Roadrunner Chickens and Waning Disease Resistance

Jan 31, 2016
31 January 2016 Philemon Buruzi There is heightened interest in raising indigenous chickens in the country at the moment. As the indigenous birds are fast gaining commercial recognition and widespread consumer appreciation, there has been an upsurge in the number of players joining this very…

Broiler Production Viability in Zimbabwe: Production Efficiency Is Key

Jun 18, 2014
18 June 2014 By Philemon Buruzi The cost of raising a broiler is rising steadily as a consequence of the prices of inputs which have been on the upward trend in the last few years. In times like these most producers would have considered the easy way out, which is to adjust the selling price of…

Protecting Tomatoes From Frost

Jun 16, 2014
16 June 2014 By Gilbert Mhazo Winter is here and most farmers would not dare plant tomatoes because of fear of frost. However, there are some simple effective ways of protecting your tomato plants from frost. Bottles filled with water can be used to protect tomato plants even in the cold winter…
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Growing Quality Carrots

Jun 06, 2014
6 June 2014 Philemon Buruzi Local horticultural producers have always indicated that the lack of market access is the major threat to the viability of their businesses. It was widely touted that cheap imports were crowding out the local produce from the best markets. The agricultural authorities…

Selecting the Best Quality Layers at Point Of Lay

Jun 03, 2014
3 June 2014 Philemon Buruzi As the egg production sector in Zimbabwe continues to grow we have a considerable number of new players coming on board. Over 70% of the small scale egg producers we have today depend on hens raised by others which they procure at point of lay. Whilst this avenue is…

Sack Potatoes: What went wrong?

May 20, 2014
20 May 2014 Philemon Buruzi When the sack potato technology was introduced, almost every farmer was excited about it. Barely a year on a good number of the same farmers do not want to hear anything about this wonderful way of growing potatoes. This technology is said to be capable of giving a…
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Potato Diseases: A closer look at Early Blight

Apr 28, 2014
By Philemon Buruzi Of late there has been increased interest in the cultivation of potatoes in Zimbabwe. The advent of the sack potato technology has fanned the flame to levels never imagined before. This has seen a number of farmers trying their luck with this wonderful crop which apart from being…
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Gardening. Growing Green Beans

Apr 02, 2014
Philemon Buruzi A growing percentage of the population nowadays are health conscious and are so particular about what they eat given the role of nutrition in a number of disorders and its importance in ameliorating some disease conditions. This trend has in part sent the demand for such highly…
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Exploring Poor Growth Performance in Broilers

Mar 31, 2014
Philemon Buruzi There is always a time in the life of a broiler farmer when they come across a batch of birds that fails to perform to expectations. Most of the times when such a case comes up, the blame is put squarely on the shoulders of the hatchery which produced the chicks. It is quite often…

How to manage diarrhoea in Dairy Calves

Mar 28, 2014
Philemon Buruzi Calf scours have been a problem in the dairy industry since time immemorial. Of all the calves born annually 8-10 percent die before the weaning age. Research figures indicate that in Zimbabwe, 35-50 percent of all calf deaths are caused by scours and this is a heavy blow to the…
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Potato Diseases: A closer look at Late Blight

Mar 26, 2014
Philemon Buruzi Of late there has been increased interest in the cultivation of potatoes in Zimbabwe. The advent of the sack potato technology has fanned the flame to levels never imagined before. This has seen a number of farmers trying their luck with this wonderful crop which apart from being…
Lumpy skin disease

Lumpy Skin Disease

Mar 24, 2014
Philemon Buruzi In the recent past local media has been awash with reports of lumpy skin disease wreaking havoc in different parts of the country. The Chronicle of 29 January 2014 reported of deaths amounting to 50 head of cattle in Masvingo province whilst 617 were said to have contracted the…

Growing Oyster Mushrooms

Mar 10, 2014
Philemon Buruzi Despite the fact that oyster mushrooms are relatively new on the Zimbabwean food market, they are fast becoming a favourite of many customers countrywide. Oyster mushroom cultivation is the simplest and least cost when compared to other types of mushrooms. This is so because oyster…

Growing Quality Cabbages

Mar 09, 2014
Philemon Buruzi There is a common saying that usually does the rounds which goes like, “ Do you want to be a millionaire?, plant 1 million cabbages and sell them for a dollar each.” This statement is certainly premised on the belief that it is easy to grow cabbages. Well those who have grown…

Getting started on a new farming project

Mar 03, 2014
Philemon Buruzi The primary reason for one to set up a business of any kind is to realise profits. Careful planning, judicious and methodical execution of the plan always precedes the successful realisation of good returns for every dollar, time and effort invested in the business. The farming…

Curing Tobacco: A Look At What Can Go Wrong

Feb 19, 2014
Philemon Buruzi In an attempt to get the golden leaf onto the market now that the tobacco marketing season is upon us, most tobacco farmers are in frantic efforts to cure their tobacco and join the queue at the floors. Having come this far since the crop was planted last year, I found it handy to…
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Army worm: A threat to our food security

Feb 18, 2014
Philemon Buruzi Recent media reports of an armyworm outbreak in parts of Mashonaland Central and Midlands provinces made uneasy reading for most maize growers. Given the trail of destruction that the armyworm can leave one can only pray that the outbreak does not spread further. I found it timely…

Factors leading to Early Broiler Chick Mortality

Feb 18, 2014
Philemon Buruzi The profitability of any broiler enterprise is hinged on the number , quality and weight of the birds that make it to slaughter stage. A good number of small scale poultry farmers in Zimbabwe are not very particular about the quality of the meat produced or the weight as it is usual…

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