Biometric identification of animals will be used by Free State Agriculture to address livestock theft, through collaboration with ID-Scan. Free State Agriculture signed a memorandum of understanding with the chairman of the ID-Scan board, Bian Jooste, in Pretoria on 11…
Free State Agriculture welcomes the support pledged to the agricultural sector this week by President Trump. According to Francois Wilken, President of Free State Agriculture, the organisation is encouraged that the US government has heeded the pleas of South African…
The Department of Labour and Employment has announced a 4.4% increase in the national minimum wage for farm workers effective 1 March 2025. The adjustment increases the minimum wage from R27.58 to R28.79, a decision that reflects the complex economic…
“Free State farmers are extremely disappointed with the price increase approved by NERSA for ESKOM”, says Francois Wilken, president of Free State Agriculture (FSA). “Even though it’s not the total increase that ESKOM requested, it’s still four times more than…
After months of anticipation, the Expropriation Act has been signed into law by President Ramaphosa, but Free State Agriculture (FSA) believes that the law will not pass the constitutional test. The organisation points out that the law’s definition of “expropriation…
By: Francois Wilken, Farmer & President of Free State Agriculture Which came first? The chicken or the egg? Or in the case of agriculture, one might ask: The farmer or the value chain? There is a misconception that the farmer…
Farmers are facing the biggest survival crisis yet. Regardless of what economists and other scholars want to pretend, farmers are in trouble: financially, emotionally and spiritually. Farmers are price takers, on the input and output side and still pay the…
The Free State Agriculture Rural Safety Committee presented nine (9) safety and stock theft training workshops in various districts in the Free State from 4 September to 20 November 2024. The workshops were presented in collaboration with the Police’s Rural…
In the run-up to the festive season, it is essential for farmers to pay attention to their safety plan, as well as their involvement in a safety structure in their area. A survey by FSA conducted among farming communities in…