All from last 24 hours MARKET OPPORTUNITIESHow old grain store became indoor ski slope diversificationA repurposed grain store is being used as a year-round indoor snow sports training centre on a Bedfordshire estate. The new venture sits alongside arable farming and other business activities,… YOUNG FARMERSStarter farm scheme opens door for new entrants in CumbriaApplications will open this spring for a new farm tenancy in Cumbria as part of a wider push to help young people into agriculture. Whins Farm, near Kendal, is being… BEEFWhy dairy-beef enterprise fits well alongside suckler herdHarry Gilder reckons he has the best of both worlds. The 120-strong suckler herd at Moat Farm, Lower Strensham, Worcestershire, produces premium-grade carcasses off a forage-based system, while dairy-beef cattle,… TRACTORSMassey Ferguson extends 20-65hp compact tractor rangeMassey Ferguson’s revamped compact tractor range now extends to nine models in all, covering power outputs from 20-65hp with hydrostatic and all-mechanical transmissions, and open platforms or air-conditioned cabs. The… BUSINESS MANAGEMENTExpert advice on managing arable fixed costsA greater focus on labour and machinery costs, including depreciation, will potentially lead to a better arable net margin. With no standard format for labour and machinery costs they often… INPUT MARKETS AND PRICESFarmers cut fertiliser use in response to rocketing pricesMajor disruption to fertiliser supplies from the Middle East has led to prices surging throughout the spring and becoming unaffordable for many farm businesses. Global nitrogen demand is forecast to… ENVIRONMENTPig and poultry sectors reject new claims about ammoniaPig and poultry organisations have hit back at attempts by green lobby groups to denigrate their sectors based on ammonia emissions, calling the latest efforts “another concocted outrage”. A campaign… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: A few April showers would be welcome for cropsSpring has well and truly arrived, almost in the blink of an eye. After a very long stretch of wet weather, it has suddenly turned dry, perhaps a little too… NEWSNI farmers and hauliers stage fuel protestsFarmers and hauliers brought parts of Northern Ireland to a standstill as co-ordinated fuel protests spread across the province, with convoys of tractors and lorries causing widespread disruption on major… CROPS MARKETS AND PRICESImproved OSR crop offers relief for UK growersGrowers with oilseed rape in the ground are generally faring better than at this time last year, with crops progressing well and farmgate prices remaining relatively supported. More than 80%… MEAT MARKETS AND PRICESUK beef and sheep numbers contract at worrying rateThe UK’s beef suckler herd has declined by 20% in the past decade, with 313,000 fewer breeding beef cows on farm than in 2015. This worrying trend has continued in…
