Author Posts: Sarah Kidby

Liz Truss has officially become the UK Prime Minister today after meeting the Queen at Balmoral, having defeated Rishi Sunak in the leadership race.

A mitigation strategy offering guidance to land managers, the public and ornithological and environmental organisations, has been set out by Defra and the Welsh government amid the growing threat of avian flu to wild birds.

Sheep farmers are being warned of a continued blowfly strike risk this autumn, with the likelihood of a period of mild and wet weather.

With oilseed rape prices still topping £650/tonne and wheat harvests well advanced, many growers are understandably keen to get next year’s crop in the ground. But at the time of writing, only scattered showers had fallen across the UK – leaving soils dry and most drills stuck on standby.

Teams from UK Dairy Day and the Holstein UK Group, along with any volunteers, will cycle 867 miles on spin bikes, to raise money for Sue Cope’s chosen charity, Brain Tumour Research.

Using variety choice to manage on-farm risk should be a top priority for growers when finalising variety choices for the coming season, according to breeder Limagrain UK.

With the change in underfoot conditions and increased lameness risk at housing, daily footbathing of cattle is recommended. Vet, veterinary pharmacologist and adviser to Provita Ltd, Dr Tom Barragry, explores the benefits of a proven alternative to copper sulphate and formaldehyde.

Lemken is introducing the Koralin hybrid cultivator for ultra-flat stubble working, which joins the Heliodor 9 compact disc harrow for high-speed work with low power requirements, plus the Rubin 10-disc harrow, which has proved popular for straw incorporation.

Now in its 31st year, national crop establishment demonstration Tillage-Live is returning to Scotland in September.

This month, avian vet Suzy Brown, of Avivets in Cheshire, offers advice on optimising the health of housed poultry this winter.

Farmers Guide asked Zach Reilly, a senior consultant with SAC Consulting specialising in soil management and crop production advice, and the lead facilitator for the Farming for a Better Climate project with the Soil Regenerative Agriculture Group, to share his tips for grassweed control in non-inversion cultivation systems.

Northants beef farmer Mark Jelley (pictured) has seen strong reduction in his farm’s use of antibiotics and been able to identify key herd health issues, with the help of his