exposure and the onset of symptoms, can vary but is usually one…

Paul van Rooyen from Rouxville in the Free State recently walked away with the Lamb King title of 2023 with his Meatmaster lamb at the Southern African Agri Initiative's (Saai) Lamb Champs. Over 5 000 people attended this year's event, recently held at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, and tasted some of the 100 lambs on spits to determine which farmer had the best-tasting lamb in South Africa. Basie van Wyk from Thabazimbi in Limpopo was the runner-up with his Dormer lamb, while Leon Struwig, who represented S2 Boerdery near Blinkwater in Mpumalanga, took the third place with an SA Veld Merino. Lamb Champs was launched in 2022 as part of Saai's effort to shorten the agricultural value chain and give consumers more direct exposure to producers. “We want to be…

Plant protein products are set to remain on supermarket shelves in South Africa under names associated with meat products, but globally, confidence in this market is waning. At the end of July, the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA) won an extension of its interdict stopping the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (agriculture department) from seizing vegan products with names that government said were reserved for meat products. These included names such as mushroom ‘burgers’ and soy ‘sausages’. The judgment, handed down in the High Court, said that if perishable goods were seized from all intended points, there was a “risk of real and irreparable financial harm”. Zinhle Tyikwe, CEO of the CGCSA, said in a statement that the court ruling gave certainty to the growing…

According to figures recently released by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE), 231 rhinos were poached in South Africa between January and June 2023. Compared to the same period in 2022, the total number of rhino poached showed an 11% decline. Forty-two rhinos were poached in the Kruger National Park (KNP) and 143 in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) from January to June 2023. Forty-six of the rhinos killed were in privately-owned nature reserves and 143 in provincially owned reserves, according to the DFFE. Save the Rhino International said in a statement that 133 rhinos were killed in KZN in the first half of 2022 compared with 143 this year. Most incidents took place in the HluhluweiMfolozi Park. Organised criminal networks had shifted away from the KNP, likely due to declines…

Julius Malema's chanting of “Shoot to kill” and “Kill the Boer, kill the farmer” during the EFF's 10th anniversary rally in Johannesburg, has been widely condemned, according to Christo van der Rheede, outgoing CEO of Agri SA. “Chanting sweeps up emotions and polarises citizens, and chanting slogans such as ‘Kill the boer, kill the farmer’, is childish at best and tantamount to political thuggery. The EFF should stop portraying farmers as the enemy. The real enemy is [the] corrupt, incompetent and unproductive state with skewed budgeting priorities.” He said that farmers and the broader private sector stepped in regularly to fill the fiscus void for economic development in the country. “This year alone, commercial farmers borrowed R200 billion to feed the country, whereas the state contributed less than R1 billion…

South Africa's agriculture uses roughly 2,2 million tons of fertiliser per annum to produce a variety of crops and pastures. On average, about two-thirds of the fertiliser is used to grow grains and oilseed commodities such as maize, wheat, soya beans, and sunflowers. Fruit and vegetable production uses nearly 18% of the total fertiliser; the rest is utilised to cultivate sugar cane and pastures. More than 95% of the country's fertiliser consumption is imported, implying that South Africa is directly affected by global market dynamics. Such dynamics include trade restrictions and global supply chain bottlenecks exacerbated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. As a result, global fertiliser prices increased significantly in the past 36 months, reaching a peak in April 2022. Similarly, South Africa's local fertiliser prices increased rapidly in 2002…

Dealing with underperformance in the workplace depends on the level of education, training, experience and skills of the person involved. Workers at the lower end of the ladder might not even realise they are underperforming, which complicates communication and getting the message across to them that time is money. Underperforming workers not only cost the business, but have a negative effect on staff delivering satisfactory work. No one wants to cover for someone else's shoddiness, do double work, or go home late because of it. Underperformance should not be confused with outright laziness or wilful obstinate behaviour such as a go-slow output. A truly compassionate manager might see this as an opportunity to turn someone with potential into a valuable asset once you have determined where they could fit in…

Dearest MaRiky by Louisa Zondo (Jacana, R240) In February 2022, Zondo's son committed suicide. She felt as if the meaning had been wrenched from her life. Such a loss requires intense emotional strength to bear. Her son was famous rapper Riky Rick, or Rikhado Makhado, whose bestknown hit was ‘Boss Zonke’. Her grief could not be private but was shared with all his fans. More anguishing still was the knowledge that he'd suffered serious depression for some time, and during that time had begged her to share her own life story. Less than four weeks after Riky's death, she resolved to come to terms with his plea. Her memoir peels back her efforts to sweep back her childhood from the intensifying unrest of the 1960s, abusive relationships, rape and a…