ProAgri Zambia 036

ProAgri technology for the farmer

Z a m b i a No 36

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Dairy Board pursues effective milk logistics Trust HLB with your admin

Take care of fungus:

AZOKING and AZONIL

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Cover

Letter from the Editor

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s Africans, not all of us are lucky enough to farm close to the equator where rainwater is in abundance. The further we move away from the centre line of the earth, the bigger the risks and the tougher it becomes to plan our farming operations ahead, since rainfall can stay away for inconvenient long periods; not to mention the heat waves, droughts and other extreme weather patterns. 90% of African farmers rely solely on rainfall to irrigate their crops.

Luckily for African farmers, a few organisations came together in 2013 to launch the WEMA (Water Efficient Maize for Africa) project. A few countries around Zambia, like Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Uganda and Tanzania, bought into project. Organisations like the AATF (African Agricultural Technology Foundation), Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The Howard G Buffet Foundation, USAID (US Agency for International Development), ARC (Agricultural Research Council in South Africa), CIMMYT (International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre) and Monsanto combined their resources to develop an amazing maize hybrid. This product is royalty-free and is distributed at a low cost to the farmers in Sub Sahara Africa.

The Drought TEGO™ hybrid was launched during the 2014/2015 planting season. It is drought-tolerant in

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the sense that it uses rainwater more efficiently, can last longer between rain bursts and is more resistant to pests and low nitrogen levels in the soil.

Another positive spin-off is the bigger cobs which mean more tonnage per hectare and more bang for your buck.

The breeders used both conventional and biotechnology to develop the seed and more than 90 conventional DroughtTEGO™ varieties have been approved for commercial release in the participating countries. DroughtTEGO™ hybrids have proven to offer 20 to 35 percent more grain under moderate drought conditions compared to other traditionally planted seeds.

We should rethink biotechnology.

The weather keeps on changing and we have to put our scientific abilities to the test to survive as a human species.

The end of the year is upon us, but your ProAgri edition for this month is packed with holiday reading material.

We share important points to heed when you buy a second-hand tractor and Novatek, Bonnox and Dairy Board are once again showing how they improve the livestock industry.

Farm smartly!

Du Preez de Villiers dupreez@proagri.co.za

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Experts prefer Bonnox as their first line of defence

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Sheep farming made easy: Part 12: Dipping

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Novatek: Principles of crocodile feeding

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Aquaponics 6: Get the little things right

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Seed and fertiliser ensure milk production

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Guidelines for buying a used tractor

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Make more from your crops: Processing of oil seeds: Part 12

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Spray to protect your crops: Part 12

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HLB takes the toil out of business

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Farmers Africa choose the products they offer to farmers very carefully.

Azoking and Azonil are two of their fungicides which will dramatically drop the risks involved in crop production. Have a look at their products on page 41.

ProAgri technology for the farmer

Z a m b i a

Office no. 3 Fens Investment Building Lusaka Show Grounds +26 (0)96-216-9801 www.proagri.co.za Copyright © 2018. All rights reserved. No material, text or photographs 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.

ProAgri Zambia Editor Du Preez de Villiers > +27 82-598-7329 dupreez@proagri.co.za General Manager and Distribution Zambia Quintus Grobler > +26-(0)96-216-9801 (WA only) South Africa + 27-078-978-6339 quintus@proagri.co.za Reporters Annemarie Bremner > +27 82-320-3642 annemarie@proagri.co.za Benine Ackermann > +27 73-105-6938 benine@proagri.co.za Senior Production Manager: Zainab Pandor > +26 (0)97-769-9786 zainab@proagri.co.za Marketing Manager Diane Do Nascimento > +27 82-555-6866 diane@proagri.co.za Marketing Xander Pieterse > +27 79-524-0934 xander@proagri.co.za Tiny Smith > +27 79-531-0024 tiny@proagri.co.za Anelda Strauss > +27 76-687-4419 anelda@proagri.co.za Gerhard Potgieter > +27 74-694-4422 gerhard@proagri.co.za Design Christiaan Joubert > christiaan@proagri.co.za Enquiries Engela Botha > +27 12-803-0782 engela@proagri.co.za Accounts Ronel Schluter > +27 12-803-0782 accounts@proagri.co.za Business Manager George Grobler

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With us you score between the posts!

HINGEJOINT®

RINGLOK®

Bonnox wishes all their customers a Merry Christmas and a wonderful 2019

Bonnox will be closing from 12th December and reopen on 9th January 2019. zane@bonnox.co.za • gerda@bonnox.co.za • linda@bonnox.co.za 2

www.bonnox.co.za • 012 666 8717

ProAgri Zambia 36

Experts prefer Bonnox as their first line of defence

by Du Preez de Villiers

A Bonnox fence for a game farm and holiday resort immediately gives the undertaking a professional appearance. It keeps the game in and unwanted visitors out.

East of Nelspruit, directly next to the N4 highway, is this huge rock with the name of the game lodge in big white letters on top – Mabalel. The rock is a well-known landmark and for many years the resort has been a popular venue where Lowvelders relax. Recently, the farm was turned into a game and holiday resort by introducing golden and blue Wildebeest, blesbok, impala, black impala, nyala, zebra and ostriches. Billy Botha is the proud manager and he recently had the whole farm fenced with Bonnox game fence.

G

ame poaching is an enormous problem in the Lowveld, South-Africa.

A large portion of a game farmer’s security expenditure goes towards his first line of defence – the fence around his farm.

The well-known Mabalel game lodge east of Nelspruit, next to the N4 highway, has had to deal with its quota of game poaching. “The fence around our farm has been cut hundreds of times”, says Billy Botha. He and his father, Raymond, are the owners of the resort with Billy responsible for the day to day management.

They were forced to find a permanent solution for the problem of cut fences and poached game. Luckily, they know the fencing industry. “My father previously had his own wire and nails factory and a friend of mine is involved in his ProAgri Zambia 36

own fencing business, with another one in the construction industry. We previously had Bonnox on the farm and everybody agreed that we simply had to revert back to Bonnox as a permanent solution,” says Billy.

Raymond phoned the Bonnox factory in Sunderland Ridge, south west of Pretoria, for a quotation. He was given a much lower price compared to quotations received from local fencing undertakings. A lorry was sent to the factory in Centurion to collect the rolls of Bonnox fencing.

They started on the project three months ago with a contractor friend, who has had previous experience of fencing with Bonnox, and who quoted them a very reasonable price for the erection of the fence because “… it is a logical fencing solution to work with Bonnox…” The fence is 1,8 metres high and stretches 2,6 km long to enclose the whole farm resort.

Mabalel is the home of golden and blue wildebeest, blesbok, white blesbok, impala, black impala, zebra, nyala and ostriches.

Raymond and Billy decided to make absolutely sure that they would have an extra sturdy fence. Therefore, they drove in a Y-standard every five metres instead of the usual ten metres. Steel pipes were used for straining and corner posts. As a further safety measure to ensure undisturbed, restful nights, the Bonnox fence was fitted with electrified wires at the top and also at ground level.

“We are highly satisfied with the Bonnox products and service, and so far, we have had no problems. Recently we had a burglary but, funny enough, the perpetrators steered away from the Bonnox fence and cut through our main gate to gain entrance,” says Billy.

“Bonnox ensures peace of mind.”

The white blesbok, ostriches and zebras of the Mabalel lodge are safe and very content behind the Bonnox game fence which protects them against poachers.

Contact Bonnox on 012-666-8717 or 076-169-9068, or send an e-mail message to gerda@bonnox.co.za, or zane@bonnox.co.za or visit their website at www.bonnox.co.za.

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Sheep farming made easy Part 12: Handling systems – Dip facilities

Photo: 4quran.info

Z

ambia is a paradise for a wide variety of external parasites. Dipping your animals in this environment is crucial if you want to continue farming.

We thank the ARC - Agricultural Engineering in South Africa for making their manual on sheep production and facilities available to the readers of ProAgri Zambia.

Two different opinions exist regarding the placing of the dip facility relative to the rest of the facility. The first is that the dip should be placed in the normal handling route in order to utilise the habit-forming characteristic of the sheep. The second opinion is to place the dip facility outside the normal

handling route, because of the negative association the sheep can develop with the dip process and therefore can delay the handling tempo. This will of course only occur in a system where sheep are not handled often.

A distinction is made between walkin/walk-out dips and those dips where the handler places the sheep in the dip and it walks out by itself. The first type requires little energy from the handler and will be the automatic choice from a labour point of view. Figures 1 to 3 show typical dip facilities.

A further distinction is made between oblong, round, or spray-dips.

The choice of a type of dip is that of

Figure 1: Sideways slide-in dipping tank and longitudinal walk-in/walk-out dipping tank.

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the manager or handler.

Round dips are usually the type where the sheep has to be lowered into the dip. The round dip has the advantage that during dipping for mange – when they have to lie in the dip mixture for one whole minute – they can be forced to swim around in the tank for that specific time. A further advantage of the round dip is that the handler does not have to move over a long distance to control the sheep in the dip.

Longitudinal dipping tanks are usually the walk-in/walk-out type and have the advantages that the dipping process is usually completed quicker than with the round dip and that it is less labour intensive. Note that the top width of the dip is 500 mm for smaller breeds to 600 mm for larger breeds. Sheep must not be able to turn around in a dip.

Where the dip is placed alongside the normal handling route, the same reception pen used for the crush can be used. If the dip is placed away from the normal handling route, a reception pen must be placed in front of the dip.

A gathering pen in which the handler does not have to move more than two metres must be provided adjacent to the round lowering-in type dip. Spray-dips are not used for sheep on a large scale, because of the poor wetting of sheep, especially those with a long fleece.

A foot bath can also be incorporated into the facility to treat foot-related diseases.

Figure 4 shows the dimensions of such a foot bath. The foot bath must be at least 4 metres long, 500 mm wide and 300 mm deep.The first 600 mm of the rinsing bath can have a non-slip, but smooth, concrete surface. The rest of the foot bath and the treatment bath have a corrugated finish, in order to force the claws of the sheep open for

ProAgri Zambia 36

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Figure 2: Longitudinal sheep dipping tank

Figure 3: Circular sheep dipping tank 6

ProAgri Zambia 36

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Figure 4: Typical foot bath more effective treatment, for example formalin treatment.

Dripping pens At least two dripping pens are placed at the exit of the dip where sheep stand for about 10 minutes so that excess water can drip off and run back into the dip. A surface of 0,5 m²/sheep must be provided for dripping pens.

The floor of the dripping pen is usually of concrete with a coarse finish to prevent sheep from slipping and falling. The floor has a slope of 1:30 in the direction of the dip so that dripping water can be drained back into the dip.

The influence of sheep behaviour on the design of handling facilities Important objectives in the design of facilities such as shearing sheds and handling facilities must include comfort and simplicity for the handler. These objectives cannot be met completely without taking sheep’s behavioural characteristics into consideration.

Like all other animals, sheep will resist movement if it is uncomfortable, or if they sense danger. These danger impulses hamper and delay handling, which is detrimental to the effectiveness of the system.

Handling is negatively influenced by the following (also see figure 5):

• • Noise, for example machinery in the workroom, tractors, barking dogs, et cetera.

• Obstruction of the sheep’s view.

• Other activities which distract the sheep’s attention.

• “Danger”, for example a handler standing at the end of the crush or dark shadows in the alley.

By considering the following, designs may possibly be improved: • Sheep would rather move along the contour than on a grade or off-grade.

Where the terrain has a gradient of more than 3%, crushes must, where possible, be placed on the contour. If this is not possible, try to keep the largest portion of the movement upwards.

• Movement is better when sheep are moved away from buildings in the direction of the veld than vice versa.

Activities must therefore rather take place in a direction away from buildings.

• Try to have the direction of movement in a crush from south to north. Although it does not influence the movement of sheep directly, it does however simplify the task of the handler, because his back now faces the sun.

• Hudson and Hitchcock (1978) proved that sheep move faster in long, straight alleys than around bends.

What is, however, important here, is that the sheep will have a clear,

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unobstructed view of the exit. When sheep move in single file, there is not much difference between the round or straight crush.

The round crush has the advantage that, although the sheep can see the handler, they do not move directly towards him.

Sheep get used to and learn a path very easily. In order to utilise this characteristic, try to let the sheep always follow the same route through the handling complex, independent from the activity.

Sheep will move slower or will even stand still when they pass another group of still-standing sheep. It will therefore be beneficial to close the sides of the alley. In the case of a semi-round alley it is not always desirable to close the sides, because the sheep’s view to the exit is then limited and a feeling of a dead-end is created.

Sheep are very sensitive to shadows, especially if the shadow moves, because they see it as a threat.

An experiment with nine different groups of sheep showed that eight of the nine groups chose an alternative route rather than move over the shadow. When sheep must enter a building, resistance against this movement can be expected.

Covering material of the crush must preferably not be made of corrugated iron due to the potential noise that it may make when it is for instance kicked by a sheep.

Next month we shall look at typical lay-out of handling complexes. Published with acknowledgement to the ARC - Agricultural Engineering for the use of their Sheep Facilities Manual.

Visit www.arc.agric.za for more information.

NoseRing

• Wean with ease • No stress • Next to the mother

Whole Concepts cc PO Box 1806, Vryburg,8600, South Africa

Figure 5: Factors which hinder the handling of sheep ProAgri Zambia 36

Tel: +27 (0)53 927 4999 Cell: +27 (0)82 459 9451 E-mail: judy@nosering.co.za www.nosering.co.za

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Principles of Crocodile Feeding

by MarnĂŠ Meyer

Photo: Christiaan Joubert

T

he crocodile industry moved from home mixing of feed to commercially manufactured feed in the recent past.

Manufactured feed holds many benefits for the farmer including consistent feed quality, lower feed costs as well as reduced transport costs.

There has been little research done on crocodile feeding, thus alligator research was used as a reference to set up specifications for crocodile feed. In the past few years, crocodile farmers have seen an increased incidence of double scale (DS) on the farm. There are many theories about this disease and what causes it, but the common belief is that there is a multitude of factors that play a role. At Novatek Animal Feeds we have formulated a range of extruded crocodile feeds that reduces the occurrence of DS through balanced feeding.

As with any species, feed has to supply the animal with adequate nutrients

to support maintenance, growth and reproduction. This is achieved by supplying a well-balanced diet with the correct levels of nutrients such as energy, protein, lipids, vitamins and minerals.

Since farming with crocodiles is a business, it is important that the feed allows the animals to grow as efficiently as possible to ensure maximum profitability for the farmer. To achieve this, the feed must support fast growth without jeopardising skin quality.

Amount and frequency of feeding Feeding regimes differ greatly between farms, some farms feed every second day while others believe in feeding small amounts regularly. Research has shown that a crocodile will consume the same amount of feed irrespective of the feeding schedule. Thus, if they are fed every second day, they will consume large amounts of feed at once compared to crocodiles being fed on a daily basis.

Let’s look into the important aspects of the feed in more detail: Carbohydrates Carbohydrates serve as a source of energy in feed. The most commonly used source of carbohydrates in the African animal feed industry is maize. Previously it was believed that crocodiles are not able to utilise maize, but research has proven that glucose is absorbed completely by crocodiles. When maize is extruded (heat treated) the utilisation of maize is increased and the nutrient content is enhanced, thus making it an available source of energy to the crocodile.

It has many other benefits in feed such as reduced cost, since it is the least expensive energy source available. Maize also has many binding properties, which makes it easy to pelletise the feed. This will enable the crocodiles to consume it easily and also reduces nutrient loss when the pellet is dragged into the water by the crocodile.

Lipids Lipids or fat is a source of energy and fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) to animals. Research has shown that crocodiles perform well on low fat diets since the quality or composition of the fat is more important than the quantity of fat in the diet.

Protein Protein plays an important role in maintenance, growth and reproduction.

Young animals such as hatchlings require

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a high amount of well-balanced protein to ensure maximum and efficient growth. The correct ratio of amino acids, which are defined as the building blocks of protein, is essential to ensure proper skeletal growth. As an animal ages, the amount of protein required reduces as the focus shifts from muscle and skeletal development to energy required for maintenance and reproduction. The Novatek Crocodile feed range focusses strongly on this concept by starting with a high protein (65%) post hatch feed. The range consists of seven feeds that can be fed from post-hatch up until finisher. The range allows a gradual decline in protein levels to ensure young crocodiles achieve optimal growth, while older crocodiles do not waste unnecessary nutrients that are not utilised.

The common belief in the crocodile industry is that crocodiles are not able to utilise plant proteins, but research has proven this to be incorrect. Crocodiles are able to utilise 40% of their protein from plant protein sources when a diet is well balanced and good husbandry practices are followed on a farm. When soya beans are heat treated by extrusion, the anti-nutritional factors are destroyed, making it a usable protein source for animal species such as crocodiles. Older crocodiles have a greater ability to utilise plant-based protein than young crocodiles, thus hatchling diets contain mostly animal protein sources whereas mature crocodiles are able to utilise soya efficiently as a protein source.

ProAgri Zambia 36

As with lipids, the composition of the protein is very important. The amino acid balance must be correct to ensure that the crocodile is able to utilise the protein without having high levels of undigested protein in the lower gut.

Novatek Crocodile Feeds The Novatek Crocodile feed range supplies a high protein feed to crocodiles.

This range has proven to produce long, lean crocodiles with fast and efficient

growth. Their feed also reduces the incidence of DS by supplying a well-balanced diet to the crocodile, thus ensuring good skin quality.

You can contact Wiehan Visagie at wiehanv@novatek.co.zm or MarnĂŠ Meyer at nutritionist@novatek.co.zm for any information on feeding and feeds.

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Aquaponics 6 Get the little things right

by Annemarie Bremner

Photo: Kleinskuur Aquaponics

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n this last part of the series on aquaponics we focus on the little things that can become big things if not attended to.

Very often new aquaponic farmers setting out to conquer the world have spent so much time, energy and research on sourcing material and building their systems that they forget they still have to farm once everything is up and running.

An aquaponic system is a production method; nothing less, nothing more. It will not do the farming bit for you. You still need to do everything any other farmer is supposed to do, with the difference being that you can expect much better yields from an aquaponic system compared to planting in soil or even hydroponics. Remember you have fish to sell.

Caring for your tilapia Fish are generally happy if they have clean, aerated water of the right temperature, and enough good food. These are the basics you need to get right to be a successful fish farmer.

Clean water: Borehole water is usually the best source of water to use in a system, but before you start any farming enterprise on any piece of land, have your water tested! Make sure that it is not too brackish or contain pollutants.

Tilapia are quite tough, more so than other species, but your purpose is to make things as easy as possible for them to let them grow as quickly as possible so that you can make money from selling them. The cleaner the 10

water, the faster they will grow. It also means that you need enough plants in the system to clean the water before it flows back to the fish.

Aeration or oxygenation: If you keep a lot of fish in a small area, you need to add air into the water. A blower pushing air through some air stones should be adequate. The purpose of the air stones is to supply the air evenly and in smaller bubbles. A big bubble tends to float up to the surface and break into the air, adding very little oxygen to the water.

There are also farmers who add a little air pipe onto the main water inflow pipe which draws the air into the stream of water falling into the dam. It can work very well if your dams are not too densely populated – less than 30 fish per 1 000 litres.

If the inlet water breaks the surface

of the water, it will also add to the oxygen levels.

On the other extreme I have seen fish farms with seriously big oxygen tanks, adding pure oxygen to the water, which I am sure is very effective and also very expensive. I have never seen an oxygen tank in nature.

The fish in rivers and big dams seem to be doing okay without humans adding oxygen to the water.

In nature, the large surface areas of water and the fact that water moves over stones in rivers see to it that there is enough oxygen in the water.

Of course, the water is not as densely populated as in a commercial fish tank, which is why we need to add air.

If you notice that your tilapia are all swimming close to the surface, they are probably coming up for air. Check your air flow!

Water aeration system. Photo: aquaponicgardening.ning.com

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Temperature: In Zambia the water temperature is mostly suited to rearing tilapia without adding heat. If you are in an area where the water temperature drops below 16˚C in winter, you need to heat up the water, because your fish will not grow and may even die. The ideal is to keep the temperature above 23˚C at all times and if you can keep it at 28˚C, your fish will thrive, even through the winter.

If you have your own hatchery, it is particularly important to maintain a steady high temperature for the breeding pairs, eggs and young fish.

There are water heaters available, which should work well in smaller tanks, as in the hatchery, but it will devour electricity and add to your expenses.

Inline water heater. Photo: elecro. co.uk Some farmers use a furnace or wood burner to heat the water as it circulates, which works quite well if you have sufficient labour and wood.

Circulating water through black pipes to catch the heat of the sun will work during the day, but the process may be reversed at night, cooling down the water instead of heating it up.

less than heaters, saving you money in the long run.

If your fish are keeping to the bottom of the tank and do not eat, check the water temperature. It is probably too low.

Enough good food: In last month’s article we explained how to work out the ratio between fish feed and the number of plants you can have in your system. A tilapia needs to eat 1% of its own weight every day. Small fish obviously eat less than big fish, so if you have mixed sizes in one tank you need to get an average weight. Weigh ten fish of the different sizes and get the average. But remember that small fish need small flakes and bigger fish need bigger pellets.

The best way to determine what type of feed, size of pellets and amount of feed your fish need, is to ask for advice at one of the excellent fish feed manufacturers in the country. You will find their advertisements in ProAgri Zambia. They have all the formulas at hand.

At Kleinskuur we supplement the fish feed with duckweed, but be warned, once you get duckweed into your system, it will stay and multiply, also using nutrients.

Remember that the nutrients your plants need start with your fish feed.

Get the best fish feed possible. It will be your largest operational cost, but the income from the fish should already make up for it.

Caring for your plants Plants basically need the same things your fish do, namely clean, aerated water of the right temperature, and enough good food. That is why the fish and plants work so well together.

Clean water: Plants also thrive in clean water. Many people have this idea that you keep the fish and the plants in the same dam and then everything happens by itself. Although we emulate nature, an aquaponic system

is a man-made production system and we need to control certain aspects.

One of them is “cleaning” the water coming from the fish. This means taking the solid fish waste and uneaten food out of the system. By leaving it in you will create pockets of anaerobic bacterial growth and clog up the pipes and pump. Solids should be mineralised by adding a compost activator (a concentration of good bacteria) and lots of air, after which the mineral rich water can go back into the system.

The other part of cleaning is filtering the water through the bacteria system which converts the ammonia the fish breathe out into nitrites and then nitrates – your plant food! This is called nitrification.

The water should circulate properly throughout the whole system to keep it clean for the plants as well. If you have stagnant areas it will encourage anaerobic bacteria reversing the nitrification process.

Aerated water: The plant roots also need air to grow, whether they are in the soil or in water. You can use the same blower in your fish system (if it is big enough) to add air to your deepwater culture plant section with the help of air stones or air lines.

There are people who believe that splashing water from a height breaking the surface will add enough air. At Kleinskuur we have air lines with little holes running along the bottom of the water beds.

Temperature: Most plants are happy if the temperature around their root zones is 23˚C, even if the air temperature drops or increases. If you farm with cold water fish species, like trout, you may need to heat up the water for the plants. With tilapia you are safe both ways if you can keep the water at 23˚C. Enough good food: As explained above, the nutrients your plants need start with your fish feed. You want your fish to grow, breathe and poo; then

Black pipe heating spiral. Photo: pinterest.com If you know you are going to have a problem in winter, make sure your system design includes a covered and insulated area for the fish. If you can control the air temperature, you can decrease the dropping of water temperature at night. Just remember the water can also cool down in the plant section, so it may be necessary to adjust your water flow at night.

The Kleinskuur Aquaponics design includes a geothermal heating system with a heat pump, which is initially expensive and uses electricity, but a lot

Healthy cos and fancy lettuce in the Kleinskuur Aquaponics system.

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your plants should be fine.

Three elements you will need to add is iron, potassium and calcium, but don’t overdo it. In our system with 280 000 litres of water and around 18 000 plants we add 5 to 7 kg of each every week.

If you can have your water and leaves tested for nutrients, wonderful!

If you can’t, make sure you get a leaf chart on the internet showing you the symptoms of shortages. Also remember that the pH of the water should be around 6,5 for all the nutrients to be taken up optimally.

What about insects?

One of the questions we get asked most is about handling harmful insects.

You will get mean little buggers coming in to eat your plants. You cannot kill them with chemicals as your fish will die and so will your system.

If your plants are young, healthy and strong, insects should not be a big problem. Luckily the natural enemies of these mean little buggers are bigger, meaner buggers. Did you know that a lovely little ladybug grabs and holds her prey, bites its head off and sucks the juice out of the rest? And she can eat hundreds of these every day…

Praying mantis eating a grasshopper.

Photo: videoblocks.com

Photo: sites.google.com

A praying mantis is top of the range in killing little buggers, and dragon flies are some of our best friends. Their larvae live in the water devouring any wannabe mosquito. It is a jungle out there!

If you have a closed net house, you will be able to keep out most of the flying plant eating bugs and if they do become a pest you can really mail order in some ladybugs.

Fungus infections and powdery mildew are some of the things you need to look out for in high humidity places at times. Destroy the affected leaves or plants, make sure there is enough air around the leaves of the remaining 12

Dragonfly nymph eating a mosquito larva. Photo: gettyimages.com plants by thinning them out.

There are biological treatments available if you have a crisis, but make sure they have been tested on fish. It may not be harmful to humans, but can have an oily base clogging up the gills of the fish!

We once had to resort to the drastic measure of spraying lemon juice on our basil! It killed the aphids and added an interesting flavour to the basil.

The purpose is to produce healthy, good looking food, but if you find a worm on a spinach leaf, relax, it is a clear sign that it is safe for human consumption.

Should you wish to find out more about the economical side of aquaponics you can download an e-book called Aquanomics, building a thriving aquaponic business, cowritten by Kleinskuur Aquaponics and Hydrotower. Get the e-book at: www.amazon.com/AquanomicsBuilding-Thriving-AquaponicBusiness-ebook/dp/B07L36FN8P For more information on aquaponic systems visit www.ksba.co.za.

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E-mail: info@neriainvestments.com

www.neriainvestments.com

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Seed and fertiliser ensure milk production

by Rabecca Mwila

Chati Dairy Cooperative members receiving the inputs of pasture seed and fertiliser from DAZ.

T

he Dairy Association of Zambia (DAZ) has commenced the pasture seed and fertiliser distribution exercise in targeted dairy cooperatives covering four provinces.

Making the announcement in an interview recently, Executive Manager Jeremiah Kasalo said 30 dairy cooperatives from Southern, Lusaka, Central and Copperbelt provinces, all under the Digital Information Management System (DIMS) project, had been selected to pilot the demonstration project.

Mr Kasalo said the input distribution exercise was a scheduled activity under

the DIMS project supported by the Swedish embassy and was meant to encourage farmers to use pastures in their production in order to reduce the cost of buying animal feed concentrates.

“We have a pilot programme under the DIMS project involving input distribution, and the inputs include pasture seed and fertiliser for demonstration purposes,” he said.

He added that seed varieties distributed include Rhodes grass, Pennistum, Panicum, Kow Kandy and Bracharia, coupled with 4 bags of compound D fertiliser per cooperative.

DAZ staff distributing inputs to cooperatives in Lusaka.

ProAgri Zambia 36

“Once inputs are received, cooperatives will prepare one-hectare pieces of land as demo plots so that members can learn how to grow the pasture,” he said. He further said apart from input supply, DAZ was also equipping cooperatives with the necessary training to ensure successful germination and yields from the demonstration exercise as well as providing input supply linkages for the cooperatives.

He urged members of cooperatives to actively participate in the exercise to be able to replicate the activity on their individual farms, adding that milk production, yield and income for dairy farmers will improve.

Meanwhile, benefiting cooperatives have lauded DAZ for launching the input distribution exercise.

Chati Dairy Cooperative Chairperson, Silvia Mutale, said in an interview after her cooperative received the inputs that her members were excited knowing that their animals were going to have pasture throughout the year.

She appealed to DAZ to increase the number of dairy cooperatives to benefit from the project if the dairy industry in the country was to flourish.

Contact Miriam Mbazima of the Dairy Association of Zambia at 097-760-0458 or miriambazima@ airtelzm.blackberry.com for more information.

15

SUMMERPHOS P9 trace mineral supplement for ruminants objective

feeding recommendations

The objective is to increase cow/ewe weight, reproductive performance and calf/lamb performance by supplementing 12 g of phosphorus / cow / day and 1,5 g of phosphorus / sheep / day.

The result will be a better condition score on animals entering the dry season which will result in lower cost of overwintering; higher rate of re-conception in the following season; and better weaning weights.

Feed ad lib. as soon as sustainable green summerveld is available and animals are in a positive weight balance. Do not feed if persistent rain falls – rather allow animals to increase daily intakes on sunshine days and aim for the following average expected intakes over time:

expected feed intakes (g / animal / day)

type of animal

min

max

Breeding cows Dry cows Calves Sheep

100 100 100 20

240 150 240 40

nutrient

quantity

unit

max / min

Moisture Crude Protein % Protein from NPN Urea Calcium Calcium Phosphorus Potassium Sulphur* Magnesium Manganese Copper Cobalt Iodine Zinc Selenium

120,0 165,0 90,4 52,0 90,0 180,0 90,0 7,0 2,0 25,0 1000,0 250,0 2,5 12,5 1000,0 3,33

g / kg g / kg g / kg g / kg g / kg g / kg g / kg g / kg g / kg g / kg g / kg mg / kg mg / kg mg / kg mg / kg mg / kg

Max Min Max Max Min Max Min Min Min Min -

*At minimum intake, the level of this mineral does not meet the minimum requirements for a mineral supplement for cattle as prescribed by Act 36 (1947)

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Guidelines for buying a used tractor

by R F Bartels And G J Stoltz

T

he escalating cost of purchasing new tractors forces many farmers to consider the purchase of used tractors. Many dangers need to be overcome to ensure that a tractor is purchased that can provide reliable and long-lasting service. The old adage “let the buyer beware” (caveat emptor), is as appropriate today as in the time of the Romans.

We thank ARC - Agricultural Engineering in South Africa for making this article available to the readers of ProAgri Zambia.

The onus rests on the buyer to determine the soundness of the purchase.

Before considering the purchase of a used tractor, determine your needs and budget, then study the prices of used tractors (the agricultural press and dealers can give you a good indication).

You need to know the type and size of the tractor that you require. It is important to establish beforehand the spare parts and service infrastructure available in your area for the particular tractor that you are considering.

Generally, with older models, the more popular the tractor, the easier it is to obtain spare parts.

Assess the seller Buy from a reputable farm machinery dealer or a trusted friend. The buyer must first assess the seller. The buyer has two options, namely: • Either buy from a reputable farm machinery dealer or a trusted friend, or • Trust your own judgement and buy from other farmers, auctions or other sources.

The first option is highly recommended for the inexperienced buyer. A dealer who prides himself on his reputation will offer a guarantee, as well as pre-sale and/or post-sale servicing.

Likewise, a friend will give a reliable account of the problems and history of the tractor.

Assess the tractor It is important to determine the tractor’s age, model and hours of use.

Ascertain whether the claimed hours of use of the tractor and the type of work the tractor has been doing relate to the visible wear. Is the tractor sufficiently reliable and affordable, considering the

expected costs of repairs and maintenance?

The following guidelines can be used to determine the reliability of the tractor: Overall visual impression: The overall looks of a tractor can give a good indication of how well the tractor has been cared for. Look out for: • Clues to overdue repair work; • Sloppy maintenance and repairs (for example rags, pieces of wire that indicate a poor attitude to maintenance); and • Signs of outdoor storage (for example perished rubber or plastic components, faded paintwork).

What does your gut feeling tell you when assessing the tractor on the outside?

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Lubricants: Take advantage of your sense of touch.

Lubricants, in particular, collect dirt and metal chips and retain them, making it easy to detect extreme neglect.

It is sometimes hard to determine if components have been properly lubricated. A build-up of grease in an area is not necessarily an indication that a joint or a bearing has adequate grease where it’s needed. Shiny, tacky, clean grease should be revealed when the greased fitting is removed. If the grease well looks dry or the grease is lumpy, the unit hasn’t been greased properly. If a component is loose and can be wiggled, excessive wear has occurred.

cap indicate that exhaust gases or oil may be leaking into the coolant system (a possible cause may be a head gasket or water jacket leak in the block).

Discoloured or flaking paint in the area of the cap indicates that the engine may have overheated (a possible cause can be coolant loss, a plugged thermostat or plugged radiator, collapsed hose, faulty water or major head gasket). Look inside the radiator for corrosion. Severe corrosion inside the radiator means the radiator may need to be replaced. Inspect the radiator for damaged fins and repairs. Stains along the fins usually indicate a leak. While the radiator is cool, squeeze the radiator hoses to see if they are brittle and cracked.

Oil: A healthy engine will have no water in its oil. In both diesel and petrol engines, creamy white droplets or accumulations near the top of the dipstick indicate a water-oil emulsion. Water could have come from a leaky coolant system, outdoor storage or vapour from combustion of fuel accumulating in the oil sump. Valve guide or piston ring wear can lead to large amounts of blow-by vapours showing up as water in the oil sump.

Also, check the crankcase breather tube outlet for caked oil or an obvious flow of exhaust gases, which signal that piston rings may be worn.

If time permits, take hydraulic oil and engine oil samples by tapping off

Brakes and clutches: Depress the left and right brakes independently. If the movement is not similar, the brakes may need some attention. With the engine running at a high idle, both brakes locked together and the transmission in a mid-range gear, gently feather-out the clutch while depressing the brakes. This will check the clutch, the brakes and the responsiveness of the engine governor.

The governor should smoothly increase engine speed as the engine struggles to move the machine forward.

You should be able to stall, or nearly stall, the engine with the brakes. Is the clutch engagement smooth and positive, or does it seem to slip? Slippage indicates that adjustment or repair may be necessary. Does the machine pull left or right (a possible cause can be poorly adjusted or faulty brakes)?

On mechanical clutches which are not hydraulically assisted, sometimes a pending clutch problem can be detected by manually disengaging the clutch pedal. With the brakes set, transmission in neutral and the engine running, slowly depress the clutch to feel for smooth movement in the linkage. Once the pedal is down, listen and feel for a noise from clutch release bearing. If you feel vibrations or if the clutch pedal movement is rough, there’s a good chance the clutch needs to be overhauled. Although the release bearing replacement appears simple, it often entails splitting the tractor.

Once you’ve gone that far, it’s best to

Water in the tractor oil is a big no-no. Photo: youtube.com

What does the grease look like?

Photo: uncityslicker.com Seals and bearings: A simple way to see if wheel bearings are improperly seated or worn, is to bump the tire with your knee. Even the slightest clunk indicates a possible problem. On engines, a bad front or rear main bearing oil seal can cause a loss of oil and indicates the age of the machine. Look for oil spots on the ground near the machinery, then look underneath the engine, both in front and the rear of the oil pan. If you see scattered fresh oil, the seals are probably worn out. If the seals are bad, the crankshaft bearings may also be worn, because they too have been in the engine since it was new. The installation of new seals and bearings can be expensive.

Coolant: While the engine is cold, inspect the radiator filling area of a water-cooled tractor. Creamy white deposits on the 18

the bottom reservoir. It’s messy, but it allows you to look for water, which will exit first. A few drops of water can be tolerated and is no cause for alarm.

Thick, gooey sludge is an indicator of poor maintenance. If metal chips are present or the oil has a silver-grey sheen, move on to the next machine for sale.

replace the clutch disc, the pressure plate, etc. In short, it could cost you more than the tractor is worth.

Engine and battery: Test whether the engine starts easily to determine the power output of the battery. Allow the engine to idle and listen for any lashing or rumbling

ProAgri Zambia 36

old and stained.

Hydraulic systems: Clean and covered hydraulic joints are a good sign. Open, dirty joints are often a sign that dirt or water has entered the system. Rusty locking pins indicate that the joints have been exposed to weather conditions.

To check the hydraulic system, hitch a heavy implement to the tractor. Look out for the following: • Use the hydraulic system to lift and lower the implement – it should be a smooth process.

• Lift the implement and shut off the engine. The implement should remain in position. If the implement starts to drop, it is an indication of a problem with the hydraulic system.

A tractor should carry on straight if you take your hands off the steering. noises. Make sure that the paint on the major gasket is the original coat. If the oil and dirt marks above the major gasket vary, it may mean that the cylinder head packing had recently been replaced. A new packing is, however, not an indication of any major problems

in the engine, but it is advisable to enquire from the seller why the head was removed. Some owners remove the heads, but unknowingly re-use the packing – be on the look-out for marks that show the head has been removed while the sides of the packing still look

Air filters: In dry air filtration systems, remove the filter element from the canister.

Look for a dusty spot along the flexible gasket where the element has been bent or improperly seated in the canister. This indicates that dust has found a path to bypass the filter to enter the engine and cause unnecessary wear.

Crumpled filter elements seal poorly at the gasket area and may be fractured, which may cause leaking where the pleats are glued to the end caps.

Dust unloader valves collect and

An implement raised by the lift should remain in the air if the tractor engine is switched off.

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store dirt which settles from dry air filter elements. If the rubber is dried, cracked or torn, a vacuum created by the engine can pull air and dust into the flow valve, bypassing the dirty flow path designed into the filtration system. Excessive dirt accumulates in the localised areas of the filter, causing restrictions and clogged elements.

Power steering: If the tractor has power steering, with the engine running, rock the steering wheel left and right. Front wheels should begin to move smoothly with relief valve squeal. Rough front wheel movement might indicate bent hydraulic cylinder rods, worn or seized knuckle joints due to lack of lubrication, or a low hydraulic fluid level. With manual steering, hand movement greater than a few inches left or right before front wheels react, may indicate a worn steering gear (backlash) or worn pivot points in the linkages. Restricted steering wheel movement may indicate bent or twisted linkages or control arms, or poorly lubricated or binding joints.

Exhaust smoke: Run the engine and examine the

exhaust smoke. At a constant engine speed, black smoke may mean improper fuel, a faulty fuel injection system, incorrect engine timing or, in the case of petrol engines, an improperly adjusted carburetor. White smoke at constant engine speed could be due to a low engine temperature because the tractor was not warmed up or has a faulty thermostat, incorrect engine timing or a coolant leak into the combustion chamber.

Even experts are fooled by exhaust systems. Generally, continuous black smoke in diesel engines is an injection pump/injector related problem. If the white smoke persists, allow the radiator to cool and remove the radiator cap. Then, while the engine is running again, check for gas bubbles which may indicate a coolant leak.

It is possible to buy a good used tractor. However, the onus rests on the buyer to ensure that the machine is in good order. Be aware of sales talk and don’t buy a tractor on the spur of the moment. It can cost you much more than you thought. Rather shop around until you find a tractor of quality.

Photo: youtube.com

Published with acknowledgement to the ARC - Agricultural Engineering for the use of their articles and manuals. Visit www.arc.agric.za for more information.

REFERENCES: Garthe, JW, Murphy, DJ & Water, WK. Used Farm Equipment.

Notheats Regional University 152 Riley-Robb Hall, Ithaca, New York 14835.

Hittersay, P. Used Tractor Trading.

Unpublished paper presented at the South African Society for Agricultural Mechanisation, 1995.

Black smoke can mean a lot of things.

Photo: youtube.com

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We’ll help you choose a generator set which will give you years of service, install it for you and ensure that you have all the service and support you need.

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ProAgri Zambia 36

To find out more, contact Interstate Generator Power Solutions Unit 2 35213 Alick Nkhata Avenue Kabulonga, Zambia www.fgwilsonafrica.com Tel: 00260 97 640 0409 email: vernonb@fgwilsonafrica.com

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Make more from your crops Processing of oil seeds Part 12: Sunflower and defatted sunflower meal

By Theresa Siebert, Petrus Britz, Pr Eng and Agrelek

Sunflower fields

S

unflower seeds are a rich source of oil, which has many applications in the food industry. The oil cake is a by-product that finds application in animal fodder. This month we introduce sunflower and the diverse processed products.

We thank the ARC - Agricultural Engineering in South Africa who made the information available to the readers of ProAgri Zambia.

Defatted sunflower meal Sunflower meal is good source of protein but has limited application as human food because of the chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid content which cause an unappetising dark-green discoloration of the products when the pH increases above a certain point.

Milled sunflower seeds have potential use in bread, pastries, cake and as a thickener in various products, but finds its main application in animal and bird feed as a protein supplement.

Harvesting and storage of sunflower seed The seed is harvested when the moisture content is approximately 10%.

To have seed available throughout the year, large quantities need to be stored. Proper storage is very important. Seeds may be spoiled as a result of the effects of mould, insect damage or overheating during stor-

age. This may lead to damage ranging from a moderate increase in free fatty acid content in the oil, to seeds that are thoroughly spoiled and unfit for processing.

The capital cost of proper storage may be substantial, but must be weighed against the overall investment costs. To make maximum use and profit from the capital invested in the processing machinery, processing needs to take place on a continuous basis and this is only possible with a steady supply of properly stored seeds.

Separation of sunflower seeds The harvested seeds are contaminated with foreign matter that needs to be removed. The foreign matter includes metals, sticks, straw, animal residues, dust and stones.

Sunflower seed. Photo: Alibaba.com The moisture content is the single most important factor for storing seeds. The moisture content must be below 10% throughout the entire storage period. If the seeds are harvested at moisture content above 10%, the seeds should first be dried, and this adds to the processing cost.

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Separation is performed using various apparatus and methods including: • magnets to remove ferrous metals; • metal detectors to detect nonferrous metals; • de-stoners or a series of sieves (rotary or table sieves): coarse screens remove larger objects while fine screens remove particles smaller than the seed; • disc separators remove unwanted foreign seeds as well as damaged, shrunken and broken sunflower seeds on the basis of their length; • aspirators remove light, air-borne particles.

Proper cleaning will not only increase the processing capacity and improve 25

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Rubber roll de-hullers are a pair of rolls equal in diameter, which turn in opposite directions at different speeds.

They must be replaced every 100 to 150 hours. The rough seeds are fed into the nip. The pressure exerted and the gap are adjustable to ensure best performance of the equipment. It is a highly effective method and more than 90% of the hull may be removed.

The disk sheller uses abrasion by a horizontal abrasive wheel covered with emery or carborundum, which rotates on a vertical axis below a stationary wheel, also with an abrasive surface.

Rough seeds are added through an opening in the centre of the stationary top wheel. Optimal hulling is achieved when the clearance between discs is slightly more than half the grain length. The hulls are utilised in animal feeds as roughage, or for the manufacture of chemicals, or as a substrate for yeast cells.

The cleaning process of sunflower is quite extensive. Photo: akyureltd.com

the oil cake quality, but will also reduce the maintenance of the processing equipment.

Cleaning of sunflower seeds Unwanted materials adhering to the separated seeds are removed by cleaning through a combination of scouring and aspiration.

Scouring Abrasive treatment to remove dirt/ soil and surface layers adhering to the surface of the seeds. The seed is moved within a chamber by rotors, to which beaters or pins are fixed, which rotate within a horizontal, cylindrical wire mesh. Seeds enter one end and are thrown against mesh. Cleaning is achieved by friction of seeds against each other or against mesh. Dust and fine particles pass through the mesh screen and are collected separately.

Aspiration Aspiration removes particles loosened by scouring which are not removed from the seed during the scouring process. An air current is blown either through or over the seeds to lift off particles lighter than the seeds.

De-hulling of sunflower seeds for processing De-hulling may be achieved in different ways. One method involves passing the seeds through a number of drumshaped chambers with revolving plates that impel the seed against the walls by centrifugal force. The hulls are loosened by the friction created, and separated by a combination of forced air and gravity.

Figure 1: Processing of defatted sunflower meal

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Steeping of sunflower seeds The seeds are steeped in a solution of 0,3 to 4% citric acid for 4 to 12 hours to soften them. Steeping is performed in a series of tanks through which the steep water is pumped. The moisture content of the kernels increases rapidly to between 35 and 40% and then more slowly to between 43 and 45%.

Size reduction of sunflower seeds (optional) The extraction efficiency is improved by reducing the particle size and/or increasing the surface to volume ratio.

The pieces should, however, not be too small to prevent contamination of the oil and complicated filtration/clarification. The seeds are reduced in size through crushing, breaking, grinding or flaking. The choice of the method depends on the oil content of the seeds, as well as the availability of equipment and the subsequent extraction method to be used. Typical equipment includes roller mills and flaking rolls.

A roller mill consists of a pair of aligned rollers rotating in opposite directions at different speeds. A fluted roller used to break seeds consists of flutes, which resemble italic V’s (one side shorter than the other). This process relies on the separation of the botanical tissue of the seed (endosperm from endocarp, test and embryo) and reduction of the endosperm into grits.

It involves both separation and size reduction. A thin curtain of seeds is fed into the nip (opening) between the rolls.

Flutes shear open the seed and the seeds are reduced to a coarse meal.

The broken seeds may be rolled or flattened with large heavy rollers (flaking rollers) if required. Rollers are hollow to allow for chilled water to pass through, removing any excess heat to keep the temperature between 40 and 46°C. The rollers are counter rotating with a surface temperature of between 27

40 and 48°C and a pressure of 40 tonnes can be exerted by the rollers.

Roller speed is 100 to 400 rpm and the capacity can vary from 100 to 400 kg/h. Sharpened steel knives mounted on adjustable holders are used to shave off the flakes that adhere to the roller surface. The thickness of the flakes can be between 0,25 and 0,45 mm.

Extraction of oil from sunflower seeds Oil is extracted from the seed by means of a pressing action or by the use of solvents or a combination of both. As a rule, solvent extraction only becomes cost-effective when the processing capacity exceeds 200 tonnes of fodder per day.

Pressing: Cold pressed oil is of superior quality. Mills or screw presses are used to break down the cell walls and set the oil free. The pressure is applied for 5 to 9 minutes. The oils are squeezed from the seeds by physical pressure using (1) a hydraulic press or (2) a screw press.

• The hydraulic press consists of a vertical perforated metal cylinder.

A pressure plate is lowered onto the material and the pressure is gradually increased. The liquid expelled flows through the perforations and is collected. The residual oil content in the pressed cake is approximately 3%.

• The screw press consists of a horizontal metal cylinder in which a stainless steel helical screw is present. The pitch of the screw flights decreases towards the discharge end of the cylinder, increasing the pressure as the product moves through the cylinder. The final section of the cylinder is perforated to allow the expelled liquid to be collected. The product is fed into the barrel at the wide end and is expelled without the oil at the other end. The pressure is approximately 300 atm. The cylinder may be water cooled to ensure that no damage occurs to the pressed oil as a result of heat developed during the movement of the product through the cylinder. The residual oil content in the press cake is approximately 3%.

Solvent extraction: The oil can also be extracted by dissolving the oil in a solvent. The oil is present in vacuoles in the cell walls of the seeds, and the cell walls must be softened for optimum recovery of the oil. Solvent extraction requires the seeds to be rolled between rollers to break cells and set the oil free. The solvent, usually hexane, is added at a ratio of 1:1 to 1:3. Extraction conditions vary, but typically times of 15 to 60 minutes and temperatures of 40 to 65°C are used. Two types of extractors 28

A hydraulic press is used to extract sunflower oil. Photo: doingoilmachine.com are used, either in combination with each other or in combination with one of the above pressing processes.

• The percolation extractor: The solvent is pumped over a bed of the seeds and the solvent percolates down, leaving the cylinder through perforated bottom of the cylinder.

• Immersion extractor: The crushed seeds move through a pool of solvent. The seeds are propelled by chain conveyer or a screw conveyor. The recovered solvent-oil mixture `Miscella’ is heated to recover the solvent for re-use during future extraction. The extracted seeds/flakes are called "spent flake" or "cake". The residual oil content in the cake is approximately 1%.

Drying of the defatted sunflower seed The defatted seeds are then dried until the moisture content is 4%. Steam tubes or louvre dryers are used. Single or multiple pass conveyor dryers can also be used. Particles are separated according to size by scalping, dusting and grading. Sieves are used, the most common being the plansifters which are flat, rectangular, framed sieves held within chests suspended on flexible canes in such a way that they can gyrate.

time flattening out the bran and germcontaining particles. The stock leaving each pair of rolls is sieved. The sieved product is separated into two fractions – the finer and purer fraction that moves on to the next pair of rollers while the coarser fraction pass through more rollers.

Milling of sunflower seeds Sunflower seeds are converted into meal with roller mills. These mills consist of numerous pairs of reduction rollers aligned in parallel and rotating in opposite directions at different speeds. 10 to 15 sets of reduction rollers are usually used. The crushing action of the rollers reduce the size of the endosperm, reducing some of them to the fineness of flour and at the same

Metal detection and inspection of sunflower meal The meal is then passed over magnets to remove ferrous metals and metal detectors to detect non-ferrous metals that may have been deposited by the processing equipment. The meal is also inspected to ensure that the products adhere to the minimum predetermined quality standards required for further processing and eventually end use.

Sunflower seeds are converted to meal in a roller mill. Photo: directindustry.com Particles are separated according to size by scalping, dusting and grading.

Sieves are used, the most common being the plansifters which are flat, rectangular, framed sieves suspended within chests on flexible canes in such a way that they can gyrate.

ProAgri Zambia 36

A metal detector with a magnet can be used to remove metal pieces from the sunflower meal. Photo: firstfoodmachinery.co.uk Packaging of sunflower meal Packaging is defined as the containment of a food product in a protective barrier that prepares goods for transport, distribution, storage, retailing and end use. The product must be packaged as soon as possible to prevent the absorption of moisture that can cause spoilage. The product requires packaging that protects it against moisture absorption and insect infestation.

Packed sunflower meal. Photo: polhillfarmshop.com Legislation The processor should be familiar with and adhere to the laws and regulations that are applicable to the products manufactured to ensure the safe and legal marketing of oilseed products.

ProAgri Zambia 36

Next month we shall take a closer look at sunflower meal.

Published with acknowledgement to the ARC - Agricultural Engineering for the use of their manuals. Visit www.arc.agric.za for more information.

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31

y r r e M stmas Chri

This festive season, we at ProAgri & Agri4All pause and take advantage of the opportunity to express our gratitude and appreciation to you for walking the road with us this year.

Wishing you a 2019 full of happiness and success.

All of us at Saro Group would like to extend our warmest wishes to you and your family for this festive season and the new year.

Thank you for your continued support and may our bonds continue to grow in 2019! www.sarozambia.com Calvin Salah: +26 021 138 7000 / +26 021 924 1477 / calvin.s@saroagri.co.zm

Quality Hor ticultural inputs and Ser vices Supplier of • Rijk Zwaan F1 vegetable seeds • Rivulis irrigation • Soil analysis and fertilizer advice

Bwinjimfumu road 10B, Rhodes Park Lusaka Phone: +260 96 84-061-18 / +260 97 85-133-96 Facebook: @HollandGreentechZambia Twitter: @HollandGreentec Website: www.hollandgreentech.com

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Spray to protect your crops Part 12: Safety: Read the warning labels on packaging

ProAgri Zambia 36

Compiled by J Fuls (Pr Eng)

33

PLANT CATALYST

®

A nutrient absorption enhancer.

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T

he chemicals used in agriculture are intended to kill things. Some are made to kill plants and others to kill insects and other pests. Some chemicals can even kill humans and animals.

This means that we are working with poisons and we need to know how to use and handle these dangerous agricultural inputs.

This month we look at the different warning labels on chemical packaging.

We thank the ARC - Agricultural Engineering in South Africa, who made this article available to the readers of ProAgri Zambia.

It is important that we know everything about the chemicals before we open the can or bottle to use it.

The label Whenever you buy chemicals, make sure there is a label on the bottle or can. Often there is also an additional paper with information that should come with the chemicals. This label and paper convey very important information about the chemicals, and must not be lost. Store it in a safe place with the container. Always read the label and the paper, or ask someone to help you until you understand everything.

The coloured strip on the label

A red label means it is poisonous and “VERY TOXIC” means it can kill you.

A red label means it is poisonous and “TOXIC” means it can kill you.

A yellow label means it is dangerous and “HARMFUL” means it can make you very sick.

A blue label means it is also strong and “CAUTION” means it can hurt.

A green label means it is quite safe, but the picture says: “Keep away from children”.

Also read the paper which should be packed with the chemicals.

Each picture on the coloured strip also tells a story about how to protect yourself, as well as other safety information.

The label on the bottle has important information about the danger of the chemicals and how to handle it safely:

Pictures on the label The pictures on the label have the following meaning:

Wear protection over your nose and mouth.

A coloured strip on the label warns one about the danger of the chemicals. Find this strip and note its colour.

ProAgri Zambia 36

Wear gloves to protect your hands.

Wear a special mask.

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Wear a face mask.

Bad for wild animals and for birds.

Do not spray with an aeroplane.

Wear boots.

Bad for fish and other things living in water.

Wash hands after mixing and spraying.

Next month we shall look at the correct manner to handle chemicals.

Bad for livestock.

safetyandhealthmagazine.com

Published with acknowledgement to the ARC - Agricultural Engineering for the use of their manuals. Visit www.arc.agric.za for more information.

Bad for livestock and for poultry.

Bad for wild animals.

Bad for birds.

ProAgri Zambia 36

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Take care of fungus before it destroys your crops!

FA R MER S AF RICA ( Z AM BIA) LTD FACTORY OUTLET FOR VETENARY PRODUCTS & AGRICULTURAL INPUTS

PLOT No. 396A/67/D/1 Makeni, P.O. Box 34902, Lusaka - Zambia Cell: +260 966 500 096 / +260 966 500 032, E-mail: sales@farmersafrica.com / farmersafrica01@gmail.com

Fert Seed & Grain Ltd Making Zambia Green

“

Being full �me farmers is not easy. We pay close a�en�on to our inputs, because we’ve learnt the quality of what you put in, like seed, chemicals and Superfert fer�liser, determines the size of your bumper harvest. Ask any good farmer and they’ll tell you The Formula for Success.

”

Contact us: +260 977 416 459 +260 969 169 563

+260 977 845 877 +260 979 761 797

Gabriel.chipeta@fsgzambia.co.zm dmaimbo@me.com amin.edhi@fsgzambia.co.zm

The Farmer’s best Fer�liser. Our focus is on the manufacturing and distribu�on of fer�liser as well as commodi�es trading.

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Get subsidised finance from on Valley irrigation Stanbic Bank equipment from

Irritech.

Registered Commercial Bank 42

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HERBICIDES & FUNGICIDES

Introducing foliar fertiliser and plant booster

Afrizine, Afriquat, Afrisate

EGY FOL - Starter

INSECTICIDES

AfriAceta, AfriCyper, AfriLam, AfriFen

JETA PLUS - Fruits & flowers

VETERINARY PRODUCTS

AMINOX - Growth

Ivermectin, OXY-TET, Albendazole, Pro-Pen, Tick-Rid

MM POTASSIUM - Finisher

GRAIN PROTECTORS, UREA & D COMPOUND AND MANY MORE...

GIBROLEX - Hormone booster

AFRICAN AGROVET ZAMBIA LIMITED Leading importers & distributors of agro chemicals & veterinary products Member of Croplife Zambia

Plot no. 5131, Chandwe Musonda Road, Lusaka, Zambia - Contact us on: +260 974 439 747 / +260 972 904 505 Email: Jsodhi@africanagrovet.com / africanagrovet2017@gmail.com / sales@africanagrovet.com

Wherever you see our Supreme logo, it’s a promise of the freshest, healthiest birds around, offering you amazing value. Whether you plan to roast, grill, fry or boil your chicken, it will be a wholesome, healthy meal for the whole family.

NUTRI has evolved out of our understanding of our customers needs. We aim to provide the highest quality protein products for all markets.

Supreme Chicken Sales: +260 969 027 911 E-mail: rb�aba�oir@rossafrica.com

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Nutrifeeds Zambia Ltd Sales: +260 966 627 765 E-mail: nutrisaletech@rossafrica.com

: African Agrovet

�Ross �ambia is proud to u�lise the Ross gene�cs, which is ranked as the world’s number one broiler breeder brand with a product range that offers customers the solu�on for all requirements, first-class gene�cs and product performance. Ross is considered the breed of choice for the global poultry industry.”

Ross Breeders Zambia Ltd Sales: +26 0977 321 310 Email: rbzsales@rossafrica.com

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HLB takes the toil out of business

by Du Preez de Villiers

I

n order to attain success, business people should do what they do best.

They have to find and develop markets, network and negotiate lucrative deals.

Laborious administrative tasks are taking their focus off the target and that is where HLB comes into the picture to ease their burden by offering the accounting and financial reporting services that form the backbone of any operation.

HLB International is one of the twelve largest accounting firms in the world, but they believe that your business, no matter how big or small, should run as smoothly as a Fortune 500 company.

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HLB Zambia is part of their international footprint and they offer the same level of quality and control. They know that today’s economic conditions create the need for a trusted partner who can provide superior outsourced accounting services, that are guaranteed to be accurate, timely and cost-effective for small and medium sized businesses.

Financial reporting no longer needs to be tied to a costly in-house accounting department or bookkeeper. HLB will manage your needs with a staff of accredited financial professionals and certified public accountants (CPA’s).

HLB Zambia can deliver one or two

individual services, an entire function (for example tax, auditing, accounting or HR), or an end-to-end business process. HLB specialises in internal and external auditing, capital and finance sourcing, payroll outsourcing, work visa services for professionals, company secretarial and legal support services.

HLB transforms and manages existing services, or create and run completely new ones, and they can bring that service, or full solution, to you in a number of ways, adapted to your particular needs.

Having two offices in Zambia, one in Lusaka and one in Kitwe, HLB offers simple and direct access to their clients. Complementary services mean HLB offices can work together to meet all client needs. Above this, the HLB Zambia global approach supports clients wishing to expand outside their own territory, as well as those operating internationally.

HLB is your helping hand in your delicate administration process.

Call them today at +26 (0)95-5336060 or e-mail shuko@hlb.co.zm or lillian@hlb.co.zm or info@hlb.co.zm.

Visit their website at www.hlb-zambia.com.

ProAgri Zambia 36

DO YOU FARM PART-TIME? DO YOU EARN A MONTHLY SALARY OF K16 000 OR MORE? If you answered yes, then you can own a new John Deere tractor from as low as K4 100 per month.*

Finance built for you For more information, contact: Stanbic Vehicle and Asset Finance: Lamine Chibawe: +260 967 385 706, or AFGRI: Katuna Sinyangwe: +260 966 778 010 /+260 211 273 757/ 62 *Terms and conditions apply (available at www.deere.com/sub-saharan/en). Advertised deals are based on a 5042C tractor with a 20% deposit and monthly payments over five years. Subject to credit approval and the financing bank’s terms and conditions. John Deere Financial is supported by Stanbic Bank. Offer valid while stocks last.

www.deere.com/sub-saharan/en | africa@johndeere.com | Customer Care: 080 098 3821

BigDoor 23767

Follow us on

Facebook,

Twitter and

YouTube

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ProAgri Zambia 36

Tel: +260 211 253 070 Email: blessing@hydrocon.org Cell: +260 960 999 711 / +260 974 595 490

Zambia National Farmers Union House Showgrounds - Lusaka Zambia www.hydrocon.org

Panel Reservoir 1,22 m up to 98 m 3

Panel Reservoir 2,45 m with steel cover up to 615 m 3

Panel Reservoir 2,45 m with PVC cover

Solar borehole equipment and water reticulation

Fish ponds

Water and feed troughs

Drip irrigation kits

HDPE Lined dams

a UNITURTLE enterprise...

Cell: 0966 450 796/0955 815 852 Fax: 0211287528/0211 287611 E-mail: infolime@uniturtle.com

Chivuna, Mazabuka Tel: 03 233069

Lime Your Fields, Get Better Yields Plot 12913, Mumbwa Road Tel: 286057 / 286064 / 286258

Also available: Stock Feed lime & Stock Feed Grit

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Get better Yields: Using Turtle Agri-Lime!

FOR EACH TON OF FERTILISER, THE SOIL NEEDS ONE TON OF LIME

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AGRIBIKES ZAMBIA LIMITED TT TRAIL 150GY - cash / barter system *Exchange with cattle equivalent to the value of the motorcycle

FOR MORE DETAILS CONTACT US ON: Tel: 0211 289 322 Cell: +260 955/ 0977 583 699 / 0953 426 998 WhatsApp: +260 964 061 413 / 0965 583 699 E-mail: agribike@zamtel.zm / chandamweemba2013@yahoo.com / bandavg@yahoo.com Plot No. 8480 Lumumba Road (right opposite RTSA), Lusaka, Zambia

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