UBISI MAIL ANNUAL REPORT2009

During 2009, Ubisi Mail achieved all of its goals, as set per its project outline to Milk SA. The magazine was produced in its normal A5 format, consisting of 52 pages, with various sections covering different aspects of mainly dairy farming.

The March edition was produced ahead of deadline and was posted to all of its subscribers on deadline. The content of the March edition entailed the following (per section):

  • Main feature: Types of milking parlours.
  • Ubisi News: News articles featuring the training days of the MPO Institute of Dairy Technology as well as other developments among developing farmers.
  • Technology: Articles and illustrated pages on the following subjects: Dry cow therapy, Proper behaviour in the processing industry, Castration of male dairy calves, Building a milking shed, Poultry diseases, Vegetable gardening.
  • Enrichment: An article on the terms found on milk containers (UHT, organic, full-cream, low-fat, etc.); An article and illustrated page on the role of dairy in childhood development; A recipe using milk to enhance the traditional dish of morogo and pap.

The June edition was also produced ahead of deadline and was posted to all of its subscribers on deadline. The June edition also included a reader research questionnaire. A television was donated by AgriBonus. The content of the June edition entailed the following (per section):

  • Main feature: Prepare your cow for the show.
  • Ubisi news: News articles featuring an article on Milk SA’s new offices, MPO training days, the MPO’s mentor programme and an agricultural project in the Eastern Cape.
  • Empowerment: Two articles on: Progress of the Coromandel Farmers’ Trust outside Lydenburg; and Seven rules for milking success.
  • Technology: Articles and illustrated pages on the following subjects: Condition scoring, Important principles in processing, Dehorning dairy calves, Building a milking shed, Steps to successful milking procedure, Vegetable gardening.
  • Enrichment: An article on the importance of dairy in the diet of sports people, and an article and illustrated page on the role of dairy in childhood development.

The September edition encouraged readers to complete the reader research forms which were distributed together with the June edition. The content of the September edition entailed the following:

  • Main feature: Feed supplements for dairy cows.
  • Ubisi news: News articles on the new minister and deputy minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, the Fort Hare Dairy Trust, bursaries for cheese-makers, dairy courses offered by the MPO’s Institute for Dairy Technology, the emerging milk producer of the year, etc.
  • Empowerment: An article on the Milk for Life initiative of one of the MPO’s mentors, Kotie Annandale.
  • Technology: Articles and illustrated pages on the following subjects: Three-day stiffsickness, bulk milk collection (Sampro), making silage, part two in the series on successful milking procedure, starting a pig farm, vegetable gardening.
  • Enrichment: Two articles: The first regarding “financial savvy” to help milk producers understand basic marketing principles and financial management; The second on zoonoses and its effect on both animals and humans.

The December edition was completed in October 2009 and announced the winner of the reader research competition, namely Izak Commins of Loredo Farm in the Western Cape. Izak won a television, courtesy of AgriBonus. The television was sent to him via post.

The content of the December edition entailed the following:

  • Main feature: Milk recording (importance of plus typical records form).
  • Ubisi news: News articles on dairy courses offered by the MPO’s Institute for Dairy Technology, the potato farmer of the year, a deciduous fruit project in the Western Cape, learner wine-makers heading for France.
  • Empowerment: An article on the Thuloane Trust and dairy producer, Mmatli Motaung, who was crowned as the Free State’s most improved emerging dairy farmer for 2009. Motaung also participates in milk recording.
  • Technology: Articles and illustrated pages on the following subjects: Working with a cow wheel, bulk milk collection (Sampro), sheep diseases, part three in the series on successful milking procedure, starting a pig farm, vegetable gardening.
  • Enrichment: Two articles: The first regarding the preparation of a budget, and the second regarding manure digesters and generating electricity from manure, with tips on how to lessen the dairy parlours electricity bill.

Other goals

  • In 2009 (until end October 2009), Ubisi Mail managed to expand its dedicated subscriber base by the addition of 2 540 names.
  • The Ubisi Mail print run was increased from 10 000 to 10 500.
  • Ubisi Mail was also able to expand its technical information base by including the first in series of articles by Sampro, regarding the processing environment.
  • Greater exposure has been given to Milk SA and their logo is now prominently displayed and recognised on the editorial page. This was maintained in all of the editions published in 2009.
  • Ubisi Mail managed to stay within budget and the funds allocated by Milk SA for each edition, were used to remunerate the sketch artist, to fund the printing and insertion of the reader research questionnaire, and the printing of the magazine.
  • The editor received 79 reader research forms from its readers and a winner was announced in the reader research competition.

Reader research

The Ubisi Mail reader research form posed nine questions. A total of 79 completed questionnaires from a possible 2 500 were received. The outcome is as follows

1.What is your age

Younger than 20=2

Between 20 and 30=14

Between 30 and 40=13

Between 40 and 50=20

Between 50 and 60=14

Older than 60=16

Result: The majority of producers that took part in the research (20 out of 79), are between the ages of 40 and 50, followed by the over-60 group.

2.What is your language of choice?

English=45

Afrikaans=11

Zulu=12

Sotho=10

Xhosa=15

Other=1

Result: The majority of readers (45 out of 79) prefer English, followed by Xhosa, Zulu, Afrikaans and Sotho.

3.Sex

Male=59

Female=16

Result: The majority of readers who completed the form (59 out of 79) were male. A total of 16 females responded, while 7 forms had no ticks in these areas.

4.Choose the section in Ubisi Mail that you enjoy reading the most.

News=33

Technical=31

Leisure=5

Empowerment=33

Enrichment=17

Results: Note that some respondents selected more than one section.

The sections enjoyed the most by readers, are the News and Empowerment sections, followed by the Technical section. The least read section is the Leisure (last) page.

5.Are you a:

Farm worker=30

Farm owner=36

Farm manager=9

Results: The majority of respondents are farm owners (36 out of 79) followed by the farm worker category on 30. Only nine respondents were farm managers. Six respondents did not select an option. It can be deducted from their addresses (mostly universities and agricultural campuses) that they are either educators, extension officers and instructors.

6.Which farming operations are you involved in?

Dairy farming=48

Crop farming=18

Vegetable farming=20

Result: The majority of farmers (48 out of 79) indicated that they are involved in dairy farming. Many farming activities overlap, though, and the specific breakdown looks as follows:

Exclusively dairy farming=35

Exclusively vegetable farming =8

The remainder of respondents are all involved in two or more farming operations, with some listing as many as five farming operations, which more than often included goat farming and chicken farming. Dairy farming was often listed together with crop farming or together with beef cattle. Only two respondents listed pig farming as a farming operation, while four listed sheep farming as a farming activity.

7.How do you receive your copy of Ubisi Mail

Post=67

Ecolab=1

Farmers (MPO members)=9

MPO training days=1

Taurus truck=3

Result: Most of the respondents (67 out of 79) receive the magazine via post, which means that they are all included in the dedicated Ubisi Mail database. Nine respondents receive their magazines by virtue of either themselves or their employees being MPO members. Very few respondents receive the magazine by way of the other distribution channels, although the small number of respondents is not necessarily representative.

8.Which province do you live in?

Gauteng=11

Northwest=6

Mpumalanga=4

Free State=16

Limpopo=0

Western Cape=12

Eastern Cape=16

Northern Cape=2

KwaZulu-Natal=12

Result: The majority of respondents were from the Free State and Eastern Cape (16 each) followed by the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal (12 each) and Gauteng (11). Six respondents were from Northwest, four from Mpumalanga, two from the Northern Cape and zero from Limpopo. One respondent was from Botswana and did not list a South African province as an address.

9.How many people in your house / on your farm read Ubisi Mail?

One=7(7 readers)

Two=16(32 readers)

Three=16(32 readers)

Four=9(36 readers)

Five=7(35 readers)

Six=15(90 readers)

Seven=3(21 readers)

Eight=3(24 readers)

Ten=2(20 readers)

Twenty-five=1(25 readers)

Thirty=1(30 readers)

Result: If all the potential readers per magazine copy are added up and divided by the 79 responses received, it means that each copy of Ubisi Mail is read by 4,45 persons.