All from last 24 hours COMMUNITYScots rural programme Landward celebrates 50th anniversaryScotland’s long-running rural affairs programme Landward is marking its 50th anniversary this April, highlighting decades of coverage of farming, land use and countryside life. A special episode, airing on Thursday… FARM POLICY70% of Scots funding to be through continued direct paymentsScottish farmers are set to benefit from a continuation of direct support for the next five years – some of it linked to production – as part of the new… BUSINESSNew sheep abattoir set to open in HalifaxA new abattoir for lambs and cull ewes is set to open in Halifax, West Yorkshire next month. The site, trading as Medina Abattoir Services, will have capacity to process… CROPS MARKETS AND PRICESFrontier rolls out digital grain monitoring across sitesMajor agronomy and grain trading group Frontier Agriculture is investing in digital grain monitoring to check and regulate crop conditions in stores. The technology was installed at three sites in… CRIMERural crime fight to get more than £800,000 in fundingThe government has pledged to provide more than £800,000 in funding to help tackle rural crime. Crime and policing minister Sarah Jones is set to outline the government’s support at… YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENTBenefits of smart ear tag calf data for targeted treatmentSmart ear tags for calves can pick up signs of pneumonia at least 24 hours before they are obvious to humans. But the advantage of this earlier disease detection will… CROP WATCHCrop Watch: Spring drilling progress as wheat T0 timing loomsFarmers Weekly‘s Crop Watch agronomists keep us up to date with spring fieldwork, after a spell of sunshine which has seen fertiliser applications and spring drilling progress well. See also: Advice… OPINIONOpinion: 'Baler twine sustainability' shows farmer ingenuityBefore sustainability targets, audits and carbon scores, farms were already running low-waste systems. Making do, fixing and reusing were not trends. They were skills learned out of necessity and they’re… MACHINERY MAINTENANCEThatching straw growers to get free vintage machinery guidesHistoric England has commissioned a series of technical guides designed to help thatching straw growers maintain and modify the vintage machinery they rely on. The government body has major concerns… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Evapotranspiration metrics are bringing me joyThe past month has been extremely busy at Shimpling Park Farm, and so has the weather. We’ve had snow, wind, rain, as well as some glorious sunshine. My favourite screen…
