Innehållsförteckning för 28 April 2023 från Farmer's Weekly

In the 21 April issue of Farmer’s Weekly, we reported on the current trend in South Africa’s food price inflation. Included in the article, ‘SA’s food price inflation expected to remain high’, was the latest figures for the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy’s Thrifty Healthy Food Basket, which had increased 2,6% month-on-month to R3 504 for a family of four. While the month-on-month increase is not much (relatively speaking), the yearon-year increase is far more substantial at 12,4%. The Thrifty Healthy Food Basket includes a nutritionally balanced combination of 26 food items from all food groups, and measures the cost of basic healthy eating for an adult male, adult female, older child and younger child. In real terms, the increase in the food basket year-on-year is R387/month. For many…

Distinguished agricultural economist Dr Uma Lele was recently awarded an honorary doctorate by Stellenbosch University. She received the degree Doctor of Science in Agriculture, honoris causa, on 28 March 2023 at the graduation ceremony for the university’s Faculty of AgriSciences (see pg 20). Lele, who hails from India, is a leader in the field of economic development. She was honoured for her visionary leadership in the theory and practice of rural development around the world and her quest to influence public policy through rigorous empirical research. Over five decades, this independent scholar and development economist has accumulated a wealth of experience in research, operations, policy analysis and evaluation at the World Bank, various universities and international organisations. Lele has consistently been at the forefront of new departures in the theory…

18 000 COWS KILLED IN EXPLOSION AT TEXAS DAIRY FARM MAY BE LARGEST CATTLE KILLING EVER The fire spread quickly through the holding pens, where thousands of dairy cows crowded together waiting to be milked, trapped in deadly confines. - usatoday.com NEW CAP PAYMENT RULES FOR ON-FARM WELLS Wells that abstract 25 000 litres of water per day will now have to be registered with the EPA in Ireland. - farmersjournal.ie EGG PRICES FALL THE MOST SINCE 1987 AFTER RECENT SURGE Egg prices tumbled the most in 36 years in March, the second straight monthly decline, giving US consumers relief after months of soaring food inflation. - bloomberg.com…

Cases of African horse sickness (AHS) are increasing in Gauteng, while vaccines have been unavailable since last year, according to reports. Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP), which manufactures the vaccine, has allegedly been without stock for several months. AHS, an insect-borne viral disease, is endemic to Southern Africa. Horses need to be vaccinated between June and October each year to protect them against the disease during the late summer months, which is peak AHS season. Symptoms include high fever and a lack of appetite, and infected horses could die within days. Infections usually start dissipating when the first frost arrives. Henry Geldenhuys, president of TLU SA, said the lack of vaccines at OBP was a huge challenge. “It’s not just AHS vaccines that are unavailable; it’s several that are needed for…

Dairy producer Lactalis South Africa recently invested R140 million in a new evaporator dryer powder facility at its cheese manufacturing plant in Bonnievale in the Western Cape. The company said in a statement that the purpose of the new facility was to remove water from milk efficiently in order to produce a dry powder that had a longer shelf life, was easily transportable, and could be used in a variety of applications. The facility would significantly boost the plant’s capacity to produce skimmed milk, a versatile ingredient used in a range of food products, including baked goods, confectionery, dairy products and processed foods. Asked about the capacity of the plant and skimmed milk powder production potential of South Africa, Lactalis declined to respond due to the “commercial sensitivity of the…

KENYA Kenya is planning to double its avocado exports from Shl5 billion (about R200 million) to Sh30 billion (R400 million) annually over the next five years, according to a report in Farmers Review Africa. The country has seen increased demand for its produce on the international market. Ernest Muthomi, the CEO of the Avocado Society of Kenya, said the country was keen to expand its export markets after China became the latest destination for its avocados last June. Although Kenya’s Hass avocado was the most common export, Kenya also produced varieties such as Fuerte and Jumbo, according to Farmers Review Africa. POLAND The Polish government had started buying grain with state funds in a bid to cope with the influx of supplies from Ukraine, Agriculture Minister Henryk Kowalczyk announced earlier…

A shortage of canola seed, specifically the Clearfield varieties, will result in a challenging winter grain season for some farmers in the Western Cape. In January, Farmer’s Weekly reported that the availability of Clearfield seed from Pioneer had been negatively affected by contamination during production of the seed in Canada. José de Kock, vice-chairperson of Grain SA’s Winter Grain Working Group, confirmed that Pioneer had since sourced other Clearfield varieties to make up for the shortfall; however, some farmers would have no choice but to use other cultivars. This was not ideal, he added, as Clearfield varieties enabled farmers to use herbicides with active ingredients that targeted both broadleaf weeds and some grasses, but these could not be used on other canola varieties. Clearfield was ideal for rotations where canola…

A researcher at Stellenbosch University (SU) has found an innovative way to diagnose bovine tuberculosis (TB) in African buffaloes and identify infected animals more accurately and rapidly. This can help to prevent the spread of the disease in one of the continent's most iconic and highvalued species, according to Dr Charlene Clarke from the DSI/NRF Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Tuberculosis Research in the Faculty of Medicine and Flealth Sciences at SU. “It is essential to diagnose bovine TB quicker and to accurately identify infected buffaloes early because these animals keep the diseasecausing bacteria in the ecosystem, which can cause infection of other species such as lions, wild dogs, rhinos, elephants, and antelopes,” “This could negatively impact wildlife tourism, the economy, and conservation programmes,” said Clarke, who recently obtained her…

Cannabis cultivation is a complex process that involves seed selection, cloning, propagation, development, harvesting and curing. Quality control is needed at every step of the process. Quality control ensures that the cannabis product is clear of pesticides, heavy metals, and mould. It also contributes to the consistency of the product (potency, flavour, and fragrance). Medical cannabis patients, for one, need a consistent and dependable product to manage their symptoms. There are stringent regulations in place regarding the quality of cannabis products in many jurisdictions. Failure to comply with these laws can result in fines and legal action. Quality control ensures that the product complies with regulatory standards. STEPS TO MAINTAIN QUALITY Growers can implement the following to help make sure their product is of the highest quality: • Good manufacturing…

NordGen manages the deposits made by any gene bank in the world. The deposits are free of charge, as is the handling and storage of the seed. However, says NordGen, the gene bank is responsible for packing and transport of the seeds to Svalbard. Before depositing seed, gene banks that have not deposited seed before need to sign a Deposit Agreement. NordGen signs the agreement on behalf of the Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Food. Once signed, the gene bank prepares a list (called the accession list) of seed samples to be deposited into the vault. This list needs to be sent to NordGen at least six weeks before the seeds are sent to Svalbard. The information is then validated by NordGen, and they make preliminary updates to the Seed…

Unshackled by Jeff van Rooyen (Bookstorm, R290) The soccer, music, movies and pavement gambling of Van Rooyen’s 1950s childhood in Alexandra and Riverlea, Johannesburg, are quite vividly sketched in this autobiography. The difference for Van Rooyen was that a few dedicated teachers inspired him to go beyond the holy trinity of careers: doctor, lawyer, teacher. “Opportunity tends to come if you remain patient and you’re able to recognise it,” he writes. An early stroke of luck was trying to secure articles when the accountancy profession had just committed to hiring black clerks. Of course, without Van Rooyen making his own luck by studying hard and reading, this lucky break would never have occurred. It was a pattern that repeated itself through most of his career. Keen to give back, astute…

Mike Purkis from Pretoria emailed us this photo of his wife’s uncle, Ed Weigall, enjoying a well-deserved break during a day of farming. Ed, whose favourite magazine is Farmer’s Weekly, was born in 1932 and has been farming all his life. He owned two tobacco farms in Karoi, Zimbabwe, and was one of the major producers of tobacco in that country. Unfortunately, around 1998, both of Ed’s farms were taken from him, without compensation, during Zimbabwe’s land reform process. He now works on a nephew’s farm in Winterton, KwaZulu-Natal. Mike says Ed simply likes growing things, and that his philosophy is once a farmer, always a farmer! GOT SOMETHING TO SAY? Send your letters to: farmersweekly@caxton.co.za, or Farmer’s Weekly, PO Box 1797, Pinegowrie 2123, SA. The views and opinions expressed…

Government recently terminated the national state of disaster on electricity supply constraints, resulting in the repeal of all regulations and directions made to deal with the crisis. Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Thembi Nkadimeng said in a press briefing that the decision had been motivated by a number of measures that had been taken to relieve the impact of severe energy constraints on the economy and society. She added that the termination of the state of disaster would not halt measures already taken and which were being used to reduce load-shedding. “Government will, through the National Energy Crisis Committee, continue to engage and co-operate, and coordinate its actions to reduce and eradicate load-shedding using existing legislation and contingency arrangements.” Around the same time, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana withdrew…

Agrifoodtech funding declined by 44% to US$30 billion (about R553 billion) globally from 2021 to 2022, according to AgFunder’s recently released Global AgriFoodTech Investment Report 2023. AgFunder spokesperson Louisa Burwood-Taylor said the decline was in line with global trends: “Cheap money and increasingly outlandish tech valuations drove 2021’s record-breaking US$51,7 billion agrifoodtech funding. “Then, in the wake of war, inflation and continued supply chain disruptions, the market came crashing down in 2022,” she said. According to the report, the number of deals dropped by 19% to 2 797. Among the biggest category losers were meal delivery, cloud retail and midstream technologies, which saw funding declines of more than 35%, while the biggest winners were farm management software, the Internet of Things, and ‘novel farming systems’. These saw increases of more…

Dr Gerhard Verdoorn, CropLife South Africa’s (CropLife SA) operations and stewardship manager, issued a serious warning against the use of chemical products registered for agricultural purposes in an effort to mitigate the recent massive outbreak of German cockroaches in the country. He told Farmer’s Weekly that the use of unregistered chemicals could lead to the loss of human life. According to a CropLife SA statement, the wet and humid summer had brought about a near-pandemic outbreak of cockroaches in South Africa. Cockroaches were usually omnipresent, but a surge in German cockroaches had been reported countrywide. Verdoorn said that it was not only climate that caused the exorbitant numbers, but also the unhygienic conditions that prevailed in South Africa. “Unfortunately, the surge in cockroach infestation triggered the large-scale unlawful use of…

South Africa’s high cost of living has seen demand for red meat softening since mid-2022 and prices coming under pressure. The recent 50-basispoint hike in the repo rate to 7,75% and the resultant increase in interest rates are expected to exacerbate this trend. While the Easter holiday period may have provided a short reprieve from the downward trend in red meat markets, Absa AgriBusiness expects prices to remain under pressure for the remainder of the year. BEEF In March, the price of Class A carcasses moved sideways; however, profitability, as measured by the beef-to-maize price ratio, increased by 13% month-onmonth (m/m) (see Graph 1) on the back of rapidly declining maize prices. This also provided room for the price of weaner calves to rise by almost 5% m/m. Nonetheless, it…

SERVES FOUR 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon cornstarch 2 cups frozen blueberries 3 tablespoons white sugar 1 cup ricotta cheese 2/3 cup milk 2 eggs 3 tablespoons white sugar 1 lemon, juiced and zested ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg ¼ teaspoon salt 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder • Mix 2 tablespoons lemon juice and cornstarch together in a bowl until cornstarch dissolves. • Stir blueberries and 3 tablespoons sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour cornstarch mixture into blueberry mixture; cook and stir until mixture thickens slightly. Cover saucepan and remove from heat. • Whisk ricotta cheese, milk, eggs, sugar, juice from 1 lemon, lemon zest, nutmeg, and salt together in a bowl…

Dear Prof McCrindle, I would like to plant trees in my paddocks, preferably fast growers and evergreen. Obviously, they should be safe for the horses. What would you recommend? I live in Pretoria East, Gauteng. My property has good soil and there is plenty of water available. Kind regards, Anonymous Dear Anonymous, Years ago, it was usual to plant trees inside paddocks, but this has its disadvantages: the horses tend to chew on or rub against the bark, resulting in skin tears, or get poked in the eyes or nostrils by branches. In addition, the build-up of manure can be toxic to the trees. A better solution is to create a pathway 2m to 3m wide between two paddocks and plant the trees in the middle of it. This will…

Follow us at @FarmersWeeklySA @FarmersWeeklySA We posted the article, “Make money with free-range chickens”, and our followers had the following comments to share: Posted: 11 April 2023. READERS’ COMMENTS Ray G Mavhusa: Started with Australorp and Koekoeks. Now have Australorps and Sasso only. I love chickens! Lugen Moodley: I have been [farming chickens] for the last 10 years, but this year has been the worst. Feed and fuel costs and power outages eat up profits. I’m giving up. Good luck to you all. Want your photo to be featured as our ‘Photo of the Week’? Tag @FarmersWeeklySA on Twitter or Instagram to be considered! PHOTO OF THE WEEK Andre Christie-Smith @kleiheuwel_trust “Ain’t no mountain high enough, ain’t no river wide enough.” Via Instagram. Posted: 6 April 2023.…

Although I continue to argue that South Africa should expand its agricultural export markets to new frontiers such as India, China, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia and South Korea, this growth drive should not be at the expense of existing markets. What we need to do is actively engage with existing markets to promote the further development of these exports. This engagement should focus not only on Asia and the EU, both crucial regions for our export growth, but also on the rest of Africa. SA’S LARGEST EXPORT MARKET Africa remains the largest export market for South Africa’s agricultural products. The continent accounted for 37% of South Africa’s record agricultural exports of US$12,8 billion (around R217 billion) in 2022. And this was not an anomaly; on average, Africa has accounted for 38%…

Increasing yields and rising local demand have resulted in a good season for dragon fruit farmers. Harvest started in November and will wrap up by May. Established two years ago, the Dragon Fruit Growers’ Association of Southern Africa has put much effort into research on production practices for the Southern Africa climate, and this has led to an increase in both the total harvest and yield per hectare. The association currently comprises 20 farmers. Fred Steyn, owner of Kuifkop Beleggings in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, said that yields on his farm had risen from l0t/ha last year to 15t/ha this year. While this was lower than the international average of 20t/ha, the progress made was significant. “We have a good season this year, with high quality and low pest pressure. The cold,…

Archer-Daniels-Midland (ADM), one of the world’s largest commodity trading companies, will soon exit Russia due to the impact of sanctions following that country’s invasion of neighbouring Ukraine a little more than a year ago. Bloomberg reported that the Chicago-based company was thought to be reviewing its 50% stake in a joint venture with Russian partner Aston. The venture was launched five years ago to process maize for producing sweeteners and starches for the food and beverages industry. In other news, French-Dutch merchant firm Louis Dreyfus planned to stop shipping Russian grain in the new crop year (due to start on 1 July), according to Russia Today, citing Russian news outlets. Russia is the world’s largest wheat producer and a significant producer of other key commodities. Bloomberg said ADM would follow…

A recent study conducted by sustainability consulting firm The Green House has shown that local foodbank organisation FoodForward SA (FFSA) contributed to a reduction in carbon emissions equivalent to that emitted by 88 000 cars in 2022. According to an FFSA statement, this was achieved by recovering quality surplus food from the supply chain and redistributing it to its network of 2 750 beneficiary organisations across the country. “The nutritional and social benefits of repurposing surplus food are well known. However, there are also major environmental benefits. “If food loss and waste were a country, [together] they span 1,4 billion hectares,” Andy du Plessis, managing director of FFSA, said in the statement According to him, a reduction in food loss and waste also helped to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions…

The deadline for comments on the National Water Resource Infrastructure Agency Bill and the Draft Water and Sanitation Services on Privately Owned Land Proposals Policy recently closed. The first related to the establishment of a state-owned agency to administer, fund, and provide advisory services on national water resources infrastructure. The second aimed to define the Department of Water and Sanitation’s responsibility when it came to the provision of water services to residents living on privately-owned land. Annelize Crosby, Agbiz’s head of legal intelligence, said Agbiz, in its response, agreed national water resources infrastructure had to be developed and managed properly, but was not convinced a state-controlled entity would be the best way to achieve this. “South Africa does not have a good track record with state-owned entities. “The majority have…

The increasing lack in services provided by government is adding a considerable financial burden on the agriculture sector. This not only leads to increased production costs and higher food prices, but smaller farmers exiting the industry. Henry Geldenhuys, president of TLU SA, said farmers and all taxpayers were subsidising the government. “Farmers have become the state’s dairy; they’re being milked by government. The list of services that government is responsible to provide, but does not, is extensive. Farmers face a choice of either providing the services themselves, at their own cost despite having already paid taxes for the services, or go out of business.” He explained that the state of the roads meant that often farmers could not get their produce to the market. Many transport contractors declined to provide…

A farmer’s profitability depends on the income earned from selling products and the cost of producing the products to sell. The prices at which products are sold, as well as the prices for the farm requisites and other inputs needed to produce the products, are largely outside the farmer’s control. The ratio between the price of farm requisites and agricultural products is called the ‘terms of trade’. Based on the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development indices of agricultural products and of farm requisites, the terms of trade for livestock, horticultural and crop farmers weakened steadily from 2020 to June 2022. The situation has improved marginally since then. According to Grain SA, fertiliser prices were between 10% and 16% lower in February 2023 than in February 2022. Diesel…

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault (Svalbard Globale Frøhvelv) holds the key to the world’s crop production. Often referred to as the ‘Doomsday’ vault, the objective of the facility is to safeguard seed for future crop production in the case of a nuclear war or other disasters. At present, there are over 1,2 million seeds kept at the vault, which is built into a permafrost layer in Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago. Gene banks ‘deposit’ duplicates of seeds into the vault to protect against the potential loss of seed due to mismanagement, accidents, sabotage and natural or human-made disasters. The Seed Vault is managed under terms spelled out in a tripartite agreement between the Norwegian government, the Crop Trust, and the regional gene bank, the Nordic Genetic Resource Center (NordGen). NordGen stresses…

The Integrated Registration and Genetic Information System (INTERGIS) is a collection of databases and programs that addresses the animal recording needs of many livestock farmers and breeders. The Agricultural Research Council has been contracted by the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development to host the INTERGIS, which includes the National Animal Database of South Africa. The INTERGIS "forms the backbone of the animal production industry in South Africa with an unbiased approach, and complies with the Animal Improvement Act (No. 62 of 1998) which ensures the integrity of the country’s animal pedigree and performance data with its main objective of ‘animal improvement’.” • Source: ‘Integrated Registration and Genetic Information System (INTERGIS)’. ARC. bit.ly/3ZQVru1.…

Unveiled in 1977 as the E23, BMW’s 7 Series has a proud history of showcasing groundbreaking levels of sophistication and technological breakthroughs. From the introduction of xenon lights in the second-generation car to the incorporation of satellite navigation in the 1994 ‘Bond’ version, the reveal of an all-new 7 Series always provides a glimpse into the future. Although the larger overall dimensions correspond with improved levels of spaciousness and comfort, BMW is quick to point out that, historically, most 7 Series owners favour driving over being chauffeured. This may well change in the new 7, though, as over-and-above the expected levels of luxury in the rear passenger compartment, highlights include tablettype touchpads in the door handles and the option of a 31,3-inch (795mm), 8K cinema screen that deploys from the…

Researchers have developed a temperature-modulating robotic system that can be seamlessly integrated into notoriously sensitive honeybee hives, providing both a neverbefore-seen view of honeybee behaviour and a means to influence it. Composed of an array of thermal sensors and actuators, the system measures and modulates honeybee behaviour through localised temperature variations. “Many rules of bee society, from collective and individual interactions to raising a healthy brood, are regulated by temperature, so we leveraged that for this study,” explained Rafael Barmak, PhD student at the EPFL University in Switzerland and first author on a paper on the system recently published in Science Robotics. “The thermal sensors create a snapshot of the bees’ collective behaviour, while the actuators allow us to influence their movement by modulating thermal fields. “Previous studies on the…