APR-MAY '21

Over the past two months we have faced a great many challenges and experienced the full spectrum of emotions due to the current economic situation Covid-19 has left us in. When we started working on this copy of the magazine two months ago, we were happy and optimistic, as always, about compiling the best compilation possible, but that joy soon turned to sadness as we heard and saw the struggles of our advertisers and farming community in South Africa. It's truly heart-breaking to see how large, established companies are barely making ends meet, and smaller, promising businesses are forced to close up shop. Fear set in as the enthusiasm and participation was just not happening and it seemed to us a very real possibility that we would not be able to print and distribute a magazine this cycle.

Then everything started to turn around shortly before we were scheduled to go to print. Our marketing team had an incredibly successful roadshow to the Free State and North West Province, and support was rolling in from all over the country. In a matter of two weeks, we not only managed to reach our advertising quota, but to our utter surprise and delight we had to increase our page count and print run.

We are extremely grateful and proud to be able to bring you the April | May 2021 edition of the AGRIFOODSA Magazine. We would like to thank every advertiser and reader for their continued support, and extend our best wishes to all who are affected by the pandemic.

Our cover featured advertiser for this edition, Joined Specialised Farming, is a company that supports growers, improve yields and better their crops by using biological principals and modern technology. With a world that is becoming less fond of chemicals and looking at more biological ways to look after and build soils, JSF has the perfect solution to improve soils, productivity, quality and quantity of cash crops, all while moving towards more sustainable farming. JSF believes that everything starts with one's soil and it should be the first priority on a long list of exercises to practice whilst farming. To find out more about their products and services, go to www.jsfsoilimprovement.co.za.

Be on the lookout for our AGRIFOODSA Newsletter and find as on all major social media networks for our digital magazine, informative articles, exciting competitions and more.