Farmers Guardian
May 25th 2007

  • Your last chance to win a £22,500 Keenan Klassik 100 bale chopper

    May 25th 2007

    FOR your chance to win this fantastic package worth £22,500, simply answers the five questions that will be appearing each week in Farmers Guardian.

  • ‘Meeting market requirement is paramount’

    May 25th 2007

    BEEF finishers might not be able to influence the general price of beef, but they can influence the proportion they secure of what is available.

  • £1,190 peak at Derby’s May sale

    May 25th 2007

    PRICES peaked at £1,190 at Uttoxeter at Derby’s May pedigree dairy sale.

  • £4,410 high at native and rare beef breeding sale

    May 25th 2007

    HIGHLAND, Dexter, Belted Galloway, Blue Albion, Kerry, Aberdeen Angus, South Devon and Red Ruby Devon cattle were on offer at Holsworthy Market for their first sale of native and rare beef breeding cattle.

  • £5,250 top for Dorset sheep

    May 25th 2007

    A TOP price of £5,250 and an overall sale average of £84.36 and a 79 per cent clearance rate was achieved at the Dorset Poll and Horned Sheep Fair at Exeter, Devon, where a total of 3,958 sheep were forward.

  • 1,380gns top price for milk recorded Holsteins

    May 25th 2007

    PRICES peaked at 1,380gns when Peter Birchall’s unregistered, milk recorded herd of Holsteins sold at New Springfield Farm, Gnosall, Stafford.

  • 30,000gns bid a new Belgian Blue record

    May 25th 2007

    128 bulls average £4,173 at club’s Carlisle sale

  • 4,200gns for heifer calf at Borderway Mart

    29 May 2007

    A BID of 4,200gns for a heifer calf from A.W. and G.W. Roberts’ Hafodlas herd, Betws-Y-Coed, Conwy, led the Limousin youngstock sale held at Borderway Mart, Carlisle.

  • A ‘third way’ forward for meat sector

    May 25th 2007

    THE future of farming in the UK is not a choice between intensive food production or recreational land use, delegates at the British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) conference were told.

  • A double win for Shirley Cropper in a busy weekend

    May 25th 2007

    HANDLERS turned out in force at the numerous trials at the weekend and one gained a double victory.

  • A new identity and new dates

    May 25th 2007

    MOVES to revitalise Carmarthenshire’s United Counties Show – with a different identity and dates for next year – get underway on June 1.Llandeilo Show secretary Angela James, has been appointed general manager of both the Welsh Dairy Show and the re-christened Carmarthenshire County Show – with the first summer show being staged on Friday and Saturday, June 27 and 28, 2008 instead of the traditional August staging.

  • Adopt strategic worm control

    May 25th 2007

    The Sheep Better Returns Programme (BRP) has teamed up with Farmers Guardian for an in-depth look at two key health issues. This week the topic is worm control and how to combat parasites while tackling increasing levels of resistance to anthelmintics.

  • An off-roader with real grunt

    May 25th 2007

    Road test: Porsche Cayenne

  • An unconventional approach

    May 25th 2007

    The Organic Research Centre trial work’s theme at Wakelyns Agroforestry in Suffolk is challenging disease and other problems through diversity. CLEMMIE GLEESON reports.

  • Are English farmers the UK’s poorer relations?

    May 25th 2007

    VIEWPOINT: By Jim Webster

  • Badger culling decision is likely next month

    24 May 2007

    THE decision on whether badgers would be culled to control bovine TB in cattle is likely to be made next month, Animal Health Minister Ben Bradshaw said this week.

  • Balmoral picture gallery

    May 25th 2007

    Photographs by Theresa Eveson

  • Balmoral Show

    May 25th 2007

    Large crowds headed to King’s Hall, Belfast, for this year’s Balmoral Show where the inter-breed championships were headed by the Limousin, Holstein and Texel breeds. KATIE LOMAS reports.

  • Balmoral Show results

    May 25th 2007

    BEEF - Inter-breed (Judge, J. Young, Ayrshire) Supreme, P. Smyth, Carmorn Vonex

  • Beef BRP event

    May 25th 2007

    Calm animals are easier to handle and systems can help, says expert Dr Grandin

  • Beef Expo 2007 photos

    May 25th 2007

    AROUND 6,000 visitors, which was a record for the 'mobile' event, descended on Craven Cattle Marts, Skipton last week for the 2007 Beef Expo.

  • Beef Expo photo gallery

    May 25th 2007

  • Big names in fertiliser combine

    29 May 2007

    YARA International, the world’s biggest fertiliser company, has acquired 30.05 per cent of all shares and votes in the European company Kemira GrowHow Oyj.

  • Big names in fertiliser combine

    29 May 2007

    YARA International, the world’s biggest fertiliser company, has acquired 30.05 per cent of all shares and votes in the European company Kemira GrowHow Oyj.

  • Black Beauty is the best in show

    May 25th 2007

    BLACK Beauty, a Belgian Blue cross Limousin cross all the way from Wales, won the National Spring Spectacular Show at Beef Expo.

  • Black stem rust threat is ‘very real’

    May 25th 2007

    The threat of black stem rust returning to the UK is a very real one, warns Professor Martin Wolfe of The Organic Research Centre .

  • BOCM Pauls buys Cranswick Mill

    May 25th 2007

  • Bradshaw concern at milk price margins

    May 25th 2007

    DEFRA Minister Ben Bradshaw has expressed concern about the apparent increasing retailer profit margins on liquid milk.

  • Bradshaw concern at milk price margins

    May 25th 2007

    DEFRA Minister Ben Bradshaw has expressed concern about the apparent increasing retailer profit margins on liquid milk.

  • Breed societies battle it out

    May 25th 2007

    COMPETITION was stiff among the breed societies for the best promotional display – with top billing in the cattle section going to the Ancient Cattle of Wales Society. Heading up the sheep displays was that of the Jacob Sheep Society.

  • Bruchid beetles in bean crops

    May 25th 2007

    BRUCHID beetles are now present in crops of winter and spring field beans, according to agronomists this week.

  • Brussels briefing

    May 25th 2007

    Modulation: EU Agriculture Commissioner Marian Fischer Boel has confirmed she will be proposing a doubling of the basic EU modulation rate, from 5 to 10 per cent by 2013. 

  • Charitable mobile donations wanted

    May 25th 2007

    NANTWICH Agricultural Society is teaming up with Macclesfield-based recycling specialists, FoneAid, to collect unused mobile phones to raise money for local charities.Special collection bins will be on the showground for Nantwich and South Cheshire Show on Wednesday, July 25, at Dorfold, Nantwich. Among the charities being supported is St Luke’s Hospice at Winsford.

  • Cheshire market at centre of avian flu investigation

    29 May 2007

    POULTRY which passed through Cheshire’s Chelford Market on May 7 are at the centre of a case of avian flu confirmed in birds on a North Wales smallholding.

  • Children’s Nurseries down on the farm

    May 25th 2007

    A children’s nursery may not seem the obvious choice for a farm diversification project, but Farmers Guardian spoke to two farming families who have gone down that route with considerable success.

  • Conservation groups want a set-aside replacement

    May 25th 2007

    WILDLIFE groups have called for a new conservation measure to be brought in should the expected abolition of set-aside occur next year.

  • Consistent quality key to a profitable business

    May 25th 2007

    CONSISTENCY was the key word at the conference held the evening before Beef Expo, with all three speakers – a farmer, processor and supermarket representative – using it several times.

  • Converted piggery becomes a modern farm-based nursery

    May 25th 2007

    At a time when nationally many nursery places are left unfilled, a Cheshire farming family is confident a new nursery in a converted piggery has what it takes to succeed. NEIL RYDER reports.

  • Cow’s lifetime achievement recognised in dairy awards

    29 May 2007

    A NEW competition for dairy farmers will identify those cows in UK herds working the hardest and longest.

  • Cow’s lifetime achievement recognised in dairy awards

    29 May 2007

    A NEW competition for dairy farmers will identify those cows in UK herds working the hardest and longest.

  • Cwmnanthir Cynthia makes show history

    May 25th 2007

    ANDY and Maureen Case of Milton Abbas, Dorset, made history in the pig ring at Devon Show when their Oxford Sandy and Black Cwmnanthir Cynthia XVII was awarded the inter-breed title for the second year in a row.Judge Peter Reader of Diss, Norfolk, said the September 2001-born sow was an exceptional pig, which, despite being the oldest animal in the inter-breed competition, did not stop walking throughout.

  • Dansco collapsed with debts of £6m

    May 25th 2007

    THE full extent of the collapse earlier this year of the West Wales-based mozzarella cheesemaker, Dansco, hit home this week with the revelation that around 400 creditors are owed more than £6 million.

  • Devon cattle results

    May 25th 2007

    BEEF - Inter-breed (Judge, J. Jeffery, Roxburghshire) Supreme, E.A. and D.A. Ellis, Richphill Thomas (British Belgian Blue); reserve, H. Vooght, Little Bovey Vogue (British Charolais).

  • Devon County Show

    May 25th 2007

    Ecstasy as judge gives the nod to Belgian Blue

  • Devon County show picture gallery

    May 25th 2007

    Photographs by John Eveson

  • Devon sheep results

    May 25th 2007

    Inter-breed (E.P. Webber, Minehead, Somerset) Supreme, W.J. Jordan (North Country Cheviot); reserve, D.F. Daffurn and J. Curtis (British Charollais).

  • Early potato recapturing the market

    May 25th 2007

    With a farm just a stone’s throw from Land’s End, seeking out a market is never going to be easy. But Richard Thomas, along with a dozen or so of his neighbours, has managed to do just that. David Burrows reports on the continued renaissance of the Cornish early potato.

  • Edwards and Jack take the trophy with re-run

    May 25th 2007

    THE Uchaled trials are always at risk from the weather and on the first day competitors and spectators for the mountain trials had to contend with an unending and stormy gale.

  • Emergency off-label approval for Biscaya

    May 25th 2007

    THE British Beet Research Organisation (BBRO) has received an emergency off-label approval for the use of the insecticide Biscaya (thiacloprid) to control MACE resistant aphids. 

  • English Sheepdog trials results

    May 25th 2007

    ABBEYSTEAD, Marshaw Farm, Trough of Bowland, Morning Open (40 ran): 1, S. Duckworth (Haslingden) Kelly, 75 of 90; 2, R. Briggs (Wennington) Bill, 73, OLF; 3, J. Cropper (Deerplay) Ben, 73; 4, R. Airey (Trawden) Skye, 69; 5, F. Ingham (Arnside) Jess, 68, OLF; 6, A. Temple (Holmrook) Lassie, 68.

  • Ensuring your business isn’t at risk

    May 25th 2007

    As insurance premiums continue to spiral in the equestrian industry thanks to an ever-increasing number of claims, businesses need to start thinking ahead to minimise potential problems. SARAH CRIPPS talks to equestrian business risk assessor Sarah Houstoun to learn more about risk assessment and how businesses can help themselves.

  • Expansion for Swaledale Cheese

    May 25th 2007

  • Fallen stock petition goes to No.10

    29 May 2007

    THE GROWING protest against the fallen stock disposal scheme has been taken all the way to No. 10 Downing Street this week.

  • Farm assurance to meet new transport rules snubbed

    May 25th 2007

    IT is unlikely that farm assurance can be used to meet EU animal welfare transport regulations.

  • Fife show

    May 25th 2007

    Limousin bull right on Target to take Fife championship

  • Finding solutions for mineral delivery to boost growth rates

    May 25th 2007

    Rumenco launched two new products at Beef Expo – a compressed mineral block and a novel in-field Rocker Feeder. To mark the launch, the company has teamed up with Farmers Guardian in an exclusive competition.

  • Food production in spotlight as part of literary festival

    May 25th 2007

    THE internationally-renowned week-long Hay-on-Wye Literary Festival gets under way this weekend and alongside the world leaders and arts personalities who will be speaking, visitors can take a close look at how food is produced, with guided tours of four local farms.

  • Fresh and local offering for Suffolk market

    May 25th 2007

    In the second of the FG/Waitrose Best Young Farmer Producer finalist features, LIZ FALKINGHAM meets James Strachan, of Rendham, Saxmundham, Suffolk, to hear all about the Marybelle venture that is putting the family’s branded milk into shops and supermarkets

  • Frome gains more support

    May 25th 2007

    CATTLE classes at Frome’s annual Cheese Show on September 8 have been given a double boost for 2007.

  • Funding for animal welfare projects

    29 May 2007

    THE BVA Animal Welfare Foundation has announced available funding for projects designed to improve the welfare of sheep, cattle and horses.

  • Funding for animal welfare projects

    29 May 2007

    THE BVA Animal Welfare Foundation has announced available funding for projects designed to improve the welfare of sheep, cattle and horses.

  • Global warming boost for NFU Mutual customers

    May 25th 2007

    CUSTOMERS of NFU Mutual will receive a discounts worth about £75 million on insurance premiums this year – thanks in part to the impact of climate change.

  • Good facilities and training help to speed up processing

    May 25th 2007

    ‘Bad news stories do no good’ was the message from Jonathan Birnie, agricultural research manager for Dunbia (pictured, right), when he was speaking on animal welfare.

  • Good quality British Blues

    May 25th 2007

    THE present quality of the British Belgian Blue shows how efficient British breeders have been in selecting cattle from Belgium, according to Pierre Mallieu, general secretary of Herd-Book Blanc-Bleu Belge.

  • Government vet attacks TB policy

    May 25th 2007

    A GOVERNMENT vet working on the frontline in the battle against bovine TB has hit out at Defra’s ‘one-sided and ineffective’ TB control policy.

  • Grazing Monitor

    May 25th 2007

    Are you really exploiting full grazing potential?

  • Green Apple awards

    May 25th 2007

    ENTRIES are being sought for the annual National Green Apple Environment Awards, open to anyone in agriculture who can demonstrate an effort to protect or enhance the environment.

  • Green scheme review rewards for climate change initiatives

    24 May 2007

    NEW incentives for farmers to improve their carbon footprint are set to be introduced following a review of England’s flagship green farming scheme.

  • Guidelines for the responsible

    May 25th 2007

    THE Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance (RUMA) took Beef Expo as the opportunity to formally launch its guidelines for the responsible use of vaccines and vaccination in cattle.

  • Hadleigh Show

    May 25th 2007

    THE Simmental breed champion, Thursford Georgina 4, from P. and L., Gunther, took the beef inter-breed championship at Hadleigh Show,

  • Have you signed up yet?

    24 May 2007

    DEFRA Minister Ben Bradshaw took time out from his visit to the Devon County Show and talking about TB to add his name to FG’s ‘Fair Trade for British Farmers’ petition.

  • Herts show has 1,500 entries

    May 25th 2007

    MORE than 1,500 animals are booked in for classes at this weekend’s Hertfordshire County Show.Entries include 210 sheep and 305 cows as well as 660 show horses. This year will also see the return of the Grand Parade of cattle in the grand ring on both days of the show. There will be a display of ‘Farming through the Ages’ and a postcard competition for children based on the theme of ‘Farming in Hertfordshire’.

  • High risk of virus spread from winged aphids

    May 25th 2007

    EARLY results from virus tests on winged aphids caught in water pans suggest that the number carrying the virus is likely to be at least as high or higher than in recent seasons.

  • High yields, flexibility and disease resistance from new group 4 varieties

    May 25th 2007

    PLANT breeders at CPB Twyford have officially launched two new group 4 hard feed wheat varieties, Humber and Oakley.

  • Holsworthy peak of £1,600

    May 25th 2007

    HOLSWORTHY market, Devon, saw 108 dairy cattle forward at the May show and sale a top price of £1,600 for pedigree Holstein first calver, Joelee Lorina Breeze, from T.R. Hugo and Partners, Lanivet, Bodmin.

  • How to get publicity for your farm business

    25 May 2007

    GOT a new farm business or diversification that you want to promote? Not sure how to get publicity? Watch journalist and small food producer Dominic Kilburn giving his tips on this video and download FG’s second fact sheet.

  • Hundreds turn out for auction

    24 May 2007

    BROWN and Co’s farm machinery auction at Sewstern, near Grantham, was attended by hundreds of farmers and dealers from across the UK and Ireland despite heavy overnight rain.

  • Innovative solution to narrow lane and gateway access

    May 25th 2007

    NARROW lanes and gateways can be a problem when carrying out jobs that make add-on tractor wheels a necessity. It can mean extra journeys and precious time.

  • Inspection costs offer to boost organic capacity

    May 25th 2007

    THE cost of inspection and licensing for small abattoirs moving into organic for the first time is being slashed.

  • Investing in the family’s future by growing business organically

    May 25th 2007

    When driving away from North Sheep 2005, John Skidmore leaned out of his car window and shouted across the field to organiser Julie Sedgewick, “Where are we off to next time?”

  • JumpCross training days

    30 May 2007

    JUMPCROSS is a sport that provides horse and rider with the experience of jumping cross-country without feeling intimidated by approaching solid fences – yet the knock down fences still command balance, skill and respect to jump them cleanly.

  • Keenan Feed Conversion Efficiency: Is your feed delivering what it promises?

    May 25th 2007

    FEED remains the biggest single cost in producing milk and, at a time when farmers are worrying about dramatic increases in both grain and non-cereal energy feeds, it’s vital to take stock of feed costs.

  • Keenan invests £5.5m in business

    May 25th 2007

    Investing £5.5 million in agri-business might seem like a ‘leap of faith’ at the present time, but Richard Keenan, a company with roots in the industry since 1978, has just announced the completion of a massive three-year investment programme.

  • Lamb scheme is expanded, but we must get a sustainable price, say producers

    May 25th 2007

    REGIONALLY branded lamb is an expanding line in Sainsbury’s – the latest is ‘Cotswold’.

  • Lancashire heelers at fun dog show

    May 25th 2007

    OWNERS of Lancashire heelers are invited to bring their dogs along to a fun dog show at Scarisbrick Village Hall, Smithy Lane, Scarisbrick, on Sunday, June 3.

  • Large-scale marketing campaign for NE lamb

    May 25th 2007

    NORTH East sheep farmers are set to benefit long-term from the region’s first large scale lamb marketing scheme.

  • Limousins to 5,100gns at Welshpool market

    May 25th 2007

    PRICES rose to 5,100gns at a sale of Limousin cattle held at Welshpool market on behalf of the North West Midlands and North Wales Limousin Club.

  • LM5000 to launch at cereals

    30 May 2007

    NEW Holland has ann-ounced that Cereals is where it will launch the LM5000 – its in-house designed side engine telehandler.

  • Long service rewarded

    May 25th 2007

    THERE were seven long service medals presented at the show, with the longest serving employee being J. Robertson, who has worked for the Howat family at Kinnaird, Dairsie, for 52 years.

  • Low inflation policy hitting beef price lift

    May 25th 2007

    IMPROVING efficiency in beef production was essential, but even the best would struggle unless the Treasury relaxed its ‘low inflation at all costs’ policy, said NBA chairman Duff Burrell.

  • Machinery auction looks ahead to next 25 years

    24 May 2007

    AUCTIONEERS Brown & Co and machinery agents Peacock and Binnington celebrated 25 years of their Annual Collective Machinery auction at Brigg with a dinner at the Courtyard Barn Restaurant at Elsham Hall.

  • Managing for profit: Focusing on Keenan Feed Conversion Efficiency

    May 25th 2007

    Professor David Colman has brought a huge amount of insight into economics at Keenan.

  • Maude catches the eye in the dairy ring

    May 25th 2007

    INTER-BREED honours in the dairy ring went to the Holstein breed in the form of the 14-year-old Medway Supreme Maude from Sam and John McCormick, Bangor, Co. Down.

  • Maximising value from a beast

    May 25th 2007

    IT is not always an easy job, but adequate removal of excessive surface contamination from live cattle going for slaughter is a message the meat industry is still anxious to get across.

  • Milday Flora 131 is supreme champion for second year

    May 25th 2007

    TWELVE months older and looking just as good, the five-year-old pure Welsh sow, Milday Flora 131, carried off the supreme championship in the festival’s much better supported pig classes for the second year running.

  • More business-like approach needed in ‘optimistic’ industry

    May 25th 2007

    The progress made by the Belgian Blue breed since it was first imported into the UK 25 years ago has been celebrated at the British Belgian Blue Society’s silver anniversary dinner. NEIL RYDER was among the guests at Carlisle.

  • New director of sport for British Eventing

    24 May 2007

    BRITISH Eventing has announced that Mike Etherington-Smith has accepted the post of director of sport with immediate effect.

  • New opportunities with gene marker technology

    May 25th 2007

    THE massive progress being made with gene marker technology was highlighted at Beef Expo, with two companies promoting new opportunities.

  • New products round-up

    May 25th 2007

    Fast on-line results for milk quality tests

  • New Scottish Rural Affairs Secretary engages with farming industry

    May 25th 2007

    NFU Scotland joined other rural stakeholders in meeting Richard Lochhead, Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, and Michael Russell, Minister for Environment, to discuss Scotland’s Rural Development Programme, which must be submitted to Brussels shortly for approval.

  • New Zealand in the spotlight over low lamb prices

    May 25th 2007

    AS lamb returns struggle to show any worthwhile increase this week, remaining around 50p/kg below last years’ level, the finger is increasingly being pointed at New Zealand fresh chilled imports as significantly more than just a contributory factor.

  • News in brief

    May 25th 2007

    Sheep award: The National Sheep Association’s 2006 George Hedley Memorial Award for outstanding contribution to the UK sheep industry, has been presented to Andrew Humphries, a driving force behind the formation of the Federation of Cumbria Commoners. He was nominated by the Herdwick Sheep Society.

  • No Minister yet

    May 25th 2007

    THREE weeks after the elections there was still little sign yesterday of which political party would be forming the new Welsh Assembly administration – and no indication of who would be Agriculture Minister.

  • North Country Cheviot takes the sheep inter-breed crown

    May 25th 2007

    IT was a North Country Cheviot that took the top honours in the sheep lines at Devon County Show.

  • Not dressed to impress...

    May 25th 2007

    Road test: Subaru Tribeca

  • NSA North Sheep 2007 preview

    May 25th 2007

    The NSA North Sheep 2007 is being held at North Hanging Wells Farm, Eastgate in Wearsdale, Bishop Auckland, County Durham, on Wednesday, June 6.

  • Otley Show

    May 25th 2007

    A COMMERCIAL animal from John Hollingsworth won the beef inter-breed title at Otley Show, with the Holstein breed champion from A. Jennings heading the dairy inter-breed lines. A Texel from P.C. Longdin took the sheep inter-breed title.

  • Pedigrees make 1,450gns at Carlisle

    May 25th 2007

    A TOP of 1,450gns was achieved at a smaller-than-usual entry of pedigree Holsteins at the Border and Lakeland club’s monthly show and sale at Carlisle.

  • Pineapple fluff flan

    May 25th 2007

    SENT in by Doreen Leonard of Halse Farm, Taunton, Devon.

  • Policy review leads to axe falling on the Agriculture Development Scheme

    May 25th 2007

    THE Agriculture Development Scheme is to be closed to new applications, it has been revealed.

  • Pre-slaughter stress affects meat quality

    May 25th 2007

    WHILE breed, age and diet of animal are all widely accepted as factors affecting meat quality, pre-slaughter handling of the animal and post mortem handling of the carcase have a greater influence.

  • Profitable Dairy Crest under fire from producers

    May 25th 2007

    DAIRY Crest, which this week reported annual profits up by 24 per cent, has come under fire from its producer group Dairy Crest Direct for failing to come up with any milk price increase for June on either liquid or cheese contracts, despite intense negotiations.

  • Project aimed at preserving Dartmoor gains recognition

    May 25th 2007

    THE Dartmoor Hill Farm Project, launched fours years ago after a survey of Dartmoor farmers revealed there was a shortage of skilled labour, won the Prince of Wales Award at Devon County Show.

  • Prompt action required to tackle OWBM

    May 25th 2007

    LATEST PestWatch information from Dow AgroSciences suggests that wheat blossom midge populations are comparable with those in 2005.

  • Protect yield and quality – think carefully about T3 options

    May 25th 2007

    The traditional ear wash treatment at GS 59-65 has a vital job in keeping the flag leaf disease free.

  • Public rights of way – what you can do

    May 25th 2007

    HELEN Clutterbuck of Lancashire based solicitors Napthens has dealt with a large number of rights of way disputes both public and private.

  • Rain fails to deter buyers

    24 May 2007

    RAIN showers failed to deter buyers at a dispersal sale of tractors, implements and agricultural and horticultural equipment at Thorndon Grove, Windmill Hill, Stoulton, near Worcester.

  • Rain while much needed has increased OSR disease risk

    May 25th 2007

    WHILE the much-needed rain has been welcomed, it has brought back the threat of sclerotinia in oilseed rape crops that are still flowering, along with the risk of alternaria infecting pods.

  • Rainbow Princess wins the cattle competition

    May 25th 2007

    THE only cattle competitions at the festival were for a cow, with her calf, and a maiden heifer.

  • RASE on-line survey wants your thoughts

    May 25th 2007

    THE Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE) is conducting an on-line survey to gauge the thoughts of those involved in agriculture.

  • Relaunch by Deans Foods

    May 25th 2007

    DEANS Foods is relaunching as Noble Foods – with a stylish new corporate image.

  • Renewable energy boom for farming?

    May 25th 2007

    FARMING’S role in renewable energy production was given a high-profile boost this week following what was widely seen as the most fundamental review yet of the UK’s energy policy.

  • Royal Welsh smallholder and garden festival

    May 25th 2007

    BARRY ALSTON reports from Saturday and Sunday’s Royal Welsh Smallholder and Garden Festival – rapidly becoming a favourite outing for families. From its humble beginnings in 2002, this year saw a record-breaking 25,588 crowd – encouragingly weighted towards urban-based couples with young children. With a likely name change to the Royal Welsh Spring Show next year, such a worthwhile event can do nothing but good for farming’s overall image. PICTURES: Arvid Parry Jones

  • Rural development funding a key achievement – Defra

    May 25th 2007

    FUNDING for the Rural Development Programme has been one of Defra’s key achievements according to the department’s latest annual report.

  • Rust becomes a threat much earlier than usual

    May 25th 2007

    RUST is developing quickly in winter field beans and is set to be a major threat in spring beans too.

  • Sacrewell Farm welcomes new arrival

    25 May 2007

    STAFF at Sacrewell Farm and Country Centre had reason to celebrate after their shire horse mare Bonnie gave birth to a filly foal at the end of April.

  • Sausage company launches bio-degradable packaging

    May 25th 2007

    A YORKSHIRE sausage company is leading the way in compostable meat packaging in Britain. Debbie and Andrew Keeble, the husband-and-wife farmers behind the Debbie and Andrew’s sausage range, are relaunching their entire sausage range with pioneering new bio-degradable packaging.

  • Scottish Sheepdog trials results

    May 25th 2007

    SPRINGHILL (Judge, R. Lyon, Denholm) Open (38 ran) 1, R.B. Henderson (Heriot) Bill, 94; 2, G. Thomson (Edmundbyres) Red, 92; 3, R. Dalziel (Ettrick) Spot, 90; 4, A. Watson (Shotts) Jake, 89; 5, J. Robinson (Coldingham) Cap, 88; 6, V. Parkes (Yarrow) Tweedhope Glen, 87.

  • Scrap the CAP and bring in EU rural policy

    May 25th 2007

    MPs have sparked controversy by calling for the Common Agricultural Policy to be scrapped and replaced with a new rural policy for the European Union.

  • Serious efficiency drive needed to secure farms

    May 25th 2007

    EVEN those beef farmers who could make themselves “seriously more efficient” still needed a base of around 270p/kg for an R4L bullock, claimed the NBA’s out-going chief executive Robert Forster.

  • Spring lambs at Clitheroe

    May 25th 2007

    A TOTAL of 260 spring lambs were forward at a show and sale at Clitheroe. The championship went to a pair of 38kg Continental lambs from J. Bowen and Son, Barrow, Blackburn. They sold at £80 per head (211p/kg) to Carefoots Butchers, Longridge, Preston. The reserve went to a pair of 33kg Continental lambs from K.E. and A.M. Pilkington, Rimington, Clitheroe. They realised £60.50 per head again selling to Carefoots Butchers.

  • Sticker aims to help cut rural road deaths

    May 25th 2007

    ‘SORRY for the delay – farmgate to dinner plate – good food comes to those who wait’.

  • Stockjudging competition

    May 25th 2007

    WITH £2,200 on offer in the stockjudging, there were a high number of entries and tough competition.

  • Suffolk prime champions

    May 25th 2007

    THE overall championship at a show and sale of Suffolk prime sheep went to H. Stuart and Sons, Udny, Aberdeenshire.The 47kg pair of pure-bred Suffolks realised £160 per head (320p/kg) when they sold to the show judge, John Davidson – a butcher from Inverurie.The reserve champions were exhibited by G. L. Stuart, Ellon, Aberdeenshire, and these 56kg pure-breds were bought by the Waterwheel Inn, Milltimber for £110 per head (196p/kg).

  • Supermarkets accused over food hygiene standards

    May 25th 2007

    TWO supermarkets have been caught up in a food hygiene scandal following a BBC investigation. Undercover reporters, working at Sainsbury’s and Tesco, alleged that staff were selling food past its sell by date and only removing it from sale when it ‘smelled bad’.

  • Supersize me: The 48m booms taking on 2,000 hectares

    May 25th 2007

    A change over to liquid fertiliser by a North Yorkshire farm meant extra sprayer capacity was required. This resulted in the purchase of two 4,000 litre self-propelled sprayers – each with 48m booms. Andy Collings reports.

  • Survey shows 47pc would grow GM crops

    May 25th 2007

    JUST under half of the UK’s farmers would grow genetically modified crops, a new survey has found.

  • T3 treatment ‘critical’ if brown rust risks re-appear

    May 25th 2007

    SLIGHTLY more wheat crops will need a T3 spray for disease control this season compared to last year, according to Chris Bean, technical director, UAP.

  • T7060 gets stuck in

    May 25th 2007

    The T7000 has undergone a lot of testing to make sure it delivers on everything it promises. So what is the fruit of this hard work really like? To find out MERVYN BAILEY got to try the range-topping T7060 to see what it has to offer.

  • T7060 gets stuck in

    May 25th 2007

    The T7000 has undergone a lot of testing to make sure it delivers on everything it promises. So what is the fruit of this hard work really like? To find out MERVYN BAILEY got to try the range-topping T7060 to see what it has to offer.

  • Taking a Snapshot of costings

    May 25th 2007

    WITH many of the speakers at Beef Expo voicing their support for the Beef Better Returns Programme, there was a steady flow of people on to the Eblex stand.

  • TB testing procedure in Wales facing collapse

    24 May 2007

    THE entire bovine TB testing procedure in Wales could be facing total collapse because of the failure to carry through the slaughter notice imposed on Shambo, the so-called ‘sacred’ bullock.

  • Texel described as a ‘balanced sheep’ takes the championship on her debut

    May 25th 2007

    IN the sheep rings the inter-breed championship went to a two-crop Texel ewe from Martin Cromie, Tullyear, Banbridge.

  • The woman who ‘changed the dairy industry’

    May 25th 2007

    THE woman who has ‘changed the dairy industry’ was today thanked for her contribution.

  • Top award for clothing firm set up by farmer’s wife

    May 25th 2007

    MUDDY Puddles, the children’s outdoor clothing company set up by Devon-based farmer’s wife Susie Cullen, has won a prestigious awards for its mail order catalogue and e-commerce website.

  • Top price of £3000 at Hawes farmers auction mart

    29 May 2007

    THERE was a top price of £3000 at Hawes farmers auction mart of vintage machinery and collectables on Saturday May 26.

  • Trade good at Cobham dispersal

    29 May 2007

    A SPLENDID crowd of farmers and cattle buyers attended Cobham Court Farm on Wednesday last week for the dispersal of Messrs Cobham Park Farms commercial herd and range of implements and machinery.

  • Training providers join forces to offer better service

    May 25th 2007

    THREE Eastern region agricultural and horticultural training providers are to work collaboratively.

  • UK regaining its stockyard status as week’s sale orders hit £498,000

    May 25th 2007

    SALE orders valued at around £498,000 for 332 breeding cattle were confirmed at the NBA Beef Expo 2007, with importers from 12 countries confirming deals with breed societies.  

  • Volvo flexifuel

    May 25th 2007

    With a continued focus on eco-friendly fuel, Volvo has added more bioethanol FlexiFuel versions to its range, including the new V70, V50, S40 and C30 versions.

  • Wa-Del Convincer daughter to £1,400 at Beeston

    May 25th 2007

    BIDDING peaked at £1,400 at the mid-month sale at Beeston Castle Auction, where over 400 head of Holsteins were forward and in excess of 85 buyers were successful.

  • Welsh Blacks heading to Denmark

    May 25th 2007

    AFTER an export break of 17 years, a consignment of Welsh Black cattle has been sold to Denmark and Germany.

  • Welsh Sheep 2007

    25 May 2007

    IN next week's FG Barry Alston reports from a record crowd-pulling Welsh Sheep 2007 ­ which delivered some sobering messages on lamb prices and a serious disease threat.

  • Welsh Sheepdog trials results

    May 25th 2007

    CYMDEITHAS BUGEILLAID UWCHALED. Double Fetch Final: 1, E.W. Edwards , Jack, 20; 2, H. Evans, Mirk, 37; 3, G.L. Jones, Ben, 42; 4, A.Ll. Jones, Fly, 43; 5, E.L .Morgan, Scott, 49; 6, A. Owen, Roy, 53; 7, E. Jones, Fly, 61; 8, C. Humphreys, Jill, 70; retd: E. Lewis, Craig.

  • Welsh show results

    May 25th 2007

    SHEEP - Inter-breed (Judge, R. Jones, Llanybydder) Supreme and female, T.C. and A.J. Tyne (Welsh Mountain); reserve sup. and male, C. Garn (Black Welsh Mountain).

  • Woman takes branch helm

    May 25th 2007

    GEORGINA Roberts is the new chairman of the Norfolk branch of the Country Land and Business Association – the first woman to hold the county post in the association’s 100-year history.

  • Work was worthwhile as Thuborough Flora succeeds in dairy lines again

    May 25th 2007

    THE supreme dairy championship at Devon County Show was awarded to the Holstein cow Thuborough Flora, owned by W. H. Ley and Partners, of Thuborough Barton Far, Holsworthy, Devon.

  • Workers pay rise of 3.2pc proposed

    May 25th 2007

    A proposed increase of 3.2 per cent for grade 1 agricultural workers has been agreed by the Agricultural Wages Board following two days of talks.

  • Worming problem comes under the microscope

    May 25th 2007

    Looking at sheep muck through a microscope may not be everyone’s cup of tea but it has made a huge difference to how Hugh Warmington controls worms in his flock. JOANNE PUGH spoke to the man who is fighting off anthelmintic resistance on his farm.

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