Agriculture in the national news - February 1

Potash is a fertile ground to buy into
Most commodities have recovered substantially since the market rout of late 2008 – but potash has been left behind.

However, it looks like a floor has been reached and, when farmers start buying again in April, prices could swiftly rise.

Potash is a generic term for water-soluble compounds of the element potassium. They are used as agricultural fertilisers as they make plants hardier and increase crop yields.

Daily Telegraph
http://tinyurl.com/ybxlkxs

Farmers urged: Don’t drop bluetongue guard
Beef and sheep farmers must not drop their guard against bluetongue, a Norfolk farmer has warned.

Roger Long, a regional member of the National Farmers’ Union livestock board, said: “Vaccination is still a no-brainer.

“For the sake of animal welfare and peace of mind, I would urge producers to protect their stock again. I got some 10ml vaccine bottles from Merial and it costs about 84p per head to protect stock.

Norfolk Eastern Daily Press
http://tinyurl.com/ylpyed6

Greek economic crisis worsens with farmers refusing to back down
Talks to resolve a crippling three-week tractor blockade of highways and border crossings in Greece by farmers collapsed today, increasing the pressure on a government grappling with the country’s worst financial crisis in decades.

The farmers refused to back down in the row, which is seen as a crucial test of Athens’ determination to impose austerity measures that will salvage Europe’s most indebted economy.

The Guardian
http://tinyurl.com/y8djjqr

Norfolk’s farming charity recalls its roots
It was almost 40 years to the day that the founder of a Norfolk agricultural charity, the Clan Trust, issued an appeal to the county’s farmers.

Today, the trust backs educational projects from the young farmers to sixth-form student days, school visits and the EDP Spring Fling.

Norfolk’s Eastern Daily Press
http://tinyurl.com/yhvl4ta

Faulty science risks obscuring ‘larger truth’ of climate change
Faulty science published by the United Nations’ climate change body is in danger of obscuring a “much larger truth”, a senior Government official warned yesterday, amid fears of growing public scepticism about the reality of global warming.

Scientists from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have become embroiled in an increasingly bitter feud in recent weeks for withholding information, exaggerating its claims and publishing seriously flawed research.

Ed Miliband, the climate secretary, yesterday made the first high-level recognition that the debate on the issue had been undermined, declaring “battle” against the “siren voices” who denied global warming was real.

Daily Telegraph
http://tinyurl.com/ye63sn6

Pampered Welsh cows raised on ale and massage
HERD the one about the Welsh farmer with the Japanese cows who get four pints of beer and a massage a day?

No, we’re not talking bull – but Powys small-holder Ifor Humphreys spends a lot of hours showering his pampered bovines with TLC for a very good reason – they produce the tastiest, most expensive beef in the world.

In fact, well-to-do gourmet foodies have been known to fork out as much as £95 just to sample a burger made from it. That’s almost a tenner a bite!

Wales Online
http://tinyurl.com/y87klf9

Countryside will see huge rise in elderly
A QUARTER of people living in the countryside by 2020 will be pensioners, it was predicted yesterday.

The number of over-65s in rural areas will go up by 907,900 – almost 40 per cent – in the next decade to 3.23million, says the National Housing Federation.

UK Express
http://tinyurl.com/ydvcgnh

Liv Tyler: ‘I’d love to live on a British farm’
She is one of Hollywood’s most glamorous actresses, but LIv Tyler has confessed that she would rather be living in the British countryside and driving a tractor.

“Before I die I want to live on a farm with chickens, a vegetable garden and a John Deere tractor,” said Tyler, referring to the agricultural equipment manufacturer.

Daily Telegraph
http://tinyurl.com/y8j9cfh

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