The highest price for a Boran bull was achieved over the weekend at Hurwitz Farming’s ninth production auction 📈
The bull BH 18 490 Jester was sold to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Ntaba Nyoni Boran stud near Badplaas for R3.5 million 💰
Full story here:
Today on African Farming, we meet the 2023 Sernick Farmer of the Year, Maria Tswayi. She farms with Bonsmara’s, sheep and goats in Hertzogville in the Free State.
Join us at 17:00 on Honey, DStv channel 173 for the episode premiere.
#AfricanFarming
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#NewSeason
During our visit to Maria Tswai two years ago, she had received 35 Bonsmara cows and a bull through the Sernick emerging farmers development programme. She now has a herd of more than 150 breeding cows & has repaid her loan three years ahead of schedule.
The path to Saudi Arabia and China is open for South African red meat exports after Riyadh lifted a ban on the import of South African red meat after 21 years and Beijing also gave the green light.
Read more here:
Catch the repeat of
#AfricanFarming
with farmer Thubelihle Mthombeni tonight at 9pm on Honey, DStv channel 173.
In the episode we also learn about
@AFGRI1
’s retail offering, and spray application technology.
Featured farmer Hlobisile Yende loves Simmentalers because of their pleasant temperament. Madiba, her main bull was brought in last year and she reports good results so far 😍
Catch the repeat of episode 1⃣ on Honey, DStv channel 173 tonight at 9pm.
#AfricanFarming
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#NewSeason
Ntsiki Biyela grew up herding cattle and milking cows in a rural village in KZN and went on to work as a domestic worker. Never could she have imagined that she would one day make history by becoming SA’s first black female winemaker.
Watch episode here:
Elvis Maremani grew up herding goats in the rural village of Mashamba. He followed a career path in the corporate world but found his way back to farming. He now farms Indigenous Veld Goats, Savanna goats & Bosvelder sheep on communal land.
Read here:
His father and grandfather gifted him 710ha of farmland on his 21st birthday. Eight years later, Nkosana Mtambo established ‘Mtambo Boerdery’, an operation consisting of 200 Bonsmara cattle, 400 Dohne merinos and a fleet of tractors over three farms.
You don't want to miss the final episode of African Farming season three with farmer
@ThaboDithakgwe
.
Tune in at 19:00 on
@MzansiWethu
, DStv channel 163!
The Vryburg auction arena was packed on June 28 when Duncan Serapelwane held his first production sale for Moalosi Bonsmaras.
Twenty bulls and 200 females went under the hammer, with the highest-rated bull fetching R170 000 👏🏿
Read more here:
You don’t have to start big to end up successful. Ask Palesa Moahlodi, an impressive gogo what made do with what she had when she started farming in 2010. Today, she and her husband own a 1300ha sweetveld farm in the Free State.
Watch her full episode:
From humble beginnings farming communal land in Theunissen, Maria Tswai has developed into a role model for her peers. In 2021, she was named farmer of the year by the Sernick Group’s development programme.
Watch the repeat of her episode on Honey, DStv channel 173 at 9pm.
During a flying lesson, Kobela Mokgohloa, a small aircraft pilot, was fascinated by the sight of vast tracts of land lying fallow while communities living there suffered high unemployment & crime. This experience inspired him to ditch flying for farming.
We couldn’t have asked for a better start to the new season than with third-generation farmer, Hlobisile Yende this Women’s Month 🩷
African Farming season 4️⃣ premieres in just 30 minutes on Honey, DStv channel 173 at 5pm.
Don’t miss it! ⏳
#AfricanFarming
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#NewSeason
In a historic sale, Kabelo Rametse of Pretoria bought a Boer goat ram named Komatsu from the Lukas Burger Boer Goat Stud for a record price of R500 000.
Read more here:
Sithembele Malgas has run a successful vegetable and beef cattle farm in the Eastern Cape for 20 years. Although he moved out of agricultural extension services many years ago, he continues to mentor and inspire upcoming farmers.
Read more here:
Retail chains that engage in backward integration, such as Pick n Pay, which is acquiring Tomis Group with its Western Cape feedlot and abattoir, are a novelty in South Africa and can be advantageous for the red meat industry and the market in general.
A 25-year-old breeder has achieved a South African record price for a black Angus bull.
Several price records were set at the Midlands Angus Elite auction.
The highest price, R310 000, set a South African record for a black Angus bull 👏🏿
More here:
Hlobisile Yende met Duncan Serapelwane of Moalosi Bonsmaras at the African Farming livestock farmers’ day in Rustenburg. She asked him to be her mentor on the spot 🤝🏿
Watch the repeat of Hlobi's episode on Honey, DStv channel 173 tonight at 9pm.
#AfricanFarming
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#NewSeason
[IN PHOTOS] 📸
Female farmers are proving to be more successful than their male counterparts in the Sernick Emerging Farmers Programme. Tracy Marobobo, one of the top performers in the programme is living proof of this!
Read her full feature on the
#AfricanFarming
website.
Did someone say Thursday? Start your
#AfricanFarming
Day by setting your reminders for the premiere of episode eight tonight at 18:30 on Mzansi Wethu! 💃🏾💃🏾
A world record price of R270 000 was paid on Saturday for a Kalahari Red ram named Rocket, bred by Albie Horn of Kuruman and offered for sale at an auction of the SA Kalahari Red Club in Pretoria.
READ:
A tremendous growth opportunity lies ahead for the red meat industry after Saudi Arabia officially approved red meat imports from South Africa.
Read more here:
Cattle farmer Mmatlala “Noko” Seboni, from Limpopo, tells us about the Brahman breed, and how he approaches cattle management practices such as de-horning. We also hear about the accessibility of quality animal feeds.
WATCH EPISODE PROMO HERE:
Zinabos Bonsmaras, Fourie Scheepers’ auction held on August 4 at Hoogland farm in Fouriesburg, achieved excellent prices 👏🏿
As usual, good breeding material was available 😍
Read more here:
The Karan Beef Academy has launched an educational video series that provides essential training for cattle farmers giving them the knowledge and skills to become more profitable and successful in the ever-growing beef cattle market.
Read about it here:
A Simbra bull, Jacmar Buffel JM 18-22, was sold for a South African record price of R550 000 at the Simbra Spring Showcase auction at the Afridome in Parys.
The auction was part of the annual BKB-ALE show.
More here:
Noko Seboni’s love of farming almost died when he moved to Gauteng, but his father’s illness led him back to his true calling. Now, he is thriving as a farmer and has found success through crossbreeding.
Read the full story here:
In the next episode, we meet TUT lecturer and farmer Dimpho Xaba, who farms with wheat, maize, soya, potatoes and bees in Pretoria North.
Don’t miss the episode on Tuesday, 12 September at 17:00 on Honey, DStv channel 173.
Watch promo here:
A kasi boy, Wandile Khave and rural veterinarian Dr Johan van Rooyen became good friends and now they’re restoring hope in the village of eNdelane in the Eastern Cape.
Read more about their story here:
FREE! Have you read the new edition of
#AfricanFarming
magazine with Piet Mothepu and his son, Bandile, on the cover? Read all about farmers building their businesses and get valuable farming advice. Click to download your copy and SHARE:
A pregnant Boran heifer, Caroline (HOT 20-25), from Yolandie Botha’s Iminathi Rance in the Waterberg district, was sold to the highest bidder at R650 000 at the Sale of the Bonts auction in Pretoria.
See more here:
While most buyers at the auction of Ankoles and Borans from President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Ntaba Nyoni stud farm were South Africans, it was Collen Tafireyi of Sinyo Boran & Ankole in Zimbabwe who paid the highest price of R1,8 million.
Read more here:
It’s one of the most prestigious awards in farming and in 2016 history was made when Klein Gasekoma from Reivilo, North West became the first black farmer to win the coveted award of commercial cattle farmer of the year.
Watch his full episode here:
The agricultural sector is the backbone of the South African economy. However, the sector faces a constant challenge – ensuring it has a skilled workforce equipped to handle the complexities of modern agriculture, writes Ziyanda Sibeko.
READ:
Brothers Mandla and Johnson Mandlendoda run a successful farming operation that includes angora goats, cattle and sheep.
Lindiwe Sithole makes her way to the Eastern Cape to gain farming knowledge from this dynamic brotherly duo.
Don’t miss the episode this Thursday!
𝘼𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙁𝙖𝙧𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠! 👏🏿👏🏿
In the first episode of season 3, host Tony Ndoro heads to the Vaal to spend time with maize and soya farmer, Amos Njoro.
Tune in to
#AfricanFarming
in its new timeslot of 19:00 on Thursday on Mzansi Wethu, DStv channel 163.
Episode six of African Farming is on its way! Are you as excited as we are? In half an hour, host
@AngieKhumalo
explores hydroponics with successful farmer Kobela Mokgohlwa.
In the next episode of
#AfricanFarming
, we visit Kenny Mocwiri in North-West, to learn about pig production, where biosecurity, good genetics, and quality animal feed are critical issues. We also hear more about Farmer Development from AFGRI and SAPPO.
The political climate of the early 80s made it impossible for Thubelihle Mthombeni’s dad, David Mthombeni, to pursue his dream of becoming a commercial farmer. Today, however, David works alongside Thubelihle in a mixed farming enterprise.
Read here:
Dimpho Xaba, an agricultural lecturer at Tshwane University of Technology developed a love for farming at a young age as he grew up in the farming town of Brits, North West. Today, he farms wheat, maize, beans, potatoes & bees in Pretoria North.
Read here:
FREE! Have you read the new edition of
#AfricanFarming
magazine with Tiro Mongwaketsi, winner of the ARC's National Beef Producer of the Year, on the cover? Read about farmers building their businesses and get valuable farming advice. Click to download:
The R375 000 for a heifer at the annual National Boran Heifer Extravaganza in Parys is one of the highest prices paid for a Boran heifer and may be a South African record.
Read more here:
We hope you enjoyed African Farming last night! Here are a few of our favourite moments from the episode with
@AngieKhumalo
and the inspiring Tshilidzi “Chilli” Matshidzula.
Farming is tough, but farming in Africa is really tough. STIHL has specially developed the 230 range of products – also known as the Farmers’ Range – to cope with the challenges and demands of farming in Africa.
Read all about it here:
"Love what you do and give your all in whatever you do. Be able to learn at any time and from anyone" - this is the best advice Petrus Tsotetsi has ever received.
We get up close and personal with the farmer here:
𝙒𝙚𝙡𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚, 𝙏𝙤𝙣𝙮! 👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿
African Farming is proud to announce that Tony Ndoro will be joining the team!
He is a television icon synonymous with sports and news and will be taking over the reins from Lindiwe Sithole.
A brand new episode of African Farming with host
@Angiekhumalo
and young commercial farmer Sinelizwi Fakade will be hitting your screens tonight!
Tune in at 18:30 on Mzansi Wethu, DStv channel 163.
The East Transvaal bull auction in Ermelo achieved good prices.
The most expensive bull, from Peter and Lucille Abrahamse, was sold for R130 000.
Bulls achieved an average price of R60 000 at the auction.
See here:
A new vaccine to combat pneumonia in sheep and goats has been developed by Design Biologix of Pretoria. It is the only registered vaccine that prevents viral and bacterial respiratory diseases, thus providing complete protection.
Read here:
It’s the final countdown! In just 30 minutes, watch as
@AngieKhumalo
learns all about dairy farming from a former Young Farmer of the Year.
DStv channel 163 is the place to be at 18:30. 🐮🐄
African Farming caught up with cattle farmer Ipeleng Kwadi from the North West to find out what she has been up to on her farm during the winter months. Read more here:
"I’ve learned most of what I know from days like these, belonging to study groups and having good mentors. My advice is for farmers to take advantage of info days and network with fellow farmers" - Duncan Serapelwane at his farmers’ day.
Read more here:
Thoko Didiza, the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, signed an agreement with Wang Yi, the Chinese foreign minister, for the export of avocados from South Africa to China.
Read all about it here:
Tune in to a brand new episode of African Farming at 17:00 today on Honey, DStv channel 173! 🐝
We meet TUT lecturer and farmer
@dimpho4africa
, who farms with wheat, maize, soya, potatoes and bees in Pretoria North.
#AfricanFarming
|
#NewSeason
Vaccination programmes and dipping of small stock aren't total solutions to keeping your flocks healthy and goats disease-free. Healthy animals are stronger and less susceptible to disease; so stockmen must manage and feed as a primary health care measure.
Brigadier JZ Luvuno is a retired cop who farms with about 450 bonsmara, beefmaster and Brahmans in Vryheid. He says he retired from his responsibility of providing national security to take up a new responsibility of providing food security.
As the saying goes, a bull is 50% of the herd, so it’s crucial that it is well managed before, during and after the breeding season. Highly respected and experienced Bonsmara breeder, Arthur de Villiers, offers practical advice.
Read more:
Tune in to a new episode of African Farming tonight. In episode 11 host
@AngieKhumalo
meets the multi-award-winning dairy farmer Tshilidzi Matshidzula.
Join us at 18:30 on Mzansi Wethu, DStv channel 163!
South Africa’s Brahman cattle breed continues to thrive. However, individual breeders have been urged to start sharing more of their registered animals’ performance data to enhance the national herd.
Read more here:
The pH value of your soil indicates which crops or vegetables will grow best in your soil. The article below explains how you can make your own basic soil pH test:
Being a successful stud breeder and living his passion for feeding the nation, is Duncan Serapelwane’s biggest success to date. African Farming editor Peter Mashala got up close and personal with the Bonsmara breeder here:
A Brahman bull, Nedibest Maddox WIL 17-228, achieved the highest price of R550 000 at the first production auction hosted by Louma Farming’s Nedibest Brahman stud in Thabazimbi, Limpopo.
Read here:
Proper fencing is important on any farm. We look at the importance of fencing and offer a few guidelines to ensure a durable fence on the African Farming website:
Announcement Alert! 📣📣
The full
#AfricanFarming
episodes will be coming your way from tomorrow. Make sure to keep an eye on our social media platforms and relive the magic of season one all over again.
Retweet this to include your friends in the magic of
#AfricanFarming
!💚
In 2014, ex-Zimbabwean farmer Hendrik O’Neill and his team relocated to Limpopo and quickly found themselves bankrupt. They were saved by the teachings of Allan Savory, the father of holistic management.
Read more in our February digital edition of
#AfricanFarming
on our website
In our final episode of
#AfricanFarming
season three, host Tony Ndoro spends time with cattle, goat and sheep farmer Thabo Dithakgwe and our panel experts discuss the future of farming.
Tune in this Thursday at 19:00 on Mzansi Wethu, DStv channel 163.
"My business hasn't been funded in any way. I would advise aspiring farmers to start with what they have. Don’t wait for funding before you start pursuing your dreams" - Vhutolo Khangale.
We get up close and personal with farmer Vhutolo Khangale here:
Modisaotsile Paul ‘Kenny’ Mochwiri had always imagined himself working in an office as a finance professional. After four months on the job, he found that he lacked enthusiasm for the work. He then joined his father on the farm in 2010.
READ:
This week we meet the 2023 Sernick Farmer of the Year, Maria Tswayi. She farms with Bonsmara’s, sheep and goats in Hertzogville in the Free State.
Join us tomorrow, 22 August at 17:00 on Honey, DStv channel 173 for the episode premiere.
Announcement! 📢📢
African Farming is proud to announce that we will be returning with season two on 24 June with brand new presenter, seasoned broadcaster and aspiring farmer Lindiwe Sithole. 👩🏿🌾🎉
Read all about our brand new host here:
Understanding the value of money was one of the most important tips from John Devonport, owner of the Devlan Limousin Stud, at the recent African Farming Agri-Development Imbizo held over two days in Boksburg, Gauteng.
Read here:
Mbali Nwoko, founder and CEO of The Green Terrace, persevered despite serious setbacks. She says when you find something you love and are passionate about, you shouldn’t let anything stand in your way. We caught up with her at her farm in Bapsfontein.
South Africa has sent its first shipment of soya beans to China. This achievement follows the signing of the export protocol for soya beans to China by Thoko Didiza, the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development.
READ:
Phuti Mphelo and husband, Dr Sello Mphelo built successful businesses in health & medical services before they diversified into agriculture in 2018 with the launch of their egg business, Mae Eggs.
Peter Mashala chatted to Phuti.
#MondayMotivation
Read:
African Farming caught up with vegetable farmer Tebogo Nyathela, from Kgomo-kgomo in the North West. Read all about what she has been up to in the article below:
Teboho Mongoato has been farming in the Matatiele area for 12 years. He farms with sheep, cattle, maize, sugar beans and soya and he attempted to get into farming wheat. We get to know the farmer in our Maize Trust series.
WATCH HERE: