Soybeans

Potatoes and maize make a great team March 2023 LOUISE KUNZ, ASSISTANT EDITOR   South Africans consume more than 1,8 million tons of potatoes per year and the potato market in South Africa is increasing. According to Potatoes SA, South Africans have eaten twice as many potatoes over the past decade than in the previous

Soybeans: Late harvesting can cause losses March 2023 PIETMAN BOTHA,  INDEPENDENT AGRI- CULTURAL CONSULTANT   If farmers want to increase their profit and reduce their risk, it is a good idea to consider harvesting soybeans as early as possible to prevent shattering. Shatter losses due to brittle pods increase as the moisture levels of pods

Downward trend in groundnut production March 2023 CHRISTIAAN VERCUEIL, JUNIOR AGRICULTURAL ECONOMIST, GRAIN SA   The 2021/2022 groundnut production season was not without challenges. Wet conditions in critical phases of a groundnut’s growing period caused a lot of damage to production and made the harvesting of groundnuts very difficult. These factors have negatively affected the

Farmers face challenges in planting time March 2023 Although the farmers were able to do a lot of planting and in some areas over 80% of the crops were planted by mid-December – there were certainly a few challenges along the way.  Some of Grain SA’s regional offices reported the following: Louwsburg: Jurie Mentz,

Soybean production is a good alternative January 2023 DR JAN DREYER, AGRONOMIST,  PROTEIN RESEARCH FOUNDATION   Soybean production has only come to the fore in the last decade. Production increased from slightly over 500 000 ton per year in 2012 to more or less 2 million tons in 2022. It has the potential to spread

SA soybean market is healthy January 2023 CHRISTIAAN VERCUIEL, JUNIOR AGRICULTURAL ECONOMIST, GRAIN SA   Soybeans found a foothold in South Africa around the early 1900s, when the need arose for a rotation crop for maize. However, the reason for soybean cultivation changed drastically in 1908, when British companies shifted their focus to colonies for

Avoid risks with the right option December 2022 CHRISTIAAN VERCUIEL, JUNIOR AGRICULTURAL ECONOMIST, GRAIN SA   Without any tools used to change the situation, a producer is a price taker. Price takers have many risks, as the price which you are given does not take your production cost into account, and it does not matter

Hedging helps to manage risks November 2022 CHRISTIAAN VERCUIEL, JUNIOR AGRICULTURAL ECONOMIST, GRAIN SA   With input costs at record high levels and much uncertainty in the market, producers find themselves in an impossible situation: there is always the possibility that prices may fall back to lower levels, but with the current international supply and

Prevent Sclerotinia in oilseed production October 2022 PIETMAN BOTHA, INDEPENDENT AGRICULTURAL CONSULTANT, AND CORNÉ VAN DER WESTHUIZEN, AGRONOMIST AT PANNAR SEED   The new production season is at hand and farmers must choose which crops to produce, when to plant and how to produce the crops. It is important to understand the risks of every

A team that is passionate about farming October 2022 Grain SA’s farmer development team can assist you in your quest to be a better, more successful farmer. The team is active and in the field, working at grassroots every day. This team brings experience, knowledge, expertise and a commitment to equipping every learner towards better