This Week in Farming: Shiny kit, lamb optimism but pig woes

Hello and welcome to This Week in Farming, your Saturday bulletin rounding up the biggest stories of the week from the Farmers Weekly website.

Below is a run through of five of the biggest topics that got readers talking in the last seven days, and a look ahead to what’s coming up in this week’s FW podcast.

Sima 2022

It’s been all the fun of the fair for our machinery team this week as they attended farm machinery mega-show Sima in Paris.

One of the highlights for many was the unveiling of New Holland’s latest T7 models, including a tuned-up T7.300 model that develops a max power of 280hp.

Notable upgrades include a much comfier cab, with more space, better suspension and improved climate control.

Other new vehicles included a driverless tractor made by Krone and Lemken, and a more compact Merlo loader designed to fit inside chicken sheds, as well as a multitude of implements.

Ukraine optimism

Days before Ukrainian leaders cautiously welcomed news about Russia’s apparent withdrawal from the key city of Kherson, there was also hints of optimism about the country’s agricultural prospects.

Farmers in the country have persevered with planting and harvesting crops despite the threats from operating in a combat zone in some areas, as well as crippling shortages of key inputs.

Nevertheless, according to the latest estimates the planted area for the next wheat harvest could be just 10% down on what was harvested this year.

Read the full analysis from expert Mike Lee, as well as from defiant dairy worker Victor Boltruchnuk on why his farm is pressing ahead with upgrades.

Last month, Farmers Weekly awarded their Farming Champion 2022 award to the farmers of Ukraine.

Lamb outlook

Dwindling lamb availability is set to strengthen prices in the run up to Christmas following a period where the market has lagged well behind year-earlier levels.

The deadweight SQQ dropped by 6.9p/kg to average 512.6p/kg for the week ending 5 November, after having fallen every week but two since mid-June.

However, throughputs to 5 November in the AHDB’s sample of GB abattoirs dropped 11% on the previous week, notes business reporter Charlie Reeve.

There was more good news for sheep farmers recently after scientists revealed that a battery of new tools can be developed to detect and track resistant strains of gut worms.

Independent sheep consultant and the Sustainable Control of Parasites’ (Scops) spokesperson, Lesley Stubbings, called the breakthrough a “major step forward in detecting anthelmintic resistance on farms”.

Pig and poultry woes

There was less good news in other sectors this week as pig market analysis revealed many producers are still enduring crippling losses.

Rising feed prices pushed the average cost of production up to 232p/kg in October while prices were no higher than 200p/kg.

And in my editorial this week, I bemoaned the self-inflicted wound that supermarkets have given themselves by failing to pay egg producers above the cost of production, which is now giving rise to shortages on shelves as farmers shut up shop.

Carbon farming

Suspicion reigns over every aspect of the fledgling carbon trading market, particularly over whether farmers will be exploited to allow polluting firms in other sectors to achieve carbon neutrality.

In this detailed piece from this weeks’ arable section, we look at the critical differences between offsetting, which would be the route by which that would be achieved, and insetting, which sees the benefits of carbon reduction kept within the food supply chain.

Elsewhere, Defra has opened the latest round of the Countryside Stewardship Facilitation Fund to encourage groups of farmers in England to work together on environmental projects.

FW Podcast preview

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

This week, they are investigating changes to the Farm Business Survey and will look ahead to the upcoming Budget. There’s also a special segment to mark Remembrance Sunday.

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