Why read this feature? Are we culling the wrong bulls and heifers through skewed perceptions of ‘ideal type’? Farmers need to think innovatively instead of blindly pursuing outdated conventional methods. You can reap handsome sustainable profits per hectare through optimal veld management and cattle production. Challenging beliefs, boosting production One of Southern Africa’s legendary cattle [...]
McCain is one of the largest buyers of potatoes worldwide. In South Africa, McCain is actively looking to build long-term, sustainable growth opportunities, both locally and into Africa by developing new channels for potato and vegetable farmers in the formal and emerging markets. The Managing Director of McCain South Africa, Rob Stevens, is excited about [...]
The Big Cats are one of Africa’s most beautiful, priceless assets. In this evocative narrative about the Big Cats of MalaMala - one of South Africa’s iconic game reserves – Heather Dugmore includes local African myths, legends and anecdotes that complement the striking, graphic photography by Roger and Pat de la Harpe.
It's 5 o'clock in the afternoon at the Pretoria headquarters of Soweto-born Public Protector, Advocate Thuli Madonsela, who is on Time magazine’s 2014 list of the 100 Most Influential People In The World. This is home time for most people but not for Madonsela, as there is no nine to five when your work is [...]
South Africa’s meat classification system is outdated and must be changed, says Professor Frikkie Neser of the Department of Animal, Wildlife and Grassland Sciences at the University of the Free State. "South Africa’s meat classification system is 30 years old and has not kept up with scientific research or the need to reward farmers for [...]
“I decided I was a feminist and this seemed uncomplicated to me. But my recent research has shown me that feminism has become an unpopular word. Apparently I am among the ranks of women whose expressions are seen as too strong, too aggressive, isolating, anti-men and unattractive.” These are the words of Harry Potter heroine [...]
Cattle consultant Erwin Church is one of South Africa’s greatest stockmen. In this interview with Heather Dugmore, Erwin, now 85, shares some of the knowledge he has gained over a lifetime of cattle. Erwin Church has advised hundreds of Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Free State cattle farmers on farming cattle the right way over six [...]
Llewellyn Maclean is a numbers man. When he goes into a beef venture, he makes sure that the price per kilogram, kilogram per hectare and profit make sense. Farming extensively in the Queenstown/Sterkstroom district with registered and commercial Beefmasters on 3100ha (he owns two-thirds and hires one-third), he has applied an exacting table of data [...]
Processed foods are the commodity group with the highest freight carbon footprint on South Africa’s major road corridors: the Gauteng-Cape Town corridor and the Gauteng-Durban corridor. This is according to data published by WWF-SA in: Low Carbon Frameworks: Transport: Understanding Freight Emissions. ‘Based on this, we commissioned a freight transport model, completed this year, to [...]
The Nguni cattle breed is facing a crisis in which the major feedlots in South Africa are either not accepting Nguni weaners or paying several rand less for them. Why is this happening and what is being done about it? In this feature we speak to Marli Stegmann - the President of the Nguni Cattle [...]
