Farmer's Weekly

Farmer’s Weekly is an agricultural magazine based in South Africa, targeting the whole of Southern Africa. The magazine is committed to advancing the interests of the region’s farmers and its agricultural industry by serving as a mouthpiece for the industry and by keeping its readers informed of the latest developments in the agricultural sector.

Government, we can’t keep footing the bill!

Farmer's Weekly

Green hydrogen is a clean fuel, but South Africa’s not ready to produce it: energy experts explain why • Successful green hydrogen projects depend on simultaneous infrastructure development, write Craig McGregor from Stellenbosch University and Bruce Douglas Young from the University of the Witwatersrand.

Growing table grapes

Thaba ’Nchu vegetable project moves closer to commercialisation

MATTER OF FACT

SOMETHING IN THE WATER?

TRENDING IN AGRICULTURE

Milking, the hi-tech way

Some good news on the logistics front

Agriculture in South Africa is thriving!

WEEKLY NEWS WRAP

Cape Town port efficiencies improved by partnerships

Maputo port expansion good news for SA exports

Carbon taxes could see electricity prices soar

Spotted wing drosophila confirmed on SA farms

Misuse of chemicals leads to surge in bee deaths

Biocontrol for macadamia trees developing rapidly

USDA ‘mistakenly’ fires employees dealing with bird flu outbreak

Pakistani farmers protest against government’s ‘anti-farmer’ plans

World in brief

Healthy returns on macadamias still two years away

One pangolin poached every three minutes worldwide

Action taken to ‘save’ the African penguin

Hortfin celebrates seventh anniversary

Machinery sales outlook remains at normal level

Gauteng, Mpumalanga on African armyworm alert

SA sugar association pushes for diversification

Small-scale sugar farmers upbeat on Gledhow

Tight ginger supply causes supermarket price rise

Boplaas whisky wins major international award

Significant deviations as markets behave unpredictably • This week, Absa AgriBusiness explores fresh produce price trends, examining the key factors influencing market performance across various vegetable categories.

Are you choking on complexity? • A shift from conventional to no-till farming is a good example of a fundamental change that simplifies production and brings a host of other agronomic benefits, writes Peter Hughes.

Turning the fruit trees in your garden into a source of income • By following the basics of soil care, tree nutrition, pruning, and pest and disease management, it’s possible to turn otherwise unproductive fruit trees into moneymakers, writes Shane Brody.

Dismissal due to ill health or injury • When an employee is incapacitated due to ill health or injury, their employer must follow a number of steps, with dismissal being the last resort, writes Christiaan Swart.

Farmer brain drain worse than export loss for agriculture • While excluding South Africa from the African Growth and Opportunity Act would have dire consequences, the emigration of Afrikaner farmers would be even more damaging to the agri sector, writes Dr Sifiso Ntombela.

The origin of the Bonsmara • The Breed of the Month for March is the Bonsmara. In this first article, we take a look at the man behind this popular cattle breed, as well as how it was developed.

From fallow land to award-winning wines: the Newstead story • Newstead Lund Family Vineyards, a relatively new wine estate, has established itself as one of the best producers of sparkling wine in South Africa. Owners Doug and Sue Lund spoke to Glenneis Kriel about their production philosophy, rise to success, and possible expansion...