Text: Lucille Botha André Kritzinger (28), owner and general manager of Tulpieskraal Boerdery in the Langkloof, has been named the Eastern Cape Young Farmer of the Year for 2025. For Kritzinger, the recognition is a significant milestone. “I’ve always looked…
Deur Elise-Marie Steenkamp Die onlangse haelstorm in die Langkloof het ongeveer 1500 ha appel-en peerboorde geraak en infrastruktuur op verskeie plase vernietig. Die totale verlies aan uitvoervolumes is in die orde van 1,2 miljoen kartonne. Dit verteenwoordig tussen 20% tot…
The technical production story of the recent pome fruit season concluded with a fairly happy ending given plot twists such as extreme weather events, “reliable” cultivars underperforming, and a global pandemic that almost single-handedly disrupted the fruit value chain. Despite…
By Pieter-Steyn de Wet The 2026 pome fruit harvest and export season started on a positive note, but this momentum was disrupted in Week 6 when a severe hail and windstorm affected parts of the Langkloof and Ceres regions. Damage…
When the rain finally stopped falling in the Langkloof in early May, it left behind a valley split in half. Between Joubertina and Kareedouw, a stretch of the R62 known locally as “container draai” simply vanished; washed away to a…
Oom Jaco Engelbrecht is vroeër vanjaar oorlede. Hy was Hortgro se streekverteenwoordiger in die Langkloof, ’n boerderygebied verantwoordelik vir so 20% van die land se appels. Dus is ’n streekverteenwoordiger in dié gebied uiters belangrik vir Hortgro. Dis nou hier…
Anna Mouton het met ‘n paar tegniese bedryfskenners gepraat oor die afgelope kernvrugseisoen. Dit lyk asof produsente se vertroue groei na aanleiding van goeie vrugvolumes en -kwaliteit tesame met sterk markaanvraag. “Ek dink met ’n gemiddelde appelboer gaan dit nou…
Area-wide fruit fly control helps South African fruit retain global market share. The Mediterranean fruit fly or Medfly is a global menace to fruit production. Both Medfly and its close relative, the Cape fruit fly, are phytosanitary pests. South African fruit…
Bedryfsbekendes deel hulle teleurstelling oor die afgelope kernvrugseisoen. Deur Anna Mouton. Niemand kla oor die appel- en peeroeste van 2022 nie. Tonne pere per hektaar was omtrent 15% hoër in Ceres en 20%–30% hoër in Wolseley-Tulbagh en die Langkloof as…
By Gerrit Rautenbach In January of this year, one of the biggest nightmares for any fruit farmer became a horrible reality in the Langkloof. Hail. Some farmers were fortunate, some less so and some got wrecked by the falling ice…
This year Mandela Day focused on, amongst other goals, education, and literacy. In line with this initiative, Hortgro’s Book Donation Project reached a milestone by donating 2 tons of books to schools in the Langkloof area. The book donation which…
Members of Hortgro Science’s entomological team visited the Langkloof area in April to follow up on damage to pears possibly caused by sucking insects. Matthew Addison, Crop Protection Programme Manager, and Dr Minette Karsten, a researcher in applied entomology, met…