Farmers Guardian
March 6th 2009
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Agriculture in the national news
2 March 2009
A DAILY look at how agriculture has hit the headlines across the country (Monday, March 2).
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Agriculture in the national news
3 March 2009
A DAILY look at how agriculture has caught the headlines across the country (Tuesday, March 3).
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Agriculture in the national news
4 March 2009
A DAILY look at how agriculture has caught the headlines across the country (Wednesday, March 4).
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Agriculture in the national news
5 March 2009
A DAILY look at how agriculture has caught the headlines across the country (Thursday, March 5).
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Agriculture in the national news
6 March 2009
A DAILY look at how agriculture has hit the headlines across the country (Friday, March 6).
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Argentina: Nationalised grain trading plan warning
6 March 2009
Argentine farmers’ organisations announced they would fight a reported plan to nationalise grain trading, warning that such a move would deepen a long-running conflict between the government and agricultural groups.
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Arla Amba results ‘not satisfactory’
2 March 2009
ARLA Foods Amba’s profits for 2008 - 350million DK (£41.768 million) below budget – are 'not satisfactory' says chief executive Peder Tuborgh.
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Arla Amba results ‘not satisfactory’
2 March 2009
ARLA Foods Amba’s profits for 2008 - 350million DK (£41.768 million) below budget – are 'not satisfactory' says chief executive Peder Tuborgh.
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Around the marts
5 March 2009
OSWESTRYCalves sold to a top of £345 for Limousin heifers (average £283). Bulls peaked at £310 for Charolais (average £303). Black and white bull calves topped £88 (average £46).
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Battle against EID will go on - NSA
2 March 2009
THE fight will go on to stop sheep EID – but the feeling clearly emerging at NSA Cymru’s annual meeting was that the legislation will go ahead at the turn of the year.
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Battle against EID will go on - NSA
2 March 2009
THE fight will go on to stop sheep EID – but the feeling clearly emerging at NSA Cymru’s annual meeting was that the legislation will go ahead at the turn of the year.
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Beefy and Lamby bowled out by Eblex
5 March 2009
BEEFY and Lamby have been dropped as the spearheads of the campaign to promote English beef and lamb.
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Benefits for the whole busines
March 6th 2009
An on-farm event in Cheshire last week looked at how dairy farmers can get into Higher Level Stewardship.
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Benn consults on voluntary and mandatory approaches to post set-aside policy
4 March 2009
DEFRA Secretary Hilary Benn has unveiled a consultation seeking views on both a compulsory and voluntary approach to replacing the environmental benefits of set-aside.
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Benn consults on voluntary and mandatory approaches to post set-aside policy
4 March 2009
DEFRA Secretary Hilary Benn has unveiled a consultation seeking views on both a compulsory and voluntary approach to replacing the environmental benefits of set-aside.
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Big gamble in meeting the milling wheat specification
March 6th 2009
MILLERS have used more home-grown wheat in the first half of this season than the first half of last, despite the fact only six per cent of Group 1 wheats met the NABIM bread making specification last harvest.
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Bluetongue risk with north:south divide
3 March 2009
FARMERS need more information about bluetongue before they will commit to vaccinating against the disease this spring, a new report has revealed.
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Bluetongue risk with north:south divide
3 March 2009
FARMERS need more information about bluetongue before they will commit to vaccinating against the disease this spring, a new report has revealed.
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Bob and Ben take victory at Yorkshire Championship
4 March 2009
BOB Clarkson and Ben won the closely-fought Yorkshire Championship at Bolton Abbey on Saturday, while Chloe Cropper and Ned took the trial title clear by four points.
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Borderway spring sale tops 5,000gns
6 March 2009
THE spring show and sale of Herefords at Borderway Mart, Carlisle, Cumbria, was topped by a 5,000gns bid and trade for bulls levelled at just under £2,600.
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Breed apart are on an in-foal mission
6 March 2009
As the breeding season approaches, stud owners all over the country are gearing up for their busiest time of year. ANGELA CALVERT talks to Karen Raine about what is involved with running a stud.
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Campaign to save pubs from closure
4 March 2009
RURAL pubs are being wiped off the British landscape with up to five closing every day, according to new research published this week.
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CAP cash allocation change call
5 March 2009
GORDON Brown has been urged to follow France’s lead and divert more CAP cash to small-scale grassland farmers.
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Centre record for Bentham stores
5 March 2009
A bumper entry of 900 head were forward for the Farmers Guardian-sponsored March show and sale of store cattle at Bentham auction mart.
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Clear objectives for this spring as turnout heralds end of winter feeding challenges
2 March 2009
With turnout soon to bring an end to a winter of feeding challenges, now is the time to plan new feed strategies for the spring and summer to help minimise ‘avoidable’ production losses as cows head out to grass, says KW technical manager Michael Marsden.
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Comestar Outside daughter takes top price at Borderway
6 March 2009
TOP price at the Border and Lakeland Holstein Club sale at Borderway Mart, Carlisle, was 2,500gns paid for a Comestar Outside daughter.
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Commission fails to overturn GM ban
3 March 2009
THE European Commission has failed in its attempt to force two EU member states to drop their ban on the cultivation of a genetically modified maize.
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Coping with threat of cabbage stem flea
6 March 2009
SEED treatment manufacturer Bayer CropScience described to the BCPC Seed Production and Treatment symposium how new combinations and formulations of existing active ingredients could extend pest control.
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Cornwall Farmers co-operative's £19m fillip from 2008 trading
5 March 2009
CORNWALL Farmers, an agricultural co-operative and chain of country stores, saw growth of £19 million in 2008.
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Cost of UK farming up
6 March 2009
FARMING was a lot more expensive than 18 months ago, despite a significant fall in fuel prices, the Norfolk Farming Conference was told.
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Country View news in brief
4 March 2009
Marketing role: AROUND one in three new businesses fail to understand what marketing is or the beneficial role it plays, according to an online business directory, which surveyed 3,081 UK business owners.
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Crossword confusion
6 March 2009
IT seems there is a mistake with this week’s crossword, printed on page 8 of the March 6 edition of Farmers Guardian.
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Crucial choices to really aid to fertility
2 March 2009
GOOD record keeping, benchmarking and picking the right bulls for the right reasons are key when looking to improve dairy cow fertility according to George Collins, from Alta.
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Dairy decisions down to profitability, says consultant
2 March 2009
IF dairy processors are serious about the future prospects for their products, they need to secure a share of market returns for UK farmers that are competitive with EU farmers.
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Dairy industry wants more support from Welsh Assembly
4 March 2009
THE latest round of farmgate milk price cuts of between 1.25p and 2.2p per litre has prompted a call for more Welsh Assembly support for the dairy industry.
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Dairying decisions down to profitability says consultancy boss
2 March 2009
IF dairy processors are serious about the future prospects for their products, they need to secure a share of market returns for UK farmers that are competitive with EU farmers.
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Defra opens applications for CSF grants
3 March 2009
APPLICATIONS for capital grants under Defra’s Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) scheme opened this week as it was extended into its third successive year.
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Defra successful on FMD and avian flu but failing on TB - NAO
4 March 2009
A NEW report has praised Defra for its handling of recent foot-and-mouth and avian flu outbreaks but criticised its efforts to control bovine TB and the Varroa mite in honeybees.
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Defra successful on FMD and avian flu but failing on TB - NAO
4 March 2009
A NEW report has praised Defra for its handling of recent foot-and-mouth and avian flu outbreaks but criticised its efforts to control bovine TB and the Varroa mite in honeybees.
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Development grants worth £8m
March 6th 2009
A NEW rural development programme, which will deliver £8m worth of grant aid and training advice to farmers and small businesses working in mid and South Cumbria, has been launched.
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Don't be complacent with IBR
March 6th 2009
When a new virulent strain of Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR) was identified in UK cattle just over 30 years ago most herds were naïve – but fast forward to today and nearly every herd has been exposed through vaccination, infection or both.
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E-marketing award win for Eblex
4 March 2009
An Eblex-led promotional campaign to boost lamb consumption in France has taken first prize at the 2009 E-marketing Awards in Paris.
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Farm Minister to fight IPPC rules in Brussels
3 March 2009
JANE Kennedy, Food and Farming Minister, will urge MEPs to throw out burdensome and costly new pollution rules when she visits Brussels tomorrow (Wednesday, March 4).
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Farm Minister to fight IPPC rules in Brussels
3 March 2009
JANE Kennedy, Food and Farming Minister, will urge MEPs to throw out burdensome and costly new pollution rules when she visits Brussels tomorrow (Wednesday, March 4).
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Farmers and vets to lose out as bluetongue vaccines expire
2 March 2009
DEFRA has confirmed that bluetongue vaccines will not be granted an expiry date extension, leaving farmers facing a race against time to vaccinate ready for the summer.
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Farmers and vets to lose out as bluetongue vaccines expire
2 March 2009
DEFRA has confirmed that bluetongue vaccines will not be granted an expiry date extension, leaving farmers facing a race against time to vaccinate ready for the summer.
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Farmers to join fight against rural crime
6 March 2009
FARMERS in Scotland will serve as constables to help police fight crime in the countryside and increase safety in rural communities.
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Farmers vow to keep cattle market operational
3 March 2009
NEWPORT'S historic cattle market is homeless following the refusal of planning permission allowing it to move to a temporary site at St Brides – but farmers and auctioneers have vowed to fight on to keep one of the last remaining livestock markets in South Wales operational.
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Fewer breeds for greater consistency
6 March 2009
IMPROVING consistency is key to increasing consumer demand for British beef, suggested Nuffield scholar Sarah Long.
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Financial decision time for DFB members and non-members
6 March 2009
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FSA defends progress on meat hygiene reform
4 March 2009
THE Food Standards Agency has dismissed criticism for ‘slow progress’ in its reform of the Meat Hygiene Service.
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FSA defends progress on meat hygiene reform
4 March 2009
THE Food Standards Agency has dismissed criticism for ‘slow progress’ in its reform of the Meat Hygiene Service.
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Fundraising show for Al Karif Arabians Rebuild Fund
4 March 2009
HUNDREDS of horse lovers are expected to attend an event to raise money to help Vicki Marsh, whose horses were tragically killed by arsonists.
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FUW still strongly against EID
6 March 2009
THE Farmers Union of Wales remains ‘strongly opposed’ to the introduction of sheep electronic identification – despite the growing possibility of it being imposed.
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Gains from losses – but record keeping and control of risks are vital
2 March 2009
Correct record keeping and risk control were themes at a herd fertility meeting held at Reaseheath College, Cheshire. KATIE LOMAS reports.
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Galloways make 1,500gns
6 March 2009
TOP at the Galloway show and sale at Carlisle was 1,500gns paid for a bull, Barlaes Godfather, from R. and M. Fergusson, Castle Douglas. This two-year-old by New Era of Gall-way sold to Kilnstown Farm, Carlisle, Cumbria.
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Geographic isolation threatens the survival of heritage breeds
March 6th 2009
THE concentration of ‘heritage’ sheep breeds in certain areas of the British Isles means they could be wiped out by a single disease outbreak, the authors of a new report have warned.
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Government vets await news on avian flu virus virulence
2 March 2009
GOVERNMENT vets are awaiting the results of tests that will show how virulent the avian flu virus that has hit two Bernard Matthews farms is.
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Harvest beef casserole
2 March 2009
Mrs Rhiannan Evans, of Drws-Nant, Llandrillo, Corwen, Denbighshire, has submitted this recipe for harvest beef casserole.
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Health plan to tackle BVD
March 6th 2009
THE Cattle Health Improvement Plan Scotland (CHIPS) has been launched to encourage farmers to work in partnership with vets to tackle BVD.
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Help assessing the nutrient content of straw
3 March 2009
HGCA has published a new information sheet to help arable growers assess the nutrient content of straw, and decide whether to return it to the soil or sell it.
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Highlighting on farm dangers
March 6th 2009
MORE than 70 YFC members from across the South of England attended a health and safety workshop as part of a new initiative to drive awareness in young people of potential fatalities in farming.
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Hunting Act ‘in a mess’ say Countryside Alliance
5 March 2009
HUNT supporters say the Hunting Act has failed and must now be scrapped after it received another legal blow this week.
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Kendall urges farmers to get behind voluntary set-aside plan
5 March 2009
NFU president Peter Kendall has urged farmers to get behind the industry-led voluntary initiative to retain the environmental benefits of set-aside.
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Lack of a pension plan gives taxman millions
March 6th 2009
THOUSANDS of farmers are needlessly paying a fortune in tax by overlooking their annual pension and savings allowances.
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Many growers can afford a P and K holiday
3 March 2009
A THIRD of the UK’s arable crop needs no phosphate (P) fertiliser this year and one in four hectares can take a potash (K) holiday, according to soil analysis figures from precision farming business SOYL.
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March readers' gallery
16 March 2009
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McConnel expands flail to raise output
6 March 2009
A 2m wide flail head was among the new machines unveiled by McConnel at its recent open days.
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Measuring environmental benefits from LFA farms
6 March 2009
THE Aberystwyth-based Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences has been awarded €226,000 as part of a €3 million European project to measure the environmental benefits derived from farms in Less Favoured Areas.
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MEPs have a chance to water down IPPC rules after lobby success
6 March 2009
MEPs will have a chance to water down new pollution rules that would impact heavily on British farmers when they vote in Strasbourg next Tuesday (March 10).
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Midges may survive the cold
March 6th 2009
WHILE scientists have yet to fully establish the over-wintering habits of bluetongue-spreading midges, it seems unlikely cold weather kills them.
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Milking for profit
6 March 2009
READ FG's special milking for profit feature including advice on balancing grazing and buffer feeding this spring, a warning from vet Matt Williams not to be complacent with IBR and more.
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New Cherokee guidelines aim to improve control
March 6th 2009
NEW guidelines for use of cereal fungicide Cherokee (chlorothalonil + cyproconazole + propiconazole) have been released by crop protection company Syngenta, with the aim of improving control in high disease pressure situations.
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New herbicide offers control of broad-leaved weeds
3 March 2009
NEW broad-leaved weed sulfonylurea herbicide, Finy will be available to growers this spring.
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New look for Ford Ranger
6 March 2009
FORD has revealed a fresh look for its Ranger pickup truck.
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New Zealand: Boundary fence's costs keep on growing
6 March 2009
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NFU fury as supermarket body blames farmers for food inflation
5 March 2009
THE NFU has rubbished accusations from the retail sector that livestock farmers are to blame for a sharp rise in the price of fresh meat.
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NFUS delivers funding vision for SRDP
3 March 2009
NFU Scotland has delivered its vision for the future of the £1.6 billion Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP), claiming the current programme has ‘lost its way’.
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Nitrogen falls £60/t but too late for many
6 March 2009
UK nitrogen prices have come down with a bump – and users and merchants who have already bought will not be best pleased.
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Nort West dairy industry to benefit from major action plan
3 March 2009
THE North West’s 2,400 dairy farmers and other businesses in the supply chain should benefit from a major action plan which has been launched .
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Ombudsman row rumbles on
2 March 2009
INDUSTRY leaders have called on supermarkets to agree to a grocery market ombudsman ahead of the Competition Commission’s public consultation on the issue.
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Organic growth in Scotland
4 March 2009
ORGANIC beef and grain production in Scotland has increased during 2008-9.
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Outback S3 for GPS units
6 March 2009
CLAAS is now supplying all of its GPS Pilot guidance systems with the new Outback S3 Terminal. This has a 1GB internal memory and an 8.4in colour touch screen.
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Pedigrees peak at 8,600gns
5 March 2009
A centre record price for pedigree beef bulls was realised at the Royal Northern spring show at Thainstone, when bidding peaked at 8,600gns.
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Plans for tougher GM rules in Wales met with defiance
4 March 2009
PROPOSALS to toughen up the rules on growing GM crops in Wales have provoked a defiant response from supporters of the technology – and the threat of significant revolt.
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Pressure on farmers to produce more and impact less
6 March 2009
Farmers face pressure to increase production and protect natural resources alongside volatility and high input prices, the sixth Norfolk Farming Conference held at the John Innes Centre, Norwich, and supported by Farmers Guardian, was told.
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Promise of new triazole – effective in controlling seed and soil-borne diseases
6 March 2009
THE seed treatment armoury available to UK growers could soon include a new triazole –ipconazole – effective in controlling seed and soil-borne diseases.
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Pushing JAB’s message
March 6th 2009
THE industry-wide JAB initiative will continue this year with the group continuing to maintain the pressure on livestock farmers to vaccinate for the coming season.
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Putting potatoes back on the table
March 6th 2009
GROWERS, packers and retailers all need to work together to ensure potatoes continue to be a staple on the British dinner table, according to British Potato Council (BPC) chairman Allan Stephenson.
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Quad X unveils ATV muck spreader
6 March 2009
A muck spreader that can be towed behind an ATV is the latest tool from Quad X.
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Record profits for CLB for second time in three years
4 March 2009
RECORD profits have been achieved at Caithness Livestock Breeders for the second time in three years.
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Research highlights the need to recruit the next generation
March 6th 2009
THE farming industry will need to recruit an additional 60,000 workers by 2019 to ensure UK agriculture maintain its skills base, according to new research commissioned by supermarket Waitrose.
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Saab adds crossover model with 9-3X
6 March 2009
Saab is the latest manufacturer to enter the crossover SUV sector with its 9-3X, aimed at those who frequently use gravel or unpaved roads, says the firm.
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Scots food and drink boosted by £1.4m
5 March 2009
THE Scottish Government has pledged almost £1.4 million to Scotland’s food and drink sector to help safeguard jobs and generate further investment in the sector.
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Scots to save money on sheep dip disposals
6 March 2009
SCOTTISH farming leaders have hailed proposals to permanently reduce the charges imposed on sheep farmers for disposing of their sheep dip.
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Scottish farm census a ‘wake-up call’ to the industry
5 March 2009
FIGURES published by the Scottish Government show a decline in every main sector of the industry, and farming leaders have called on the Government to step in to halt the decline of the Scottish agriculture.
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Sheep carcases probe
March 6th 2009
CARCASES of more than 250 sheep have been found scattered in Forestry Commission land in West Wales.
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Sheepdog trial results
3 March 2009
English results
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Sheepdog trials diary
4 March 2009
ENGLAND
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Shorthorn champ sees 2,000gns top
6 March 2009
THE spring sale of Whitebred Shorthorn bulls and females at Borderway Mart, Carlisle, saw prices rise to 2,000gns for the overall champion.
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Singing Farmers return to the stage
4 March 2009
THE Singing Farmers are playing four venues in Yorkshire over two weekends at end of March and beginning of April.
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Ssangyong's R-Line matches sporty credentials with high towing capacity
6 March 2009
The phrase ‘never judge a book by its cover’ is one that seems particularly apt with Ssangyong’s latest special edition of its Rexton 4x4, the R-Line.
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Steady growth due to the green revolution
2 March 2009
A ‘green’ opportunity coupled with a pro-active approach to the land has seen one South Yorkshire farming couple take their arable business to new productive heights. Angela Calvert meets William and Lynda Mackintosh.
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Switzerland: Four years to meet bird flu vaccine demand in pandemic situation
6 March 2009
The production capacity of bird flu vaccines has tripled since 2007, but it could still take up to four years to meet global demand if a pandemic were to occur, according to a World Health Organisation-backed study.
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Targeted approach to tackling worms
6 March 2009
WITH the right equipment and guidance farmers can accurately carry out faecal egg counts (FEC) and better target worms, according to recent findings.
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Telehandler trio gets better hydraulics
6 March 2009
JLG has introduced three new telehandlers with increased hydraulic performance and improved cabs to replace the 266, 266-loPro and the 307.
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Temple to stand down as NFU vice-president
5 March 2009
Paul Temple is to step down as vice-president of the NFU.
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Tesco branded 'manipulative monopoly’ following competition appeal victory
6 March 2009
SUPERMARKET giant Tesco has been accused of operating a ‘manipulative monopoly’ after it won an appeal against the Competition Commission’s (CC) proposal to introduce a competition test into planning law.
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The butterfat challenge – don't risk the financial implications of getting it wrong
2 March 2009
With much of this winter’s forage wet, acidic and low in digestible fibre, overall but- terfat levels in many herds have suffered.
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Top price of 5,000gns at the Western Holstein Club’s monthly show and sale
2 March 2009
THE largest entry for several months at the Western Holstein Club’s monthly show and sale at Beeston Castle realised a top price of 5,000gns.
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Trading volatility to stay
6 March 2009
VOLATILITY is here and it was going to continue, said Jon Duffy of Frontier Agriculture.
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Treated seed can maintain profitability
6 March 2009
The focus was on seed treatment developments at the BCPC Seed Production and Treatment symposium. DAVID JONES reports.
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Trials reveal best suited sheep for land types
6 March 2009
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Tributes paid to Natural England’s Sir Martin Doughty
5 March 2009
DEFRA Secretary Hilary Benn has paid tribute to Sir Martin Doughty, chairman of Natural England, who has died after a long battle with cancer.
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TV company looking for farmers affected by the credit crunch
2 March 2009
CHEETAH Television is making a pilot for a major British broadcaster about how the current financial crisis is affecting small businesses in the UK – and is particularly keen to feature a business from the agricultural sector.
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Uniting the milking herd has brought unexpected rewards
March 6th 2009
Big changes in the last five months have already led to improvements for a dairy farmer and his herdsman in Northumbria. Joanne Pugh has been to meet them.
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USA: $10,000 reward to catch cattle thieves
6 March 2009
A REWARD of $10,000 (£7,000) has been offered by two organisations in south-west Missouri after a rash of cattle thefts.
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USA: Obama wields direct payment axel for farmers with sales over $500,000
6 March 2009
PRESIDENT Barack Obama shocked US agricultural leaders with his proposed budget, which includes the elimination of direct payments to farmers with annual sales of more than $500,000 (£351,000).
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USA: Packing plant developer confident amid recession
5 March 2009
The developer of a beef packing plant at Aberdeen (USA) said he was optimistic it would open in August or September. Dennis Hellwig said the Northern Beef Packers plant would initially process 200-300 head daily, but is designed to handle up to 1,500.
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USA: Smaller decline in farm incomes predicted
4 March 2009
DESPITE many commodity prices falling 40-50 per cent from their summer 2008 highs, USDA chief economist Joe Glauber projects a considerably smaller decline in farm income.
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Vion strike could leave supermarkets short of meat over Easter
2 March 2009
THE threat of mass redundancies could spark strike action at the UK’s biggest supermarket meat supplier and leave shelves short over the Easter period.
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Vion strike could leave supermarkets short of meat over Easter
2 March 2009
THE threat of mass redundancies could spark strike action at the UK’s biggest supermarket meat supplier and leave shelves short over the Easter period.
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Yorkshire Sport Horse to run silent auction
2 March 2009
YORKSHIRE Sport Horse committee is running a silent auction to raise money to promote the breeding of quality horses.