Latest farming opinions OPINIONOpinion: Biostimulants held back by inadequate regulationFor UK wheat producers, weather variability has overtaken traditional agronomy challenges as the biggest threat to crop performance, ahead of disease or weed control. On top of weather challenges, the… OPINIONOpinion: Mental health issues need empathy not appeasementThe second you say “mental health” in farming, some people switch off. They don’t do it because they don’t care. Often it’s the opposite. They care too much, don’t know… OPINIONEditor's View: Too much of our food is still in wrong placeWe are not angry enough about the amount of food that is wasted between field and fork. That was my overriding emotion after leaving a briefing this week put on… OPINIONOpinion: 'Baler twine sustainability' shows farmer ingenuityBefore sustainability targets, audits and carbon scores, farms were already running low-waste systems. Making do, fixing and reusing were not trends. They were skills learned out of necessity and they’re… OPINIONOpinion: The age of volatility demands a new approachIt’s been quite the half decade, hasn’t it? Covid-19, departing the European Union, the largest European war since 1945 and, now, a conflagration in the Middle East which threatens to… OPINIONEditor's View: Pleasing end to thorny dairy succession issueIf you have been to a few farming conferences in your time, you may well have seen the cartoon of two business owners talking about their staff. “What if we… OPINIONOpinion: New SFI means more risk and more cost for farmersThe announcement of the 2026 Sustainable Farming Incentive has been met with a largely positive response, with the overwhelming feeling one of relief. It is unbelievable that our expectations have… OPINIONOpinion: Agri-tech must earn its place on-farm The potential benefits of embracing agri-tech for farmers running high-risk, capital-intensive businesses are clear to see. Innovation in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, for example, holds huge potential to bring… OPINIONOpinion: Response to goose problem highlights crofting spiritOn a bright winter morning, six little heads appeared over the lip of a grassy slope on our croft. I watched the gaggle of greylag geese from my kitchen window… OPINIONEditor's View: Upheaval for farming likely in May electionsThere is a well-worn phrase in political circles about how one should interpret the many, many things that come out of the mouth of US president Donald Trump. The media,… OPINIONOpinion: A 'Wild' group can help farming women prosperThe UN has declared 2026 the Year of the Woman Farmer. So let’s start with the good news. It’s been 85 years since the first woman graduated in agricultural science… OPINIONOpinion: UPFs and inertia are to blame for obesity crisisPolicy shouldn’t be complicated, but somehow even the simplest ideas end up strangled in red tape. Take the straightforward notion that we should not be buying beef linked to deforestation.… OPINIONEditor's View: Iran war is yet another food security threatWith less than a week having passed since the US and Israel started bombing Iran, the nation remains gripped by every fresh headline about the conflict and how the effects… OPINIONOpinion: 7 things I’ve learned from rewildingI’ve been working at one of lowland Britain’s most famous rewilding projects for more than three years now, and what a wild time (pun intended) it’s been so far. I… OPINIONOpinion: Farmers need support in move to higher hen welfareI have spent more than 20 years standing in poultry sheds and farmyards talking to producers who both care about their birds and about keeping their businesses viable. I've seen… OPINIONOpinion: New CS payment could be lifeline for native breedsI own a herd of rare pedigree Sussex cows that are the main joy of my farming life. Indeed, it’s the greatest regret of my farming career that I didn’t… OPINIONEditor's View: Lack of resilience leaves farmers vulnerableIn Birmingham this week for the NFU Conference, the theme was resilience. The backdrop running right across the impressively large stage was a photograph of a landscape taken from the… OPINIONOpinion: Rush to build houses harms countryside and farmersHow many more new houses do we need? Everywhere you go, the urban sprawl gets bigger, infilling gaps between town and ring road on green belt, destroying farmland and habitat.… OPINIONOpinion: EU 'alignment' would be death-knell for cerealsOne piece of kit that gets a decent workout on the farm is our trailed sprayer. For the past decade and a half, we have had a model of keeping… More articles
