Measuring for irrigation efficiency

Reading Time: < 1 minute

The case study was aimed at finding opportunities for pasture-based farmers to use water more efficiently by the installation of water meters on centre pivots, which accurately measured how much was water is used for irrigation.

Trying to understand the stocking rate dilemma

Reading Time: 13 minutes

Every farmer should assess their system and see where they still have opportunities to improve. This will probably show them whether their stocking rate is too low, too high, or just right. The data in this case study would suggest that very few farms are in the just right category.

Earthworm on hand

How healthy are South African pasture-based dairy soils?

Reading Time: 7 minutes

We have a huge database of soil results from many pasture-based dairy farms throughout the coastal region of South Africa. I thought it might be interesting to have a look at some of the trends that can be seen from this database.

Arrows

How Trace & Save determines where a farm is on their sustainability journey

Reading Time: 4 minutes

We have recently implemented a new assessment which assigns each farm participating with Trace & Save a sustainability status. The purpose of this status is not necessary to categorise each farm and say whether they are good or not. It is rather to identify where the farm is on their sustainability journey.

Understanding evapotranspiration better

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Transpiration depends on evaporation, therefore factors affecting the rate of evaporation also affect the rate of transpiration.

Making a business case for sustainable dairy production

Reading Time: < 1 minute

The purpose of this business case is to investigate the association between the economic and environmental facets of sustainability related to milk production on dairy farms in South Africa.

Why does feed nutrition for dairy cows matter?

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Quality milk production depends on the nutrition given to the cow and it’s overall health. Careful attention has to be provided for diet formulation and feeding patterns to make sure that all cows get what they need.

Nedbank Webinar

Webinar – The financial benefit of a more sustainable approach to dairy production

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Join us for this exciting webinar on the 1st of September 2021.

Effective field management, herbicide usage and cover crops to suppress weeds.

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Weeds are a nuisance but through effective field management, herbicide usage, and cover crops they can be controlled.

feature image

Green lacewings

Reading Time: 3 minutes

What on earth is a green lacewing? This question might have been on many of the Trace & Save farmers’ minds in 2020 with the new biodiversity survey we’ve implemented. This article will answer the questions: what is a green lacewing and why is it relevant to a pasture-based dairy farm? We want to highlight green lacewings for the biocontrol species that they are, and even more importantly what their presence on a farm indicates – a healthy agro-ecosystem.