Farmer's Weekly

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 world’s farmers are getting older

Royal Show • 7 to 11 October, Howick

Farmers catching yellow fever – but will the rivers survive?

Wild Rescue champions Great Southern BioBlitz 2026 for Garden Route District • What if anyone could help scientists build a living map of nature simply by taking photographs with their smartphones? That's the idea behind the Great Southern BioBlitz (GSB), an annual international event that brings people across the Southern Hemisphere together to document plants, animals, and other forms of life using the free iNaturalist platform.

The impact of the Madlanga Commission

Farming through El Niño: what farmers should change, and what they shouldn’t • With El Niño shaping discussions around the 2026/27 production season, farmers are faced with an important question: how much should a seasonal climate signal influence decisions on the farm?

Bonnox provides exactly what you need, superfast • With Bonnox, you score a try under the posts! It is synonymous with top-quality, fully galvanised fences that have instilled confidence and respect since 1962, and now a lightly galvanised version is available, too.

SA livestock markets see mixed recovery • Favourable production conditions, ongoing herd rebuilding, and improving trade opportunities are shaping livestock market dynamics as the sector moves into the final quarter of the year.

Developing a business plan: Part 2 • In the second part of this two-part series, Cobus du Plessis demonstrates how business planning principles work in practice. This practical case study models a 50ha farm proposal, mapping land use, SWOT, risk, and five-year financial projections for bank approval.

Insolence vs insubordination • Although insolence and insubordination are often confused, they are distinct offences with different elements that the employer has to prove, writes Anneline Scriven.

Blockchain: the digital chain that could bring new trust to agriculture • Beyond cryptocurrency, blockchain technology offers agriculture a shared, tamper-evident record system to enhance supply chain transparency, streamline targeted food-safety recalls, automate smart contracts, and build export-market trust.

Breeding for balance: farmer’s approach to the Dohne Merino • For Cradock farmer Japie Marais of Lowmar Dohnes, breeding Dohne Merinos is about getting the balance right. Octavia Avesca Spandl reports on his focus on fertility, lamb growth, hardiness, and wool quality in sheep bred to perform under the Eastern Cape’s challenging conditions.

Figures and function: balancing performance in Dohne breeding • The Dohne Merino was developed as a dual-purpose sheep for demanding South African conditions. In the Vrede district, Andries Greyling of Charfontein Dohnes breeds with the commercial farmer in mind, using the family’s own flock as an important test of genetics. He combines performance data with functional selection to maintain fertility, adaptation, and balance.

Dohne Merino: more relevant than ever in a changing agricultural environment • Bred through decades of scientific selection, the hardy, dual-purpose Dohne Merino offers South African producers efficient meat and wool production, strong adaptability, and lower input costs in changing agricultural environments.

Wool and meat: a dual-purpose breed for the modern sheep industry • After six decades of scientific selection, the Dohne Merino continues to...