Farmer’s Weekly - Volume 2016, Issue 16003, January 2016

The new year has started in much the same way as 2015 ended - on a spectacular low, with the rand weakening to historic levels against major currencies, little relief from what is fast turning into a catastrophic drought, and the downgrade of South Africa's credit rating to just one level above junk status. We are in real trouble, but hopefully this perfect storm will force our leaders to take a hard and honest look at how we got here.

Weak growth among major emerging markets will weigh on global growth in 2016, according to the World Bank's January 2016 Global Economic Prospects. Sub-Saharan Africa could face muted growth due to low commodity prices, power capacity constraints and China's economic slowdown.

Letters

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Farmer's Diary

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Archive

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Bio Monitor

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On the Shelf

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Pigeons

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Horse Talk

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Property

Obama sets new AGOA deadline

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Farmers' six year-long battle with Zim government concluded

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Climate change's sweet side

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Bread wheat genome assembled

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Land reform trump card in Zuma politics

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Farm attacks spike over 2015 festive season

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SA aquaculture importers frustrated by import bureaucracy

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KwaZulu-Natal drought not broken by festive season rain

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Bird flu outbreaks detected worldwide

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Kenya exports more coffee to EU

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Concern over Russia's counterfeit meat market

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Much more rain needed in drought-stricken areas

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Area planted to grain in SA much reduced due to drought

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2016 to be a 'mixed bag' for agricultural input suppliers

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Water shortages abound this season

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Drought mitigation systems urgently needed - Mmusi Maimane

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Water levels drop steadily in South Africa's major dams

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Decline in poaching figures may be inaccurate

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Dog-equipped poachers a threat to Cape's nature reserves

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Weak rand strengthens forestry outlook

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SA agricultural machinery industry 'to fight for its future'

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Botswana agriculture sector's contribution to GDP could remain low

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Botswana government could repossess farms around cities and towns

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Marketing the giant olive

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Wine harvest early this year due to warmer weather

The CSIR, in conjunction with University of KwaZulu-Natal PhD student Tamrat Tesfaye, is conducting research into turning feather waste from chicken production into useful materials.

Mega farmers share a common characteristic: their success depends on dealing successfully with people.

The South African aquaculture industry continues to experience difficulty with the import and farming of certain species. In neighbouring countries, by contrast, the industry is flourishing.

Chief Land Claims Commissioner Nomfundo Ntloko-Gobodo recently shared the commission's successes with Luyolo Mkentane. She detailed how the commission intended achieving its aims and engaging with organised agriculture to ensure that restituted land was used for the benefit of all.

Despite poor economic prospects, South Africa is among a small number of countries providing relatively cheap food to its citizens, according to the Big Mac index. A McDonald's Big Mac hamburger costs R28 in South Africa, while it costs 178% more in the US. The index is used to measure purchasing power parity between nations, using the price of a Big Mac as the benchmark. Even with projected increase in food inflation of more than 10%, South Africans will be better off.

South African macadamia producers can expect to benefit from a buoyant international market.

Ernest Pringle, Eastern Cape farmer and chairperson of Agri SA's Agricultural Development Committee, has the country's largest private butterfly collection and is responsible for establishing South Africa's most famous butterfly reserve. Mike Burgess visited him on his farm to find out more about his love for butterflies and insects in general.

Boer goat stud breeder Johan Boshoff uses production data as a valuable tool to breed a new generation of goats to take his herd, the breed, and the industry forward. He explains to Gerhard Uys why this is important and how he goes about it.

The 2015 Windhoek Show was held from 25 September to 1 October last year. On display were 1 477 smallstock entries, representing nine breeds, from 54 exhibitors. These included the National Kalahari Red, National Damara, and Central Veldmaster champions.

Alexious Shoko, Western Cape Farm Worker of the Year, suffered setbacks and financial despair. Yet he refused to give up. He spoke to Jeandré du Preez about his inspiring journey to success.

The Ceres Plateau, only recently incorporated into South Africa's Wine of Origin scheme, is establishing itself as one of the best wine-producing regions in the country. Kallie du Plessis and Hendri Carstens of the farm Dennekruin spoke to Glenneis Kriel about this exciting development.

Fighting brucellosis - All involved with cattle farming and milk processing must work together to control and eradicate this disease.

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The advantages of liming - Lime neutralises acid soil and rectifies the pH for a higher yield.

Growing vegetables involves multitasking. I covered the importance of getting the timing right in my previous article. This week, I want to look at another neglected aspect - planning.

Online Farmer

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Hitching Post

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Real Cooking for Real Men

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Crossword

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Hillbilly Homes

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Personal Growth

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Books

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Townie

The name of this column, 'On the Market Floor', was chosen for a good reason: the market floor is exactly where you'll hear all the news in the fresh produce industry.

Argo kept the all-new McCormick X8 under wraps until the launch at Agritechnica. The public was not disappointed: it's an impressive machine.