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Alpaca Farming – How to start?

                               
Alpaca farming has rapidly becoming one of the most successful and respected farming enterprises in the agriculture sector. Alpacas can provide healthy financial returns, a breeding challenge and a wonderful lifestyle. Alpacas offer an outstanding choice for livestock ownership. Alpacas have a charismatic manner, they do very well on small farms, and they produce a luxury product which is continually increasing in demand.
One of the many reasons why people love alpaca farming is because the camilids fiber are softer, warmer and lighter as compared to wool. Alpacas are also known to come in a wide range of colors which makes it so usable that dyeing is not needed for this product that has 22 shades of color to choose from. Also, alpaca farming in environmental friendly because alpacas do not have a significant impact on the landscape comparing to other animals. The alpacas only has 2 toes and they are very light on their feet.
When starting an alpaca farm, you will need to set up a section of land that will accommodate them. Depending on the farmer and the pack, an acre of land can accommodate from 10 – 15 alpacas comfortably if you are feeding hay and not expecting them to live off pasture. When they live off pastures, the number significantly decreases.
After the land is ready, you need to construct a barn that will act as a shelter for the alpacas. The barn will create a shelter that will keep them cool and away from direct sunlight, which can be uncomfortable for them. It will also keep them dry during the rain. They do not like getting wet, and it can ruin the fleece if it stays moist for a long period of time.
You also need to ensure that you have secured your land with the right fence. Alpacas behave like other animals, whereby they would walk out of the secluded zone if there is nothing to stop them. For that, you need to erect a fence around the land. The fence should be between 4 and a half feet tall. You can either use boards or woven wire, which should be no more than 4 inches apart.
Before starting your alpaca farm, you need to find a local veterinarian that have knowledge of alpacas. Ensure that the vet is close enough, for the sake of checkups, emergencies and other routine shots. When compared with other livestock, alpacas attract very few flies and have very little odor. They’ll typically establish between  two and four dung piles in their enclosure, taking up between 10% and 20% of their entire pasture area. This natural habit makes cleanup and parasite control very easy.

                

TO START AND RUN A SUCCESSFUL AND SUSTAINABLE ALPACA FARMING OPERATION YOU NEED TO START WITH A PROFESSIONAL AND CONVINCING FARMING BUSINESS PLAN – CALL US NOW FOR ASSISTANCE AT: ((27) 84 583 3143 OR EMAIL US AT: money@global.co.za

 

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TABLE GRAPES & RAISIN FARMING

                                                                

Table grapes are grapes intended for consumption while they are fresh, as opposed to grapes grown for wine production, juice production, or for drying into raisins. Table varieties usually have lower sugar content than wine grapes and are more flavorful when eaten. The Orange River; the valleys of the Hex, Berg and Olifants Rivers; and Limpopo province are the main producers of table grapes.

Planting Tips

Follow these easy tips for growing delicious grapes:-

Soil Preparation: Choose a sunny place for your grape plant to grow, where the soil drains well. Prepare a 60cm x 60cm hole. Mix some rich, compost into the topsoil removed from the hole and put this mix back into the hole. Compost also helps soil retain water.

Plant Correctly: Plant the root and stem of the vine about 400mm deep, leaving about 50mm of stem above the ground level. Cover the exposed stem with loose soil. New shoots will force their way through the mound of soil and do not need to be covered.

During the summer, allow it to grow unchecked. Remember to fertilize regularly but try to keep soil fertility at a moderate level – too much fertilizer will cause excessive vegetative growth, while too little will decrease the plant’s productivity.

Always mulch your plants – mulch conserves soil water and is Water Wise.

Pruning

  • In the first winter, choose the strongest branch of your plant and cut it back to two eyes.

  • Remove all other branches and when the two eyes send out new shoots, choose the most vigorous one and tie it to the support fence or pergola. Cut of the other shoot.

  • As the stronger shoot grows, tie it to the support fence and pinch off side shoots at every 25cm interval.

  • When the selected shoot reaches the desired height, cut it off at this height. The two side shoots which develop are now trained to grow horizontally outward on each side of the main stem.

Grapevines are not difficult to grow- they like gravel and stony soils, where the soil drains well. They do not respond well to over- or under watering. As they are woody climbing vines you will need to provide a strong support for your grape plant, such as a pergola or strong fence.

RAISIN PRODUCTION

25 years ago, a raisin was a raisin. All raisins were made from Thompson Seedless grapevines and all were tray dried in the field. Research and Development work has now given us more than six different seedless varieties of grapes that can be made into raisins and three different commercial techniques that can be used to provide raisins.

For the last 80 years, the vast majority of raisins have been made from Thompson Seedless grapevines, using a traditional drying process where field workers manually harvest clusters of mature grapes and lay them on paper trays, between the vine rows, to dry. This traditional approach to producing raisins is very labor intensive and research efforts began in the 1950s to develop mechanized raisin harvesting.

IF YOU NEED ANY HELP WITH YOUR GRAPE/RAISIN FARMING OPERATION or FARMING BUSINESS PLANS CONTACT US NOW FOR PROFESSIONAL HELP AT:      084 583 3143 or money@global.co.za

                                                                    

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SUCCESSFUL POTATO & ONION FARMING

                          

POTATOES

Potatoes are recognized as an important foodstuff worldwide and is seen as a key component in the worldwide fight against hunger and malnutrition and the creation of food security. Potatoes are packed with vitamin B3, B5, B6, C and fibre. They are ranked after rice, wheat and maize as the world’s 4th largest food crop.

Planting

Mid August to mid October (depending on the area) is the ideal time to plant sprouted potatoes in the open ground. Late varieties can be planted during December. Plant main crop potatoes about 35cm apart, in rows which are 75cm apart. Where you are planting more than one row, the rows should (ideally) run from North to South to allow each plant its full share of sun.

Growing

Frost damage is the first concern during the early stages. If shoots emerge above the soil level and frost threatens, draw a little soil from the bed edges over them. After the plants have grown to about 20cm, rake up some soil from in between the rows and cover the plants with it, leaving only a few cm of the top of the plant still showing. Repeat this exercise again in 2-3 weeks time.

During the growing season, ensure that the weeds are removed regularly. A month or so after planting, the dense foliage of the plant should then block out sufficient light to deter all but the most vigorous weeds.

Harvesting & Storage

Potatoes are ready for harvest when the foliage first starts to die and turn yellow. Early (new) potatoes can be lifted earlier to get the very tastiest potatoes. In this case, harvest them about a week after the potato plant flowers first appear. New potatoes only produce a couple of handfuls of potatoes per plant, so dig up the whole plant.

If you don’t need all the potatoes from a plant at one time or if you want a few early in the season, simply burrow around the roots with your hands and remove the potatoes you need. The remaining potatoes will continue to grow. Store potatoes in boxes or sacks, checking them every few days, removing all but those in good condition. Damaged or blemished potatoes should be eaten immediately. 

ONIONS

Onions are part of the Allium family which also includes garlic and shallots. They are grown world-wide and form an important part of many national diets. Onions have been cultivated since ancient times and are a commercially significant crop on all continents.

Although onions are essentially a cool season crop and in South Africa they are planted virtually all year round. In the Northern regions of the country sowing is normally from February to April. In the Central region from April to July and the Southern regions transplanted from July to October.

Soil Preparation

It is essential that soil is well-prepared for an onion crop. It should be loose to a depth of at least 75cm and if heavy rain is expected in the early stages of growth, raised beds will reduce the effect of any water-logging. Where seed is to be direct-sown a fine even seed bed is vital in order to produce an acceptable stand.

Irrigation

The soil profile should be wet to a depth of 50-60cm. The amount of water applied will vary according to soil type, irrigation system temperature and growth stage of the crop. Many growers now make use of monitoring systems in order to make the best use of available water. Dry-land production of onions is not recommended.

Harvesting & Marketing

Once the onions have fallen they are lifted and left to dry in windrows or heaps until cured. The curing process allows for development of scale leaf color and firming of the bulbs. The bulbs are then either cleaned by hand or machine and sized, sorted, graded, and packed. Most onions are marketed in 7 or 10kg bags through municipal or other markets. A medium size bulb is preferred but there is also demand for smaller and larger bulb sizes. The largest demand in South Africa is for yellow or brown onions but there is a small market for red and pink varieties.

Let us help you with a professional farming business plan and assistance. Call us at (27) 11 704 1248 or email money@global.co.za

                                                    

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