Innehållsförteckning för Vol 19 - No 4 2022 från AgriProbe

When you look at the definition of the word PROBE, be it from the communication, medical, technological or legal point of view; the meaning gravitates towards an act of thorough exploring, examining, investigating, uncovering or an act of digging deeper to gain what I would say a higher-level understanding of something beyond the surface. This is so true for our AgriProbe magazine. This is a publication that gives us an opportunity to probe and gain a high level of understanding of what is happening in our agrispace and the lives of the people who drive the sector. We live in very complex times with high levels of uncertainty. We do not know when the next power cut with be. But we have the power to still give hope to the…

The Outeniqua Information Day was held in September 2022 at the Outeniqua Research Farm. The previous two years the Information Day was presented virtually due to COVID-19 restrictions. The 2022 Information Day was well attended by 215 delegates. The audience consisted of farmers, industry representatives and students. Learn more! Scan the QR code or visit www.elsenburg.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Information-Day-2022-Publication.pdf to access the Information Day 2022 publication. Researchers of the Outeniqua Research Farm presented their research findings of the past two years. Data on alternative pasture systems incorporating combinations of forage herbs, tall fescue, red clover and lucerne was presented. The inclusion of these systems was shown to hold the potential to improve the yield of pastures and animals, particularly during the challenging summer months in the region. Results of extensive cultivar trials on…

The 2022 Learnership students registered for the National Certificate: Animal Production (NQF Level 4) or the National Certificate: Plant Production (NQF Level 4), are nearing the end of their learning journey with the sub-programme: Agricultural Skills Development (ASD) at the Elsenburg Agricultural Training Institute (EATI). They have acquired impressive academic achievements and in addition to their formal curriculum, they attended short courses, such as Tractor Maintenance, Erection of Fences and Computer Literacy. These short courses were facilitated by George Juries and Eshey Bam respectively, who are external training facilitators on the approved database of the EATI. 1 The Tractor Maintenance course consists of theoretical and practical components and was facilitated over a period of one week. It included safety procedures and pre-inspection. During this stage of the training, the students…

It was established in 1978 and is the largest dam in the Western Cape Water Supply System with a capacity of 480 million cubic metres. The dam mainly serves for municipal and industrial use as well as for irrigation purposes Learn more! Scan the QR code or visit www.elsenburg.com/books/smartagri-updated-climate-change-trends-and-projections-for-the-western-cape to download a copy of SmartAgri: Updated Climate Change Trends and Projections for the Western Cape The Western Cape climate change response framework and implementation plan for the agricultural sector, known as the SmartAgri plan, provides a roadmap for agriculture that is low-carbon and resilient to climate change. In this series in AgriProbe, the SmartAgri plan is unpacked into its core elements, structured around four strategic focus areas (SFAs). Some of the active projects led by the various programmes of the…

Die Egiptenare het meer as twee duisend jaar gelede reeds graan in houers gestoor om dit te preserveer. Die inkuiling van gewasse is dus ’n taamlik nuwe manier van veevoer preserveer vir latere gebruik, maar dit geskied nou reeds vir drie eeue. Tydens die inkuilingsproses word materiaal gekerf, gekompakteer en dan verseël met plastiek om lug uit te hou. Die doel is om so gou moontlik anaerobe toestande te skep waartydens melksuurbakterieë suikers benut om melksuur te vorm. Dit laat dan die pH tot ongeveer 4 daal en preservering vind plaas. Goed gepreserveerde kuilvoer kan vir jare geberg word indien dit nie aan lug of water blootgestel word nie. Die Santam/Veeplaas-kuilvoerkompetisie word jaarliks gehou om kuilvoer te evalueer en terugvoer aan produsente te gee. Die doel is om inkuiling te…

Abstract The reported, decades long, price-cost squeeze in conventional farming has recently become critical due to nearly triple-figure percentage increases in the cost of fertilizer, diesel and other inputs. The result will make smaller farming operations redundant. Many farming practice innovations in the past, like minimum-till, residue cover, higher yielding cultivars and hardy breeds, have helped to keep many operations afloat. It has become imperative however, to support the developing sector in a paradigm shift to understand and treat the entire farming operation as an ecosystem. Starting from the ground up, a soil-building, multi-species cover crop demonstration/investigation was initiated at La Gratia project (livestock enterprise) in Riversdale, in the autumn of 2021. The purpose of the demonstration is to demonstrate the principles and results set out and obtained for regenerative…

Grain SA’s Nampo Cape is an agricultural exhibition under private ownership, and it takes place in the town of Bredasdorp located in the Overberg region, Western Cape. Earlier this year, I shared my experience of Nampo Bothaville. I hoped that the Western Cape version of Grain SA’s Exhibition, namely, Nampo Cape, would be just as exciting and validate our partnership and collaboration approach. And Nampo Cape delivered! Learn more! Scan the QR code or visit https://youtu.be/RzAFMc2rPA0 to watch the interview with Grain SA CEO, Dr Pieter Taljaard. The WCDoA attended Grain SA’s Nampo Cape. For more information Scan the QR code or visit www.grainsa.co.za/news-headlines/press-releases/nampo-cape-flowers-in-the-overberg A record number of guests (32 640) and over 500 exhibitors made the third hosting of Nampo Cape the biggest yet. Visitors to Nampo Cape could…

I am a veterinary student who has just finished my five-year-long theoretical studies at the University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, Hungary. To complete the Veterinary degree, we must do a six-month rotation dealing with various topics of veterinary medicine. I spent two weeks of this rotation at the Western Cape Provincial Veterinary Laboratory (WCPVL) in Stellenbosch. I started at the Serology Department. The technologists explained the tests they do and how they receive their samples. It was fascinating to watch how quickly and meticulously they got through all the samples they receive daily. The rest of the first week I spent time at the various other departments, including Biochemistry, Histology, Parasitology, Bacteriology and Virology. All the staff members and technicians were very friendly and helpful. The second week involved post-mortem…

During July 2022, the Western Cape Department of Agriculture (WCDoA) hosted an agriculture career day at the Baartmansfontein Primary School, 50km from Laingsburg. The main focus of the day was to broaden the horizons of the learners, mostly living on farms, in terms of jobs and skills in the agriculture sector of which they form an integral part. The Agricultural Producer Support and Development (APSD) Programme encompasses the broad development agenda of the Western Cape Department of Agriculture. For more information www.elsenburg.com/agricultural-producer-support-and-development/ Learn more! Scan the QR code or visit https://youtu.be/C_CQBEZMyvM to watch the video: “Why grow your own food garden?”. Published by the Western Cape Department of Agriculture. A secondary focus was to motivate the learners to become involved in their communities and be good citizens in terms of…

The annual Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP) Baseline was launched in August on an online platform that provides the agricultural sector with an agricultural outlook for the next ten years. This also culminated in contact presentations in August attended by invited and interested parties. The Baseline makes key observations relating to agricultural employment, farm-level competitiveness and drivers within the broader global economy. In simple terms the Baseline utilises the latest trends, policies and market information and constructs a projected picture of what the future might look like for agricultural industries given certain assumptions. This provides the sector with insights, which can assist in improved decision-making and planning on various levels.“ “The agricultural sector remains a top performer in the South African economy, but it was made clear that…

In the article we look at your role in safe-guarding animal health in our country, in terms of the Animal Diseases Act. The responsibilities of animal owners It is a Constitutional right in South Africa to own animals, but every right also assumes responsibilities. For all animal owners and for the owners or managers of land on which animals are kept, there are four general responsibilities as contained in the Animal Diseases Act (Act 35 of 1984) and some of the related Animal Diseases Regulations: 1 To take all reasonable steps to prevent infection of the animals with any animal disease or parasites and to prevent the spread thereof from that land or animals; or If the animals are infected with any animal disease or parasite, to eradicate the disease…

Klimaatsverandering en die invloed wat hierdie globale verskynsel op watersekerheid het, is ’n uiters relevante en deurtrapte onderwerp onder boere van die Wes-Kaap. Ten spyte van die ongekende droogtetydperk wat die provinsie sedert die 2013-’14-seisoen begin beleef het, het boere van die Wes-Kaap steeds geleenthede ontgin om die landbousektor as ’n geheel te kon laat groei in daaropvolgende jare. Veral met die aanplant van alternatiewe gewasse, moes historiese wyndruifwingerde begin plek maak vir sitrusboorde van verskeie variëteite. Sitrusboorde vereis egter meer water per hektaar in vergelyking met wyndruifwingerde. Die Wes-Kaapse Departement van Landbou se primêre doel is om die landbousektor sover moontlik te ondersteun met onder meer voorligting aan boere, navorsing ten einde produksie te verbeter, maar ook om bestaande landbou-infrastruktuur te verbeter of uit te brei. Die Buffeljagsdam, geleë…

If you have been exposed to the agricultural landscape of the Western Cape, this man needs no introduction. Dr Dirk Troskie, an economist by trade, has been with the Western Cape Department of Agriculture (WCDoA) for over three decades. When asked why agricultural economics, he was quick to respond that it was the one field that he felt did not necessarily have all the answers. To Dirk, agricultural economics had just the right amount of mystery. In fact, one could cite his driving force as unsolved problems and challenges – to which he is keen to find solutions. Curious and methodical But who is the real Dirk Troskie and where is he from? Dirk spent much of his youth on the ancestral apricot farm in the Eastern Cape. The only…

Elsenburg Agricultural Training Institute (EATI) facilitates the National Certificate: Plant Production and the National Certificate: Animal Production both on level 4 of the National Qualification Framework (NQF4). In line with an agreement signed between the Western Cape Department of Agriculture (WCDoA) and the Department of Correctional Services (DCS), these training programmes were offered to incarcerated offenders since 2019. In April 2022 thirteen Medium A and B offenders at DCS Voorberg received a National Qualification in Plant and Animal Production NQF4 and fourteen received a skills competency certificate. A further twenty received attendance certificates for various courses completed. It was a proud moment for the incarcerated graduates when the Western Cape Minister of Agriculture, Dr Ivan Meyer, announced: “You are graduating from the Institution that has survived the test of time…

In ecology, predation is a biological interaction where a predator (an organism that is hunting) feeds on its prey (the organism that is attacked). Farmers and conservationists recently got together in Prince Albert to discuss the issues around livestock predation in the Karoo, after the Western Cape Department of Agriculture’s stakeholder meeting during May 2022 during which farmers indicated this challenge as one of the most important in the Karoo. In response, the Department partnered with the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) to present a one-day workshop to unravel the challenge. Predators and the problems caused by livestock predation typically produce a witches’ cauldron of emotions and tensions invariably run high. To survive out there, farmers need to be tough and as a result, have strong personalities and strong opinions. Conservationists…

Meat is a great source of high-quality protein, minerals and vitamins that the body needs. It is therefore an important part of the diet of many people. Many, however, fail to realise that meat is also a potential carrier of serious biohazards. Possibly fatal food-borne pathogens include bacteria such as Campylobacter, Escherichia coli, Salmonella and many more. Tape worms and tuberculosis can be transmitted through meat. Residues of veterinary medicines also pose a risk. Enter the Meat Safety Act, Act 40 of 2000. The aim of the Act is “to provide for measures to promote meat safety and the safety of animal products”. In the Western Cape, the Department of Agriculture, in particular the sub-programme: Veterinary Public Health, is mandated to enforce the prescripts of the Meat Safety Act. Meat…

1 Introduction Maritime transportation accounts for 80% of the total merchandise traded globally (UNCTAD, 2020). It is efficient, low cost, reliable for long-distance and has a large capacity, hence it is the most used mode of transportation (Reya & Strachan, 2021). Therefore, the effectiveness of seaports have a significant impact on trade flows, translating into economic growth and greater competitiveness of the country (Li, Seo, & Ha, 2020; Reya & Strachan, 2021). Seaports contribute to export-led growth and, therefore their efficient working will improve a country’s global competitiveness (Notteboom et al., 2021). In 2021, about 80% of the Western Cape agricultural exports were facilitated through seaports. Given the perishability of most agricultural products, the inefficiencies at the seaports may cause delays resulting in major economic losses. In 2020, the Cape…