The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP): what's in a name?

Feta cheese has long been a favourite of mine. It augments, lifts up, enhances any salad or pizza to a mouth-watering experience!

Feta, and other foods, are the sticking points in negotiations over a free trade agreement called the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). US Secretary of State for Agriculture Tom Vilsack says that feta should be seen a process, not a place. European officials disagree, and so the spats continue over Geographical indications (GIs).

South Africa has had its experience over these GIs when it came to marketing wine overseas, with various terms long used (like "champagne") suddenly contentious.

Find the article "EU, US face food labelling spat in TTIP talks" here.

2014 AMT programme finalised

The programme for the annual Agrimark Trends (AMT) conference has been finalised.

Amongst the usual analyses of political, economic, financial and climatic data and patterns, this year includes a slot by Philip Lymbery, author of Farmageddon: The True Cost of Cheap Meat.

The AMT is billed as "one of the premier agribusiness networking opportunities where business leaders and policy makers meet to shape the future of the South African agribusiness industry."

There are early bird discounts for booking and payment by the end of June 2014. Find information and a booking form here, or in Afrikaans here.

South Africa expects one of its biggest maize (corn) crops

Word from the national Crop Estimates Committee is that this year will see the largest maize crop in more than three decades. Find these estimates on the National Agricultural Marketing Council (NAMC) website.

This country is not a major producer in international terms and farmers are price takers. Internationally, there are already adequate supplies of maize, wheat and soya, and a bumper crop at home will mean pressure on prices paid to grain producers. Those who have contracts in place will breathe a sigh of relief. Others will store maize until prices are better.

Of course this is all good news for livestock farmers though (grain is a component of animal feeds).

Find the commodity trading and Grain storage & handling chapters in The Agri Handbook

Farmers paid-to-plant-peas-and-beans controversy

Farmers are custodians over much of the countryside and their nation's biodiversity. Should there be a financial incentive for them to do this function? What if looking after the country's biodiversity cuts across their being profitable?

Wonderful ideas like conservancies exist for farmers to conserve the land whilst earning a living. However there are also areas of controversy like dealing with stock losses owing to wildlife (like rooikat/caracul and jakkal) on the farm. Compare the websites of role players like the Predation Management Forum and the Landmark Foundation to get an idea of the different viewpoints. This evening there is a report, EU wildlife grants will be used to grow crops, that is also generating debate.  

How do farmers in modern agriculture remain profitable whilst factoring in issues like biodiversity?

Find the section on resources and good agricultural practice in The Agri Handbook. It is opened by the first chapter, Biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Juicy maggots

There are places in the world where people eat insects, yes ... But why not feed insects to the usual livestock - fish, chickens and so on?

AgriProtein, a South African company, and others in the USA, France and Canada are going into the farming of flies full time! Maggots come from flies, of course, and maggots are the equivalent of juicy steaks for poultry and other livestock! Yum yum! Imagine ... "Farming with flies". That has quite a ring about it!

Find the article Are maggots the future of food? or check out the AgriProtein website.

The Afrikaans version of The Agri Handbook

Kyk na die inleiding (tussen 4 en 5 minute) wat op kykNET se Dagbreek program verskyn het.

Die boek is 'n gratis aflaai (sien onder "order" op hierdie webwerf).

• Klik op die boek waaronder staan "PDF Die Agri Handboek (Afrikaans) PDF download (free)"
• Klik op die rooi “Add to cart”. ’n Rooi kolletjie beweeg bo. Klik op “cart” regs bo.
• Klik op “Check out”
• “Your contact email”. Dit is belangrik dat jy jou epos hier korrek invul. Die ander besonderhede is nie van uiters belang maar daar moet iets in die blokkies staan. Onder, klik op “Continue to next step”
• Klik op “Complete my purchase”
• Wag vir die eposte wat jou bestelling bevestig en daarna wat vir jou ‘n skakkel gee, iets soos http://rainbowsa.fetchapp.com/get/ocijip
• Klik hierop, en daarna op Die Agri Handboek 2013-14-ver-1.5.pdf (52.2 MB)

Na ’n paar minute kyk onder “Downloads” op jou rekenaar. Die PDF behoort daar te wees. Laat ons weet asb. indien daar enige probleme is met die aflaai. Rig 'n epos na craig [by] agrihandbook [punt] co [punt] za

Not paying for toll road: farmer gets away with it

Did you know that back in 2006, South African National Roads Agency Ltd (SANRAL) was found to have badly failed in its obligation "to consult with local residents affected by the tolling concession ... for the N4 Maputo Development Corridor Toll Road"?

Judge Phineas Mojapelo handed down a judgement in favour of farmer Mr Nicolaas Smit, who had refused to pay toll and been criminally charged. Smit was found not guilty because the toll road in question had not been lawfully declared as such. There had been no "proper public consultation process."

SANRAL will soon need to start court cases against many more Nicolaas Smits in Gauteng, the country's business hub, as many "clients" are not paying astronomical monthly fees (over USD100). They can, of course, halve this by buying an e-tag. This is something like paying a bribe whereby you acknowledge the legitimacy of e-tolls in exchange for a lighter fee.

Watch the clip Gauteng eTolls Make No Sense; and read more on the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance website.