By unlocking the export potential China offers the pig industry, not to mention the red meat sector as a whole, we could gain entry into a marketplace which comprises a fifth of the world’s population.Farmers Guardian
August 27, 2010
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‘Don’t cut the life from our countryside’, RSPB urges Ministers
23 August 2010
THE RSPB is stepping up its campaign to persuade Ministers to spare England’s agri-environment schemes from budget cuts.
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£2,600 secures first prize Beltex for Frankland Farm
August 27, 2010
?A bid of £2,600 from Frankland Farms, Settle, Yorkshire, secured the purchase of the first prize Beltex ram at Bentham Auction’s ‘ram-page’ sale last Saturday.
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2,200gns peak for dairy cattle at Carlisle
August 27, 2010
?AN entry of 200 dairy cattle of all breeds and ages went under the hammer at Carlisle last week.
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2,600gns top for dairy stock at Lancaster
August 27, 2010
?AN entry of 47 dairy cows and heifers were forward at Lancaster Auction Mart’s August show and sale and prices peaked at 2,600gns.
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23,000gns top for Limousin Greenwell Amy
August 27, 2010
?THE five-year-old Limousin cow, Greenwell Amy, sold at 23,000gns and led a strong trade at the dispersal sale of the Greenwell pedigree herd of J.T. and J. Nattress and Son, Lanchester, Durham, held at Borderway Mart last Friday.
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Advanced livestock transport from Houghton-Parkhouse
26 August 2010
LIVESTOCK producers seeking a high specification tractor-drawn trailer can now opt for an upgraded model from the Country Line range produced by Milnthorpe, Cumbria-based company Houghton-Parkhouse.
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Agri Expo judging line-up announced
27 August 2010
THE judges have been announced for this year’s Agri-Expo, which will take place Friday 29 October at Borderway Mart, Carlisle.
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Agriculture in the national news - August 12
12 August 2010
A DAILY look at how agriculture has hit the headlines across the country (August 12)
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Agriculture in the national news - August 23
23 August 2010
A DAILY look at how agriculture has caught the headlines across the country (Monday, August 23).
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Agriculture in the national news - August 25
25 August 2010
A DAILY look at how agriculture has caught the headlines across the country (Wednesday, August 25).
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Agriculture in the national news - August 26
26 August 2010
A DAILY look at how agriculture has caught the headlines across the country (Thursday, August 26).
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Agriculture in the national news - August 27
27 August 2010
A DAILY look at how agriculture has caught the headlines across the country (Friday, August 27).
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Aintree hosts amateur showjumping event
August 27, 2010
AINTREE International Equestrian Centre recently hosted an action packed three-day amateur showjumping fixture.
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Alanco Sprayranger gets an update
24 August 2010
ALANCO’S Sprayranger has been taken back to the drawing board and has emerged bedecked with some new ideas and updates.
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Arla’s cottage cheese growth
26 August 2010
ARLA, having just begun commercial production of cottage cheese, is looking to grow its claimed 50.5 per cent market share of 7,000 tonnes, to 10,000 tonnes in two years.
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Beef prices to improve as things come together
August 27, 2010
OPENING the event at Kirkbean, QMS chairman Donald Biggar said beef prices should gradually improve over the coming months, as a number of key factors have come together.
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Bishops Blue Texel dispersal tops 2,000gns
August 27, 2010
?THE Bishops Blue Texel dispersal at Worcester market for Andrew Bishop, Gloucestershire, saw prices rising to 2,000gns for a three-year-old home-bred ewe.
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Black-grass emergence will be medium
August 27, 2010
An HGCA-funded project shows dormancy in black-grass seed this autumn is medium.
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Black-grass is not just a problem in the east
August 27, 2010
Black-grass is not just a problem in eastern counties as one Warwickshire farm busniess explains.
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Blacksdown Rambo tops Dungannon Texel sale
August 27, 2010
?BIDDING peaked at 17,000gns at the Northern Ireland premier show and sale of Texels at Dungannon.
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Bryncir breeding ewes
August 27, 2010
?The opening sale of breeding ewes saw and entry of 2,486 realised an overall average of £113.02 per head at Bryncir Mart.Prices peaked at £141 for a pen of Texel cross Mule yearlings from E.A. Davies and Co, Llangernyw, Abergele.A pen of Suffolk Mules sold at £140 for R.J. Williams, Llangwnadl, Pwllheli.Demand for Suffolk Mules was strong resulting in an overall average of £126.94 with a consignment of 434 from R.J. Williams averaging £136.60.
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Chelford auction’s five-year plan to move
August 27, 2010
Chelford Agricultural Centre could be on the move within the next five years.
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Clean sweep for Kerry Hills at Pembrokeshire
August 27, 2010
THERE are not many showgrounds that have not seen Kerry Hill stalwart Dick Powell topping the inter-breed sheep lines - but until this year he had never competed at the Pembrokeshire County Show.
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Cleenagh Avon sets new NI female Simmental record
August 27, 2010
?PRICES reached a ceiling of 12,000gns, and 20 lots sold to average £3,654 per head, at the elite Simmental female show and sale held at Omagh.
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Controlling black-grass effectively begins with a pre-em treatment
August 27, 2010
Approaches to black-grass control have shown some interesting results, says independent agronomist Mike Warner.
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Crofter invents new bale moving system
26 August 2010
SCOTTISH engineer and crofter, Angus Mackay, has come up with a simple and easy method for moving and handling bales.
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Crop protection business appoints technical manager
August 27, 2010
Crop protection business Certis has appointed Dr Tudor Dawkins to the position of technical manager.
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Dawn Porter takes on potato challenge
August 27, 2010
Celebrity TV presenter and journalist Dawn Porter is following a ‘time-saving, healthy eating plan’ from the Potato Council
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DC has 'no plans' to copy Arla milk levy
25 August 2010
DAIRY Crest says ‘it has absolutely no plans’ to make compulsory capital deductions from its milk suppliers.
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Defra 'significantly under-estimating’ TB levels in non-bovines
26 August 2010
DEFRA is facing calls to tighten up bovine TB (bTB) controls for non-bovine species in England, amid signs the disease is spreading far more rapidly in some species than official figures indicate.
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Delays to flagship Welsh environment scheme
24 August 2010
THE Welsh Assembly Government’s pioneering Glastir land management scheme - all set to replace five existing support funding packages - has hit a hitch with a decision to defer the window for farmers to sign up.
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Dominic Naylor: Another year older as the arable harvest gets into full-swing
26 August 2010
Harvest is in full swing here at Bishop Burton, with the rape, winter barley and some wheat under our belts.
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Doubts over high speed rail compensation
25 August 2010
FARMERS disrupted by the high speed rail link due to run between London and Birmingham may lose out on compensation due to a ‘restrictive definition’ of agricultural units, the NFU has warned.
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Entrepreneur to supply 15 Scottish Asda stores
August 27, 2010
A YOUNG, Scottish entrepreneur is celebrating his biggest deal yet – supplying rapeseed oil to Asda stores across the North East of Scotland.
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EVA confirmed in a Staffordshire stallion
August 27, 2010
A stallion in Staffordshire has tested positive for the notifiable disease Equine Viral Arteritis (EVA). A Defra statement says: “An investigation is underway to establish the likely origin of the infection, as well as any mares which may have been affected.”
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Exports could boost weak beef prices
August 27, 2010
THE opening of new export markets for beef this week could help depressed producer prices.
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Farm inspections - what you need to know
31 August 2010
FIND out everything you need to know about farm inspections and what to expect when the RPA makes a visit to your farm.
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Farm inspections highlight the discrepancies in cattle records
August 27, 2010
WITH errors found in cattle identification inspections potentially incurring serious financial penalties, Wendy Short asks a Rural Payments Agency inspector about farm visits and common discrepancies.
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Farm workers will strike over pay, TUC warns
23 August 2010
THE Government’s decision to abolish the Agricultural Wages Board (AWB) could result in farm strikes and civil unrest, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has warned.
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Farmer with a mission takes Rosemead herd to the next level
August 27, 2010
THE cows and bulls from the Rosemead herd of Aberdeen-Angus are recognised as some of the best in the country. Breeder, salesman and farmer Angus Stovold tells Jane Howard why meticulous detail to a herd health plan has resulted in a sound stream of willing buyers as she meets the man with a ‘big plan’.
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Farmer would buy another cloned bull ‘tomorrow’
26 August 2010
THE Scottish farmer at the centre of the cloning controversy would buy another cloned bull tomorrow if he got the opportunity.
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Free information on disease prevention
August 27, 2010
CONCERNED that Britain’s growing equine population is becoming increasingly vulnerable to the risk of disease, World Horse Welfare has produced a free information pack and DVD for horse owners.
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Fresh format for 2010 dairy event
24 August 2010
THE Dairy Event will stage its first show at the NEC in Birmingham next month. Here, we look at what’s new for this year’s show.
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Frontier compensate farmers over oilseed rape crop failure
27 August 2010
FRONTIER Agriculture has compensated farmers who suffered crop failure after buying the oilseed rape variety Ritz in 2009.
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Fruit and veg task force calls for planning reforms
26 August 2010
THE importance of domestic food production should be stated in national planning policy to make it easier to get permission for the likes of polytunnels, a task force has recommended.
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FSA Scotland accused of ‘draconian’ approach to meat inspection
25 August 2010
THE Food Standards Agency (FSA) in Scotland has been accused of a ‘draconian’ approach to meat inspection in an industry review.
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Gimmer shearling averages up at Skipton
August 27, 2010
?AN overall average of £134.58 per head - an increase of £32.35 on 2009 - was achieved for the 3,388-strong entry at the annual show and sale of gimmer shearlings at Skipton Auction Mart.
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Good practice tips for effectively controlling footrot
August 27, 2010
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Half a billion eggs recalled in US salmonella crisis
24 August 2010
MORE than half a billion eggs have been recalled in the US due to a salmonella outbreak that officials are warning could get worse.
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Harper Adams to spread the green message
23 August 2010
ONE of Britain’s leading agricultural colleges has been awarded £75,000 to help spread its green message to other educational institutions.
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Home advantage shows through in busiest period
August 27, 2010
AUGUST is the busiest month in the Welsh trial calendar and Wales has been host to many European visitors who have taken many places in the results of numerous trials.
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Industry campaign alerts growers to counterfeit threat
August 27, 2010
With the trade in counterfeit pesticides on the increase across Europe, several UK industry organisations have joined force to alert farmers to the risks associated with fake agrochemical products.
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Innovative ‘whisky’ biofuel could power cars
August 27, 2010
Topping up at the petrol pump is about to take an intriguing twist thanks to a new super biofuel made from whisky by-products.
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Innovative farm plays B&B to other cattle
3 September 2010
STEVEN and Elaine Murray of West Preston Farm, Kirkbean, Dumfries, hosted a Luing Cattle Society open day. Neil Ryder reports on how the couple over-winter their cattle and sheep, while working with the RSPB to provide winter grazing for thousands of geese.
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It’s lucky 13 for enterprising teenagers
August 27, 2010
An innovative idea, designed to encourage children to eat more fruit and vegetables, has been won by a group of teenagers in the Young Enterprise Company of the Year award.
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John Gordon: Exceptional prices but worries about the future cost of fertiliser
August 27, 2010
It rained on St Swithins Day! Since then we have had a significant amount of rain, some of it torrential, which washed mud and silt down through our yard leaving deposits of around 45cm (18in) to be cleared by the loadall.
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Kendall accuses 'bully boy' supermarkets on milk prices
25 August 2010
NFU president Peter Kendall has accused supermarkets of ‘aggressive cost cutting’ and ‘bully boy tactics’ in their dealings with milk processors.
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Key Issues: Foul in the foot with Pfizer Animal Health
August 27, 2010
This latest Key Issues focuses on foul in the foot. Vet Matt Williams, from Pfizer Animal Health, offers his advice on this disease, which can cause lameness in cattle.
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Krone returns to single-engined approach for Big X
August 27, 2010
KRONE’S position as having the biggest forager power output remains intact with the launch of third incarnation of the Big X range, where single engines replace twin-engine models. James Lane reports from the company’s launch in Germany.
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Lamb prospects looking good into 2011
26 August 2010
PROSPECTS for the continuing lamb market appear better than that for beef.
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Lameness: Diagnose correctly and beware of over-paring
August 27, 2010
?Farmers and shepherds are often exacerbating lameness in sheep by over-paring feet, SAC vet Jo Gidlow said at a sheep lameness workshop in Aberdeenshire last week.
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Later lifted beet set to benefit from T2 sprays
August 27, 2010
Sugar beet crops to be lifted from late November onwards should benefit from a second (T2) fungicide spray applied in the first half of September.
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Leaving stubble over the winter helps birds survive
August 27, 2010
With harvest under way farmers are being urged to give a helping hand to birds by leaving stubble over the winter.
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Lifestyle motivated by love of Friesians
August 27, 2010
It was passion for Friesian horses which led to Tracey and Rynardt Venter starting both a new business and a completely different way of life in Cumbria.
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Llandeilo show results
August 27, 2010
Results from the 2010 Llandeilo show.
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Local buyer's top bid at Ynysau flock sale
August 27, 2010
?THE on-farm dispersal of the Ynysau Texel flock for Gwynfor and Bethan Richards, Llanwrda, Carmarthenshire, was met by a packed ringside of both local and distant buyers.
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Major scientific breakthrough will increase wheat yields
27 August 2010
A TEAM of British researchers has cracked one of the toughest genetic codes of any plant with the first mapping of a wheat genome – a genome five times larger than its human equivalent.
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Manx producers’ stepping stone to retail
August 27, 2010
Isle of Man supermarket chain Shoprite has thrown open its doors to small-scale food producers on the island.
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Matt and Milo head up the English qualifiers
August 27, 2010
AFTER a closely contested run off the English National Champion title went to Matt Watson with Milo.
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Meonhill Texel flock sees shearling top at 700gns
August 27, 2010
?PRICES peaked at 700gns when the Meonhill Texel flock came under the hammer at Worcester for L.E.P. Farms, Hampshire.
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Michelin launches CerexBib harvester tyre range
August 27, 2010
MANUFACTURED in conjunction with Claas, Michelin’s new CerexBib tyres are aimed at fitment to combine harvesters to provide a narrower road travel width.
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Missing tags pose problem
31 August 2010
MISSING tags are a problem for both parties, however there is a degree of leeway allowed if an animal is not correctly identified, says Mr Lowe.
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Mixed harvest results as rain delays continue
August 27, 2010
?Poor weather this harvest has combined with difficult conditions earlier in the season to create the ‘perfect storm’ for the 2010 wheat crop.
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Mixed harvest results as rain delays continue
August 27, 2010
?Poor weather this harvest has combined with difficult conditions earlier in the season to create the ‘perfect storm’ for the 2010 wheat crop.
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Mole Valley campaign celebrates producers
26 August 2010
MOLE Valley Farmers is launching a ‘Great Taste’ campaign running through all nine branches in the South West.
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New Holland launches T7 range of tractors
21 September 2010
FOLLOWING suit from its new larger T8 and T9 brothers, the New Holland T7000 series now becomes the T7 series, which in essence brings Tier 4A engine emission compliance, four new shorter wheelbase versions and AutoCommand CVT for all models, which cover from 125 to 228hp (rated).
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New winter wheat well suited to late drilling
August 27, 2010
A new winter wheat variety launched to growers for this autumn could be a strong contender for later drilling, says its breeder.
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North-West Team Triumph at the Inter-Regional Endurance Championships
26 August 2010
Riders and horses drawn from Cheshire, Derbyshire and Lancashire, came together to make a winning combination in the Inter-Regional Endurance Championships, at Barbury Castle, a marvellous venue in the rolling Wiltshire countryside near Marlborough.
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Pakistan flood farmers appeal for help
23 August 2010
MILLIONS of livestock are either dead or in danger in Pakistan as the severe flooding continues to cause havoc in the countryside.
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'Perfect storm' delays 2010 harvest
24 August 2010
POOR weather this harvest has combined with difficult conditions earlier in the season to create the ‘perfect storm’ for the 2010 wheat crop.
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Plans to improve European horse transport
23 August 2010
BEVA President, Madeleine Campbell will be announcing plans for a veterinary-led European Transport Forum at the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) Congress this year (8-11 September 2010), to discuss how the welfare of horses during transport can be improved through the better enforcement of legislation.
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Potato trade stays steady – lifting is 10 days ahead on year
August 27, 2010
The first estimate of total potato plantings in Britain this year show a fall of 2.9 per cent.
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Preventative treatments to tackle fluke
August 27, 2010
?DESPITE the dry weather early this summer, the forecast risk for liver fluke is ‘high’ throughout Scotland and ‘moderate prevalence with occasional losses’ in England and Wales.
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Producers need to keep a grip on costs to make a profit
26 August 2010
MANY beef and sheep businesses need to scrutinise their cost structure despite the upturn in livestock values seen in recent years.
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Profit and efficient milking key focus of Helton herd
August 27, 2010
After just a few years on the show circuit, cheese producer Joseph Heler won last year’s exhibitor-bred title at the Dairy Event, which came after many years of breeding for one aim - profitable cows. Simon Wragg reports.
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Public support for farmers reaches five-year high
25 August 2010
THE British public is falling back in love with farmers, a survey published today suggests.
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Pushing pain barrier to help charity
August 27, 2010
The strips were out in force as five members from Romiley YFC endured their share of pain to raise money for Alzheimer’s Society.
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Raise prices or face beef shortage, retailers told
24 August 2010
START backing up your claims of commitment to beef producers, or see them disappear, UK farming unions have told retailers and processors.
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Robbie Welsh and Maid set high standard
August 27, 2010
A CONSISTENTLY high standard of work gave Robbie Welsh’s Maid the lead at New Cumnock.
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Scotch Mule ewes see £165 at Castle Douglas
August 27, 2010
?AUCTIONEERS reported the ‘dearest trade ever recorded’ at the show and sale of Scotch Mule ewe lambs at Castle Douglas on Monday.
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Season of no progress for OSR
August 27, 2010
The gross output progress of winter oilseed rape varieties in HGCA Recommended List East and West region trials has ground to a halt this season after a number of seasons of increases.
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Sheepdog trials diary
August 27, 2010
Sheepdog trials for the week commencing August 27, 2010.
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Sheepdog trials results
August 27, 2010
Results from Sheepdog trials for the week edning August 27, 2010.
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Show pony’s second career
August 27, 2010
PART-BRED Welsh pony Polly is used to hearing cheers from the side of the show ring, but when her owner Erin Rowan was approached to see if Polly could be hired for a traditional Indian wedding, the pair were in for a different experience altogether.
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Sky’s the limit as members raise £2,000
August 27, 2010
A leap of faith – albeit out of an aeroplane – helped raise £2,000 for Nottingham and Lincolnshire Air Ambulance.
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Sprouting reported as wet weather continues
August 27, 2010
The first cases of pre-harvest sprouting in winter wheat have been reported, according to independent agronomy advice business NIAB TAG.
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Suffolk ram sees £966 top at Exeter
August 27, 2010
?THE National Sheep Association has reported a ‘cracking trade for rams’ at its South West ram sale at Exeter Market, with average prices moving strongly forward on last year.
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Tackle disease cumulatively, says geneticist
August 27, 2010
The incidence of footrot in sheep could be reduced on a cumulative basis by 0.25-0.5 per cent per year by genetic selection, said SAC geneticist Jo Conington.
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Teifi seals television triumph with S4C’s top farmer award
August 27, 2010
West Wales farmer, Teifi Jenkins, has won the title of Wales’ Best Farmer on S4C’s farming competition Fferm Ffactor and drives away with the series top prize, a brand new 4x4 Isuzu Rodeo Denver vehicle.
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Tenbury Wells store lambs
August 27, 2010
?An entry of 1,890 store lambs were forward at the first seasonal monthly Tenbury sheep sale held at its new venue at Worcester Road, Tenbury Wells. Top price was £74.50 for the first prize pen of Suffolk cross Welsh Mules from Messrs Ward, Eastham, whose annual consignment of 707 Suffolk cross Welsh Mules mixed lambs averaged £61.71. The overall average for the 2,156 store lambs, breeding ewes, cull ewes and rams was £51.65.Auctioneers: Nick Champion.
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The British Blues in top form in the cattle lines
August 27, 2010
THREE British Blues from a West Wales father and daughter team dominated the inter-breed cattle championships, while a trio of Charollais cleaned up the main sheep awards at Saturday’s Llandeilo Show.
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The smallest ‘big baler’ from Massey Ferguson
26 August 2010
JOINING the Massey Ferguson baler range is the MF2140, which fits into the Claas Quadrant 2100 and New Holland BB9050 bale size category of 800mm high by 700mm wide.
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Three candidate winter barleys for recommendation
August 27, 2010
Of the eight candidate winter barley varieties in HGCA Recommended List trials this season, five will not be re-sown for trial this autumn following the final 2010 harvest results for the crop announced this week.
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Triffitt Trailers goes into administration
26 August 2010
YORKSHIRE-based company Triffitt Trailers UK Limited has gone into administration, it has been announced.
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UK growers get biofuel head start
25 August 2010
A NEW farm assurance scheme for biofuel crops will give UK arable farmers the edge in Europe’s rapidly growing bioenergy market.
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Wales to strengthen bovine TB controls
19 August 2010
THE Welsh Assembly Government has unveiled plans to strengthen its powers to control bovine TB in camelids, goats and deer.
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Welsh Assembly to host food strategy roadshow
24 August 2010
THE Welsh Assembly Government’s on-going consultation seeking views for a brand new food strategy for Wales is being complemented by a series of regional events being staged throughout Wales during September.
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Welsh Black project gets a boost
24 August 2010
ON-GOING work to improve the iconic Welsh Black cattle breed has been given a major boost thanks to a new scheme being funded by Hybu Cig Cymru, the Wales-based red meat development agency.
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West Preston, a winter retreat for barnacle geese escaping Arctic
August 27, 2010
BECAUSE of its proximity to Merseland, West Preston provides winter grazing for thousands of 30,000 barnacle geese escaping the arctic winter.
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Why big dairies are not necessarily bad for cow welfare – RSPCA
27 August 2010
THE RSPCA’s John Avizienius has dared to question the assumption that large, mainly indoor dairy units mean a life of miserly for cows. He tells Alistair Driver why he believes big is not necessarily bad.
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YFC cycle and canoe effort earns £7,000 reward
August 27, 2010
It was an eight-day challenge but the 23 members of Montgomeryshire triumphantly completed their task, raising more than £7,000 along their way.
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Young dairy farmer wins more awards
24 August 2010
YOUNG dairy farmer Jess Vaughan, 28, is celebrating after winning her eighth Great Taste Award gold medal in just three years with her Jess’s Ladies Organic Milk.
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Young Farmers complete Kinross trek challenge
August 27, 2010
A group of 50 Scottish Young Farmers arrived at Kinross Show last Saturday after cycling from Aviemore to Kinross to raise funds for Mercy Ships and SAYFC.