Innehållsförteckning för 4+11 July 2025 från Farmer's Weekly

In a presentation to Parliament in June, Douglas Wolhuter, Wildlife Protection Unit manager at the National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA), condemned the North West Parks and Tourism Board and provincial authorities for years of neglect and mismanagement in the province's Madikwe Game Reserve. The NSPCA said in a statement that it had played a crucial role in exposing the escalating animal welfare crisis at the reserve, where 70 elephants had died of starvation since August 2024. “It has been revealed that Madikwe now holds over 1 600 elephants, a number far exceeding its ecological capacity, which has led to widespread suffering and death. Despite repeated warnings and offers of humane population control methods, authorities have failed to act,” Wolhuter said. He added that…

Armed illegal sand miners along the Komati River in Mpumalanga have become a law unto themselves, with farmers and authorities powerless to prevent rampant theft. Attempts to stop the sand removal have resulted in safety threats by brazen thieves. The sand removal is crippling sugar cane farmers, whose irrigation pumps no longer reach the water. “Sand theft is so rampant that the water level has dropped drastically, and in some places, the flow of the river has been changed, diverting water away from farms,” said Cobus Botha, a farmer in Onderberg, Mpumalanga. GETTING WORSE He told Farmer's Weekly that the problem had persisted for years, but despite numerous reports to the authorities, the illegal mining was only getting worse. “We have reported it to the police and the Green Scorpions,…

The South African red meat value chain has been severely compromised by the recent outbreak of foot-andmouth disease (FMD) identified at Karan Beef's Heidelberg feedlot, the country's largest feedlot. This has resulted in an immediate drop in weaner prices and will also lead to higher A-grade prices. In the last couple of years, outbreaks of FMD became a regular part of the South African red meat value chain. While there is widespread consensus about ways to control FMD, it seems as if the will to do something about it is seriously lacking within government. After Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen was appointed to the position, I had the temerity to write a letter to him and give him some advice on how he ought to manage the very difficult portfolio.…

Over the past three decades, South African agriculture has endured a series of policy and structural reforms that transformed it into a deregulated, liberalised, and export-oriented sector. This journey has yielded a sector that is resilient and prosperous. It has also played a significant role in job creation and foreign earnings, contributing almost 6% to total employment in 2025. The largest agriculture activity is livestock production, which contributes roughly 42% to total agricultural production value. DISEASE OUTBREAKS In the past decade, there has been an unprecedented number of disease outbreaks that has elevated the risk of producing animals and animal products. Foot-and-mouth disease, which affects cloven-hoofed animals like cattle, sheep, and goats, now occurs in seven of the nine provinces in South Africa. Avian influenza (bird flu) occurs in almost…

Olive Farm, located on the slopes of Olifantsberg in the Breede River Valley, Western Cape, is primarily a lifestyle farm spanning 46ha, of which 12ha are planted to olive trees. Three years ago, farm co-owners Philip Nel and Johan Geldenhuys (who also manages the operation) decided to venture into Boran cattle production to diversify the enterprise, add value to land not planted to olive trees, and enhance the farm's overall sustainability Boran production is relatively limited in the Western Cape, with most breeders centred in the northern parts of South Africa. In the Olifantsberg region, livestock are typically used to diversify wine and fruit farming, with cattle breeds like the Sussex and Angus being the most common. However, after some careful research, Nel and Geldenhuys decided to rather venture into…

Gideon Oosthuizen has been farming on De Beerskraal near Rysmierbult in North West since the early 1990s. He runs the operation alongside his uncle Deon, his nephew Gerik, and Deon's son-in-law Nico, as well as his own son Raynard. “The Oosthuizens have been farmers for decades. Raynard is the fourth-generation farmer in the family. Farming is in our blood,” says Oosthuizen. Together, they run a commercial beef cattle herd and a feedlot. They also produce maize, potatoes, seed maize, and dry beans. Since 2004, Oosthuizen has been implementing a high-density grazing programme on his farm after completing a course with Johann Zietsman, an animal scientist and well-known proponent of high-density grazing. “We decided to implement high-density grazing to make optimal use of the entire farm,” explains Oosthuizen. His use of…

In 2024, South Africa's maize production came under threat from a disease long considered foreign to its fields. Goss's wilt, a bacterial disease caused by Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. nebraskensis, was confirmed in certain maize-producing areas of the country. Despite this, knowledge gaps about how it acts under local conditions and the potential implication of it spreading further persist. For this reason, an advisory note was published by the Department of Agriculture and the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) about Goss's wilt to inform producers of the disease's presence in South Africa, and possible agricultural practices and risk management procedures that may aid in the confinement of the disease. A NEW REALITY Goss's wilt was first identified in 1969 in Nebraska in the US, and remained confined to the country's maize belt…

Small, narrow, upright feet in a large horse can contribute to lameness. A smaller hoof area concentrates more weight and impact on the hoof, which can increase the strain on the fetlock joint. Strain on a fetlock joint and ligament can lead to problems within the joint itself, especially if the horse's weight is unevenly distributed over the sole. Unsoundness due to conditions like navicular syndrome and laminitis may follow. The first sign of a problem is often swelling and pain in the fetlock joint and its associated ligaments. Hooves that are too small or unbalanced often cause lameness due to navicular syndrome, laminitis, or joint inflammation. The heavier the horse, the more important it is to have a large footprint. If the hoof is too small or angled incorrectly,…

Dear Jonno, I write to you to request the design of a three-bedroom cottage. It doesn't need to be too big; just spacious enoygh for my family to be comfortable. If possible, I'd like the main bedroom to be upstairs, above the lounge. The style of the cottage can be semi-modern, with an attractive roof covering and an outside veranda. Kind regards, Adriaan Dear Adriaan, 1 get numerous requests for a comfortable sized home, but everyone has a different idea of what that really means. I have put some thought into the design, considering layout and styling. The floor layout plan shows a central open-plan living room with kitchen and dining nook close at hand. I have included a central fireplace to the living area, which will additionally help support the…

UK-based animal genetics company Genus has bred a gene-edited pig that is resistant to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, with US Food and Drug Administration approval marking a breakthrough that could cut antibiotic use and pave the way for advances against African swine fever - see story on page 17. ‘OUR STUDY HAS PROVEN THAT SOUTH AFRICAN PORTS WILL EVENTUALLY BE PRIVATISED, AND DELAYING THE PROCESS WILL ONLY DELAY SURE ECONOMIC BENEFITS’ – Chris Knoetze, managing director of Link Supply Chain Management, on the company's new study, which urges urgent privatisation of the country's ports (pg 16). ‘Sand theft is so rampant that the water level has dropped drastically, and in some places, the flow of the river has been changed, diverting water away from farms’ – Cobus Botha, a…

The majority of South Africa's land surface is not considered arable, with only about 16% of the 1,22 million km² of the country's surface suitable for cultivation. Therefore, the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) is actively promoting zero-waste crop production practices in the Groot Karoo region of the Northern Cape. “The country's marginal areas are considered of low agricultural potential, which makes cultivation extremely difficult, with increased risks of crop failure. These areas often face drastic climate change effects, rely on [dryland] agriculture, lack modern technology and inputs, and [face] limited market access,” ARC Natural Resources and Engineering researchers Nadia Araya, Johleen Malaka, Graig Sithole and Althea Grundling said in a statement. Zero-waste farming emphasised minimising waste and maximising resource efficiency, an approach that significantly impacted environmental sustainability. These practices not…

While a few shows have disappeared since the 1990s, those that have remained have seen a major revival, Breyton Milford, general manager of Agri-Expo, told Farmer's Weekly after the annual Agri-Expo Members’ Show meeting held near Grabouw in the Western Cape. Milford estimated that there were about 30 shows under the banner of Agri-Expo in the early 1990s, which have since declined to 19. “It is unfortunate that some shows have ended. However, their departure, along with increased recognition of the importance of agricultural shows to stimulate agricultural and rural economies, have left our remaining shows strong,” he said. He added that running show infrastructure was expensive, and that he would have liked to see the shows in better financial positions to weather costs, especially since they made most of…

Administering injections to livestock requires attention to detail, proper technique, and adherence to sterile procedures to ensure the health and safety of both the animal and the handler. Injecting livestock in the incorrect manner, or not as per the specific instructions of manufacturers, can either make vaccines ineffective or even harmful to livestock. I have heard of farmers who have given ‘double doses’ of mineral and vitamin injectables to livestock, thinking that this will assist such ailing animals to heal quicker. In many such cases, the animals died because such solutions are often highly concentrated. STERILE EQUIPMENT Maintaining sterility of equipment, such as needles and syringes, is crucial: • Use sterile needles and syringes: ensure all needles and syringes are sterilised before use, either by autoclaving (steam treatment) or boiling…

Tell us more about the history of the Boran. The Boran has been bred as a purebreed for the past 1 300 years, with its last infusion of ‘new genes’ in 700CE. This means it isn't considered a synthetic or compound breed developed over a few decades. The timespan over which the breed has developed also means it has greater hybrid vigour than compound breeds. It is traced back to cattle domesticated in three parts of the world, some as far back as 8 000BCE. Bos indicus, or Zebu cattle, were domesticated in the Indus Valley (present-day Pakistan) around 4 000BCE. European B. taurus were domesticated in Eastern Europe in 6 000BCE, and African B. taurus were domesticated in the eastern sub-Saharan area around 8 000BCE. The European B. taurus…

When Anton Müller began commercial beef cattle farming, he ran a small herd of various cattle breeds at his family farm Melkhoutessenbosch, near Herbertsdale in the Western Cape. He was rarely satisfied with the calving rates and their adaptability to this environment, however, and during his search for a breed that could better thrive in the harsh environment of his farm, Müller attended a Boran information seminar. The breed quickly grabbed his attention. At the event, he spoke to a local stud farmer, Christo Meyer of Jannie Meyer & Sons outside Mossel Bay, about the impact that having a Boran bull could have on his herd. “I had bought a few bulls of different breeds before, but they generally performed poorly,” he explains. Not long after, in 2014, Meyer offered…

The Cherokee Boran Stud and commercial enterprise operates in the Badplaas area in Mpumalanga, where Riaan Celliers first started farming in 2012. He says the region, located near the Eswatini border, incorporates an area that the old timers used to refer to as the ‘trek gronde’ (‘migration lands’), a type of middle ground between the Highveld towards Barberton and the Lowveld towards Nelspruit. “This is the area where they would traditionally move their herds during the winter months as temperatures were up to 5°C warmer than on the Highveld.” It is a tough area with harsh climate, stony, mountainous terrain, ravines, gorges and a high tick burden. The terrain is varied. The valleys near the rivers, including the Komati River, were cultivated generations ago and planted to irrigated crops. Moving…

The Capsicum frutescens species of chilli pepper is grown worldwide in various quantities, but it's more common in warmer climates. Many varieties grow rather tall. They can cross with C. chinense and C. annuum, but there is often some incompatibility, resulting in fewer seeds produced in the crosses. C. frutescens‘s pungency level varies between 100 000 and 350 000 Scoville heat units. Another characteristic is that the fruit hang downwards when ripe. The pods are green when immature and then colour up when ripening. More than one flower is borne per node, whereas in C. annuum, there is only one flower per node. C. frutescens is listed as being good for easing coughing, toothache, and other ailments. My first thought is that the burn derived from eating these hot chillies…

ACROSS 1. Place where butter and cheese are made or dairy products sold (8) 5. Flat, round bread of maize meal or flour in Mexican cuisine (8) 11. Short, stiff hair (7) 12. Cereal-like substance made by heating cassava (7) 13. Birds of the Anatidae family, with webbed feet and short, flattened bills (5) 14. Insect grubs (6) 15. A particular government or system thereof (6) 16. Rice field (5) 19. Time taken for Earth to orbit the sun (4) 23. Foster; bring up (4) 24. Irrigated by precipitation only (7) 25. Artificial riverside embankment (5) 26. Closely spaced, as trees in a forest (5) 28. A seedless, thin-skinned mandarin orange (7) 30. Breeding farm (4) 32. Fleece (4) 35. Land units of 4 840yd² (5) 38. One of a…

From 1 July, online Agricolleges International's seven-week Introduction To Animal Production course is designed to introduce students to the world of animals and, more specifically, livestock. The course is ideal for emerging farmers, recent school leavers, and even established farmers who want to upskill themselves or refresh their basic knowledge of animal production. Email admissions@agricolleges.com, phone 063 940 0334, or visit agricolleges.com. CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS, AND EXPOS 5 AND 6 AUGUST Mitigating Pesticide Residue for Food Safety 2025 summit, Premier Hotel Cape Town, Sea Point. Phone Ryan on 073 946 9796, or email him at ryan@empiretraining.co.za. 12 TO 14 AUGUST South African Sugar Technologists’ Association Congress 2025, Durban ICC, Durban. Visit sasta.co.za. 10 TO 13 SEPTEMBER Nampo Cape Agricultural Expo, Bredasdorp. Phone 086 004 7246, or visit grainsa.co.za. 2 TO 4…

Commercial beef producers in South Africa are under increasing pressure to boost production efficiency, minimise input costs, and adapt to harsher climatic conditions. For many, the answer lies in breed selection, and the Boran is emerging as a top performer. Quentin de Bruyn, a commercial cattle farmer on Vastrap Farm near Ladybrand in the eastern Free State, says the Boran's ability to contribute to improving kilograms of beef per hectare makes it especially attractive for commercial operations. “A commercial beef operation should be based on a crossbreeding programme. When you crossbreed, you improve productivity, you improve kilograms [of beef] per hectare, calving ease, udder quality, and longevity. From that perspective, the Boran is a unique animal,” he says. According to him, one of the Boran's key production advantages is that…

Spekboom (Portulacaria afra), a proudly South African succulent indigenous to the Eastern Cape, is an evergreen shrub with small, round, water-retaining leaves and reddishbrown stems. In its natural habitat, it can grow into a tree up to 5m high, while in gardens it generally reaches 1,5m to 2m. From late winter to spring, spekboom puts on a show of many tiny, pink, star-shaped flowers, attracting bees, butterflies and many other nectar-loving insects. Widely regarded as a miracle plant for reducing greenhouse gases, spekboom has exceptional carbon sequestration abilities, made possible by its use of two distinct photosynthetic pathways. According to the South African National Biodiversity Institute's PlantZAfrica.com, in favourable conditions, spekboom uses the same pathway as most other plants. In unfavourable conditions, however, when other plants go dormant and wait…

SERVES SIX For the mash 6 potatoes, peeled and cubed 125ml (½ cup) milk 80ml (1/3 cup) margarine Salt For the mince 15ml (1 Tbsp) sunflower oil, plus extra 500g beef mince Salt and pepper 1 onion, finely chopped 410g tin Italian-style tomatoes 250ml (1 cup) frozen mixed vegetables 4 to 6 eggs • For the mash, cook the potatoes in salted boiling water for about 20 minutes or until soft. Drain, then mash them with the milk and margarine. Season to taste with salt. • To make the mince, heat the oil on high and fry the mince for about eight minutes or until browned. Season with salt and pepper, then set aside. • In the same pan, sauté the onion for…

I'm a born-again Caucasian lady who loves adventure, travelling, cooking, and baking. I am seeking to meet a Caucasian gentleman of 55 years or older who shares my Christian faith and has similar interests. YOURS RESPECTFULLY I'm a 43-year-old budding new-age farmer at the start of my journey, seeking a white female partner between 33 and 53, English or Afrikaans, to build a life on the farm. Whether you're already farming or have your heart, mind, and soul set on farm life, let's do this together. I'm fit, healthy, and can build, fix, and make anything. I have three requirements: you must be a non-drinker, non-smoker, and unvaccinated. If you don't meet these requirements, we won't get on or share common goals. NEW-AGE FARMER I'm a down-to-earth 57-year-old woman and…

Hugo Hendrik Biermann was born in Johannesburg on 6 August 1916 and received his early education in that area. His father was a Post Office official who was later transferred to Cape Town on promotion. After school, the young Biermann enrolled at South African Training Ship (SATS) General Botha in Simon's Town to embark on a nautical career. As South Africa had no active navy of its own, the coastline was protected by a powerful Royal Navy presence, which usually consisted of a cruiser, two destroyers, and various lighter vessels. SATS General Botha was staffed by former Royal Navy officers and instructors. The selection process was stringent, and Biermann qualified for the 1932 intake. SATS General Botha, a familiar sight in False Bay, had steadily built up a reputation for…