Farmers Weekly Podcast Ep 249: Farm profitability and yellow rust

In this episode, the government appoints former NFU president Minette Batters to lead a Defra review to solve farming’s “profitability problem”.

Her appointment – by Defra secretary Steve Reed – aims to help growers and livestock producers increase their profit and financial resilience.

See also: What’s hot and what’s not in the farm diversification market

We ask three experts what Baroness Batters should really be looking at – and whether farmers should be encouraged to diversify.

Emily Norton, from Farm Foresight; Richard King, from Andersons farm business consultants; and Jonathan Armitage, from Strutt & Parker, share their thoughts.

We get out in the field, where resistant wheat crops are showing signs of yellow rust – samples for analysis should be sent to the UK Cereal Pathogen Virulence Survey (UKCPVS).

We look ways farmers can supply more local food – according to the Local Food Plan.

And we try to track down a giant red fibreglass cow after it goes missing.

This episode of the Farmers Weekly Podcast is co-hosted by Johann Tasker, Louise Impey and Hugh Broom.

To contact the Farmers Weekly Podcast, email podcast@fwi.co.uk. In the UK, you can also text the word FARM followed by your message to 88 44 0.