Menu

All from last 24 hours

MACHINERY

Biggest machinery dealers ranked as economic headwinds bite

As one director recorded it in the company’s annual report, 2024 was “one of the most challenging years for the business.” And it’s a common theme among dealerships posting full…

LAMBING

Advice on treatment for vaginal prolapse in ewes

Fitting a harness and administering anti-inflammatories is the best way to treat a very mild case of vaginal prolapse in a ewe. Compared with spoons or sutures, this treatment is…

OILSEED RAPE

Destroy cover crops now to tackle flea beetle, farmers urged

Farmers growing cover crops are advised to destroy them in the coming days to help break the cabbage stem flea beetle cycle and minimise the size of the next generation…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Gut feeling is our best decision-making tool

One of the best decision-making methods in my experience, is gut feeling. Sometimes a decision doesn’t even look all that sensible, but it’s rare that following one’s inner being doesn’t…

TAX

Advice on minimising IHT impact on pensions

Private pension funds inherited between married couples and civil partners will remain free of inheritance tax (IHT) after 6 April 2027, but in other circumstances they may be subject to…

DAIRY MARKETS AND PRICES

Weight-loss drugs set to reshape UK dairy market

The rapid uptake of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs is set to reshape the UK dairy sector, as shifting consumer habits drive changes in grocery spending and product demand, according to the…

FARM POLICY

UK's largest farmer-led nature recovery project approved

Farmers across the Cotswolds have been given the green light to launch the UK’s biggest ever farmer-led nature recovery project, restoring more than 3,000ha of habitat while continuing to produce…

OPINION

Editor's View: Is the government losing its ambition on SFI?

Is the UK government, regardless of which party is in control, capable of delivering ambitious policies? That’s the question I’ve been pondering this week following the revelation that Defra is…

FARM POLICY

Below-cost SFI payments spark farmer backlash

Proposals to cut Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) payment rates to levels below income forgone have prompted stark warnings from industry leaders, who say the move would force some farmers out…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Research on historic wheats disease resistance gets grant

Historic wheat collections could hold the secret to tackling the newly identified strain of yellow rust pathogen which overcame the Yr15 resistance gene in winter wheat last year. The breakdown…

WEATHER

Somerset farmers battle worsening flood crisis

Somerset farmers are fighting to save crops and livestock after weeks of relentless rain left large swathes of the Levels underwater, cutting off access routes and turning productive farmland into…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Oilseeds prices rally to near £450/t

Oilseeds markets have rallied over the past month, both globally and in the domestic markets, underpinned by a stronger soybean complex and favourable currency movements. UK oilseed rape has lifted…

ENVIRONMENT

No impact study on cattle pollution permits plan

The government has not assessed how many cattle farms could be affected by plans to extend environmental permitting rules to dairy and intensive beef operations in England, it has emerged.…

ENVIRONMENT

Stirling University casts doubt on full value of tree planting

Planting trees might not be the silver bullet often hoped for when it comes to storing carbon, according to Stirling University. Published in Global Change Biology, the commentary from Prof…

WEATHER

Warmer UK climate raises risk of new pests

Rising UK temperatures are increasing the likelihood of new plant pests establishing nationwide, threatening agriculture and forestry, the Met Office has warned. The forecaster said the UK reached an annual average…