Rural News

A sale of 145 pedigree and pure-bred Hereford cattle at Shrewsbury Auction Centre last Tuesday (27th June) attracted great interest among breeders in England and Wales, with a cow and calf pair from the esteemed Santa Maria herd bringing in the top price at 4,100 guineas.

The popular Newark Vintage Tractor and Heritage Show will be marking its 20th anniversary this year with many traditional attractions and some new ones, including a new vintage plant class featuring diggers, bulldozers and more.

To support diversity and biodiversity on their Shropshire farm, Mark and Liz Lea planted a woodland in February this year, supported by the Woodland Trust’s MOREwoods scheme.

On Wednesday 28th June, 3,000 children from 60 Essex primary schools took part in the fifteenth Essex Schools Food and Farming Day.

The Farmtrac range of innovative, value-driven tractors and attachments, including the industry’s first all-electric model, return to The Game Fair at Ragley Hall on 28-30th July.

The Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service (MAWWFRS) is reminding farmers about the importance of fire safety following a recent increase in the number of barn fire incidents requiring attendance by its crews.

As demand for water continued to build amid what has potentially been the hottest June on record, a team of national experts met earlier this week to discuss plans to maintain drought resilience and ensure plentiful water supply across the country.

Farmers and growers around the world are increasingly having to adapt to the peculiarities of climate change, whether that means shifting drilling and harvest dates, ramping up disease control or moving to more regenerative practices. The non-profit organisation Just Farmers reached out to its farmer network this week to find out what climate change looks like from the field.

Latest consumer research conducted by the AHDB has revealed promising opportunities for British beef and lamb exporters in the Middle East, where quality and halal assurance were key drivers of consumer buying behaviour.

A consultation launched by Defra yesterday (28th June) is seeking views on how the government can best support farmers to protect and maintain hedgerows as it looks to put in place new legislation tailored to the needs of English farmers.

Farmers, breeders and smallholders in the East of England will have the opportunity to buy and sell pedigree Southdown sheep at a new early breeders sale taking place for the first time at Thrapston Livestock Market on Saturday 29th July.

A group of 31 farmers from the Test and Itchen catchments in Hampshire are set to join the Environmental Farmers Group (EFG) cooperative with the aim of delivering environmental benefits to the area, such as improved water quality and habitat restoration along the world-famous chalk streams.