All from last 7 days OILSEED RAPEAnalysis: Signs of cautious optimism for oilseed rape?After another challenging growing season and a further 17% fall in the area, the UK’s winter oilseed rape crop for harvest 2025 is the smallest since 1983. Higher risk, lower… WORKSHOP SKILLSInventions Comp 2025: Cash-saving tools and attachmentsFarmers have been busy in their workshops getting creative with clever tools and attachments to make life easier and save cash. We round up some of the best of these… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Robot milking couldn't have gone betterFour weeks since we milked the first cow through the robot and, at risk of sounding overly smug, it couldn’t have gone better. The team from Longtown were great to… BOVINE TBBadger cull to continue pending bovine TB strategy reviewDefra secretary Steve Reed has confirmed that badger culling will continue as part of the government’s efforts to combat bovine tuberculosis (TB) until a full review of the policy is… ASSESSING PERFORMANCETerminal sires sought for 10th year of ram genetics projectRamCompare is seeking rams or semen from performance-recorded, terminal sire breeds for the 2025 breeding season. Since its launch in 2015, the national progeny test has assessed more than 500… WORKSHOP SKILLSInventions Comp 2025: David Powell’s novel Spring Bak GateWorcestershire farmer David Powell returned to this year’s competition with another novelty – the Spring Bak Gate. It is designed to be temporarily erected in a field entrance when machinery… HEALTH AND WELLBEINGPie and pint night brings farming community togetherFarmers gathered for a free pie and a pint in Whitehall on the eve of the NFU conference this week, as part of a Farming Community Network wellbeing event, bringing… AGRICULTURAL TRANSITIONDefra unveils £30m HLS uplift and capital grants reopeningDefra secretary Steve Reed has announced a £30m increase in payment rates for existing Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) agreements and the reopening of the capital grants scheme this summer. The… LIVESTOCKRoutine wormer no longer reliable for treating lungwormFarmers are being warned that routine wormer treatments are no longer considered reliable for treating lungworm in cattle, with vaccination now deemed the more effective solution. The warning comes as… BUSINESSArla proposes £90m investment to expand Scottish dairyArla Foods has announced plans to invest nearly £90m in its Lockerbie site in Scotland, as it aims to strengthen UK dairy production. The investment will focus on creating a… COMMUNITYFarming family delivers symbolic toys to chancellorA farming family from Bedfordshire has handed over a basket of pre-loved toys to the Treasury in London, highlighting the threat posed by proposed inheritance tax changes to future farming… TELEHANDLERSFirst impressions: Powershift cut for JCB's TM280S telehandlerShort of a pivot-steer telehandler to sit between its compact TM220 and heavier-duty TM320 Telemaster, JCB decided to build one. Well, two, actually. The fruits of this endeavour are the… GRASSLAND MANAGEMENTTop tips on tailoring herbal leys to upland farmsFarmers in upland areas considering herbal leys are encouraged to adopt a step-by-step approach, starting with small-scale trials to determine what works best for their land, before expanding. This cautious… DISEASE MANAGEMENTFungicide tips for variable wheat this springWith winter wheat at a wide range of growth stages coming out of winter, extra care will be needed to manage crop development and disease pressure this spring. Such variability… FARM POLICYInheritance tax in the spotlight at FW Question TimeHow a change of tactics is called for as the Treasury digs in over inheritance tax was the key focus at the latest Farmers Weekly Question Time event, hosted by… CRIMELandowner to beef up security after illegal raveThe owner of Deenethorpe Airfield, a former RAF base near Corby, is bolstering security after an unlicensed music event caused disruption to local communities and farmland. The rave, which attracted… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Taking the protest to MPs is not a bad ploySorry Mr Starmer, there won’t be any money in the pot to pay your inheritance tax with the wheat price still at £180/t. Hang on in there please Mum and… OPINIONOpinion: A new day dawns for the much-maligned mouldboardThe clear-out of now-redundant machinery has gone very well over the past couple of years, with combines, sprayers and drills heading off down Hinton Hill on an assortment of lorries… FARM POLICYDefra secretary unveils HLS payment rises and key reformsDefra secretary Steve Reed has unveiled a number of key policy reforms, including an increase in payment rates for the Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) scheme, at the NFU conference in… NEWSExtra £15m for rural affairs budget in WalesAn additional £15m has been allocated to the rural affairs budget in Wales for the next financial year, split between tackling river pollution (£5m) and rural investment schemes (£10m). The… ARABLEDrilling flexibility from the Kverneland tine seeder ts-drillLooking for a more versatile drilling solution to cope with changing weather patterns, Spilsby, Lincs-based RH-J (Farms) opted for a 6m Kverneland ts-drill, from Irelands Farm Machinery. “We had a… FARM POLICYWelsh farmers rally against IHT proposalsMore than 200 tractors, trucks and other farming machinery gathered at the Royal Welsh Showground, as NFU Cymru led a powerful display of opposition to the UK government’s proposed changes… LIVESTOCK DISEASESBluetongue vaccines approved in WalesThe Welsh government has approved the emergency use of three bluetongue vaccines from 1 March this year to help slow the spread of the virus. Vaccines must be prescribed by… NEWSGovernment accused of hypocrisy over Aussie trade challengeThe Labour government is under fire for attempting to block a legal challenge to the UK-Australia trade deal, with campaign group Feedback accusing it of deliberately inflating its costs to… NEWSUK farmland at risk under outdated classification systemEngland's most valuable farmland is being classified using outdated data going back to the 1940s, potentially compromising the nation's food security, warns a new report by CPRE, the countryside charity. … More articles
