2021

A WORD FROM… Luke Collier September 2021 The past year has been a whirlwind for most in both business and family life. There have been losses in lives and crops in many of the farming communities across the country. With this, hardship has come – one of the most prolific seasons, with rain many have

By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail September 2021 JENNY MATHEWS, MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST AND EDUCATOR   New mechanisation comes at a huge price, so it is important to take good care of what one already owns. Remember too, that being ready to perform critical farming operations timeously can mean the difference

A checklist to use for post-harvest maintenance September 2021 PIETMAN BOTHA,  INDEPENDENT AGRI- CULTURAL CONSULTANT   The care and maintenance of farm equipment is important to prolong the life of your machinery. Through proper care and maintenance, you are minimising the risk of unexpected repairs which will cost you time and money. Here is a

A WORD FROM … Du Toit (Thabo) van der Westhuizen August 2021 At the time of reading this article most of us should nearly be finished with the harvesting process. A great yield may have been realised and many of us will want to spoil ourselves as a reward for a job well done.  I

Count the cost to make a profit August 2021 JENNY MATHEWS, MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST AND EDUCATOR   Every farmer needs to carefully calculate what the season’s inputs are, so you can ultimately compare your expenses to the ‘return’ on the crop and analyse whether the exercise was worthwhile and profitable in some way –

Manage soil acidity with lime August 2021 PIETMAN BOTHA,  INDEPENDENT AGRI- CULTURAL CONSULTANT   Maize production is the function of several factors like climate, fertilisation, acidity and cultivation. Acidity is determined from the soil sample information and seen in soil profile studies. Maize production is limited by soil acidity only when toxic levels of elements