Farmers Guardian
April 28th 2006

  • 2006 show promises to be bigger and better than ever

    April 28th 2006

    This year, it is the turn of the South West to host the Grassland UK event, and organisers are promising that the show on Wednesday, May 10 will be bigger and better than ever.

  • 4,400gns Blonde top at Bristol

    April 28th 2006

    A TOP price of 4,400gns was achieved at the British Blonde sale at Bristol Sales Centre, on Saturday. Fronfedw Vervain from R.G. Davies, Lampeter, Ceredigion, went to L. Lewis and Son, Presteigne, Powys.

  • Act quickly to avoid penalty

    April 28th 2006

    With SP interim payments now agreed, attention is now very much on minimising chaos for the 2006 application process. Meanwhile, Ministers are facing more questions over their handling of the crisis. ALISTAIR DRIVER and TOM LEVITT report in a three-page special.

  • All set for calves shipment next week

    April 28th 2006

    BARRING any last minute legislative hitch the first British calves to be exported to Europe for 10 years will be crossing the Channel towards the end of next week.

  • An overwhelming response to UK food security campaign

    April 28th 2006

    THE small group of South East-based farmers, who have launched a campaign to raise public awareness of the risks agricultural decline places on UK food self-sufficiency, have been ‘overwhelmed’ by the response so far.

  • Anthrax confirmed in Welsh cow tests

    April 28th 2006

    ANTHRAX was confirmed in Wales at the weekend in two cows that died suddenly on a beef farm in Rhondda Cynon Taff that was hit by the same infection 35 years ago – though the exact source may never be discovered.

  • At the mart

    April 28th 2006

    THERE was plenty of interest at Skipton Market, North Yorkshire, on Monday when ewes with lambs went through the sale ring as well as a sizeable consignment of hoggs, spring lambs and cull ewes.

  • Avian Flu Update

    3 May 2006

    Chickens from another two poultry farms near Dereham, Norfolk, have tested positive for avian flu, with preliminary results indicating the H7N3 strain.

  • Back farmers buy local

    April 28th 2006

    A CALL for members to support local food producers was made by Marylyn Haines Evans, chairman of the National Federation of Women’s Institutes – Wales, at the organisation’s annual conference.

  • Beckett defends her decisions and Lord Bach

    April 28th 2006

    MARGARET Beckett has defended her decision to introduce the complex dynamic hybrid system in England in the face of further calls for Ministers’ heads to roll over the payments crisis.

  • Bespoke chipping service that unlocks extra power without reducing reliability

    April 28th 2006

    Fettling engine management systems can release huge reserves of power in modern turbo diesel engines. Geoff Ashcroft went to Buckinghamshire engine tuning specialist Superchips to find out more about this mysterious art.

  • Blank SPS forms available via web and drop-in centres

    April 28th 2006

    THE Rural Payments Agency has made blank 2006 application forms and continuation sheets available on its website, a move it always said would be the ‘last resort’.

  • British Grassland Society seminars

    April 28th 2006

    This year’s Grassland UK event will feature an exciting line-up of seminars, organised by the British Grassland Society, to appeal to both visiting farmers and contractors. The series of six seminars will kick off at 10.40am and each will run for 20 minutes, with time at the end for questions.

  • Brown rust more likely than yellow

    April 28th 2006

    WHEAT growers may escape serious yellow rust problems this year, but a lot depends on the weather from now onwards.

  • Bulls to 5,000gns at Dungannon Limousins

    April 28th 2006

    THE British Limousin Society’s show and sale of bulls organised by the Northern Ireland Club at Dungannon Farmers’ Mart saw a solid trade.

  • Cash help for cardio centre

    April 28th 2006

    THE Cardiothoracic Centre – Liverpool NHS Trust is £4,000 better off thanks to the fund-raising efforts of Lancashire NFU Ladies Social Section.

  • Caterpillar engine for TYM small tractor

    April 28th 2006

    SOUTH-Korean tractor maker TYM has just revealed the first model in its brand new K series tractors.

  • Charolais bulls sell to 3,600gns at Welshpool

    April 28th 2006

    CHAROLAIS bulls sold to 3,600gns at Welshpool at the society’s spring show and sale. Heading the trade was the Gwenog Vandyke CH20, an 18-month-old from father and son team John and Peter Howells, Lanwenog, Llanybydder, to C. Wozencraft, Pantydwr, Rhayader. Sired by the 18,000gns Derryharney Outstanding it was out of a home-bred dam and overall champion.

  • Convenience and waste cutting with Roundup herbicide

    April 28th 2006

    A NEW Roundup herbicide available this season offers improvements in convenience and reduced packaging in comparison to existing products, claims its distributor.

  • Cull cows know what they are worth

    April 28th 2006

    Cull cow producers – whether they be dairy farmers or specialist finishers – and the trade, require a common language for carcase specification in order to address market demands and to have clarity in price reporting. Eblex has taken the first steps in outlining a simple initial system which will be used in most English auctions from this week and in Welsh marts soon. Howard Walsh reports from Beeston Castle auction in Cheshire.

  • Early warning of nematodirus

    April 28th 2006

    DUE to this year's weather, sheep farmers must be aware of early outbreaks of nematodirus, SCOPS (Sustainable Control of Parasites) has warned.

  • Egerland Rau come to the rescue of Rabe

    April 28th 2006

    RABE has found a new owner after entering financial difficulty in February. The Egerland Rau family from Osnabruck has bought the company that had suffered from production difficulties as well as high development and market introduction costs.

  • Empowerment for employment

    April 28th 2006

    Young people in Cumbria are being trained and supported in order to find work as self-employed labourers on farms in the area. NEIL RYDER went to find out how the Cumbria Rural Futures Farm Assistant Scheme is changing lives.

  • Euphoric beef industry gets in gear for exports – ‘but it’s not a race’

    April 28th 2006

    LIMITED quantities of beef will be exported even in the first few days after the export ban is lifted on Wednesday, says MLC.

  • Eyespot could hit 1990s levels, warns pathologist

    April 28th 2006

    EYESPOT could cause the levels of damage seen in the 1990s this year, warned SAC pathologist Fiona Burnett at a technical briefing in Suffolk.

  • Farmers should have expected SP delays – Beckett

    April 28th 2006

    FARMERS should never have expected their Single Payments to have been made before the end of June, said Defra Secretary of State Margaret Beckett.

  • Final plea for help on Welsh pre-movement costs ‘crisis’

    April 28th 2006

    WITH bovine TB pre-movement testing scheduled to come into effect in Wales from next Tuesday, NFU Cymru has made a last ditch attempt to get the Welsh Assembly to help farmers meet the costs involved.

  • Finding a niche path to pick up

    April 28th 2006

    Nissan is carving itself a useful niche in being a supplier of 4x4s. The range currently includes six models, given that the Pathfinder and Murano have recently been added to the line-up, joining the existing Patrol, X-Trail, Navara pick-up and Terrano.

  • Finishing pigs under contract, with a steady income and little hassle

    April 28th 2006

    With the 2006 Pig and Poultry Fair rapidly approaching, Rachael Porter takes a look at contract pig rearing as a hassle-free way to increase farm income.

  • Fischer Boel asked to intervene

    April 28th 2006

    THE three main English farming organisations have written to EU Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel, asking her to intervene in the row over 2006 application penalties.

  • Grassland Uk 2006 - six page special feature

    April 28th 2006

    10th May 2006

  • Greater lodging risk with warmer weather

    April 28th 2006

    DO not get caught out by heightened cereal lodging risks with the return to rapid crop growth brought on by warmer weather, growers are being advised. Until now, relatively little plant growth regulator (PGR) has been applied to cereals, so some high-risk crops are still largely unprotected, says Syngenta technical expert Rod Burke.

  • Herefords peak at 4,100gns

    April 28th 2006

    THE Hereford Cattle Society’s spring show and sale at Hereford market saw J.M. Cant and Partners, Angus, Scotland, succeed again in producing the top price, having done so at the autumn show and sale last year.

  • Improved prospects for producers driven by increased export demand

    April 28th 2006

    With lambing complete in many parts of the country Mark Topliff, sheep economist for the Meat and Livestock Commission, takes a look at how the market will fare in the coming year compared to 2005.

  • It’s showtime!

    April 28th 2006

    It is that time of year again when members of the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs get together for their annual meeting. Around 4,000 members will gatherin Blackpool on Friday, May 5, for the three-day convention and a weekend of competitions and socialising. JOANNE PUGH takes a look at the line-up, from intellectual debates to partying hard in the Winter Gardens.

  • JCB attempt on diesel wheel-driven land speed record with Dieselmax car

    April 28th 2006

    PROOF that JCB’s telehandlers and diggers could quite easily go faster than they do can be found in the firm’s Dieselmax streamlined car, which the Staffordshire maker will use later this summer to try and break the world land speed record for a wheel-driven, diesel-powered vehicle.

  • Lamb source and supply scheme is example to other regions

    April 28th 2006

    SHEEP producers within the proposed South Downs National Park are starting to reap rewards from South Downs Lamb, a new initiative supplying branded lamb to high street butchers within the region.

  • Longhorn female record

    April 28th 2006

    A two-year-old in-calf heifer, Gorse Layla, from J.S. and J.W. Brigg, Warwick, set a new female record for the breed when sold for 3,700gns to Cheshire Wildlife Trust at the Mid West Longhorn Club show and sale at Worcester, on Saturday. The reserve champion was secured to go with 21 other purchases made by the trust.

  • Milkers in big demand at Uttoxeter fixture

    April 28th 2006

    FEWER numbers and the continuing increase in demand for milkers resulted in a tremendous trade at the April Uttoxeter (Staffordshire) pedigree sale which saw prices peaking at £1,320.

  • MPs told dairy farmers are losing money on every litre

    April 28th 2006

    A CROSS-PARTY group of MPs that has come together to support dairy farmers has been told farmers are losing money on every litre of milk they produce.

  • New format for forum

    April 28th 2006

    A BRAND new format for this year’s forum promises more integration between YFC members and the guests from various agricultural organisations.

  • New TB survey is a success

    April 28th 2006

    A NEW questionnaire used to collect data on how Bovine TB is spread from infected farms proved to be more successful than its much-maligned predecessor.

  • Opposition makes culling policy difficult to implement, says Animal Health Minister

    April 28th 2006

    BEN Bradshaw has admitted that opposition to a badger cull from major landowners would make a culling policy difficult to implement.

  • Part payments aim to avoid EU penalties

    April 28th 2006

    ONE of the driving forces behind Margaret Beckett’s decision to opt for partial payments was the prospect of the Treasury having to pay out large sums in penance for the UK missing the June 30 EU deadline

  • Passionate debate on the agenda

    April 28th 2006

    THE idea of sitting in a meeting for several hours on a Sunday morning may not appeal to everyone but a YFC annual meeting can always be relied on for plenty of passionate debate.

  • Planning ahead helps save time in preparing for the big event

    April 28th 2006

    PREPARATIONS for Grassland UK 2006 have been underway for some time, with tenant farmer Mark Dunford priming the land at Bridge Farm in readiness.

  • Public praised over reports of dead badgers for research

    April 28th 2006

    THE public’s response to the Welsh Assembly’s call for 400 dead roadside badgers to be reported so the pattern of bovine TB in badgers in Wales can be accurately assessed, has been praised by Glyn Davies, chairman of its Countryside Committee.

  • Racing to the benefit of local good causes

    April 28th 2006

    STAFFORDSHIRE haulier Ed Weetman is teaming up with Uttoxeter Racecourse to raise funds for hard-pressed rural communities in the county.

  • RPA workers ‘exploited’ while consultants get £2,000 a day

    April 28th 2006

    THE Rural Payments Agency has been accused of exploiting its workers by its staff’s trade union.

  • Senior Defra staff ignored RPA

    April 28th 2006

    A BREAKDOWN in communication between Defra and the Rural Payments Agency lies at the heart of the current Single Payment Scheme chaos, NFU and TFA officials have told MPs.

  • Smoked Bacon Hot-pot

    April 28th 2006

    This recipe is from Carol Leigh, of Lowton, Cheshire.

  • Stardale Holsteins draws a big crowd and 3,008 average for 214 lots

    April 28th 2006

    Prospective buyers from all over the UK packed Tunsteads Farm, Barton, Preston, Lancashire, to the rafters on Monday as virtually the entire milking portion of Stardale Holsteins was offered up for sale.

  • Switching from beef and sheep to dairy to free up time for the family

    April 28th 2006

    While it is not uncommon to hear of dairy farmers converting to beef and sheep production, one Scottish family has bucked the trend and moved in the opposite direction. Neil Ryder went to visit the Campbell’s and their new 200-cow dairy unit.

  • Tallow ban U-turn after just two days

    April 28th 2006

    A BAN that was set to cost the farming industry between £30-50 million and individual livestock farmers up to £10 per animal, has been suspended after just two days.

  • Three-row harvester to boost output

    April 28th 2006

    THE Standen Pearson T3 is a three-row harvester that could increase output by 60 per cent over a two-row system. The harvester, was tested last season is the final part of the three-row jigsaw for Standen joining the four-body bedformer, Powavator 400 rotary tiller and six-row planter.

  • Top tips for big bale quality

    April 28th 2006

    More than 20 per cent of grass ensiled in the coming weeks will be wrapped as big bales and it is vital the whole process is done effectively.

  • Trade strong for fresh milkers at Border and Lakeland sale

    April 28th 2006

    THE Border and Lakeland Holstein Club show and sale at Carlisle saw a smaller selection of milking animals with a special selection of youngstock on offer with trade remaining strong for fresh milking animals.

  • Twenty top 4,000gns and Faber Rachel makes 16,000gns at Rockset Holsteins

    April 28th 2006

    A LARGE crowd, many of whom had travelled a long way to Bodmin, Cornwall, for the Rockset Holstein dispersal witnessed an outstanding sale of cattle from the prize winning herd.

  • Two-stage lambing process proves a success

    April 28th 2006

    It is no mean feat to lamb 3,000 ewes but shepherd Nick Davies has instigated a number of changes on a sheep farm in Shropshire to make the whole process considerably easier and more successful. JOANNE PUGH went to see how lambing has gone this year at Brakes Farm, Ludlow.

  • Under-pressure Defra promises ELS payments

    April 28th 2006

    OVER 100 farmers who took out conditional Entry Level Stewardship Scheme (ELS) agreements but have still not been paid should get their money within the next fortnight, Defra said this week.

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