Farmer’s Weekly

3 days ago | farmersweekly.co.za | Glenneis Kriel

While the full fallout of the US bombing of Iranian nuclear sites remains unclear, economist Dawie Roodt, chief economist at the Efficient Group, told Farmer’s Weekly that it could ripple through oil prices and the exchange rate, which in turn would impact broader economic growth. “Geopolitical instability and conflict in oil-producing regions, such as Iran, typically lead to a short-term oil price hike, which pushes fuel prices higher,” Roodt said.

4 days ago | farmersweekly.co.za | Glenneis Kriel

The fund, unveiled on Thursday near Franschhoek in the Western Cape, stems from the EU-SADC Economic Partnership Agreement, which allows tariff-free access to the EU for 119 million litres of South African wine and targeted financial support to help develop and diversify the local industry.

1 week ago | farmersweekly.co.za | Janine Ryan

Liebenberg was speaking to delegates at the ‘Winds of Change’ Information Day, held in collaboration with Boran SA on Friday in Bloemfontein. Earlier in the programme, Gerrit van Zyl of Hanzyl Bonsmaras, focused on how regenerative agriculture can help decrease the cost of beef production. Liebenberg, however, emphasised the importance of farming correctly with the right breed of cattle. “South Africa is currently experiencing tough times, and it won’t get easier by itself.

1 week ago | farmersweekly.co.za | Janine Ryan

Van Zyl said that producers needed to focus on producing meat at a lower price in order to ensure the sustainability of the industry. “The guy who produces the cheapest meat per kilogram in South Africa will farm the longest,” he said. He explained that over the past 20 to 30 years, livestock producers had focused on high weaning weights. “But there is an increase in the cost of the maintenance of the cow when increasing weaning weights,” he said. As such, the cost of production was increasing.

1 week ago | farmersweekly.co.za | Glenneis Kriel

The Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS) is calling for urgent reform of international foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) protocols to reflect the fundamental differences between virus serotypes. The RMIS is arguing that the SAT1, SAT2, and SAT3 strains prevalent in Southern Africa are significantly less severe than those in the Northern Hemisphere, a distinction that could unlock export opportunities for the country’s red meat sector.