Latest farming opinions OPINIONOpinion: Why I don’t like the word 'diversification'“What do you farm?” is a question I find surprisingly hard to answer, which is a bit left field for a Farmers Weekly columnist. I struggle because my response usually… OPINIONOpinion: Forget the hype – the 'Clarkson effect' is a mythI’m a farmer. I also co-own a pub and I write the odd column in the mainstream media so, sooner or later, someone was going to joke to me: “Are you… OPINIONOpinion: Why farm assurance claims need to be squeaky cleanThe banning of a TV advert for the Red Tractor scheme in the autumn of 2025, over claims aimed at consumers, caused quite a stir in the farming industry. The… OPINIONEditor's View: APR - a late gift and a hard lesson for farmersBy now, most readers will be well aware of the last-minute gift the government has slipped into farmers’ stockings: an increase in the agricultural property relief (APR) and business property… OPINIONOpinion: LENs foster invaluable co-operation in food chainFarmers often don’t get listened to, so it makes a welcome change to be involved with Yorkshire Landscape Enterprise Networks (LENs). This initiative encourages demand-side companies, such as Nestlé Purina,… OPINIONOpinion: Small signs of positivity welcome, but work to be doneThere is no doubt that the past 12 months have been tough for farmers, so it is reassuring to see the latest Farmers Weekly Sentiment Survey, published this week, showing… OPINIONOpinion: High energy costs are killing our veg-growing sectorWe have the most expensive commercial electricity in the world, with unit costs on the near Continent typically half or less of what businesses on this side of the Channel… OPINIONEditor's View: The Merry Ballad of the Batters ReportThis week I wrapped tinsel around my keyboard, ate four mince pies and summoned my most festive spirit to deliver an editorial of seasonal verse. In tribute to this month's… OPINIONOpinion: Farm visits make me view what we do in a new lightAny farmer questioning their future and weighing up the pros and cons of continuing to knacker themselves out on a daily basis for nothing would be forgiven for throwing in… OPINIONOpinion: Fly-tipping tale has a Netflix-style twistIn my previous column, I talked about our new tenancy and feeling like “a proper farmer”. My hubris didn’t pass unnoticed by the farming gods and, a week after that… OPINIONEditor's View: What should be getting you off farm in 2026?I must have attended about two dozen conferences and events with speakers this year to listen to farmers plot, plan and prevaricate on what our industry’s future problems will be… OPINIONOpinion: There are too many people and food is too cheapI can’t be alone in looking at the outcome of the COP30 summit and wondering whether there is any point to these negotiations at all. Delegates flew from across the… OPINIONOpinion: Education can empower us and save our industryWe’ve all heard the proverb “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime”. But… OPINIONOpinion: Open Farm Sunday matters more than ever beforeAs Leaf’s flagship public engagement event Open Farm Sunday approaches its 20th anniversary in 2026, its role in shaping the nation’s understanding of sustainable farming, food production and the environment… OPINIONEditor's View: Tricky times ahead for Recommended ListAre the AHDB Recommended List trials for cereals and oilseeds – now in their 81st year of operation – still fit for purpose? The annual updated list of recommended crop… OPINIONOpinion: It's great to see Young Farmers' focus and passionTwo things dawned on me as I sat for two hours in a traffic jam on the M4 returning from another after-dinner speaking gig. The first was that one should… OPINIONOpinion: The list of food we must eat gets ever longerAccording to the latest “expert” advice in the press, I need to add 30g of beans a day to my diet for the sake of my health. Not just any… OPINIONEditor's View: Budget piles the pressure on food inflationThe decision this week to place last-minute restrictions on the right of farmers to protest in London on the day of the Budget was regrettable, particularly as the imposition came… OPINIONOpinion: Time to ditch the outdated Europ grading systemThe worst thing about Brexit, apart from having reduced border controls, increased barriers for exports, and trade deals that ride roughshod over UK agriculture, has to be the continued use… More articles
