All from last 24 hours INPUT MARKETS AND PRICESFuel and fertiliser prices soar as Middle East tensions riseFarmers are struggling to obtain key farm inputs, including red diesel and fertiliser, as major global supply-chain disruption hits the agricultural sector. Conflict in the Middle East has caused a… BUSINESSDairy sector leads recovery in organic food marketThe UK organic food and drink market has rebounded, achieving growth in both sales volume and value in the past year. Sales of organic food and drink rose by 4.2%… NEWSLabour slips to fourth in rural Wales, poll revealsLabour is in fourth place in rural Wales ahead of the next Senedd election, according to new polling commissioned by the Country Land and Business Association (CLA). The findings come… WILDLIFEFunding boost for greylag goose control in ScotlandThe Scottish government has confirmed an additional £20,000 for greylag goose management in the Hebridean islands of Uist and Barra. This increases annual funding to £30,000, to address crop damage… BREEDING AND FERTILITYAdvice on long-term dairy crossbreeding strategiesEarly adopters of crossbreeding as a tool to produce the right kind of cow for their block-calving, grazing-based systems, found that longer term breeding strategies could become haphazard. Selecting the… PAYMENTS, SCHEMES AND GRANTSAnalysis: What SFI26 offer means for farm businessesAfter months of limbo, Defra has finally outlined the framework and actions for the 2026 Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI26) – indicating that this is the foundation of the offer for… COMMUNITYPenwith farm gate: The story of a Cornish iconCornwall-based retired blacksmith Peter Parkinson has traced the origins of a distinctive iron farm gate, linking its design to the 1880s and the region’s granite-posted fields. Ten years ago, Peter… CROP MANAGEMENTHigh crop yields key to gross margins and lower emissionsHigh yields are often associated with inflated input costs that erode profit and intensive systems which damage the environment, but emerging evidence tells a very different story. Insights from the… DISEASE MANAGEMENTKey sugar beet disease forecasts a moderate to high riskThe virus yellows forecast suggests moderate to high infection risk in 2026, particularly in eastern factory regions. Carried out by Rothamsted Research, the models based on January-February temperatures indicate earlier… POULTRYBird flu vaccination trial under way in turkeysDefra has announced the start of a new 24-week vaccine trial in turkeys as it steps up the fight against avian influenza. The research, which gets under way on Thursday… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Arable-to-dairy conversions at 60 – and risingIt is fair to say that a farmer is never happy with the weather. It's either too hot, too cold, too windy, too wet, too dry, and then there is… 401+HPGoodyear's monster 1.4m-wide farm tyre to go on sale in UKGoodyear has gained European accreditation for its widest-ever agricultural tyre. The monster LSW 1400/30 R46 is designed for suitably sized combines and articulated prairie prowlers such as Case IH’s Steiger…
