The profit center

No 25

Free

Pro

Agri

Pro

Agri

technology for the farmer

Z a m b i a

Admire Land Rover’s 

heavyweights

Turner turns 

potatoes into 

profit

Zetor is ready for Zambia

THE PROFIT CENTER

STORAGE + CONDITIONING + MATERIAL HANDLING + STRUCTURES

THE PROFIT CENTER

124 Ridge Road, Laser Park, Honeydew, Ext 15, Gauteng

PO Box 4012, Honeydew, 2040, South Africa

Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]   | Website: www.gsiafrica.co.za

3 

Protect your precious possessions with Bonnox

5 

Sheep farming made easy: Part 2

11 

Seed Co is your all-in-one seed solution

12

ETG offers the products, support and know-how to advance

 farmers 

13

Turner turns potatoes into profit

14 

Zetor: The perfect tractor for Zambian farmers

16

Land Rover Discovery kicks compromise into touch

19 

Spray to protect your crops: Part 2

24 

Processing of oil seeds: Part 2

28 

Soil: The farmer’s most important asset: Part 22

Letter from the Editor

Cover

Content

ProAgri Zambia

Copyright © 2018. All rights  reserved. No  material, text 

or  photo graphs may be  reproduced, copied or in any 

other way  transmitted without the written consent of the 

publisher.  Opinions  expressed are not  necessarily those of 

the publisher or of the  editor. We recognise all trademarks 

and logos as the sole property of their  respective  owners. 

ProAgri shall not be liable for any errors or for any actions 

in reliance thereon.

Editor

Du Preez de Villiers > [phone]

[e-mail]

General Manager and Distribution Zambia

Quintus Grobler > [phone] (WA only)

South Africa + 27-078-978-6339

[e-mail]

Reporters

Annemarie Bremner > [phone]

[e-mail]

Benine Cronjé > [phone]

[e-mail]

Senior Production Manager: 

Zainab Pandor > [phone] 

[e-mail]

Marketing

Xander Pieterse > [phone]

[e-mail]

Stefan van Wyk > [phone]

[e-mail]

Tiny Smith > [phone]

[e-mail]

Riaan Oosthuizen > [phone]

[e-mail]

Jeffrey Erasmus > [phone]

[e-mail]

Design

Otto M Ueckermann > [phone]

[e-mail]

Enquiries

Lize du Plooy > [phone]

[e-mail]

Engela Botha > [phone]

[e-mail]

Accounts

Ronel Keet > [phone]

[e-mail] 

Business Manager

George Grobler

F

or many of us, it is time of year to 

leave the farm. That is if you are 

fortunate enough to have the time and 

money and reliable managers to look 

after your interests while you enjoy your 

well-deserved holiday. But as a rule, the 

beginning of the year is not a good time 

to put a long distance between you and 

your farm, especially for crop farmers. 

Some of the soy bean and maize plants 

are still very young and fragile, and need 

intensive care. 

If you are one of the lucky ones, 

please drive safely. We can’t afford to 

lose one farmer or a farmer out of action 

for too long. 

2018 will be full of new challenges. 

African swine flu and fall army worm 

again surprised us with their presence. 

The battle for better grain prices still 

continues and we can only hope that the 

FRA (Food Reserve Agency) and the FISP 

(Farmer Input Support Programme) will 

Office no. 3

Fens Investment Building

Lusaka Show Grounds

[phone]

www.proagri.co.za             

Pro

Agri

Pro

Agri

technology for the farmer

Z a m b i a

Holidays and off-road fun go hand in

hand, and Land Rover captures the

imagination with their Velar on the front 

cover and inside back cover, and their

Discovery 5 on page 16.

pay out all the maize farmers before it 

is hopelessly too late to start planting. 

Agriserve Agro and I also visited the 

Zetor factory in the Czech Republic 

during our recent tour and they invited 

me to drive their FORTERRA 150 HD 

(picture). On page 14, you can read 

more about the Zetor brand and this 

magnificent machine which is imported 

to serve Zambian farmers.

This month, Bonnox tells us more 

about their game fencing and we ogled 

Land Rover’s Discovery 5. Turnerland 

Manufacturing, with their Turner brand, 

is ready to assist you in all your potato 

needs. Our regular sheep farming, 

oil seed processing, soil and spraying 

techniques series also offer valuable 

information. 

Farm smartly!

Du Preez de Villiers

[e-mail] 

ProAgri Zambia 25   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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3

5

11

12

13

14

ProAgri Zambia 25   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                    3

adapts to the slope.

André says with the right equipment 

like the clamps and wire pullers that 

Bonnox can also provide, you do 

not have to use your entire team of 

workers to erect the fence and you can 

continue normal production. If your 

poles are planted firmly and correctly, 

it is very easy.

It’s no wonder he decided to use 

Bonnox when they started developing 

El Shaddai. 

Another feature of the wire is that it 

is firm, but it can nevertheless absorb 

impacts if an animal runs or jumps into 

the fence, so that the animal does not 

get hurt. This feature is very important 

for game and horses.

“I will not use any other fencing than 

Bonnox,” says André. 

O

ne’s possessions are important 

to you because building up and 

amassing something in life is hard 

work. When your possessions are also 

the source of your income, only the 

best protection is good enough.

At El Shaddai Stables just outside 

Carletonville in South Africa, André van 

Zyl made sure his daughter, Amanda 

Johnstone, and her team can continue 

with the things that are important to 

them without worries. At the riding 

school, riders are trained to handle 

their horses with great skill, ride 

therapy for the disabled riders gives 

them a better chance in life, and the 

team of grand horses perform regularly 

at national level in dressage and racing 

performances.

A complete training and show 

complex with overnight facilities is 

currently under construction. Part of 

the attraction of El Shaddai is also the 

game kept in camps.

For easy management and control 

of the precious animals, the entire 

complex and all camps on the farm are 

Bonnoxed. With ProAgri’s visit, a team 

of workers was also busy Bonnoxing 

the outside fence behind the stables.

“With the Bonnox fence, the horses 

can roam freely outside in their camps 

without fear of them being hurt or 

getting lost,” Amanda says.

The 2,4 m high game wire with its 

100 by 100 mm squares is high enough 

to discourage even the most eager 

jumper, and the squares are small 

enough to keep out most dangerous 

and unwelcome predators.

She says they always have a roll 

of Bonnox ready to quickly make a 

temporary camp if animals are to be 

separated from each other or if work is 

to be done in a camp.

Why specifically Bonnox?

“Their service is excellent,” says André. 

“I’ve already recommended Bonnox 

to many people and they all agree 

with me: When you call, the phone 

is answered promptly and kindly, you 

receive the right advice for the task at 

hand and your order is always exactly 

right and ready when you arrive to pick 

it up.”

André manufactures mining 

equipment in the Rustenburg area and 

his relationship with Bonnox started 

three years ago when he sought a 

fence that he could quickly put up 

around his work area.

“It’s so fast and easy to put up 

Bonnox, more and more mines use 

it for fencing and even to cordon off 

certain areas within mines.”

Uneven terrain and slopes are no 

problem for Bonnox. The registered 

Ringlok

®

 trademark in Bonnox’s FLEXI 

FENCE allows you to plant the poles 

and droppers straight up while the wire 

Two workers are sufficient to erect

the 2,4-meter high fence at El

Shaddai Stables.

Protect your precious 

possessions with Bonnox

Amanda Johnstone 

(right) and her 

daughter, Caelee,

at the impressive

entrance to El Shaddai - 

the only part of the fence 

that is not Bonnox.

Remove the headache from

fencing. Contact Bonnox at  

[phone] or +27 

(0)12-666-8717, send an e-mail

to [e-mail],  

[e-mail] or  

[e-mail], or visit their

website at www.bonnox.co.za.

A pig pr

oduction enterprise involves the use of quality stock feeds fr

om 

cr

eep to finisher, hence                         Animal feeds pr

oduces certified pig 

feeds r

anging fr

om pig cr

eep, pig weaner, pig gr

ower, pig finisher, pig so

w 

and boar and pig lactating so

w

. These feeds ar

e available both in complete 

feeds and concentr

ates for farmers with farm maize.  

The r

emaining r

ange of 

Pig Feeds ar

e fed during the period 

of gr

owth wher

e the management 

pr

actices ar

e aimed at fast econom

-

ical gr

owth of pig meat and for this 

reason feeding is on a gener

ous 

scale. It is important to not mix any  other feeds with these balanced  feeds as this will r

esult in lo

wer 

performance.  Reducing str

ess during this period 

is critical. Over

cr

owding in par

-

ticular causes high str

ess. Supply

-

ing clean and cool drinking water  together with feed is essential.

ProAgri Zambia 25   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                    5

A pig pr

oduction enterprise involves the use of quality stock feeds fr

om 

cr

eep to finisher, hence                         Animal feeds pr

oduces certified pig 

feeds r

anging fr

om pig cr

eep, pig weaner, pig gr

ower, pig finisher, pig so

w 

and boar and pig lactating so

w

. These feeds ar

e available both in complete 

feeds and concentr

ates for farmers with farm maize.  

T

horough planning is the key to 

success and since a lot of money 

is invested in the design of production 

systems, it is important to think it 

through properly. Look before you leap. 

This month we start with the design of 

your sheep farming operation.

We thank the ARC Institute for 

Agricultural Engineering in South Africa 

who made their manual on sheep 

production and facilities available to the 

readers of ProAgri Zambia.

Design of sheep production

facilities

An intensive production system 

consists of the elements as listed below 

and are mainly determined by the size 

of the herd:

Handling facilities:

These elements must make provision 

for the reception, handling, treatment 

and dispatch of the sheep. The hand-

ling area can include the following:

•  loading platform

• dip

• scales

• crush

•  sorting pens

•  holding pens (reception and dispatch)

•  adaptation pens

•  pre-herding corral that allow sheep  

  into the working area in groups.

Housing area:

•  lambing pens

•  ram pens

•  lam pens

•  ewe pens

•  pens for ewes with lambs

Feed processing complex:

•  Feed store

•  feed mixers, hammer mill, feed    

 carts, 

et cetera

Hospital

Office

Shearing sheds

Sheep farming made easy

Part 2:  Production systems and 

facilities

Is your shearing shed close enough to your 

main operation for ease of management?

You have to think into the

future when you design your 

production system.

(Photo: atlex.com.au)

The above elements will be discussed 

according to the following points:

• Planning procedure

• Climatic requirements

• Choice of a site and zoning

• Design norms and space requirements

• Ventilation requirements

• Waste handling

Planning procedure

Before detailed designs can be done, 

certain factors must be quantified and 

certain decisions must be made. The 

following procedure can be of assistance 

with the planning of an intensive 

production system.

•  Determine the type of production 

system and the number of animals or 

groups involved.

•  Decide on the type of facilities to  

be incorporated in the production 

system with regard to the type of 

system, number of animals, climate, 

infrastructure and capital.

•  Calculate the size of each facility and 

make a scale sketch of each building 

and camp. If existing facilities will be 

used, make absolutely sure that it will 

suit the requirements and possible 

future expansion.

•  Identify possible sites. The choice of 

a site will be discussed, but important 

factors will include the total size, 

accessibility, future expansion and 

natural factors such as topography, 

gradient and wind directions. If 

existing buildings will be used, the 

choice of a site is therefore limited.

•  Sketch a preliminary lay-out for every 

possible site.

•  Discuss the lay-outs with the client 

and make a combined decision on the 

“best” choice, taking into consideration 

other factors, such as construction 

costs, availability of materials and 

effectiveness of the lay-out.

•  Begin with the detailed planning 

and design and consider the client’s 

specific requirements, preferences and 

reservations, as well as the available 

budget.

Flexibility of the final lay-out is very 

important and ensures effectiveness by 

making various activities possible at the 

same time.

The importance of client involvement 

cannot be over-emphasised. The system 

will be used by the client and the client 

must be satisfied with it. Expensive 

features, which are never used, are 

sometimes built into productions 

systems. This practice should be 

avoided.

(► p7)

ProAgri Zambia 25   

 

 

 

 

 

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Climatic requirements

Although sheep are well adapted to the 

climatic conditions in Southern Africa, 

it is important to realise that housing 

facilities can change these conditions 

dramatically. These changes can have 

a significant influence on the feed 

intake and the occurrence of disease. 

“Enterotoxaemia (pulpy kidney) usually 

occurs during a change in the season 

or grazing”.

The above hypothesis is a free 

translation from “Intensive fat lamb 

production in Natal”, Grobbelaar and 

Botha, and associates the occurrence 

of a disease to the change in season 

or environment. This association of 

environmental conditions to diseases 

is a common occurrence. Just think of 

all the causes allotted to the common 

cold.

The physiological processes 

responsible for the correlation between 

stress and disease are still not fully 

understood. It is, however, common 

knowledge that anxiety, as a result of a 

change in temperature or environment, 

can break down the resistance of a 

person or animal. In such a situation, 

the relevant person or animal is more 

susceptible to diseases. Keeping this 

hypothesis in mind, it can be accepted 

that cold and hot weather will in turn 

have an influence on the immunity 

system of a sheep.

The meteorological conditions or 

parameters with regard to animal 

diseases can, according to Kelly 

(1982), be divided into five groups:

Direct causes:

These include non-contagious diseases 

or conditions such as sunburn, heat 

exhaustion or freezing.

Pathogen survival:

It is common knowledge that the growth 

and reproduction of microbes are largely 

determined by meteorological conditions. 

Some researchers even claim that the 

weather or a combination of temperature, 

moisture and microbiological growth has 

the greatest influence on animal health.

Animal behavioural patterns:

The behaviour of animals change as 

the animals are exposed to lower or 

higher temperatures. When it is cold, 

sheep are inclined to huddle together 

in order to increase or retain body 

temperature. This huddling together 

causes environmental moisture, 

especially as this action restricts 

ventilation.

Diseases are easily transferred 

from one sheep to another in such an 

environment.

Feed intake:

At low temperatures, the feed intake of 

sheep increases involuntarily in order 

to maintain their body temperature. A 

limitation of rations during this period 

can decrease the resistance of the 

animal, which increases susceptibility 

for diseases.

•  Under warmer conditions, the 

feed intake decreases because 

the metabolism is slower, with the 

same effect as a limitation in the 

ration during low temperatures.

•  According to Boshoff (1983), only 

about 50% of the daily dry material 

intake is utilised for production. 

Stress as a result of temperature 

can be easily underestimated if this 

fact is not taken into consideration.

Immunity or resistance:

Experiments proved that temperature 

has a definite influence on the 

resistance of the animal against for 

example streptococci, staphylococci 

and pasteurelosis. The temperature 

comfort zone of sheep lies between 

5°C and 21°C. Therefore, it can be 

expected that productivity will be 

negatively influenced outside these 

perimeters. The choice of a site can 

have a great influence on temperature 

and temperature variations. Factors 

which influence temperature must 

therefore be carefully considered when 

a site is chosen.

Choice of a site and zoning

The choice of a suitable site is not 

only important from the perspective 

of the sheep unit or the specific needs 

of the sheep. It is also important that 

a site is chosen in such a way that it 

complements the entire farm lay-out 

Climate is key in the productivity of your animals

Next month we shall look at

the factors that may influence 

the choice of a site, design

norms and space requirements,

ventilation requirements and

waste handling.

Published with acknowledgement

to the ARC Institute for 

Agricultural Engineering for 

the use of their Sheep Facilities 

Manual. Visit www.arc.agric.za

for more information.

and takes other operational activities 

into account.

Will the location of the site 

benefit the sheep as well as you?

Quality Fertilizer Urea 

& D-Compound

Neria’s Investments Limited

Agro Commodity Traders