Farmer's Inside Track

The “fifth quarter” – including offal, cheeks, and trotters – is becoming an essential commercial and nutritional strategy for South Africa’s red meat industry. Supported by findings from the Red Meat Producers Organisation (RPO), Dr Carmen Muller, a researcher at the University of Pretoria, highlights how moving beyond standard muscle cuts captures hidden carcass value while addressing broader socio-economic challenges.

Drawing on recent nutritional testing and industry data, Muller demonstrates how organ meats deliver concentrated doses of bioavailable heme iron, complete proteins, and vital micronutrients to budget-conscious households facing food insecurity.

In this episode, she breaks down the resource-efficiency benefits of whole-animal utilisation. She advocates for integrating offal into mainstream food security policies and consumer education, positioning the fifth quarter as both a practical sustainability win and a high-margin opportunity for the livestock supply chain.

Dr Michael Southwood, agricultural consultant and founder of the Agri Vision Foundation, explores why securing the future of agriculture demands a fundamental shift from chasing quick harvests to investing in soil health and seamless farm succession.

In this episode, he examines how closing the gap between lab research and field practices creates lasting stability for growers facing market volatility.

Grounded in over two decades of field experience, Southwood details practical strategies for managing biological, chemical, and physical soil balances, avoiding widespread agronomic pitfalls like nitrogen over-application, and managing pest resistance dynamically. He also shares advice on implementing precision diagnostics, such as sap testing and soil carbon tracking, and more.

Southwood highlights how attending the upcoming SADC Plant Nutrition Symposium on 19–20 November 2026 in Stellenbosch connects producers with actionable agronomic tools while supporting regional food security initiatives.

In this episode, Lukas Meyer, business manager at Pannar Seed, breaks down why record yields no longer guarantee farm profitability in the face of depressed grain prices and sustained input costs. He unpacks why producers must shift their focus from maximising tonnes per hectare to understanding the true net return generated by every field.

Drawing on practical agronomic and commercial insights, Meyer outlines why indiscriminate cost-cutting can backfire and explains how to transition to a smarter investment strategy. He also shares tips on choosing risk-resilient seed hybrids, optimising plant populations, maximising fertiliser efficiency, and aligning production costs with an early, disciplined grain marketing plan.

Meyer urges farmers to know their break-even position, using precise agronomy and portfolio management to protect margins against market volatility.

In this episode of Farmer's Inside Track, Reneilwe Selialia shares lessons from building a young vegetable farming business, Kopano Holdings, and working towards commercial markets. She discusses the importance of networking, finding and maintaining reliable markets, planning production for consistent supply, managing irrigation and understanding the true cost of getting produce to market. Reneilwe also shares practical advice for new farmers: stay humble, ask questions, learn from others and build relationships that can open doors to new markets.

In this episode, Daneel Rossouw, head of sales for agriculture at Nedbank, shares key takeaways from Nampo Cape 2026 on how collaboration, innovation, and strategic expansion are shaping the future of South African farming. He discusses the sector’s growing push toward unity, highlighting critical dialogues among agribusinesses, financial bodies, organised agriculture, and national leaders on issues like Western Cape grain viability, foot-and-mouth disease vaccinations, and rural infrastructure.

Rossouw explores how producers are using precision technology, renewable energy systems, and no-till practices to lower costs and protect natural resources. He breaks down why moving beyond primary farming into vertical integration – such as local processing, packaging, and export logistics aligned with the Agriculture and Agro-Processing Master Plan (AAMP) – is essential for capturing extra margin and protecting farms from commodity price volatility

African swine fever (ASF) remains one of the greatest threats to pig farming in South Africa, but knowledge and strong biosecurity can make all the difference.

In this episode of Farmer's Inside Track, animal health technician Kenneth Malatji and Dr Thandi Chiappero, veterinarian at SAPPO, unpack what every pig producer needs to know about ASF – from recognising the early warning signs and understanding how the virus spreads to the legal obligation to report suspected cases.

They also share practical, cost-effective biosecurity measures and explain the risks of swill feeding and buying pigs from unknown sources. Whether you are a commercial producer or a smallholder farmer, this episode is packed with practical advice to help keep African swine fever off your farm.

In this episode, Daneel Rossouw, head of sales for agriculture at Nedbank, breaks down the compounding economic pressures facing South African producers in 2025–2026. He unpacks why farm profitability is being squeezed simultaneously across fertiliser, diesel, electricity, labour, and crop protection inputs.

Drawing on nearly 35 years of experience in agricultural funding, Rossouw reveals why producers must look beyond local weather patterns and commodity prices. He outlines how macroeconomic drivers, including interest rate shifts, Rand volatility, geopolitical supply shocks, and potential El Niño warnings, will directly shape farm margins over the next two seasons.

He urges farmers to adopt a broader financial perspective, highlighting practical ways to manage input risks, absorb municipal and utility cost hikes, and structure agricultural operations to withstand market turbulence.

As climate variability and changing weather patterns continue to impact South Africa’s natural pastures, livestock producers can no longer rely on unsupplemented grazing alone to maintain production. Dr Josef de Villiers van Wyngaard, technical manager at Voermol Feeds, joins the podcast to unpack how farmers can shift from passive veld dependency to an actively managed grazing system.

In this episode, Van Wyngaard breaks down the essential distinctions between supplementation, substitution, and concentrates, providing clear guidelines on how to stimulate rumen microbes and improve fibre digestion without causing animals to stop grazing. He explores how shifting rainfall and elevated carbon dioxide levels reduce forage quality, particularly in sourveld areas, and shares practical insights into using a structured, three-phase lick programme to meet seasonal livestock requirements.

Van Wyngaard also details how to monitor lick intake as a direct indicator of veld quality, optimise rotational grazing systems, and leverage targeted Voermol products to extend grazing cycles without over-exploiting the land.

From starting as a general worker at an abattoir to building a diversified agribusiness, Jeremiah Jothams shares the lessons, opportunities and challenges that have shaped the growth of Basadi Agribusiness. In this episode of Farmer's Inside Track, Jothams unpacks how he identified opportunities in the rabbit value chain and diversified into horticulture and slaughtering services.

Jothams discusses the realities of running processing infrastructure, the importance of understanding production volumes and profitability, and why compliance, operational efficiency and strong industry partnerships are essential for building a sustainable and diversified agribusiness.

Keywords: Diversification; Agribusiness, agricultural value chain

In this episode of Farmer’s Inside Track, Byron Latrobe, technical sales advisor for Netafim Southern and East Africa, discusses precision drip irrigation for onion seed production.

Byron explains how dripper spacing and irrigation uniformity influence root development, flowering, pollination and yields, while highlighting the importance of maintaining a dry flower environment to support bees and reduce disease pressure. Learn more about managing saline water through leaching, using fertigation to improve nutrient efficiency, and the advantages of thin-wall drip lines for seed producers. Byron also shares practical advice on installation, retrieval, maintenance and filtration, and explains why farmers should start by understanding their water quality and soil conditions before designing an irrigation system.