Farmer's Weekly

While still considered by many foreign investors as the ‘gateway into Africa’, South Africa’s dismal economic performance has been a drag on the rest of the continent, which, in 2019, was home to six of the world’s 10 fastest-growing economies, namel

The following letter was submitted by Farmer’s Weekly reader Grahame McLeod, and concerns the article ‘SA’s drought vulnerability will hamper agriculture in 2020’, which was published in the 24 January issue. McLeod is a senior lecturer of agricultur

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the monthly update of its ‘World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates’ report in the second week of February. The commodities typically featured in this report are wheat, maize and soya bean. As So

Reactions to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) were similar in one way: nobody was satisfied. The EFF came into the chamber dissatisfied and made a show of their lack of respect for democracy and our Constitution, at one

In order to create an operating environment favourable for growth, President Cyril Ramaphosa vowed in his latest State of the Nation Address (SONA) to “fix the fundamentals” and put South Africa’s economy on a path of inclusive growth. In his address

The recent announcement by Tongaat Hulett that it would mothball its Darnall Sugar Mill in KwaZulu-Natal was a manifestation of the “bleak baseline outlook” for South Africa’s sugar industry, as highlighted in the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Pol

If the Healthy Living Alliance (HEALA) has its way, the existing 11% Health Promotion Levy, or sugar tax, on South Africa’s sugar-sweetened beverages will be increased by government to 20% as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). Lawren

More than 95% of the statutory levy on the past year’s soya bean harvest has been received from producers so far. The breeding and technology levy on soya bean, approved by the former Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in June 2018 and

Flower exports from Colombia could double to US$3 billion (about R45 billion) a year over the next decade through the introduction of new species and the expansion to markets in Asia and Latin America, Iván Duque, president of Colombia, said recently

The Competition Commission of South Africa has recommended to the Competition Tribunal that the proposed transaction in which Simba, a subsidiary of PepsiCo, intends to acquire Pioneer Foods Group Limited (Pioneer) be approved. According to the commi

The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development needed to set the example by donating some of its own land to test the processes of the new Draft Land Donations Policy to ensure there were no unintended consequences, DA MP Annette St

Insects play an integral role in sustainable agriculture and maintain a range of ecological processes and ecosystem services. This was according to Prof Michael J Samways, distinguished professor in the Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomolo

Following the recent global outcry about the amount of water used for avocado production, the World Avocado Organization (WAO) has hit back, saying that not only has water efficiency improved, but that the nutritional value of the fruit is proportion

The compulsory community service (CCS) year that all new veterinarians are required to complete after graduating is yielding positive results for government, communities, and even those new vets wanting to go into private practice. This was the view

Poaching, coupled with the ongoing drought in many regions and the economic downturn, has seen private owners of key populations of rhino across South Africa facing bankruptcy, threatening an animal welfare crisis in coming months. This was according

Sappi Limited’s (Sappi) South African operations were not immune to various challenges that undermined the parent company’s financial performance in its first quarter ended 31 December 2019. Sappi’s financial report for the period indicated that Sapp

Tiger Brands recently issued a trading update and statement indicating a strong possibility that its financial results for the six months ending 31 March 2020 would be more than 20% down from the corresponding period last year. The statement said tha

According to John Purchase, CEO of AgBiz, the total cost to farmers of the recent foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak could be as high as R10 billion. While the government ban on livestock sales saw higher weaner prices for those farmers able to se

Timber poles are widely used to build on-farm infrastructure such as livestock handling pens and livestock shelters. They are also ideal for fencing, with the poles being planted as anchoring structures to keep the rest of the fence taut and upright.

The area under nets in South Africa is expanding rapidly as farmers try to reduce the risks associated with climate change, such as increased incidents of hail, sunburn and wind damage. In the Western Cape alone, the area under shade nets increased f

Recognition of a job well done is immensely important in human relations as well as in the workplace. I don’t mean insincere or artificial recognition, but the real thing: recognition that comes from the heart and is genuine. This ‘golden rule’ appli

Since news of the outbreak first started making headlines earlier this year, we have been inundated with messages about the dangers of the novel coronavirus (now officially renamed COVID-19). Researchers are still trying to develop a vaccine, but you

Giliomee’s subtitle, ‘The shaping of the Afrikaners’, might make you feel as if you have visited this place with him before. In fact, he is taking a fresh perspective on a subject that still has plenty to give. In Maverick Africans, he focuses much m

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