Gauteng Smallholder Gauteng Smallholder November 2011 | Page 9

NEWS
Brits smallholder wins Obaro stud bull
A
Bonsmara stud bull
worth R50 000 was
the prize in the third
Obaro Brits Carcass
Competition held last month.
It was won by emerging
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farmer Steven Mkhwanazi
who triumphed over 14 other
farmers.
According to Obaro,
Mkhwanazi's cattle stood out
as slaughter ready animals
during the On the Hoof as
well as during the On the
Hook assessment.
Mkhwanazi farms with
Bonsmara cattle on the
communal farm, Madinyana,
CLIMATE CHANGE
change. Some studies are
building into their plans in the suggesting that mean temper-
o
medium to long term.
atures will increase by 2 C
The problem, however, is that over the next few decades,
while there is consensus on
while others are predicting
o
the reality of climate change
increases of 4,5 to 5 C over
and that it will affect the
the same period. The
province of Gauteng (and all
divergence in viewpoint on
others as well), there is much temperatures comes about
less ~ in fact no ~ consensus because there is a divergence
on the magnitude of the
in viewpoint on how effective
international greenhouse gas
emission reduction targeting
will be. Thus, if strict emission
reduction targets are met
internationally, researchers
believe the lower mean
o
increase of 2 C is possible.
However, it's just about
anybody's guess whether strict
reduction targets will be met
and thus depending on how
big a pessimist (or realist) one
is, the higher temperature
level may seem more likely.
An average temperature
increase means that all
temperatures ~ day and night
time, and summer and winter
~ will increase. Thus, winters
and night times will become
warmer, meaning less frost
and freezing nights, while
summers days will become
hotter, meaning more days
that we would now class as
heatwave conditions.
While such temperatures may
have a beneficial effect on the
growing of certain crops, for
example sub-tropical species
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7
www.sasmallholder.co.za
along with 15 other farmers.
Soon after Mkhwanazi started
farming on Madinyana, he
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