In September, Afrikan Farms (Pty) Ltd, situated in Amersfoort, Mpumalanga, was announced the winner of the Agricultural Research Council’s National Commercial Beef Producer of the Year for 2018. In October Afrikan farms received the Pick n Pay Rudd Award for The Producer With The Most Progress Shown Over The Last Decade. The founder and Chairperson [...]
By Heather Dugmore Africa’s unique megaherbivores - elephants, rhinos and hippos - could potentially play a major role in mitigating climate change, says Distinguished Professor Graham Kerley, Director of the Centre for African Conservation Ecology at Nelson Mandela University. He is one of six authors of a paper attracting global attention that was published on [...]
To succeed as a profitable commercial cattle farmer in this era, we need to stop breeding large, unsustainable cows and bulls, and we need to change our approach to grazing management, say leading cattlemen, Chip Hines (US) and Johann Zietsman (southern Africa) “Churchill once said: ‘You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for [...]
If you worry about what is in the food you eat and the rate at which we are destroying our planet then veld-raised/grass fed/free range beef is a good option for you. Journalist and cattle farmer Heather Dugmore explains why. This morning I was up at dawn checking on the cattle and watching the first [...]
Radical Transformation was the theme for the 5th Eastern Cape Communal Woolgrowers Association Congress, organised by the National Wool Growers Association (NWGA). It was hosted by the Wittebergen shearing shed in the Herschel, Sterkspruit district on 25 August 2016, and attended by over 1200 Eastern Cape communal wool farmers, the NWGA leadership and government representatives. [...]
Introduction In the Karoo, jackal and caracal favour micromammals such as Karoo bush rats and the four-striped field mouse, and will target these as a key part of their diet, even when there are sheep and goats available. Body copy Many livestock farmers in the Karoo who have been losing sheep and goats to jackal [...]
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 Farmers need to think innovatively instead of blindly pursuing outdated conventional methods.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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
