Know How / Environment Must reads Practical adviceSee all BUSINESS MANAGEMENTHow to start improving on-farm water qualityPutting resilience measures into a farming business is one of the best ways to protect water, prevent pollution and retain more water in the landscape. With many of the major… AGRICULTURAL TRANSITIONHow trees can enhance and support your farm businessWoodland and forestry experts urged growers at a recent Transition webinar, to look again at the potential benefits of strategic tree planting. Transition Project editor and webinar host Johann Tasker… ARABLETips on achieving healthy hedgerows on farmHedges are a defining feature of our countryside and one of the best habitats for wildlife on any farm. Far more than being a boundary, they also support farm business… LIVESTOCKHow feeding methane inhibitors can help cut emissionsMethane inhibitors supplied in feed rations could play a significant role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in ruminants. However, no one size fits all, advises Annie Williams, ruminant nutritionist and… BUSINESSAlternative land uses: Woodland creation - key pointsFinancial support for woodland creation and management in England is at record levels, so it could be the right time to consider this as an option. Talk of reducing sheep… CARBONCarbon markets: A beginner's guideThe UK’s carbon markets are growing, but there is confusion around the principles. Farmers Weekly asks CLA adviser Matthew Doran how they work. See also: Mineral rights - what farmers… Case studiesSee all HOUSING AND HANDLINGHow a forest grazing project doubled a suckler herdThe ability to graze thousands of hectares on the Abernethy Forest Nature Reserve, in the Cairngorms, has provided beef farmer Bobby Mackenzie with low-cost outwintering and allowed him to double… BUSINESS MANAGEMENTHow sustainable farming is central to Raby Estate's businessAttention to detail has been critical as Raby Estate has changed direction and set about creating a more robust and commercially viable business, with an environmentally sustainable farming enterprise at… ENVIRONMENTAward-winner shows ploughing can go alongside sustainabilityCambridgeshire farmer David Felce has been named this year’s winner of the BASF Rawcliffe Bridge Sustainability Award, for his focus on promoting biodiversity. David, who farms with his wife Hayley… LIVESTOCKHow rotational hedge management is helping store more carbonHedgerows managed on a 12- to 15-year laying rotation store six times more carbon than those flailed annually, studies on a Cornish beef farm have shown. Overall carbon emissions at… LIVESTOCKHow a Portuguese green oasis inspired a move to agroforestryMike Adams had never seen the point in growing trees in fields. But visits to farms in southern Europe and Turkey proved transformational; he is now sold on their benefits… GRASSLAND MANAGEMENTBenefits of sward lifting for profit and environmentA decade of sward lifting on a Cornish farm has prevented run-off after heavy rainfall, shortened the winter housing period and is helping soils to sequester carbon. A typical field… InsightsSee all ENVIRONMENTLandscape Recovery: In conversation with Tony JuniperLandscape Recovery – the third leg of Defra’s Environmental Land Management strategy – has been heralded as having a “critical” role to play in supporting environmentally sustainable food production in… ENVIRONMENTHow Focus Farms are helping royal estate on regen journeyThe Duchy of Cornwall has a long history of trying to do right by nature, with both the current Duke (Prince William) and his predecessor (King Charles) renowned for their… FARM POLICYRadical reset on food production needed says new reportThe time has come for a radical reset in domestic agricultural policy, harnessing the full power of scientific advance with a view to improving UK food self-sufficiency, while reducing the… ENVIRONMENTHow green outcomes can be delivered on a shoestring budgetIn the heart of the Lake District, a group of 49 farmers has been testing whether environmental progress can be made without deep pockets. They are discovering just how far… ENVIRONMENTHow Water Action Groups can help secure farm suppliesThe Environment Agency (EA) is reviewing water abstraction licences, asking farmers to give up “excess headroom” due to over-abstraction in many catchments. Letters are being sent to farmers and other… ENVIRONMENTWater quality and supply: Striking the right balance on farmClimate change and weather volatility pose major concerns for UK agriculture. In the past year alone, the UK experienced exceptionally heavy rainfall during the winter months, followed by one of… ARABLECan arable farms operate without fossil fuels?While completing his Nuffield Scholarship, Stuart Oates founded the Fossil Free Farm project, born of his belief that removing fossil fuels from farming is essential for future sustainability. Based at… FARM POLICYHow the Ffermio Bro agri-environment scheme is bedding inThe Welsh government’s agri-environmental scheme for its designated landscapes and national parks – called Ffermio Bro – has started in earnest since its launch in April. Aiming to encourage nature-friendly… Latest environment newsSee all NEWSBovaer and crop inhibitors under FAO spotlightThe UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has issued new food-safety guidance on environmental inhibitors in agrifood systems, including methane-reducing feed additives such as Bovaer. The move comes as debate… NEWSCattle farmers face new pollution permitsThe Labour government plans to introduce environmental protection licensing for cattle farmers, bringing the sector into line with the pig and poultry industries. This is part of a wider overhaul… ENVIRONMENTProject enhances water quality for Conwy farmersA collaborative nature project in north Wales is expected to deliver enhanced water quality and improved habitats for farms along the Afon Eidda in Conwy. The Uwch Conwy project, run… ENVIRONMENTGovernment nature targets are off track, warns watchdogA watchdog has warned the UK government it is off track on legally binding nature targets, as pressure mounts from farming, environmental and climate groups to accelerate action across England.… NEWSNRW pushes ahead with plans for fourth Welsh national parkPlans for a fourth national park in Wales have moved a step closer to fruition after Natural Resources Wales (NRW) made a designation order as part of the legal designation… NEWSGovernment net zero failure blamed for NFU job lossesA lack of ambition on net zero policy from the government has led the NFU to make two key climate change posts redundant. The union has confirmed that Jonathan Scurlock,… WILDLIFERestoring nature should be kept simple, OFC delegates toldKeep it simple and make sure that it pays are key to nature-friendly farming success, delegates at the Oxford Farming Conference (OFC) were told on Thursday (8 January). Addressing a… AGRICULTURAL TRANSITIONLeading green groups quit Scottish farm policy boardsScottish Environment Link and RSPB Scotland have resigned from two key government farming policy groups, citing “failures in both the policy development process and the decisions being made”. The organisations… WILDLIFENew app to facilitate next years Big Farmland Bird CountA new mobile phone app is set to facilitate next year's Big Farmland Bird Count (6-22 February) to help make recording sightings more straightforward. The annual census of farmland birds,… BUSINESSGreen NGOs to benefit from NI 'nature recovery' projectsNature recovery projects in Northern Ireland are to receive a £1m investment by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) as part of its Environment Fund (EF) multi-year… ENVIRONMENTClimate and agriculture regulations pass final Senedd hurdleRegulations that cement Wales’s climate commitment and enable the rollout of the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) passed their final hurdle in the Senedd on Tuesday (2 December). Members voted in… ENVIRONMENTNew Scottish organic producer board to guide sectorA new Scottish organic producer board is set to guide the work of the Soil Association as the sector grows in Scotland. The new board, chaired by Sarah Morbey, owner… VideoSee all AIR AND WATERVideo: FW Investigates - would dredging reduce flooding?The past few months of relentless wet weather have again highlighted the pressing issue of how best to manage rivers and watercourses near farmland. Heavy rainfall events are becoming more… NEWSVideo: Farmer defends his actions on River LuggA Herefordshire farmer who was jailed for causing damage to a protected river has defended his actions, insisting they helped prevent flooding to local properties and land. Several homes along… SHEEPVideo: How a lowland farm is preparing for low-methane sheepResults from the first UK farm to test methane emissions in sheep using portable accumulation chambers have shown they were producing on average about 20g/day of methane and 1.2kg/day of… CARBONClimate adaptation and resilience within the farm businessOn Thursday 27 April 2023, Farmers Weekly hosted its webinar on climate adaptation and resilience within the farm business with the Woodland Trust. Integrating trees into farming systems provides opportunities…
