According to Wandile Sihlobo, Chief Economist at the Agricultural Business Chamber, Agbiz, the upward adjustments were on maize, soybeans and sorghum, whereas sunflower seed, dry beans and groundnut production estimates were revised. He adds that the 2020/21 maize, soybean and sunflower seed harvests are forecasted at 15,9 million tonnes, 1,9 million tonnes, and 712 940 tonnes respectively. Sihlobo further adds that the maize production estimate is slightly below the estimated 16,7 million tonnes, and the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy's estimated 17,0 million tonnes.

Grazing cattle on corn residue can be a great way to make even more food for human consumption from corn fields, as both the corn grain and plant residue can be used as feed for livestock. According to an article by the Red Meat Producers' Organisation, RPO, one big concern farmers have about cattle grazing corn residue, is soil compaction. If cattle compact the soil too much, future crops might not grow well. Meanwhile, an international scientific team studied two different grazing systems. In one system, researchers let a small number of cattle graze corn fields for 45 days starting in mid-February. The other system tripled the number of cattle but cut grazing time to just 15 days in March. The team repeated the experiment over two years. Minimal effects were seen on soil properties and yield due to spring grazing, regardless of the number of cattle and area grazed. The soybean productivity of the fields following grazing did show some changes. The highly concentrated grazing for just 15 days actually increased yields slightly. The cattle did cause some soil compaction, but their effects were limited to the surface level of fields.

AND

Speakers at the latest monthly broadcast by the Produce Marketing Association of Southern Africa in partnership with Beanstalk Global, says the South African table grape industry has been growing for some time, and that trend is expected to continue. Clayton Swart, manager communications and market development at the South African Table Grape Industry, Sati, said despite a challenging 2020/2021 season, Sati estimates that 70 million cartons might be reached for the first time in its history. He explained that the geographic diversity of South Africa has the advantage that good harvesting conditions in one region could compensate for losses in another region.

">

OFM News