Rural News

As fallouts from Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic continue to stack up, the farming community has faced a perfect storm of stresses and challenges, with many seriously concerned about the future or being forced to leave the industry. With this in mind, Farmers Guide spoke to FCN for some advice on coping with stress.

Producing off-grid electricity from the wind can be an ideal power source in rural locations, to contribute to your power requirements or offset consumption from the grid. FuturEnergy explains how to get started.

If you’re a farmer who produces more energy than you use, you’ll have the opportunity to sell your excess power back to the grid as a source of revenue. A Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) could help you achieve best value by agreeing to sell to a third party, often at a fixed price and for a set period.

AHDB and BBSRC are partnering to invest £500,000 in UK agriculture to help the industry transition to more sustainable practices, and ultimately net zero carbon by 2040.

The 70th British National Ploughing Championships have been celebrated after a year’s delay, and were a great success according to the organisers, with thousands of people visiting the event held in Northumberland on the 9–10th October.

Over a quarter of all meals eaten at home in Britain are consumed for health reasons – with the market worth an estimated £26.5 billion, growing eight per cent year-on-year.

Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) is welcoming a batch of autumn lambs after new breeds of sheep were introduced at Barony Farm to give students more experience of lambing.

On World Mental Health Day this year Farmers Guide is focusing on the work of charity, The Farming Community Network (FCN).

New book ‘Farm to Fork; the challenge of Sustainable Farming in 21st Century Britain’, from author and farmer Joe Stanley, explores our food system and farming future in a time of great change.

Dorset farmer Sophie Gregory was announced the winner of this year’s Dairy Woman of the Year Award at the Women in Dairy Virtual Conference last month.

The fourth Cheffins’ collective sale of 2021 will see a series of classic and vintage tractors, cars, motorbikes and collectors’ items on offer on 23rd October at the Cheffins sale ground at Sutton, near Ely.

This year’s Midlands Machinery Show will not only feature the latest heavy machinery, but also let farmers see first hand the latest technology improving harvest returns.