Innehållsförteckning för 5+12 April 2024 från Farmer's Weekly

In this issue of Farmer's Weekly, we include a news story on the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture's initiative to help farmers battle stock theft in the Inkosi Langalibalele Local Municipality (see page 18). Sibusiso Ndlovu, a farmer in the Loskop region, speaks about the emotional impact that stock theft has had on him. He says that in 2022, stock thieves stole 12 of his cattle, while in November 2023, he lost goats and an additional seven cattle to stock thieves. “It was heartbreaking and discouraging seeing my cattle being taken away from me. I spent many years trying to save to be able to buy cattle, but in a moment, I lost everything.” Unfortunately, Ndlovu's story is just one of many, and there are thousands of commercial, small-scale and subsistence farmers…

Small-scale farmers play an important role in food systems and contribute to ensuring food security and livelihoods. However, these farmers face a number of challenges such as climate change, access to resources and markets, as well as increasing cost of farm inputs among others. These challenges have an impact on food security. In addition, limited availability and access to resources require that farming be practised in a precise manner, using minimum inputs to achieve maximum output i.e. being efficient and sustainable. This applies to all agricultural producers. Drone technology is an example of a technology that promotes precision farming. Drones allow farmers to manage their crop correctly and better. The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), in collaboration with the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and the Agricultural…

Vergelegen Wine Estate near Somerset West in the Western Cape, is testing the use of drones to release beneficial insects in its fight against leafroll virus. The test is facilitated by SkyBugs, a partnership between FieldBUGS, which supplies the predatory insects, and agri-tech company Aerobotics, which collaborates with a network of drone pilots to disperse the insects accurately. According to a press statement, Vergelegen uses both predatory wasps (Anagyrus Vladimiri and Coccidoxenoides Perminutus) and ladybird beetles (Cryptolaemus Montrouzieri) to keep mealybugs, which spread leafroll virus, under control. The predatory wasps, which are attracted by a pheromone released by female mealybugs, are released during the first stage of control, followed with the selective distribution of ladybirds, which can eat 100 to 200 mealybugs a day. The insects are dispersed using drones…

The Shoprite Group has opened bursary applications for the 2024 and 2025 academic years. Students enrolled for degree studies in accounting, biological sciences, criminology, information technology, logistics and supply chain and retail business management, food sciences and agricultural sciences can apply for funding until 30 April 2024. The comprehensive bursary covers tuition and accommodation, and employment after graduation is guaranteed, giving beneficiaries a seamless entry into the business, and allowing them to learn from industry professionals, experts and mentors. In addition, bursary holders receive a monthly grocery allowance and have access to the Shoprite Employee Wellness programme. In the last financial year, the group invested R14,9 million in its bursary programme, which funded 200 students. According to Leigh Adams, head of Talent and Learning Solutions at the group, the retailer…

AUSTRALIA An Australian blueberry farm has broken the Guinness World Record for being the world's heaviest, weighing more than 10 times the average. According to the global authority on world records, the fruit was picked in New South Wales in November last year, weighed 20,4g and was close to 40mm wide. The growers of the record-breaking blueberry told local media that the giant fruit was now frozen and they planned to cast it in resin so they could hang it on their wall. UNITED STATES An American food production company said it planned to debut its latest creation – the petite pineapple – in a bid to reduce food waste. Del Monte Foods said the fruit weighed just under a kilogram and was about half the size of a traditional…

The Preliminary Population and Housing Census conducted in Namibia in 2023 indicated a population increase from 1 409 920 in 1991 to around 3 022 401, representing an increase of 114,4% in 32 years. According to Thinus Pretorius, chairperson of the Namibia Agricultural Union, the effect on the Namibian ecosystems from the population increase needed to be monitored closely. Urbanisation, for instance, was growing at an alarming rate, especially in and around the capital, Windhoek. The growing urbanisation coupled with Namibia's growing population would invariably have a major effect on the water supplies to the capital, where most of that country's meat processing and abattoir infrastructure is situated. “The irony is that while Namibia is the driest country in Africa, it borders Zambia, the most freshwater-rich country on the continent.…

Free State Agriculture (FSA) has adopted a livestock traceability and safety system amid a new foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak in the province. The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) confirmed that a case reported on 21 February on a farm in the Frankfort state veterinary area was in fact FMD. While the source of the outbreak is still unknown, the epidemiological investigation is ongoing, the DALRRD said in a statement. According to the DALRRD, livestock on the farm in question undergoing a health declaration examination conducted by a private veterinarian exhibited lesions typical of FMD. Samples were then sent to the Agricultural Research Council's Onderstepoort Veterinary Research Transboundary Animal Diseases Centre where FMD was confirmed. The DALRRD said locations and auctions possibly epidemiologically linked to the outbreak…

Employers often have a lot of questions pertaining to warnings. Therefore it is vital to grasp the nature of warnings and the impact they can have on employees’ behaviour, as well as the consequences of issued warnings in the workplace. A few questions commonly asked by employers include: WHY SHOULD I ISSUE WARNINGS? The courts have embraced the principle of corrective or progressive discipline, which views discipline as a tool for employees to understand the standards expected of them. This method emphasises efforts to rectify employee behaviour through a series of escalating disciplinary actions, including counselling sessions and formal warnings. Additionally, it is crucial to recognise that warnings function as a disciplinary measure that falls short of dismissal. The issuing of warnings can serve as tangible evidence that the employer…

The 25th sale of the wool season saw 10 847 bales on offer, 75% of which tested 20 microns and finer. Around 59% of the Merino wool on offer was certified as sustainable. The market showed a steady performance, with good participation from all the buying houses on the auction floor, resulting in an overall sales clearance of 95%, according to Cape Wools SA. However, market performance was stifled by the stronger rand against all major currencies, with positive results achieved in US dollar terms. Both indicators closed nearly unchanged, with the non-certified indicator easing 0,5% to close at R152,58/kg and the certified indicator by 0,4% to close at R170,87/kg. Major buyers were G Modiano SA (2 576 bales), BKB Pinnacle Fibres (2 160), Standard Wool SA (1 840) and…

The views expressed in our weekly opinion piece do not necessarily reflect those of Farmer's Weekly. *This article was first published by The Conversation. Read the original at bit.ly/4chzI5I. For thousands of years, the oil palm – indigenous to West Africa – has had an intimate relationship with people. An explosive expansion of oil palm groves throughout western and central Africa in the wake of a dry period around 2 500 years ago enabled human migration and agricultural development; in turn, humans facilitated oil palm propagation through seed dispersal and slash-and-burn agriculture. Archaeological evidence shows that palm fruit and their oil already formed an integral part of West African diets 5 000 years ago. With the exception of ‘royal’ oil palm plantations, established in the 18th century for palm wine…

ARCHIVE When you believe environment can influence size, it makes sense to switch, in this case from Hereford to Brangus. Making a big switch, such as changing the beef breed you've been farming for 10 years, is not something you do without a lot of forethought. John Baxter, who farms near eMkhondo in Mpumalanga, owns the nation's best performance-tested Hereford cow. “I still have considerable respect for the Hereford,” he says. “And in a crossbreeding operation there are not many breeds to equal it. “But I have found that over the 20 years I have bred them, Hereford don't altogether suit the eMkhondo area.” Baxter found he had in his herd a large number of three-quarter Herefords and some seven-eighths. The weaning mass began to drop. To remedy this he…

The African Farmers’ Association of South Africa (AFASA) expressed serious concern about the devastating drought raging over most of the country at the moment and issued an urgent request to government for immediate support for drought-stricken farmers. The association said in a statement that it requested a meeting with the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Thoko Didiza to discuss the drought crisis in order to come up with immediate and long-term solutions to assist farmers. According to AFASA, the 2023/24 grain crops were perishing under the ongoing drought. The unfortunate part about these losses was that they had a domino effect on other industries such as the livestock production industry, as maize formed a major part of animal feed. Meanwhile, the effect of the drought in livestock…

The summer rainfall region experienced significant heatwaves during February, with temperatures nearing 40°C. Rain was mostly absent as El Niño took hold. Consequently, the avocado crop suffered sunburn, while the macadamia crop, however, seems largely unaffected. Both crops were nearing harvest in Mpumalanga and Limpopo. Roelof van Rooyen, director of Global Macadamias, said that since rain had been significant at the start of the summer, dams and rivers were full enough to allow for scheduled irrigation to take place. “The heatwave didn't have much of an effect on the macadamia crop, as much of the rain we needed fell at the crucial times in the season.” The vast majority of provincial dams in Limpopo and Mpumalanga were above 90% of capacity, with the exception of the Middle Letaba Dam, which…

New Gala apple varieties seemed to be the most popular among farmers who recently attended a South African Plant Improvement Organisation (SAPO) exhibition of just over 20 early-season apple varieties in Joubertina in the Langkloof. Johan Kotzé, director of Dutoit Agri Eastern Cape, singled out three of the Gala varieties on display, namely Gorgeous Gala, Gala 1 and Royal Beaut. “The advantage of Gala cultivars is they can be sold everywhere, including the East where consumers generally don't like the sour apples that are in good demand in Europe,” Kotzé said. He added that the improved varieties generally had better colour and taste than the old traditional varieties, which usually translated into higher packouts and, in effect, farm income. ‘ZOUK 13 IS VERY SIMILAR TO A GALA IN TERMS OF…

The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) struggled with the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act for the first two years after it came into force in 2014, but the system has matured since then leaving only a few challenges at municipal level, according to Rajesh Makan, chief director of Spatial Planning and Information at the department. In a recent virtual briefing of the portfolio committee on the act, Makan said that the focus of the legislation was to spark the development, customisation and gazetting of spatial planning and land use by-laws that would enable spatial and economic transformation. So far, all municipalities have adopted and gazetted such by-laws, and in terms of the National Spatial Development Framework, 87% were compliant with land-use schemes, 51% with…

The president of the South African Veterinary Council (SAVC), Dr Nandipha Ndudane, has been elected to represent Africa on the World Veterinary Association (WVA) council from 2024 to 2026. Ndudane, who said she was “excited and humbled”, was not celebrating her first milestone as she was the first female president of the SAVC in its 91-year history. She continues to break barriers while flying the flag for African and South African excellence on the global stage with this appointment. “Coming from the small rural town of Mount Frere and being chosen to serve in a global veterinary organisation shows that it can be done, and I'm looking forward to serving the diverse interests of African countries on the WVA council,” said Ndudane. She was nominated by the SAVC for the…

South Africa experienced good rains at the beginning of the season, which suggested that there was a Between November 2023 and January 2024, the SA Weather Service noted below-normal rainfall received in large parts of the country. This has led to a significant drop in the official yield forecast of grain crops by the Crop Estimate Committee. The crop harvest estimates released in February 2024 indicate that white maize could be down 17% and soya bean 22% on last year. The low rainfall and heatwaves remained in March, which implies a reduction in the grain harvest. Even though the anticipated harvest is lower than that of the previous season, South Africa is likely to meet its local maize and grains domestic demands due to reserves from last year's crop and…

The ultimate goal is to have a farm that is almost self-sustaining and requiring very little input and becoming highly productive. I would like to share some milestones in my journey before achieving this goal. Although I started off with what I perceived to be virgin soil, I discovered that it was rather nutrient deficient and I had to apply agricultural lime, potassium and phosphate. With regard to potassium, one should apply potassium sulphate and not potassium chloride, despite the big difference in price. Cattle manure is high in potassium and usually contains 3% to 4%, which means that you could use enough to counter the need to use K2SO4. In the initial stages you may have to apply some chemical fertiliser, even if it is only LAN. IMPROVING THE…

My 5 key words: Johan de Villiers For most tech entrepreneurs, adrenalin highs such as piloting your own helicopter, overlanding through Africa or summiting the highest mountains on each of the world's seven continents are an escape. But Johan de Villiers, CEO of Cape Town's First Technology, saw how this married with his business philosophy. Overlanding Through the Boardroom (Rockhopper Books, R375) is part lively travelogue, part punchy business handbook. Five things that drive him: 1. Innovation: I was born in Pretoria, raised in Stellenbosch but spent a considerable time in the US as my father was a professor at UCLA. I think some of the Silicon Valley vibe rubbed off on me while attending school there, and the University of Stellenbosch's emphasis on innovation reinforced this. 2. Mindset: Having…

HIGHEST: (RAM) R15 500 Molteno – The Top Tier and Stormberg Merino Stud Production Sale was held on the farm Buffelsfontein on 21 February. The highest price of the day was paid for a ram, which was sold to Matthew Morgan of MJ Morgan Farming in Tarkastad for R15 500. Rams achieved an average price of R7 181,82. 2T open ewes were sold for an average price of R1 516,67, while 6T open ewes achieved an average price of R1 550. FM open ewes were sold for an average price of R1 600. The sale was held by BKB, with JP Marais as the auctioneer. – Gavin Isted…

With the elections now fixed for 29 May, we have come to the end of another five-year cycle in both politics and policymaking. Global disruptors such as the COVID-19 lockdown, geopolitical instability and soaring international freight rates make the past five years a bit difficult to assess. These factors cannot be ignored. Many countries have had to become more self-reliant and perhaps these global disruptors played a big part towards deglobalisation. However, they coincided with a policy emphasis towards more localised production and procurement. LOCAL IS NOT ALWAYS LEKKER Localisation, or the drive to produce and buy local products, has been a central policy objective of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition over the past five years. When Agbiz and other business leaders recently met with the Minister of…

The global Food Price Index recorded its seventh consecutive decline in February, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of a set of globally traded food commodities, averaged 117,3 points in February, down 0,7% from January and 10,5% from the same month a year ago. The trend was driven by reduced prices of major grains, which outweighed sugar and meat price increases. The FAO Cereal (Grain) Price Index decreased 5% in February to reach a level 22,4% below that of February 2023. It said maize export prices dropped the most amid expectations of large harvests in South America and competitive prices offered by Ukraine, while international wheat prices declined mostly due to…

It will take time for South Africa's logistics problems to be resolved and having government and state-owned enterprises involved will slow the progress, said Mike Walwyn, director of South African Freight Forwarders, at the International Fresh Produce Association's Fresh Solutions seminar held in Stellenbosch recently. He said that the logistics crisis was arguably bigger than the energy crisis. “South Africa's logistics costs currently amounts to about 10,5% of gross domestic product, which is higher than in many developed countries, yet lower than in some emerging, especially landlocked, markets,” said Walwyn. One of the key problems, besides poor management, maintenance and replacements, and the segmented nature of the logistics chain, was South Africa's heavy dependence on road transport. “South Africa's port terminals were not designed to manage so much road traffic,…

The heaviest snowfall for the year in Canada could be prayers answered for Saskatchewan farmers, says Environment Canada. A climatologist from Environment Canada said parts of the region had received 20cm of snow in one weekend while some farms had been covered in 40cm of snow. After several dry months, the snow brought The organisation said the country's farmers were concerned as the dry weather had worsened this winter. much-needed moisture to the farmlands and would bring reprieve to the drying ponds and irrigation ditches, said local government. Saskatchewan agriculture minister David Marit said the government had announced a drop in the province's crop insurance premiums for the year, due to declining grain and oilseed prices. Environment Canada said there were concerns about possible flooding. “If […] we see more…

A new team aims to change the image of Daybreak Farms after a restructuring process recently. The farm, which is one of South Africa's largest integrated poultry producers, said in a statement that the changes are inevitable as their corporate image had taken a knock. Daybreak farms announced Richard Manzini as its new CEO and a brand-new C-suite team who will support the continued growth plans of the company's operations. The company said under the leadership of Manzini the goal was to embed Daybreak Farms in the sector and among its peers as a “reliable partner, one that delivers quality chicken and food products to its customers across the country”. Forming part of the new C-Suite team are Tshepo Yvonne Mosadi, Pierre Rossouw and Ntsikelelo Shorne Figlan. The company said…

The Zimbabwean government recently approved the removal of value-added tax (VAT) on rice and potato seed after rice consumption in that country increased to 120 000t annually while potato consumption increased to 500 000t/year. According to the Zimbabwe Mail, potato was classed as a strategic starch crop, although current food security assessments did not consider rice and potato as alternatives to maize and traditional grains. Both potato seed and rice were previously rated for VAT, increasing the cost to consumers. The Zimbabwean authorities were working on a rice policy to ensure self-sufficiency in rice production. According to the African Rice Centre, the Japanese New Rice for Africa (Nerica) varieties proved to be successful in Africa. Nerica has been developed through crossing African rice species that are resistant to disease and…

The South African economy barely missed going into a recession in the fourth quarter of 2023. Economists define a recession as two or more quarters of negative growth. According to Stats SA, the economy grew by 0,1% in the fourth quarter after the 0,2% negative growth recorded in the third quarter of 2023. The growth figures quoted by Stats SA are calculated by comparing the seasonally adjusted gross domestic product (GDP) in a quarter with the previous quarter and then converting it into an annual figure. This method overemphasises change in GDP growth. Fortunately, Stats SA also publishes GDP growth figures based on a comparison of the GDP in a quarter with the same quarter in the previous year. According to this comparison, the economy grew in real terms by…

H yperspectral imaging is a new term that is associated with precision agriculture. It is basically a new method of measuring oxygen saturation in tissue and can help identify microvascular disease during the early phases of crops. A team from a number of universities in China combined their capabilities and conducted research on efficient and automated data acquisition techniques, including hyperspectral imaging, and published a paper, A research review on deep learning combined with hyperspectral Imaging in multiscale agricultural sensing, on ScienceDirect. The team said their goal was to apply the “right treatment at the right time and place to achieve adaptive-precision inputs, ensure high-quality outputs, and reduce environmental impacts”. “The acquisition and processing of crop and farmland information play a crucial role in precision agriculture. However, traditional methods of…

Why We Kill: Mob Justice and the New Vigilantism in South Africa by Karl Kemp (Penguin, R350) Opening the morning newspapers these days in South Africa could sometimes transport you back to Al Capone's Chicago in the 1920s. This chilling book opens with the extraordinary statement that crime ‘forms the heart of South Africa's collective identity’. In 2017/18, the total number of murders in South Africa was 20 336, of which 973 were gang-related and an extraordinary 849 ‘mob justice’. Kemp analyses this phenomenon, dividing the topic up according to urban, rural, police and justice system. Though Kemp is a journalist, this account is more academic in tone than popular. There are no gruesome photographs and the language is measured, restrained and fact based in content. 3 BOOKS TO GIVE…

Dear Prof McCrindle, Do we have gene-editing technology such as CRISPR in South Africa and can it solve the planet's food crisis sometime in the near future, as predicted? Kind regards, Joshua Dear Joshua, Thermo Fisher Scientific has opened a CRISPR/Cas9 laboratory in South Africa. This genetic modification method is used to direct the Cas9 nuclease to create a site-directed double-strand DNA break, using a small RNA molecule as a guide. It causes a permanent modification of the genomic target sequence and can produce genetically modified plants and livestock. This technique provides far quicker results than the many years previously needed for genetic improvement. In 2020, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN estimated that there were about eight billion people in the world. Of these, one billion were…