Farmer’s Weekly is an agricultural magazine based in South Africa, targeting the whole of Southern Africa. The magazine is committed to advancing the interests of the region’s farmers and its agricultural industry by serving as a mouthpiece for the industry and by keeping its readers informed of the latest developments in the agricultural sector.

The one thing SA must fix in 2021

Farmer's weekly

Raising calves • THIS COURSE TEACHES DELEGATES HOW TO COMBINE PRACTICAL AND THEORETICAL KNOWLEDGE TO PRODUCE PRODUCTIVE COWS THAT WILL RAISE HEALTHY CALVES.

What hampers farm mechanisation in Africa? • Urbanisation, increased food demand, rising rural wages, and seasonal labour bottlenecks have led to the interest in promoting agricultural mechanisation in sub-Saharan Africa. A new report by the International Food Policy Research Institute looks at the lessons that Africa can learn from Asia in this regard.

Letters • The wonder of wood in creating jobs

GOT SOMETHING TO SAY?

Throw away the flowers – we’ll keep the claws!

Challenges to modernising Kenya’s beef industry • GLOBAL INSIGHT

Agriculture industry’s growth momentum expected to persist in 2021 • AGRIBUSINESS PERSPECTIVES

Weekly quotes

Commodity expectations for 2021

Pork producers look forward to growing the industry in 2021

Dairy farmers plagued by cost-price squeeze

Surplus from 2020 a grave concern for SA wine industry • In the run-up to the 2021 harvest, the South African wine industry is trying to navigate its way through 2020’s wine surplus, which was a result of the ban on wine sales during the national lockdown to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. Jeandré van der Walt reports.

Subdued outlook for local cotton industry in 2021

Renewed optimism for South Africa’s game ranchers

Bearish outlook continues for ostrich industry • Despite a predicted 40 000-bird increase in production volumes for the 2020/2021 ostrich slaughtering to about 170 000 birds, the market outlook remains bleak. Glenneis Kriel reports.

South Africa’s flower exports still constrained by logistics

Potato industry expected to fare better in 2021

SA forestry hopes to capitalise on COVID-19-related opportunities • The ever-growing reliance on electronic communications has negatively affected demand for woodchips and pulp used for printing and writing paper. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has seen increased demand for sanitary and packaging paper products, says Lloyd Phillips.

Sugar cane growers optimistic about sweeter fortunes • The signing of the Sugarcane Value Chain Master Plan to 2030 by government and sugar industry role players is driving renewed optimism among South Africa’s sugar cane growers and other stakeholders in the value chain. Lloyd Phillips reports.

‘Adequate supplies’ expected for SA sorghum market • South Africa’s sorghum producers can look forward to good yields in the 2020/2021 season on the back of favourable weather conditions. Siyanda Sishuba reports.

Global disease fallout for poultry and pigs to impact trade in 2021 • African swine fever and avian influenza are highly pathogenic diseases that can lead to significant economic losses for farmers and cause severe global trade disruptions. Janine Ryan investigates the implications for the global pig and poultry industries.

Outbreaks of zoonoses

‘New markets remain crucial to grow citrus industry’ • With citrus production projected to grow 25% by 2024, finding new markets to support the growing industry remains one of the biggest challenges for the South African citrus industry. Jeandré van der Walt reports.

The real secret to building a great family business • Ambition, hard work, a great product or service … These may all contribute...