Know How / Environment Must reads Practical adviceSee all BUSINESSRural housing: Options to decarbonise and improve efficiencyFrom period farmhouses to farmworkers’ cottages, rural housing comes in many shapes and sizes, but they all share similar challenges when it comes to energy. Rural properties off the mains… ARABLEHow 'mega-cluster' project benefits farming and natureA project linking farmers and private investors across a 12,500ha area of Sussex is aiming to support nature recovery and food production on a landscape scale. The Weald to Waves… GRASSLAND MANAGEMENTHow to improve livestock soils with biological approachSoil is a precious resource, but it very quickly becomes a pollutant and a problem once it reaches watercourses. It has to be kept on the farm. This is the… BUSINESSWoodland creation - tax, legal and practical adviceBy 2050, 16.5% of the UK will be covered by trees - that is the government’s aspiration. Tree cover currently sits at 10% in England, so there is some way… ARABLEHow to restore 'forgotten' farm ponds for wildlifeAs many as two-thirds of farmland ponds in England and Wales have been lost though drainage and in-filling, while those that remain are often shaded and tree-covered and do very… PIGSBenefits of grass leys for outdoor pig unitsGrass mixes can establish well and withstand grazing by outdoor pigs, helping protect soils and watercourses, a three-year trial has shown. The trial took place in north Norfolk on 16ha… Case studiesSee all FEED AND NUTRITIONHow high-yielding dairy cut soya and lowered crude proteinRemoving soya feeds and unnecessary additives from the diet, as well as steadily reducing crude protein levels, have been done without increasing farm costs or compromising production in one Dorset… LIVESTOCKHow breeders are using methane test in wool-shedding projectA farming duo has added methane testing to its breeding programme in a quest to develop low-input sheep with low methane emissions. Shropshire sheep and arable farmer Hayden Woolley and… ARABLEFood production remains key on nature-friendly arable farmAll three of the distinct land types at Somerleyton Estate, near Lowestoft, are being put to best use, generating a diversified income for the business and supporting both people and… ARABLEWhy Scots regen grower is first Carbon Farmer of the YearIncremental changes made over more than 20 years to address greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and increase soil carbon sequestration have resulted in Doug Christie from Scotland being crowned the first… SOILSHow measured soil carbon credits can replace BPS incomeThe first farm in the UK to sell measured soil carbon from arable land is on track to replace its Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) with carbon sales expected to contribute… CROP MANAGEMENTHow Wold Top Brewery barley grower lowered carbon footprintThe Yorkshire farming family behind the successful Wold Top Brewery and Yorkshire’s first single-malt whisky distillery is using the latest precision mapping technology in its drive towards a low-carbon, sustainable… InsightsSee all ARABLEHow arable farms can support farmland bird populationsA good, varied arable rotation, along with winter bird food stewardship options and a variety of hedges, will provide most of what farmland birds need to survive and thrive. Adding… DAIRYRevised methane method pegs dairy emissions 20% lowerNet carbon emissions from a sample of livestock farms fell significantly when analysed by a carbon methodology that accounts for biogenic methane. Distinguishing between biogenic (methane from ruminants) and fossil… BUSINESS MANAGEMENTHow supply chain is meeting UN sustainable development goalsThe UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs) are rising up the agenda of businesses that buy from UK farmers and supply them with goods and services. Set out in 2015, they are… ARABLEThe network nature reserve built by farmers on arable landSupporting nature in a productive farmed landscape is the goal for a like-minded group of farmers in East Anglia, having come together to protect and enhance the biodiversity that surrounds… AGRICULTURAL TRANSITIONHow trading natural capital can help recoup BPS lossesFarmer interest in trading natural capital is in the ascendancy. Legislation has just been passed requiring house builders and commercial developers to deliver at least a 10% improvement in biodiversity… NEWSWould river dredging help prevent flooding on farms?The recent storms Babet and Ciaran unleashed widespread flooding on agricultural land across the UK, costing farmers millions of pounds in crop losses and damage to infrastructure. Climate scientists warn… SLURRY AND MANURE MANAGEMENTHow water treatment technology could cut slurry storageAdapting water treatment technology to a farm setting could reduce slurry storage requirements by 10-15%, make better use of farm nutrients and produce an effluent that is suitable for discharge… FARM POLICYQ&A: New CLA president sets out her ambitions for farmingThe new president of the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), Victoria Vyvyan, has vowed to champion the next generation, celebrate the regions and take its Rural Powerhouse campaign to… Latest environment newsSee all NEWSCautious welcome for government pledge to review NVZ rulesFarm groups have cautiously welcomed a commitment from the Welsh government to consider looking at alternatives to closed periods for spreading in the planned four-year review of its controversial water… WILDLIFESea Eagle Management Scheme support extended for 2024Sheep producers who have lost livestock to sea eagles will continue to receive support for 2024, the Scottish government has confirmed. Up to £400,000 has been allocated to the Sea… NEWSNFU Scotland welcomes move to scrap 2030 climate targetNFU Scotland has welcomed an announcement by Scottish government to scrap plans to cut carbon emissions by 75% by 2030. In an update to Holyrood on Thursday 18 April, energy… NEWSDefra reveals multimillion-pound River Wye action planA new multimillion-pound action plan has been launched by the government to protect the River Wye in Herefordshire and support industry efforts to fully restore it in the long term.… NEWSStocking rate questions unanswered by Dartmoor review responseA government response to the independent Dartmoor review has left serious questions about land management and stocking rates unanswered, according to Robin Milton, a member of the NFU Uplands Forum… ENVIRONMENTTory MPs call for Natural England to lose SSSI powersA group of Conservative MPs has written to Defra secretary Steve Barclay, urging him to remove Natural England’s powers to designate protected areas, known as sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs).… WILDLIFEScots fear government plans for deer cullingLandowners and farmers may be forced to pay for controls to wild deer numbers in Scotland, if Holyrood decides to implement some of the proposals set out in a recent… AIR AND WATERNew urea standards come into effect on 1 April in EnglandFarmers in England should only be using urea that has been treated with a urease inhibitor from Monday 1 April under the terms of a new Red Tractor standard. The… ENVIRONMENTCornish residents battle to stop huge solar farm projectHundreds of residents, farmers and small business owners in mid-Cornwall have joined forces to challenge a number of large-scale solar developments in the Cornish countryside. Plans for five separate solar… AGRICULTURAL TRANSITIONScots government attaches new conditions to future supportThe Scottish government has released further details on actions farmers and crofters will have to take to receive future farm support payments. The latest update to the Agricultural Reform route… AIR AND WATERVideo: FW Investigates - would dredging reduce flooding?The past few months of relentless wet weather have again highlighted the pressing issue of how best to manage rivers and watercourses near farmland. Heavy rainfall events are becoming more… WILDLIFEBeaver reintroduction in Essex helping to alleviate floodingThe introduction of beavers to a 4ha site in Essex has been found to reduce the impact of flooding and drought in the wider area. A family of 11 beavers… VideoSee all AIR AND WATERVideo: FW Investigates - would dredging reduce flooding?The past few months of relentless wet weather have again highlighted the pressing issue of how best to manage rivers and watercourses near farmland. Heavy rainfall events are becoming more… NEWSVideo: Farmer defends his actions on River LuggA Herefordshire farmer who was jailed for causing damage to a protected river has defended his actions, insisting they helped prevent flooding to local properties and land. Several homes along… SHEEPVideo: How a lowland farm is preparing for low-methane sheepResults from the first UK farm to test methane emissions in sheep using portable accumulation chambers have shown they were producing on average about 20g/day of methane and 1.2kg/day of… CARBONClimate adaptation and resilience within the farm businessOn Thursday 27 April 2023, Farmers Weekly hosted its webinar on climate adaptation and resilience within the farm business with the Woodland Trust. Integrating trees into farming systems provides opportunities…
