Latest farming opinions OPINIONOpinion: Truss deals could yet prove disastrous for farmersRegular readers of this column will know that I do tend to bang on about how much I dislike Brexit. But it’s now just over a decade since the result… OPINIONOpinion: Contract Farming Agreements need new approachTaking a new approach to Contract Farming Agreements based on long-term thinking, more collaboration and greater transparency could benefit both landowners and contractors. Many existing agreements are being terminated or… OPINIONEditor's View: Heat is on as harvest gets under wayAnd so combines roll once again across a widening slice of England, with many farmers starting earlier than ever after bone-dry conditions saw crops race towards ripeness. It’s many things… OPINIONOpinion: Why do badgers get a 'free pass' in the TB battle?As farmers we are pretty resilient, adapting to climate change by changing our timings and cropping to best suit what the weather throws at us, absorbing commodity prices that fluctuate… OPINIONEditor's View: Farming Roadmap is as exciting as coleslaw“I am fully conscious of the importance of preserving national unity…but unity without action is nothing but futile carnage and I cannot be responsible for that. “Vigour and vision are… OPINIONOpinion: Working capital is vital when profits are lowI really envy livestock farmers at that point in the spring when they turn their cattle out onto grass. What an appropriate and optimistic way to start a new growing… OPINIONOpinion: Technology is nothing without a skilled workforceIt is encouraging to see the UK government boosting funding for innovation and long-term sustainability in our country’s agriculture. But recently outlined fiscal plans to boost food security, including £11.8bn… OPINIONOpinion: Beauty spot visitors leave common sense at homeHaving spent a fair chunk of my life living and working in the Peak District National Park, I can absolutely sympathise with the Cumbrian farmer who, having reached the end… OPINIONEditor's View: 10 years on, Brexit to-do list far from doneBy the time you read this, the Makerfield by-election will have taken place, with Andy Burnham, the expected prime ministerial challenger, likely to win the seat. If he then clears… OPINIONOpinion: Help sought on stopping deer deaths at mowing timeMy good friend and farm wildlife guru, David White, once remarked: “I like your kit... before you took over here the contractors used to come flying in on massive machines… OPINIONOpinion: The Land Use Framework should spark a 'revolution'It’s more than 350 years since England attempted a Glorious Revolution (and that one wasn’t very successful). It’s high time we went for it – a last-ditch attempt to regain… OPINIONEditor's View: New TB strategy welcome despite end to cullingThe launch this week of the next bovine TB strategy for England by the independent TB partnership is a pivotal moment for any cattle keeper. If rubber-stamped by Defra, it… OPINIONOpinion: Hay meadow work prompts cricket pitch fantasyIf all goes to plan, we’ll be clearing the back meadow of hay bales in the next couple of weeks. And when it’s done, I have a little tradition. I… OPINIONOpinion: Higher welfare can also mean greater climate resilienceI recently took part in a Defra roundtable on animal welfare, climate resilience and food systems. It was a positive session, but it reinforced something I strongly believe – without… OPINIONOpinion: Humans matter, as well as the environmentI skim-read the brief article about a landscape recovery project, thought “that’s nice”, and moved on. But something made me go back and read it again. Various organisations, the “community”… OPINIONEditor's View: Stability is the new subsidy for farmersIf there’s a common thread running through the headlines in this week’s News section, it’s not the future of environmental schemes, the latest trade disputes, or even the size of… OPINIONOpinion: Why can’t I quit this bad supermarket romance?In a tongue-in-cheek agony aunt letter exchange, David Bennie imagines British farming as a spurned partner in a fraught relationship with the supermarkets. See also: How dog field diversifications can… OPINIONOpinon: Innovation is about people as well as technologyA company that farms insect larvae for animal feed just became the flagship example of agricultural innovation. Good for them; and I mean that sincerely. But when Defra opened a… OPINIONEditor's View: Farmer Choir shows depth of support for UK ag“How am I gonna be an optimist about this?” The line repeatedly belted out by the Hawkstone Farmers Choir as they sang their way into the final of Britain’s Got… More articles
