All from last 24 hours MACHINERYKubota M5 and M6 offer 'fuss-free' farming for contractorA fuss-free approach to tractors and machinery is favoured by Huw Owen for the farming and contracting business he runs with wife Marion, based at Morfa Farm near Harlech. “I… WORKSHOP SKILLSInventions Comp 2026: Contractor builds tine toolbar drillTrivett and Sons’ tine toolbar drill has been highly commended. After battling several challenging autumn campaigns, Lawrence Trivett, brother Alistair and dad Andrew decided to rethink their drilling fleet. That… GRASSLAND MANAGEMENTBenefits of hay over silage for outwintered suckler cowsConserving multispecies swards as hay instead of silage has cut losses from spoilage and saved wrapping and disposal costs for Sam Pearman’s outwintered suckler cows on a bale-grazing system. See… OPINIONOpinion: Rush to build houses harms countryside and farmersHow many more new houses do we need? Everywhere you go, the urban sprawl gets bigger, infilling gaps between town and ring road on green belt, destroying farmland and habitat.… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: SFI 2026 set to be a shadow of its former selfThe taps have been turned on since Christmas, with no field work done for some time and water falling from the sky daily. What type of growing season will we… WORKSHOP SKILLSInventions Comp 2026: Planter cover keeps seed spuds dryCharlie Beattie has won third place in our simple category. One of the many challenges facing Charlie Beattie when planting 250ha of potatoes in Perthshire’s unpredictable weather is keeping seed… BUSINESSFarmers invited to shape £30m collaboration fundA £30m Farmer Collaboration Fund – first recommended in Baroness Minette Batters’ Farming Profitability Review – is moving forward, with farmers now being invited to help shape its final design.… MARKETS AND TRENDSRed meat and dairy enjoy record year for exportsExports of UK dairy and red meat surpassed £4bn in 2025, driven by increased global demand for high quality produce. HMRC trade figures show UK dairy exports rose by 17%… BUSINESSFarmers face hedgecutting deadline as 1 March ban loomsFarmers have just days left to complete hedgecutting before the annual closed season begins on 1 March, bringing a halt to most cutting operations until the end of August. In… NEWSFW Podcast Ep 293: Big drop in farmland salesIn this episode, we discuss the reasons behind a big drop in farmland sales – and it isn't all to do with inheritance tax. We join dozens of farmers who’ve… SUGAR BEETSugar beet growers remain optimistic despite disease risksThe future of British sugar beet looks positive, with domestic demand for sugar expected to stay firm and technologies such as gene editing offering longer-term opportunities. However, in the short…
