Author Posts: Farmers Guide

Returning for its fifth year, LEAF Education’s Farming Fortnight initiative will see hundreds of schools take part in educating young minds about food, farming, and the natural environment through inspiring classroom lessons and farm visits.

Farmers are being encouraged to prioritise fly control now and protect their livestock, as warm and wet weather is set to accelerate maggot and fly emergence.

As part of A-Plan Insurance’s Rural Community blog they spoke to Polly Reid, a sustainable fashion designer who produces her clothing using the wool from her flock of sheep.

Two of Scotland’s longest established fresh produce organisations, East of Scotland Growers Ltd (ESG) and R&K Drysdales Ltd (RKD), have joined forces to expand their product range and provide additional value to customers, with a combined turnover now approaching £50m.

Building on evidence gained via RABI’s recent Big Farming Survey, the House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee has put forward urgent recommendations in its inquiry into poor mental health in rural communities, a move welcomed by the farming charity.

Following reports of peach-potato aphids caught in traps across the sugar beet growing area, farmers are being advised to monitor aphid numbers closely and treat non-Cruiser protected crops with a foliar insecticide as soon as thresholds are met.

T H White has recently expanded its Manitou Construction territory to the north, covering parts of Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, and mid-Wales, with its newest Stourport-on-Severn base having replaced MSM DRH Ltd effective 1st April.

Rural road users are being urged to take extra care during the summer months, as latest claims data from NFU Mutual reveals a heightened risk of collisions involving agricultural vehicles between the start of May and the end of September.

At the recent Farm to Fork Summit at No10 Downing Street, attended by Clarkson’s Farm stars Kaleb Cooper and ‘Cheerful’ Charlie Ireland, the Prime Minister set out ambitions to cut down red tape and make it easier for UK farmers to diversify their incomes, such as by converting farm buildings into shops or restaurants.

Under the second round of the Landscape Recovery scheme launched today (18th May), farmers and landowners can apply for a share of £15 million to create new wildlife habitats, restore protected sites and work towards reaching net zero alongside sustainable food production.

Developed specifically for large-scale farms and contractors, the new Precea 9000-TCC and 12000-TCC come in working widths of 9 and 12 m respectively and provide high-precision seed placement, ensuring optimum field emergence even at increased working speeds of up to 15 km/h.

Following a recent report calling Defra’s IT systems ‘outdated’ and ‘difficult to use’, the National Pig Association (NPA) has urged the government body to address the shortfalls identified in its systems to ensure quick and effective response to disease outbreaks.