Author Posts: Farmers Guide

Over the past two months, the UK’s largest food and farming scheme has seen 6,300 members complete remote assessments on farm.

Trade secretary Liz Truss has announced that, after months of campaigning from farming groups, the government will set up a Trade and Agriculture Commission to help inform trade policy.

Sustainable farming organisation LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) has recently welcomed two new demonstration farms, recognising them as centres of excellence for sustainable farming.

The Livestock Auctioneers’ Association (LAA) has called for the need for understanding and a sensible approach from their clients, as the rules on vendors attending livestock sales at ringside are steadily eased, following on-going discussions with Defra and the Welsh Government.

A global survey of large scale farmers in the USA, France, China, Brazil, India and across Africa for Syngenta Group found 72% are worried about the impact climate change will have on crop yields, animal health and their ability to do business over the next five years.

Breeders Limagrain UK have run a short and fun online quiz to find out what British farmers really know about their wheat markets and varieties.

After a challenging season for arable farmers, the window before harvest is an opportunity to check and map the black-grass situation to plan for the months ahead.

Generally, first cuts are below average, particularly those cut in the latter half of May. Second cut regrowth has also been very slow. The result is many farmers, understandably, would like to see more silage in their clamps.

Experts are investigating ways to create new foods and related products from alternative crops to maximise the use of locally produced food and drink. 

Pig farming brothers have succeeded in feeding one million bees thanks to an innovative and pioneering project that saw them turn over half their land to wildflowers.

New Waitrose boss James Bailey has said the retailer will not stock lower quality food imports such as chlorinated chicken or hormone-injected beef, even if the UK strikes a trade deal that allows such imports.

With the exceptionally dry spring likely to have a knock-on effect on forage supplies, harvesting cereals originally drilled for grain as wholecrop in the coming weeks could help ease future shortages.