Vaccinate for EAE early to help avoid vaccine shortage later in the year
31st March 2023
Vets are urging farmers to vaccinate their flocks with Cevac Chlamydia early in the season to help protect their ewes from EAE (enzootic abortion of ewes) and avoid a lack of the Cevac Chlamydia vaccine anticipated later in the year.
Teenage day lamber in Essex is ready to take on the world
31st March 2023
Having grown up with a farming background, 17-year-old Libby Kate Lawrence is now working 12-hour lambing shifts on various farms in Suffolk and Essex. In an interview with Farmers Guide, she spoke about her farming experiences and plans to travel the world working with livestock.
Nearly 4,000 children in Surrey and Sussex to benefit from Loan a Lamb initiative
29th March 2023
The South of England Agricultural Society‘s Education Committee is proud to announce that their Loan a Lamb scheme will reach nearly 4,000 school children across Sussex and Surrey this year, significantly impacting students’ understanding of agriculture and its contribution to our lives.
Farmers warned to monitor worm burdens following record peaks in 2022
29th March 2023
Farmers must be on their guard for roundworms in sheep this season by regularly conducting faecal egg counts, as data from last year revealed record peaks in worm egg counts despite a hotter than average summer.
Sheep worrying by dogs is “spiralling out of control”, survey shows
28th March 2023
An annual survey by the National Sheep Association (NSA) has sparked concerns that farmers may be permanently forced to live with the devastating consequences of dog attacks, as sheep worrying “continues to be swept under the carpet”.
New conference for the nation’s sheep farmers launching this autumn
28th March 2023
Exciting plans are underway for a National Sheep Association (NSA) event this autumn that will bring together the nation’s sheep farmers for a fresh style of enjoyable and informative farming conference.
Don’t overlook quarantine and drenching for returning sheep
20th March 2023
Farmers are being reminded to treat all sheep returning from grazing with a group 4 wormer and quarantine the animals to avoid bringing resistant worms onto farms.
NSA responds to former Defra rep’s ‘damaging statement’ on UK sheep farming
17th March 2023
The National Sheep Association (NSA) regarded former Defra advisor Ben Goldsmith’s comments on sheep farming in the UK as ‘naïve’ and ‘uneducated’ in a statement issued to defend the valuable role sheep fulfill in the UK countryside.
New schemes launched to help livestock farmers offset rising costs
14th March 2023
The latest round of the Rural Payments Agency’s (RPA) Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF) offers grant funding for a range of equipment, including mobile sheep handling and herd monitoring systems, with MSD Animal Health also offering support to improve flock productivity.
Vineyard using sheep fleece as mulch could make shearing worthwhile
1st March 2023
Sheep farmers could soon see a fair price being paid for their wool if the wider horticulture industry is to adapt the revolutionary practice of Gwinllan Conwy vineyard, where sheep fleeces are being used to ripen grapes more fully and create higher quality wines.
Farmers should take steps to reduce wormer use this lambing season
28th February 2023
The Sustainable Control of Parasites in Sheep (SCOPS) group is encouraging sheep farmers to use the monitoring of ewe body condition score as a practical step to significantly reduce how many doses of wormer are administered this lambing season.
Suffolk couple share their story of a challenging first year in farming
27th February 2023
Having found a shared ambition for farming when they met on a dating app, Abbie Bryant and Andy Moye are coming to the end of their first year as full-time farmers – and it’s been a challenging introduction to say the least.