Farmers Guardian
February 16th 2007

  • ‘Genuine opportunity’ for farmers to supply produce into local food chain

    February 16th 2007

    THERE are still massive opportunities for farmers to collaborate in the regional supply of raw materials to food processors and manufacturers, says English Farming and Food Partnerships (EFFP).

  • ‘Organic magic’ sees herd yields increase by 15pc – and no-one knows why

    February 16th 2007

    On converting to organic farming many would expect to see a 10 to 15 per cent drop in milk yield. However, on one dairy farm the opposite has happened. Yields have increased in one herd from 8,000 to 9,400 litres – and no-one is quite sure why. David Burrows investigates.

  • ‘Unfit sheep’ marketing test case overturned on appeal

    February 16th 2007

    A Northamptonshire farmer-contractor and his livestock buyer have had a High Court judgement, based around the alleged marketing of ‘unfit’ sheep, overturned.

  • ‘Weed control good, but many crops too forward’

    February 16th 2007

    Shropshire

  • £3,000 for charity from breakfasts

    February 16th 2007

    CORNISH Farm Holidays has raised more than £3,000 for charity during Farmhouse Breakfast Week.The group, which promotes farm holidays in Cornwall, held two all day breakfast events at Trewint Farm, Menheniot, near Liskeard and Bucklawren Farm at St Martin, near Looe.In total 480 Cornish Farmhouse Breakfasts, all made from local produce, were served.

  • 14,000gns top as records crash on Luing’s big day

    February 16th 2007

    RECORD prices and averages were smashed at the annual sale of registered Luing cattle held on behalf of the Luing Cattle Society at Castle Douglas.

  • A land where breeding ambition is rare

    February 16th 2007

    DAIRY farmer Giampietro Zotti is breaking the traditional Italian mould – he is prioritising breeding over milk production.

  • A life spent in service of the equine

    February 16th 2007

    While a quick Google of his name on the Internet inexorably links Prof William ‘Twink’ Allen with the equine cloning debate, his achievements in the field of equine fertility and reproduction are far more widespread. As director of the Equine Fertility Unit, Newmarket, Prof Allen has pioneered understanding of the oestrus cycle in the mare, the use of progesterone assays, the development and application of scanners for monitoring follicles and the technology associated with equine cloning.

  • A pledge to ease planning regulations

    February 16th 2007

    The issue of over-regulation facing the UK farming industry was raised at the Sentry Farming Conference, at Chilford Hall, Cambridgeshire, at which delegates were also given an insight into farming in Russia. ALISON LEA reports.

  • Administrator Pam’s fond farewell to the YFC

    February 16th 2007

    MORE than 141 guests, including YFC members past and present, gathered on Saturday for a dinner dance at the Staffordshire County Showground to help Pam Shields, YFC national administrator of the past 38 years, celebrate her retirement.After addressing the guests, Pam was then treated to a YFC version of ‘This is Your life’.

  • Aerator helps cut slurry run

    February 16th 2007

    Farm Force took the opportunity to launch an aerator. Alistair Nelson of the Yorkshire firm explained that by cutting slots in the soil, there is less risk of slurry run off and a better up take of the nutrients.

  • Agency cracks down on IPPC permits

    February 16th 2007

    THE Environment Agency is to go after farmers trying to avoid their IPPC permits and the £5,500-plus fees that go with them.

  • Ayrshire breed lines dispute

    February 16th 2007

    SCOTLAND’S native dairy breed, the Ayrshire, will be absent from the 2007 Royal Highland Show unless a dispute between breed society and organisers is resolved.

  • Azoles still have major role in disease control

    February 16th 2007

    LATEST information on fungicide dose response curves is now available on the HGCA website.

  • Badger culling may aid spread of TB

    February 16th 2007

    BADGER culling may encourage the spread of TB among badger populations, says a new study out this week.

  • BADGER culling may encourage the spread of TB among badger populations, says a new study out this week.

    February 16th 2007

    THE Rural Payments Agency has completed a successful dry run for making partial payments, with 100 customers receiving a total of £1.67 million.

  • Beefy’s Quality Standard Mark

    February 16th 2007

    THE question of where Beefy keeps his Quality Standard Mark is posed in the latest Beefy and Lamby television advertisement from the English Beef and Lamb Executive, due to be screened from yesterday.

  • Belgian Blue heifer takes Leyburn’s championship

    February 16th 2007

    AT Leyburn Auction Mart’s special Belgian Blue sale of store cattle and rearing calves, a heifer from J. Allison and Sons, Richmond, won the championship prize.

  • Big interest in Selby sale

    February 16th 2007

    THERE were more than 1,300 lots on offer at the first sale of the year of plant equipment, commercial vehicles, farm machinery and ground care equipment at Watts and Associates, plant and commercial auctioneers, Hemingbrough, Selby, Yorkshire.

  • Biofuels revolution - what's in it for us?

    February 16th 2007

    JOHN and Alex said the biofuel revolution was increasing the demand for wheat and oilseed rape, which had to be good for British farmers.

  • Challenges facing land-based industries

    February 16th 2007

    Scotland’s rural economy was no doing extremely well and was generally more dynamic that that of more urban areas, said Jim Booth of SAOS.

  • City girl’s long journey brings showring success

    February 16th 2007

    A pedigree herd first put together in England’s Home Counties in the 1970s is now thriving and performing well on a West Wales hill farm. BARRY ALSTON reports.

  • Closing up fungicide spray interval ‘a priority’ for septoria control

    February 16th 2007

    PROTECTING leaf two more effectively by closing up the interval between the T1 and T2 fungicide spray for septoria should be a priority for growers this spring, says TAG agronomist Andrew Wells.

  • Collection of fallen stock at 750,000

    February 16th 2007

    THREE-QUARTERS of a million collections have now taken place since 2004 under the National Fallen Stock Scheme.

  • Compact telehandler

    February 16th 2007

    THE Dieci Apollo 25.6 is the Italian firm’s latest offering to the compact telehandler market. Its vital statistics are an overall width of 1,800mm and a height of 1,910mm when shod on 16-inch tyres or 1,950mm on the 18-inch rubber.

  • Concern over ‘unsustainable’ lamb price as sales rise

    February 16th 2007

    THERE was ‘deep concern’ about how the year had started for the English lamb price, which was ‘quite clearly at an unsustainable level’, John Cross, chairman of Eblex, told the organisation’s national producer conference at Askham Bryan College, York.

  • Crops need more protection as mild spring is predicted

    February 16th 2007

    WITH the mildest winter on record so far and predictions for a mild spring to come, crops need as much protection from yield robbing disease as possible, and that means incorporating a T0 spray on lush forward crops to protect against early disease and the possibilities of a delayed T1, agronomists are advising.

  • Defra are slammed over British food snub

    February 16th 2007

    MILLIONS of pounds’ worth of British meat has been snubbed following dramatic falls in the sourcing of home-grown products at some Government departments, writes DAVID BURROWS.

  • Defra under pressure over meat imports

    February 16th 2007

    DEFRA was under pressure to push for tighter restrictions on meat imports this week after being told infected poultry from Hungary was almost certainly the source of the UK’s bird flu outbreak.

  • Defra under pressure over meat imports

    February 16th 2007

    DEFRA was under pressure to push for tighter restrictions on meat imports this week after being told infected poultry from Hungary was almost certainly the source of the UK’s bird flu outbreak.

  • Did Bernard Matthews break bio-security with Hungary import?

    February 16th 2007

    BERNARD Matthews went on the defensive this week after being accused of biosecurity lapses on its farm in Holton, Suffolk.

  • Do we have the business model for a free market?

    February 16th 2007

    IT is becoming increasingly embarrassing to keep hearing our farming industry complaining that the major retailers are “not paying a fair price” for our produce.

  • E. chrysanthemi threat increasing

    February 16th 2007

    POTATO growers are being urged to consider their planting options carefully amid concerns that the incidence of the bacterial disease erwinia chrysanthemi (echr) is increasing.

  • Eastern growers lead the Bramley apples fightback

    February 16th 2007

    GROWERS in the East of England are reacting to an increase in demand for Bramleys cooking apples by planting more trees, but surveys suggest that the apples remain more popular with pensioners than the younger generation.

  • English results

    February 16th 2007

    HOLME, Walmsley Fold Farm, Brindle, Nursery trial (48 ran): 1, J. Cropper (Deerplay) Fleet, 82 of 90; 2, R. Hutchinson (Littledale) Wenndale Roy, 79; 3, T. Lawrenson (Brindle) Kate, 75; 4, J. Cropper Ben, 75; 5, R. Hutchinson Maggie, 71; 6, J. Palmer (Twiston) Jim, 68.

  • Entitlements up for grabs

    February 16th 2007

    FODDER and Single Payment entitlements on both sides of the Welsh border will be going under the hammer at the first auction of its type at Shrewsbury on Tuesday, February 20.

  • EU parliament rejects UK modulation plan

    15 February 2007

    THE gridlock on Environmental Stewardship looks set to end by May despite the European Parliament once again rejecting the UK’s plan for voluntary modulation.

  • Exports top £1 billion mark

    February 16th 2007

    EXPORTS of British meat and livestock products crashed the £1 billion barrier for the first time in more than 10 years.

  • Eye gets its abattoir after three year fight

    February 16th 2007

    MORE than three years of negotiations and appeals have been successful for East Anglian wholesale butchers and abattoir owners C&K Meats and Lambert’s Abattoir, who have received permission for a new abattoir and meat processing plant at Eye, Suffolk.

  • F560 combined baler

    February 16th 2007

    Credit: © FARMERS GUARDIAN please contact 01772 799445.

  • Farmers hold the future in their hands

    February 16th 2007

    FARMERS held a lot of the cards on current consumer and environmental concerns, said Caroline Drummond, chief executive of LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) at the Hertfordshire Agricultural Society conference.

  • Farmers the hidden poor, says charity

    February 16th 2007

    FARMERS are part of a ‘hidden poor’ that is increasingly falling victim to sudden and unexpected poverty, according to a leading welfare charity.

  • Farming on massive scale

    February 16th 2007

    ENGLISH ex-pat Robert Covell gave a fascinating insight into the Russian farming company for which he is operations manager.

  • Farming opportunities for the future

    February 16th 2007

    OLIVER and James said energy derived from biomass would provide opportunities in the future because the Government is committed to the Kyoto Climate protocol of reducing green house gases emissions by 12.5 per cent. It also has a target of producing 10 per cent of the nation’s electricity from renewables by 2010.

  • Farmland conservation training course dates

    February 16th 2007

    THE importance of farmland conservation was given further confirmation last week at the launch of a new training course for farming consultants and advisors.

  • Feithy herd’s half dozen

    February 16th 2007

    SIX of the top awards in the Carmarthenshire NMR herd competitions went to the Feithy black and whites from Eifion and Mary Jones, Llandyfaelog, between Carmarthen and Kidwelly. Judging the competition was James Tomlinson.

  • Fengrain’s ‘ambitious’ plan

    February 16th 2007

    EAST Anglian grain specialists Fengrain says it has seen significant growth in its membership after six months of its financial year, and the company has ambitious plans grow in future.

  • Fighting rhynchosporium threat

    February 16th 2007

    WITH seed-borne infection now known to be significant, the activity of triazole fungicides against the disease slipping, and questions being raised over disease resistance ratings in winter barley, the rhynchosporium threat to UK barley crops is on the increase.

  • Focus on controlling herbicide tolerance

    February 16th 2007

    HOW farmers might deal with volunteer weeds that are herbicide tolerant, was the focus of a new report from Defra, which aims to give a better understanding of the potential impact of GM herbicide-tolerant crops on farming practices and the environment.

  • Focus on controlling herbicide tolerance

    February 16th 2007

    HOW farmers might deal with volunteer weeds that are herbicide tolerant, was the focus of a new report from Defra, which aims to give a better understanding of the potential impact of GM herbicide-tolerant crops on farming practices and the environment.

  • Focus should be on the outcome

    February 16th 2007

    SHADOW Agriculture Minister Jim Paice focused on over-regulation of farming as the number one issue that needed to be addressed.

  • GM rice case goes to the High Court

    February 16th 2007

    FRIENDS of the Earth’s legal action against the Food Standards Agency (FSA) over its handling of the genetically-modified rice saga goes to the High Court on Tuesday.

  • H&H interim profit soars

    February 16th 2007

    A STRONG autumn sales period and the reopening of export markets contributed to the Carlisle-based H&H Group almost doubling its profit for the first six months of its financial year.

  • HAMBURGER PIZZA

    February 16th 2007

    This recipe was sent in by Mrs Rhiannon Evans of Llandrillo, Denbighshire. “Kids, as well as adults, love this dish,” she says.

  • Hawes winners

    February 16th 2007

    Winners at the Hawes Swaledale fat lamb classes was Messers Dixon, Stainton with their pen of 10 lambs which weighed in at 49.9kg, selling for £56.50 to the judge Paul Watson.

  • Health and welfare traits from 'all round' improvers

    16 February 2007

    Alison Maddrell at the Centre for Dairy Information reviews the February Holstein bull evaluations from the standpoint of ‘all round improvers’ providing Important health and welfare traits.

  • High demand, short supply set to boost farmland prices

    February 16th 2007

    THE price of farmland looks set to continue upwards.

  • Highland high of 8,000gns at Oban

    February 16th 2007

    NINETEEN prices above 2,000gns gave the Highland cattle breed its best Oban sale for some years on Monday.

  • HI-Spec injector

    February 16th 2007

    Hi-Spec has sourced its trailing shoe injection system from Dutch firm Bomech, with the macerator coming from Vogelsang.

  • HN51 outbreak timeline

    February 16th 2007

    February 1: Vets called to Bernard Matthews farm in Suffolk after high mortality rate of turkeys is reported in one shed.

  • How much slurry storage capacity do you need?

    February 16th 2007

    Although proposals for the new Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ) action programme in England and Wales have yet to be published, it seems likely that many livestock farmers will have to take action to increase their slurry storage capacity. ADAS manures specialist Dr Ken Smith looks at some of the options open to farmers.

  • Irish Farm Machinery show

    February 16th 2007

    There was a good mixture of homegrown kit and bigger international names making an appearance at the three-day Irish Farm Machinery show. Subsidies offered for buying injection equipment as the deadline for splash plates looms in 2008 means there was an increasing level of interest in this kit. There was also a flurry of OSR broadcasting seeders as the level of interest in this crop increases. Mervyn Bailey reports from the biannual event.

  • Is US meat demand growth over?

    February 16th 2007

    THE wave of positive preferences for meat that sent demand soaring with the Atkins diet and other high-protein diets has apparently waned.

  • Is Wales Europe’s rural blueprint?

    February 16th 2007

    THERE is more to forestry than trees was the message to the rest of Europe when over 80 overseas delegates arrived in North Wales for one of the most important international woodland conferences ever.

  • Jersey leads the way at Beeston Castle’s Winter Sparkle sale

    February 16th 2007

    BIDDING peaked at 1,180gns at the Winter Sparkle coloured dairy breeds sale at Beeston Castle Auction, Cheshire.

  • Joining forces for sustainable tenanted sector

    February 16th 2007

    KEY rural groups in Scotland have joined forces to work towards a sustainable future for the tenanted sector.

  • Logistics contract

    February 16th 2007

    NWF Group says its grocery distribution business, Bou-ghey Distribution, has won a significant contract to provide logistics services to Typhoo Tea for the storage and distribution of its finished goods throughout the UK and overseas.

  • Luing Society’s new chairman

    February 16th 2007

    AT the Luing Cattle Society’s annual meeting Charles Symons, Yetholm, Kelso, stepped up to take the chairman’s role. He runs 100 pedigree Luing cows – the majority bred pure with a few put to the Simmental bull.

  • Making a success of a joint farming venture

    February 16th 2007

    An English Farming & Food Partnerships (EFFP)/Joint Venture Farming Group seminar – ‘A Profitable Farming Future’, focused on collaborative farming in the arable sector. Farmers Guardian reports from Claas UK’s Saxham HQ in Suffolk.

  • Modern cereal systems ‘aid brome spread’

    February 16th 2007

    INSUFFICIENT brome control on many farms is allowing the arable weed to gain from the high pressure, high intensity cereal systems of today, according to leading advisers.

  • More cereals susceptible to mildew

    February 16th 2007

    INDUSTRY experts have raised concerns about increasing varietal susceptibility to powdery mildew in cereal crops.

  • New Rotavator range

    February 16th 2007

    Fleming is building on its product line for farmers with small and medium-sized farms and the hobby farmer.

  • Newark and Notts strike long service medals

    February 16th 2007

    THE Newark and Nottinghamshire Agricultural Society has launched new long service medals for work in agricultural contracting and agricultural engineering.

  • Newport BSE ‘infringement’ reassurance from the FSA

    February 16th 2007

    FOOD hygiene agencies and farmers have moved quickly to allay any fears over the safety of Welsh beef after the discovery of meat in a South Wales butcher’s shop that did not conform to BSE restrictions.

  • No labels for ‘cloned’ food

    February 16th 2007

    THE US Government is expected to approve food produced from cloned animals some time in the next year.

  • NW horticulturists were ‘reassured’

    February 16th 2007

    RISING energy prices, the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme, and supermarket practices were among the issues discussed when members of the NFU North West horticulture board met Shadow Chancellor George Osborne in his Tatton constituency.

  • Old Gwynedd Awards

    February 16th 2007

    THE annual awards for the Old Gwynedd milk recorded herds competitions saw G.H. Griffiths and Co., Plas Newydd, Llwyndyrus, Pwllheli, heading the production-genetic management section with 314 points.

  • Pair of heifers tops at Gisburn Mart

    February 16th 2007

    A PAIR of newly calved heifers from J. and M. Singleton and Sons, Goosnargh, topped the trade at Gisburn Auction Marts February dairy show.

  • People ‘are more important than numbers’ in a syndicate

    February 16th 2007

    THE biggest benefit of a farming syndicate over a typical farm business is that you have always got good management in a syndicate.

  • Perth junior champion

    February 16th 2007

    THE junior champion in the Limousin section during last week’s Perth Spring Sales was Walkers Albyn, from Peter and Gordon Walker, Easterside, Stonehaven, and not J.J. Templeton’s Airtnoch Arkle, as stated in last week’s picture caption.

  • Plan spring spraying to get maximum benefits

    February 16th 2007

    THE shift back towards use of Atlantis (iodosulfuron+mesosulfuron) in the autumn, combined with new Pesticide Safety Directorate restrictions on the use of sulphonylurea (SU) and ACCase herbicides means spring spray programmes need careful planning if they are to achieve optimum weed control, growers are advised.

  • Poultry sales dip slightly, but worst could be over

    February 16th 2007

    SALES of poultry meat, and in particular turkey, have seen a slight dip since the bird flu outbreak, retailers confirmed this week.

  • Prepared to accept al the changes

    February 16th 2007

    At the Great North Meet, held at the Great Yorkshire Showground, students from Bishop Burton College gave a series of presentations on the key issues currently affecting agriculture and food production and what they see as opportunities for the future. ANGELA CALVERT reports.

  • Preparing your mare for breeding

    February 16th 2007

    With spring just around the corner, thoughts turn to mares and foals and the breeding season. ANGELA CALVERT looks at the steps you can take to ensure the best chances of breeding success

  • Producer threat to Dansco plant

    February 16th 2007

    THE future of another West Wales cheese-making factory hangs in the balance following a threat from its remaining 90 supplier-producers to stop sending their milk to the Dansco plant at Newcastle Emlyn.

  • Red Tractor raises its profile

    February 16th 2007

    ASSURED Food Standards, which manages the Red Tractor food assurance scheme, is investing in a consumer push to raise the profile of the Red Tractor logo and what it stands for with the UK consumer.

  • Right balance is key to maximum farm attraction revenue

    February 16th 2007

    Increase the amount of time visitors spent at your farm attraction in order to maximise profits, suggested Tony Sefton of farm attraction advisory business Vision XS, at the National Farm Attractions Network (NFAN) conference, in Staffordshire.

  • School meals pledge welcomed

    February 16th 2007

    A COMMITMENT from Scotland’s First Minister Jack McConnell that priority would be given to local food in school meals, has been welcomed by NFU Scotland.

  • Scots agree to compulsory beef labels for pubs and restaurants

    February 16th 2007

    SCOTTISH food outlets will be forced to tell customers the country of origin of any beef they sell from next May.

  • Scottish results

    February 16th 2007

    CRICHAN, Moniaive (Judge, P. Hetherington, Minishant) Nursery (12 ran) 1, A. Common, Lockerbie, Sam, 87; 2, J.W. Common, Lockerbie, Fly,1 83; 3, M. Priestley, Shawhead, Ben, 80; 4, D. McGarva, Granton, Kim, 79; 5, M. Peugniez, Kirtlebridge, Meg, 75; 6, M. Forster, Crocketford, Floss, 72.

  • Seeder for growing maIze under plastic

    February 16th 2007

    With growing interest in growing maize under plastic, Samco has developed a hydraulic folding six-row seeder. Production manager Robert Shine said they have developed a folding toolbar and used Accord seeder units. They have also introduced front-mounted tanks of 1,000 and 1,200-litre capacity for supplying the chemical used to suppress weeds under plastic and between rows. There are also plans to develop an eight-row trailed machine.

  • Sexed semen Limousin sire to visit show

    February 16th 2007

  • Sheepdog trials diary

    February 16th 2007

    16 February. LONSCALE Open, Lonscale Farm, Keswick, Cumbria, 8.30am start, enter on field, judge D. Scrimgeour.

  • Shetlanders move towards branded meats

    February 16th 2007

    SHETLAND Islands Council has agreed to spend up to £2.4 million building Scotland’s first community-owned abattoir.

  • Simagena Preview

    February 16th 2007

    This year’s Simagena event, run alongside the Sima machinery show, will see British cattle make the journey across the Channel for the first time in 15 years. Farmers Guardian and Keenan are supporting Worcestershire breeder Richard Bown, who will be taking a team of 10 Holsteins to the show as part of the International Breeders Forum. FG is also the sole UK media partner for the Paris show. Here we take a look at some of the attractions on offer next month

  • Six years on from foot-and-mouth auction marts thrive in Cumbria

    February 16th 2007

    SIX years on from the start of the foo-and-mouth epidemic which devastated Cumbria’s livestock industry, auction markets in the county are selling more cattle and sheep – and at a greater turnover.

  • Smaller could be better for large land-based businesses

    February 16th 2007

    LAND-BASED businesses like Buccleuch Group could be like a giant oil tanker – difficult and slow to change direction – a conference organised by the Landbased Industries Support Service at Oatridge College, near Broxburn, West Lothian heard.

  • Smooth-coated Fleet wins Jim an 11th title at Holme

    February 16th 2007

    AFTER being the runners-up in the trial to Jim Cropper and Fleet, Richard Hutchinson and Wenndale Roy took the Holme championship title.

  • Soil initiative in north Cumbria

    February 16th 2007

    A NEW initiative is underway to examine soil health on farms surrounding the Waver and Biglands catchments, near Wigton, north Cumbrian.

  • Specialist breed sires listed in bull selector

    16 February 2007

    MINIMUM criteria can also be applied to the specialist breeds’ available bull lists using the multibreed CDI Bull Selector.

  • Spotlight on H2O: Winter savings can bring added value

    February 16th 2007

    ‘Save Water Save Money’ was the theme of an on-farm event at ADAS Gleadthorpe in Nottinghamshire. It was one of a series of events organised by J.H. Walters, in conjunction with Natural England and the Environment Agency.

  • Spring Spraying - Infection risk greater after very mild winter

    February 16th 2007

    Cereal crops are largely very forward this season after what has been one of the mildest winters on record. JOANNA BAKER asks some regional agronomists what weed and disease issues there are so far this year and how they should be managed.

  • Still showing Angoras after 30 years

    February 16th 2007

    HE may be a 3,000-acre sheep farmer in the Elan Valley of Mid Wales – but Mal Rogers is also a familiar face in the goat rings at the Royal Welsh Smallholder and Garden Festival.

  • Stop/start irrigation balance is so vital

    February 16th 2007

    EFFICIENT use of water for irrigation is vital in producing crops that consumers would want to buy, said Denis Buckley, potato specialist for The Arable Group.

  • Strong demand for NZ beef as grain prices soar

    February 16th 2007

    NEW Zealand is looking forward to taking advantage of strong demand for beef it can produce from grass as biofuel demand drives grain prices upwards.

  • Stronger sheep market forecast as breeding flock set to decline 2-3pc

    February 16th 2007

    WHILE the fundamentals of domestic sheep supply and demand bode well for prices in 2007, experience of the past year raises some uncertainty over what the reality will be.

  • Suckler herd winner shows potential of Aberdeen-Angus

    February 16th 2007

    COMMERCIAL beef herds in Caithness and the Borders have claimed the top two places in the annual Bank of Scotland Aberdeen-Angus Suckler Herd of the Year awards.

  • Support for quota abolition

    February 16th 2007

    DAIRY industry leaders want to see milk quotas abolished and the marketplace open up.

  • Supporting UK pedigree cows

    15 February 2007

    Keenan are delighted to be supporting the first UK pedigree cows displaying at SIMA. Being in export markets is vital to the future prosperity of UK agriculture. This is an important step for everyone in the industry.

  • Surrey livestock farmer new executive director of Royal Show

    12 February 2007

    Peter Stovold, 53, a trustee of the Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE) and a Surrey farmer with interests in beef, sheep, cereals, horses and farm diversification, has been appointed to the new post of executive show director to stage the Royal Show this year.

  • Tactical milk pricing in NZ

    February 16th 2007

    TACTICAL milk pricing loomed large in farmers’ thoughts during a public meeting with Fonterra chairman Henry van der Heyden and Taranaki farmers.

  • Taking a Peek at ridden and breeding success

    February 16th 2007

    In the second of our occasional series of horse profiles, ANGELA CALVERT features Rotherwood Take-A-Peek, a mare who has taken both the Riding Pony of the Year title and the Cuddy Supreme In-hand Championship

  • Taking advantage of a European show window for his Richaven Holsteins

    February 16th 2007

    FOR Richard Bown, and his Richaven herd of pedigree Holsteins, this year’s Simagena show could be exactly the shop window into Europe he has long been looking for.

  • TB outbreak at farm of Defra adviser

    February 16th 2007

    DEFRA’s leading industry adviser on TB is questioning his future in dairying after suffering a major herd breakdown on his farm.

  • Ten ways to become a carbon neutral farmer

    February 16th 2007

    “THERE is only one direction for the price of carbon and that is up. And there is only one future for any industry and that is to recognise its environmental impact.”

  • Tesco data can be of assistance

    February 16th 2007

    TESCO used it, so it must be the best. There was a huge, up-to-the minute database of consumer information that could be accessed, free, by all levy-paying farmers, said Dr Andrew Fearne, of the Centre for Supply Chain Research.

  • The Arable Group (TAG) Outlook Conference

    February 16th 2007

    Managing change and rising to the post Single Farm Payment challenge was the focus of The Arable Group (TAG) Outlook Conference at Scotch Corner in North Yorkshire. JOANNA BAKER reports.

  • To fungicide sprays ‘beneficial’ with high disease levels

    February 16th 2007

    Lincolnshire / Yorkshire

  • Top producers have control of costs

    February 16th 2007

    Ahead of the Farmers Guardian/Intervet/Eblex calf rearing meetings, DR PHIL HADLEY of Eblex looks at production costs.

  • Trailing shoe injector for less contamination

    February 16th 2007

    Abbey Farm Machinery has developed its own range of trailing shoe injectors.

  • Trust current best practice for keeping A2 potato blight at bay, but stay alert – BPC

    February 16th 2007

    ALTHOUGH the prevalence of the newer A2 potato blight genotypes has risen in the UK blight population, latest findings suggest that the number of different genotypes is stable, safeguarding current strategies for tackling the disease.

  • Unions angry over latest hill support funding delay

    February 16th 2007

    BOTH farming unions in Wales are furious that, as reported in Farmers Guardian last week, the Welsh Assembly’s environment, planning and countryside committee has failed again to come up with positive proposals to restore cuts in the Wales-based Tir Mynydd hill farming support scheme payments.

  • US agriculture programme meets with ‘warm response’

    February 16th 2007

    WHEN the US Secretary of Agriculture unveiled his much-anticipated plan for the 2007 Farm Bill, it was met with mostly warm response on Capitol Hill.

  • Usage and efficiency must improve by 10pc, says irrigation expert

    February 16th 2007

    FARMERS should be aiming for a 10 per cent improvement in water usage and efficiency, according to irrigation expert Bill Basford.

  • Wheat market ‘cautious’ after price slip in aftermath of outbreak

    February 16th 2007

    WHEAT prices slipped back slightly following confirmation of the presence of the H5N1 avian flu virus in Suffolk, but the dip in prices seen in the immediate aftermath of the outbreak has not been maintained, say traders.

  • Worcross herd’s 1,100gns peak at Shepton Mallet

    February 16th 2007

    TRADE was consistent and peaked at 1,100gns when the entire milking portion of the Worcross herd were sold on farm at Barrow Hill Farm, Shepton Mallett, Somerset.

  • Yields, fertility and milk quality – part of Italian society’s role

    February 16th 2007

    In a country with no levy boards, knowledge transfer in Italy lands firmly on the shoulders of breed societies. JOANNE PUGH went to find out how the Italian Holstein association manages the dual role of promoting the breed and providing farmers with technical advice.

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