Livestock auctions
Introduction A calendar auction auction is held on the same place /auction pens on a weekly, monthly, quarterly or even yearly basis by an agent who advertises the auction in a calendar. The venue for the auction would have been selected and developed over years and its mere survival shows that there is a need for such […]
Exporting
Introduction Farmers in the 21st Century are greatly influenced by international commodity markets, the exchange rates, and the flow of produce between countries. The domestic price of commodities in most countries is very close to import parity (the landed price of an imported product) as farmers compete with each other for markets. A growth in exports will […]
Commodity trading
Introduction Although the South African Futures Exchange (SAFEX) was bought out by the then JSE Securities Exchange in 2001, it is not uncommon to find the trading of commodities still referred to as “SAFEX” in agricultural circles. Agricultural Derivatives from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) provide a platform for price discovery and efficient price risk management for the grains market in […]
Agricultural shows and events
Introduction Agricultural shows and events are a time to celebrate the harvest and the achievements in different sectors which make up agriculture. They are a time when people involved in the agricultural value chain meet up again, network and review the latest technologies and trends. A number of these events occur in South Africa, and […]
Careers and employment in agriculture (Part 1)
Introduction There are many different careers in the agricultural industry, from farm workers to scientists. Under the “Careers in agriculture” heading, these careers and relevant academic path of study is set out. There are hundreds of other careers which touch on the world of agriculture which may not be inherently agricultural in and of themselves. […]
Agricultural education and training
Introduction The challenges facing the country include low literacy levels, which hinder the development of agricultural and other basic vocational skills. The skills needed for agricultural production, food security and sustainable rural development include: literacy and numeracy skills basic decision-making and problem-solving technical and vocational skills in agriculture, and land and water management leadership, planning […]
Research and development
Introduction “Countries that create ideal conditions for [research and development (R&D)] to flourish reap multiple rewards. These range from solutions to health, environmental and social challenges to new discoveries that trigger economic growth and new knowledge … We need investment in R&D to thrive in all of these sectors to improve our national system of […]
Precision livestock farming (PLF)
Precision livestock farming (PLF) is a sub-set of digital agriculture and precision farming. The reader is referred to those pages on our website. At the close of the last century, livestock farming worked with average values per group, largely because of the size of operations. With the aid of technology like software and electronic identification (EID), Precision Livestock Farming […]
Precision farming
Photo by Johny Goerend on Unsplash Also see the “Digital agriculture”, “Drones”, “Mapping” and “Agricultural media and ICT” pages. Introduction Precision farming utilises six ultra-modern technologies: Global Positioning Systems (GPS), which provides a navigation system to establish a position of a tractor or combine anywhere in a land within less than 2 meters on a latitude-longitude grid overlay. […]
Permaculture
Introduction Permaculture is a system based on natural ecosystem processes: through consciously combining plant, animal, built environment and energy systems, it endeavours to create sustainable human habitats, settlements and agriculturally productive systems. The intention is to design productive systems that ultimately generate more energy than they consume, with no negative impact on the natural or […]