This week in farming: Off-roaders, lamb and fertiliser

Hello and welcome to This Week in Farming, your round-up of the best content on the Farmers Weekly website in the past seven days.

Here’s a selection of our best content that you may have missed, as well as a look ahead to what’s coming up in this week’s Farmers Weekly podcast.

Off-roader’s buying guide

Could a child prod a hole in the chassis of your pickup? Does even the dog refuse to sit on your ATV?

If the budget permits then it might be time to consider an upgrade. If you want all the stats at your fingertips then you’ve come to the right place with this year’s Ultimate Guides on a big selection of off-road options.

Find all the info on the latest farm buggies, ATVs, commercial spec-SUVs and pickups in these four handy articles, from the futuristic-looking Corvus Terrain EX4 to the ultra-muscular V8 RAM.

Buyers beware: If it’s the second-hand tractor market you’re more interested in, then machinery reporter Matilda Bovingdon learned this week that adverts matching those of a prolific scammer have returned to eBay

Livestock marketing

If you’re planning a spending spree, you’d better have some cash coming in as well, so the livestock team have pulled together a guide on a number of ways to improve the way you market your stock.

Some sheep farmers may still be withholding judgement on EBVs but for early adopter David Rossiter and his son Richard it is a valuable tool to demonstrate to buyers why they should have confidence in their rams and breeding ewes.

If you’ve got dairy cattle for sale then don’t overlook the online option, with many buyers now moving from ringside to a website to purchase their next milkers.

And finally, beef farmers should check out the traits three bull breeders have focused on to meet demands of customers from near and far.

Fertiliser woes

Domestic fertiliser production was dealt another blow this week amid surging energy prices after global manufacturer CF Fertiliser said it would halt ammonia production at its Billingham site.

The company will still produce ammonium nitrate at the plant, but will use imported ammonia, giving rise to NFU fears of the impact this will have on carbon dioxide production, vital for a multitude of industrial uses in agriculture and other industries.

Researchers at University College London also warned this week of a long-term threat to fertiliser availability as manufacturers are set to endure stiffer competition for supplies of sulphuric acid, a vital ingredient in the manufacturing process of phosphate fertiliser.

Cost savings

There have been plenty of farmers tweaking their fertiliser application rates this season, with some being pleasantly surprised at the results.

Now fresh trial work from agronomy firm Agrii has revealed that close to 9t/ha of milling spec wheat is possible from just 164kg/ha of nitrogen fertiliser.

Charlie Flindt has also been on the hunt for some cost savings this week as he contemplates whether the monster Aga in the kitchen and an oil-fired burner are the cheapest ways to heat his draughty Hampshire farmhouse.

Find out here if big changes are afoot or if he plans to muddle along for another winter.

Love Lamb Week

There’s few things more warming to body and soul than a roast dinner once the days start to shorten.

And right on time is the return of Love Lamb Week from next Thursday (1-7 September) to focusing on the “naturally delicious” taste of lamb and explain to consumers why the UK is ideal for sustainable production, due to the country’s climate and landscape.

Find out here how you can show your support.

In this week’s Taking Stock we’ve also got the latest insight into what’s happening in the breeding ewe sales, with the drought holding back demand in the worst-affected areas.

Listen to the FW Podcast

Don’t forget the latest edition of the Farmers Weekly podcast with Johann Tasker and Hugh Broom too.

This week they’ll be talking farm safety, chatting to an entrepreneur who has set up another farmer buying group to help tackle inflation, bringing you the latest market prices and much more.

Listen here or bring us with you in the cab by downloading it from your usual podcast platform.