There are growing concerns that the current dry weather conditions in most parts of South Africa could lead to a lower maize harvest in the 2018/19 production season.

It could be argued that South Africa has only two primary economic industries – agriculture and mining.These are the two sectors that have shed the most jobs in the last 20 years as the economy has evolved towards the secondary and tertiary sectors.

Hemp production has been federally legal since the passage of the Agricultural Improvement Act in 2018, though some states are slow to adopt output of the plant that’s used to make fiber, paper, and even food.

Innovation rush aims to help farmers, rich and poor, beat climate change,

Despite an unusually wet spring followed by an unusually cool June, America’s corn farmers planted even more than they did last year.

Compaction is often thought of as a spring problem. 

Introducing a new production system to your existing practice (for example, adding no-till to conventional horizontal tillage to protect erodible land or please a landlord) probably will require acquiring new implements or attachments.

 It has become increasingly challenging to forecast agricultural production seasons with some level of confidence.

The International Grains Council lifted expectations for world grain stocks, reflecting enhanced expectations for both corn and wheat, despite European Union downgrades.

Zimbabwe faces the challenge of feeding its people against a background of scarce access to currency limiting its farming industry’s access to inputs and its processing industry’s access to imported grain. This year, adverse weather cut grain output, adding to the issues faced.

After a slow start, harvest time is well underway as more than half of South Africa’s 2022 wine grape crop has already been taken in at cellars.

Avocados remain as popular as ever across the globe, with most markets for avocado remaining generally stable in terms of sales, despite continued logistical issues and higher costs.

South Africa has been in an unusually long period of higher-than-average rainfall over the past three seasons.

If one drives from the northern regions of  South Africa towards  the Western Cape via the N1 now, it is easy to notice a stark contrast between the landscapes on either side of the road. On the eastern side farmers will already be tilling the land, while on the western side ploughing does not start before mid-November.

Despite misinformation to the contrary, using wood from sustainably managed forests to make things like paper and packaging can help the environment.

In one hand, South African grain farmers have had a pretty good run the past three years, not least because a prolonged La Nina weather pattern drenched much of the summer crop area with abundant rains. 

October 16th marks World Food Day, a celebration of the founding of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in 1945. This day is also an opportunity for countries to reflect on their food security conditions and efforts to boost agricultural production.

Intercropping is a topic that many farmers are very interested in – and for good reason.

The wine world is not generally cheerful at present ­– and I mean the whole big world, not just the South African corner of it.