2020

A WORD FROM…Du Toit van der Westhuizen March 2020 Can one believe that the first quarter of this year is almost gone? It feels as if we just finished planting last week and the summer crop is already busy maturing. This past planting season was a real stormy season as we received good rain in

March madness – keep your eye on the crop March 2020 Gavin Mathews, Bachelors in Environmental Management. Send an email to gavmat@gmail.com   Keeping your maize crop heading in the right direction during the growing season can be challenging as there is always a lot on the go, and your time is spread thin. Having

What is a diesel logbook and how it works March 2020 Written by a retired farmer Farmers producing grain crops with modern mechanisation methods and vehicles use diesel in high or relatively lower volumes depending on the size of the area being farmed. Delivery trucks, 4×4 bakkies, generators, irrigation pumps and all the other diesel

Farmers and financing – friend or foe? March 2020 Jenny Mathews, Pula Imvula contributor. Send an email to jennymathews@grainsa.co.za​​​​​​​   This article aims to address the issue of farmer financing and focuses on why finance is necessary in the agricultural sector and what a farmer’s responsibilities are in light of providing a transparent and truthful

Scenarios for maize exportable surpluses in 2020/2021 March 2020 Ikageng Maluleke, Junior Economist, Grain SA. Send an email to Ikageng@grainsa.co.za   As we know production determinants are area planted as well as yield; how­ever, these two variables are contingent on weather. Considering the uncertainty brought by the weather on intentions to plant, this article hypothesises

Planning your forage crop March 2020 Article submitted by Reggie Mchunu and Delia Thomson, Pannar Seed. Send an email to reggie.mchunu@pannar.co.za or delia.thomson@pannar.co.za Cultivated forage crops are usually planted to complement natural grazing and field crop residue. Most crops are grazed or used to make hay or silage. When grazed, it can be used in

THE CORNER POST March 2020 Louise Kunz, Pula Imvula contributor. Send an email to louise@infoworks.biz   As provincial co-ordinator at the Dundee office in Kwazulu-Natal, Graeme Engelbrecht supervises and manages the mentors and sees to all the necessary administrative tasks. With the Subsistence Farmers he is not really directly involved with mentoring, but the larger