Being successful is not only about who you know, but also how much you know. The name Hortgro Skills Accelerator Project (HSAP) was coined when Hortgro approached the Jobs Fund to collaborate and assist previously disadvantaged farmers in acquiring farming…
In 1997 Anton Rabe and Brian Barnes got on a plane to meet with Thoko Didiza, the then Deputy-Minister of Agriculture – to lobby for DAFF support for an area-wide integrated pest management project. The support came sometime later with…
For South African agriculture to transform and be sustainable, uncomfortable conversations are needed, and issues robustly discussed without pointing fingers. Hortgro Executive Director, Anton Rabe, and Hortgro Group Operations Manager, Mariette Kotze, addressed the meeting at the PALS annual general…
“Industry high standards, agility, and resilience made quick adaptions possible.” During Week 25 of the current pome fruit season, there was a marked increase in apple exports. This in contrast to previous weeks where the impact of Covid-19 played havoc…
“The world has surely become a funny place if one can no longer simply reach out for a handshake, without thinking twice about it or having to sanitize afterward. It’s such a small, basic gesture that is part and parcel…
Deur Elise-Marie Steenkamp Na drie, vier slegte jare, is rolspelers in die steenvrugbedryf ontsettend dankbaar vir ‘n buitengewoon goeie seisoen. Volgens steenvrugspesialis, Charl Stander van Freshness First, was daar oor die algemeen aansienlik groter volumes van alle steenvrugsoorte en kultivars…
Caption: The Witte Wijn Appel as captured by artist Karel van Biljon in Buks Nel and Henk Griessel’s book: Apples in the Early Days at the Cape. For the first time in hundreds of years, the progeny of the…
By Grethe Bestbier For Dr Esmé Louw, newly appointed chair of the Stellenbosch University Department of Horticultural Science, the chance to make a real and tangible impact in the industry is just one of the things that excite her about…
Deur Jacob Coetzee In September 2022 is ’n baanbrekersprojek vir landbou-opleiding in Tulbagh van stapel gestuur, toe die eerste beroepsgerigte kwalifikasie spesifiek vir die vrugte bedryf geloods is. Dié projek, die Boord-en-Wingerdvoorman kwalifikasie (Orchard and Vineyard Foreman/SAQA ID 110667) is…
It is with profound sadness that the South African Deciduous Fruit Industry has learnt of the passing of one of its “elder statesmen” – Alastair Moodie. Moodie, known as a problem-solver and innovator, stepped down as chairman of the prominent…
Text: Grethe Bestbier What Worked Well, and Why? The success of this block is mainly the result of a combination of three factors: a good soil, a plum tree-filled environment and an early-blooming cultivar. While many plum growers struggle with…
Life realises itself in unexpected ways. Caro Kapp’s PhD journey is true to that. By Kyra Rensburg “In high school, I didn’t think I was smart, so I wasn’t planning on studying hefty degrees at university. I applied to do…