All from last 24 hours FEED AND NUTRITIONTop quality forage minimises feed costs in autumn-block herdStocking the milking platform at 5.5 livestock units a hectare is challenging. But with good grass management and making quality silage at 12MJ of metabolisable energy/kg dry matter and 16%… MAIZEBiostimulants show potential for UK maize growersOxfordshire farmer Mark Viner has seen promising results from using biostimulants to support maize crops under challenging growing conditions. Smokedown Farm, near Faringdon, moved from dairying into a large-scale calf-rearing… TAXHow personal items can be sold without attracting CGTMany farmers may not know that personal items, known as chattels, sold for less than £6,000 do not attract capital gains tax (CGT). In addition, the sale proceeds of certain… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Winter oats are best-looking crop on farmWe have finished planting the potatoes, and the main fertiliser applications are now complete. Our focus shifts to preparing for the harvest season. It is a busy time with spraying,… UMBILICALScotGrass: Walrus slurry pump trailer offers high-outputThe latest Walrus engine driven pumping trailer from Northumberland outfit Wox Agri Services is loaded with kit to ease the burden of high-output slurry application. Key components include a four-… RAKES AND MERGERSScotGrass: Roc mergers get more tech and bigger bedsA major redesign of Roc’s trailed mergers should see them cover ground quicker and, with the addition of isobus control, make life easier for operators. Both newcomers – the three-belt… OPINIONOpinion: Muck to become more valuable as the climate changesA pattern of wet winters followed by dry springs seems to be emerging – the wet winters leading to poorly rooted crops and the following dry springs leaving crops unable… INPUT MARKETS AND PRICESFarmers demand halt to fertiliser carbon tax plansThe UK government is facing mounting pressure to delay or scrap a planned carbon tax on imported fertiliser, as higher input costs linked to global energy markets and Middle East… NEWSClarkson's Farm Season 5 official trailer dropsAmazon has released the official trailer for Clarkson’s Farm 5, with the latest instalment promising high-tech machinery, mounting financial pressure and one of the darkest seasons yet for Diddly Squat… HEALTH AND WELFAREDoubts persist after Bovaer study finds no clear impactA major new Danish study has found no evidence that methane-reducing feed additive Bovaer increases cow mortality or reduces overall milk yield, though researchers say significant uncertainty remains over its… NEWSFW Podcast Ep 304: Fuel and fertiliser fears deepenFuel shortages triggered by the Iran conflict could leave crops rotting in fields this harvest unless food production is prioritised. We hear from CAAV adviser Jeremy Moody, who warns that… MEAT MARKETS AND PRICESFurther pig contracts at risk as sector struggles with backlogsSeveral major processors have served notice to pig producers, either terminating contracts or asking them to provide fewer pigs, as the industry struggles to tackle a growing backlog of pigs… NEWSFarmer fined after digestate spill kills 1,600 fishA Cornish farmer has been fined after a digestate spill from his farm caused extensive pollution and killed about 1,600 fish in the River Ottery. Truro Magistrates Court heard that…
