In late November, Ben Lecomte abandoned his attempt to swim across the Pacific Ocean.

The countryside of the Western Cape will be awakened again by end of this month when farmers start to prepare the soils for winter crops plantings as the 2019/20 production season approaches.

Today I didn’t have to stretch my head looking for a positive agricultural story to end the week with, as is sometimes the case.

The Western Cape is the leading producer of South Africa’s winter crops, which are wheat, barley and canola. It is also in this province where plantings typically begin at the end of April, while in other provinces it’s around midyear.

Canada is forecast to see reduced canola planted area and rising ending stocks in 2019-20 on expectations of continued turbulence in global oilseed trade, according to a May 21 Global Agricultural Information Network report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The local maize, soya bean, winter cereals, sunflower seed prices increased last week. The local peanut production for the season does not look good as the plantings could not take place optimally.

If there was ever a time where incentives could help reduce the spread of animal disease in South Africa, it is probably now. Since April 2019 there have been 14 reported outbreaks of African swine fever, all of the cases are in various areas of the North West, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, and the Free State.

The Western Cape, which is a major producer of South Africa’s winter crops – wheat, barley and canola – has had favourable rainfall over the past couple of months and the crop in the province is in good shape.

Soybean meal is an excellent protein source for many livestock species and it is currently the most common protein component in compound feed for pigs, poultry and dairy cattle.

 Fueled by blossoming demand for renewable diesel production, canola is seeing a surge in production and crush capacity across the world.

This past week, we received comprehensive data about South Africa's winter crop conditions for the first time since the devastating floods in the Western Cape in September.

South Africa's agricultural sector is currently in what some would consider a relatively quiet period before we start the busy period again in a few weeks.

Canola (Brassica napus) is an oilseed crop belonging to the Brassicaceae family, which also includes mustard, cabbage, and broccoli. It was developed in Canada in the 1970s through selective breeding of rapeseed to reduce levels of erucic acid and glucosinolates, compounds that made traditional rapeseed oil less suitable for human consumption. The name "canola" is derived from "Canadian oil, low acid," reflecting its origin and improved properties.