Farmers Guardian
October 19th 2007

  • ‘Education and advisory’ role shift for vets on udder health

    19 October 2007

    INSTEAD of receding, levels of mastitis infection are, if anything, on the increase. The level of interest in the problem meant standing room only at this year’s British Mastitis Conference at the National Agricultural Centre, Stoneleigh. NEIL RYDER reports.

  • 180hp tractors on test - special feature

    October 19th 2007

    With bags of horsepower in a lightweight package, tractors in the 180hp sector are becoming ever more versatile. To see how they perform, Mervyn Bailey and Geoff Ashcroft put four to the test.

  • 2,600gns top

    October 19th 2007

    IN Carlisle’s dairy ring David and Nicki Quayle, Wigton, Cumbria, eventually sold their Croesgoch Holstein herd after previously being cancelled.

  • 2008 weather crucial to increasing wheat stocks

    October 19th 2007

    WHEAT harvests around the world need to be delivering high yields during 2008 if current, ‘all time low’ stocking levels are to be alleviated.

  • 3,600gns BFL

    October 19th 2007

    TRADE at Carlisle Bluefaced Leicester sale was selective with 3,600gns twice. The first was a ram lamb from W.M. Hutchinson and Sons, Kirkby Stephen. Sired by Keer it sold to Messrs Vickers, Tow Law, Co. Durham. The other was a home-bred Thirlwall ram lamb from R. and M. Scott, Greenhead, Carlisle. Buyers were E. Fairburn and Son, Ripon.Auctioneers: Harrison and Hetherington.

  • A time for young people in food and fuel business

    October 19th 2007

    Where the sheep and cattle once stood the nettles now grow and the paint flakes.

  • Arla looking for milk

    15 October 2007

    ARLA Foods wants to increase membership of the Arla Foods Milk Partnership in a drive to source 90 per cent of the company’s milk requirement through the partnership by the end of the milk year.

  • Asda’s ‘commitment’ to British beef meets a mixed reaction

    October 19th 2007

    ASDA’s new initiative Beef Link is aimed at increasing beef sales and reinforcing the supermarket’s commitment to British beef.

  • Average up

    October 19th 2007

    ANOTHER big entry of more than 300 head of pedigree and commercial dairy cattle were entered again for Beeston Castle’s mid-month sale, Cheshire. The average for fresh calved stock achieving a level just under £1,100, £30 higher than the September sale.

  • Avis family lead the way at Painley sale

    16 October 2007

    IT was Almondene BC Avis which led the bidding at 13,000gns when the first sale to disperse the Painley herd of pedigree Holsteins from John and Valerie Barlow, Nantwich, Cheshire took place at Beeston Castle auction.

  • Avis goes home with 13,000gns price tag

    October 19th 2007

    IT was Almondene BC Avis which led the bidding at 13,000gns when the first sale to disperse the Painley herd of pedigree Holsteins from John and Valerie Barlow, Nantwich, Cheshire, took place at Beeston Castle Auction.

  • Batch farrow competition

    October 19th 2007

    PIG producers who batch farrow are being urged to enter a competition with a prize fund of £1,500 – and a free rugby shirt for every entrant.

  • BCPC plant protection congress

    18 October 2007

    THE ongoing revision of the EU plant protection directive 91/414, which regulates the marketing and use of plant protection products in member states, is likely to result in the removal of a large number of active ingredients from the marketplace.

  • Bishop Burton Horse Trials

    19 October 2007

    HUNDREDS of riders recently descended on Bishop Burton College for its biannual horse trials.

  • Bluetongue casts a large shadow over next year’s shows

    19 October 2007

    ORGANISERS of next year’s shows and events face a major planning headache in trying to deal with the outbreak of bluetongue disease.

  • Bluetongue line held for now but Welsh abattoirs to take stock from PZ

    19 October 2007

    DEFRA and the Core Stakeholder group have decided not to expand the Bluetongue Zone for now, although the decision will be kept under constant review.

  • Bluetongue virus found in sheep

    15 October 2007

    THE Bluetongue virus has spread to sheep for the first time since it arrived in the UK earlier last month.

  • Bluetongue zone gets bigger: FMD restrictions eased

    18 October 2007

    HOURS after the Government freed much of Great Britain from foot-and-mouth movement restrictions yesterday, the Bluetongue Protection Zone gobbled up another huge part of England.

  • BPC advise growers to get potato sprouting control programmes under way

    17 October 2007

    THE British Potato Council is advising growers to get potato sprouting control programmes under way as soon as possible.

  • Brassica Bulletin

    October 19th 2007

    In our second Brassica Bulletin – a new Farmers Guardian feature – we visit Roger Hodson-Walker, who has been out-wintering stock on brassicas for more than 20 years.

  • British lamb in Morrisons

    October 19th 2007

    MORRISONS has asked us to print the following clarification in response to our supermarket feature, published last month.

  • British National Ploughing Championships

    19 October 2007

    A WET spell earlier in the week failed to keep visitors away from the 57th British National Ploughing Championships at Crockey Hill, near York, at the weekend.

  • British National Ploughing Championships

    October 19th 2007

  • Campaign urges Welsh consumers to buy more Welsh lamb

    16 October 2007

    CONSUMERS across Wales are being urged to buy more Welsh lamb as part of a campaign launched this week to build support for Welsh farmers struggling to cope with the after-effects of the foot-and-mouth export ban.

  • Capital Gains Tax – Chancellor taxes inflation

    15 October 2007

    FARM sales will be seriously affected by major changes to Capital Gains Tax proposed in the Pre-Budget Report.

  • Capital Gains Tax – Chancellor taxes inflation

    15 October 2007

    FARM sales will be seriously affected by major changes to Capital Gains Tax proposed in the Pre-Budget Report.

  • Carry House BFL at 1,900gns

    October 19th 2007

    THE show champion at Hexham’s Bluefaced Leicester sale sold for the day’s top price of 1,900gns.

  • Chatsworth top call of 1,700gns

    October 19th 2007

    A BIG crowd gathered for the dispersal of the entire Chatsworth herd of pedigree Holsteins, Shorthorns and Jerseys, marking the end of many years of dairying for Chatsworth Estate, Bakewell, Derbyshire.

  • Chelford Texels at last

    October 19th 2007

    CHELFORD’s sale of pedigree Texels eventually got underway on Saturday, nearly two months late. Movement restrictions meant nearly 25 per cent of vendors could not attend.

  • Cider-making hobby becomes a business, mead to be launched

    October 19th 2007

    LIKE many businesses, Skidbrooke Cyder, Lincolnshire’s only cider-making company, started out as a hobby, which grew and grew.

  • Claas Axion 820

    October 19th 2007

    FIELD TEST - When the Axion was introduced a lot of emphasis was put on Claas' input, so we we were keen to see what the 820 had to offer.

  • Clitheroe Lonks to 1,200gns

    October 19th 2007

    A Farmers Guardian sponsored show and sale of Lonk rams and females at Clitheroe Auction Mart, Lancashire, saw prices peak at 1,200gns. Selling for top money was the reserve champion from Rod Spence, Dunsop Bridge, to C. Crowther, Oldham. The same buyer took the champion ram from T. Whitwell and Sons, Pendleton, at 1,100gns.

  • Commission approves new UK levy board

    15 October 2007

    THE European Commission has formally approved the new UK levy board that will raise over £500 million for the promotion and development of British produce.

  • Contingency plan is key to controlling disease outbreaks

    18 October 2007

    CONTINGENCY planning is the key to controlling animal disease outbreaks, according to a Defra report on the lessons learned from the bird flu outbreak earlier this year.

  • Cooking up a meal that’s fit for a king

    October 19th 2007

    THREE members of Howey YFC triumphed in the cookery competition for the second year running by serving up another winning menu – this time fit for a king.

  • Dairy Crest’s former suppliers’ anger

    18 October 2007

    DAIRY Crest’s former contracted suppliers to Aspatria and Haverfordwest creameries are up in arms after being told last Friday they would not be getting an additional 2ppl for their final month’s (September) supplies.

  • Debt reduction or invest for the future?

    October 19th 2007

    AFTER 10 years of low returns, commodity prices are increasing in many sectors and businesses need to weigh up all their options before deciding where to spend their hard earned extra cash.

  • Decision on Bluetongue Zone extension in industry’s hands - Defra

    18 October 2007

    THE decision on whether to extend Bluetongue zones to cover the whole of England or Britain will be led by the industry, Defra has said.

  • Defra is ridiculed over ‘outrageous’ UHT policy

    19 October 2007

    DEFRA has been lambasted over suggestions made in a discussion document that consumers should be encouraged to ditch fresh milk in favour of UHT milk to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

  • Defra knew about Pirbright drains ‘four or five years ago’

    18 October 2007

    THE Conservatives have accused Defra Secretary Hilary Benn of ‘not telling the truth’ over how much Defra knew about the state of the drains at the Pirbright site.

  • Deutz-Fahr Agrotron 180.7

    October 19th 2007

    FIELD TEST - While it still looks very distinctive from the outside, the Stage II emission-compliant Agrotron 180.7 feels dated on the inside and Deutz-Fahr hasn't taken the opportunity to change much on the Stage IIIa version being unveiled at Agritechnica.

  • Different issues fuel consumer concerns

    October 19th 2007

    OPENING the Cereals Industry Forum conference CIF chairman Christopher Ritson posed the question: How well do you know the consumer?

  • Dividing farm partnership to create a dairying future for the next generation

    October 19th 2007

    A COMMITMENT to the future of milk production for the next generation of the Dockeray family has involved investing in new dairy facilities and splitting the farm partnership and Single Farm Payment.

  • Educational and fun – DVDs for horse-mad kids

    October 19th 2007

    When Chloe Jimenez-Peters, her sister Elkie and her fiance Ben Roberts spotted a gap in the market, they decided to exploit it by creating “educational and fun” films designed to encourage children to ride. In the first of our new occasional series on unusual equestrian businesses, SARAH JONES meets the brains behind new DVD film series Barnaby and Mac.

  • English trials results

    18 October 2007

    YORKSHIRE, Park House Farm, Elslack, Skipton, Nursery (51 ran): 1, H. Gorst (Calder Vale) Ben, 84 of 90; 2, T. Huddleston (Caton) Udale Henry, 80; 3, R. Airey (Trawden) Liz, 79; 4, Richard Hutchinson (Littledale) Tot, 76, OLF; 5, A. Baines (South Stainmore) Tanhill Patsy, 76; 6, J. Burrow (Silverdale) Wisp, 75.

  • European investors look to buy in UK land market

    October 19th 2007

    “ARE we at the end of an era of rising property prices?” was the question posed by Rupert Sebag-Montefiore, chairman and chief executive of Savills, introducing a recent seminar on the UK land market and the impact of European investors.

  • Exports resume as FMD Risk Area is reduced but bluetongue spreads

    19 October 2007

    DEFRA has announced that more parts of England will be able to export meat and meat products to the EU from next week and that the 200km FMD risk area will be reduced on Sunday.

  • FAO: 850 million people without food

    16 October 2007

    TODAY 150 countries are marking World Food Day by organising events to highlight the plight faced by 850 million people worldwide that do not have enough food to survive on.

  • Fluke risk higher this winter – VLA

    October 19th 2007

    THE Veterinary Laboratories Agency is warning of the potential for liver fluke infections (fasciolosis) this autumn and winter, following diagnosis of acute fasciolosis at regional laboratories in Penrith, Winchester and Carmarthen.

  • Focus on breeding, milk solids and yield a winning formula

    October 19th 2007

    The winning herd in Holstein UK’s Premier Herd Competition 2007 may not be the biggest in the country – it numbers only 65 cows – but demonstrates a depth of breeding throughout. JOANNE PUGH found out more.

  • Foot-and-mouth movement restrictions lifted

    17 October 2007

    ALL movement restrictions in Wales, Scotland and all parts of England outside of the 200km FMD risk area have been lifted.

  • Forecast for the sugar market 'reassuringly balanced'

    16 October 2007

    THE European Commission has decided against any changes to the level of preventive withdrawal of two million tonnes of sugar decided in March 2007.

  • FWAG Scotland is born

    October 19th 2007

    THE Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group in Scotland has declared independence after 25 years, establishing itself as a Scottish company with charitable status.

  • Global warming presents opportunities

    October 19th 2007

    CLIMATE change is already happening in the UK and affecting the way we farm.

  • Gorst and Ben start Pennine nursery season with a win

    October 19th 2007

    Saturday say the start of the five Pennine Interclub Societies’ nursery season with Yorkshire and Meltham hosting the first two trials.

  • Green belt: Plea for urgent review

    October 19th 2007

    NATURAL England have asked the Government to carry out an urgent review of the green belt amid fears of major expansion in urban development across the country.

  • Growing fury among Welsh farmers over Defra's funding u-turn

    15 October 2007

    WHILE there is relief among Welsh farmers that with Wednesday’s lifting of foot-and-mouth restrictions things can only get better, industry fury over Defra’s funding u-turn is growing.

  • Hard work and enthusiasm earn Luke top junior award

    October 19th 2007

    Launching his own YFC club, studying for his GCSEs and whizzing around in a tractor is all in a day’s work for Luke Smith, whose hard work and enthusiasm for Young Farmers’ Clubs’ helped secure his award for the best junior YFC member in the country.

  • Harper Adams makes a top 50 debut in UK league table

    15 October 2007

    HARPER Adams University College is celebrating triple success in the Sunday Times University Guide.

  • Hawes Mules

    October 19th 2007

    THE great annual prize show and sale of Mule gimmer lambs at Hawes Auction Mart, North Yorkshire, saw the 25,086 forward achieve an average of £39.29.

  • Herbicide products containing trifluralin available until March 2008

    15 October 2007

    HERBICIDE products containing trifluralin will be available to purchase until March 20, 2008 the Pesticides Safety Directorate has announced.

  • HGCA cereal quality survey 2007

    October 19th 2007

    UK harvest had a good start, but rain disrupted progress in different regions

  • HGCA Outlook conference

    October 19th 2007

    THE HGCA hosted its last Grain Market Outlook and Cereals Industry Forum conferences in its current format prior to changes in the way the levy boards will operate. Volatility in world wheat markets, CAP health checks, global warming and consumer food buying habits were all on the agenda. Dominic Kilburn reports from London.

  • Highland champion sells for 2,000gns at Beltex Society’s premier sale at Carlisle

    October 19th 2007

    IT was third time lucky for the Beltex Sheep Society when their premier sale finally went ahead at Carlisle having been twice postponed due to foot-and-mouth restrictions.

  • Hundreds turn out for YFC competition finals

    15 October 2007

    AROUND 700 YFC members travelled the length and breadth of England and Wales to Staffordshire County Showground at the weekend to take part in 14 competition finals.

  • Hunting ban ‘a violation of human rights’

    October 19th 2007

    THE ban on hunting with dogs is a violation of human rights, the House of Lords was told last week. In the latest challenge to the 2004 Hunting Bill, Richard Gordon, QC, said the ban violated the rights of many people whose livelihoods depended on hunting.

  • Ian ‘Smokie’ Gray

    October 19th 2007

    IAN ‘Smokie’ Gray, of Forfar and Arbroath, was a larger than life character whose sudden death at 69, has left a gaping hole in the Scottish sheepdog fraternity. His sheepdog and duck demonstration outfit was called ‘The Deuks of Hazard’. He compered the ceilidh at Kelso International sheepdog trial last year.

  • Industry anger over Defra refusal to deliver December part payments

    17 October 2007

    ORGANISATIONS representing English farmers have reacted angrily to Defra’s refusal to agree to requests for an 80 per cent part payment of the Single Payment in December.

  • Joanne scoops livestock award

    October 19th 2007

    FARMERS Guardian livestock editor Joanne Pugh has won the prestigious livestock and grassland category in the 2007 Guild of Agricultural Journalists Awards.

  • John Deere 7530 Premium

    October 19th 2007

    FIELD TEST - Our 7530 Premium lived up to expectations and came equipped with TLS front axle suspension, cab suspension, telescopic hitch and AutoQuad Plus transmission.

  • Late bid to retain trifluralin

    October 19th 2007

    THE herbicide active ingredient trifluralin must be withdrawn from the market in the UK by March 20, 2008 the Pesticides Safety Directorate has announced.

  • LEMON CREAM

    October 19th 2007

    This recipe comes from Mrs Glennis Hardman, of Sibford Gower, Oxfordshire.

  • Little to fear from CAP health check

    October 19th 2007

    THE scheduled 2008 CAP health check is very much a ‘health check’ and not ‘open heart surgery’, suggested NFU chief economist Carmen Suarez.

  • Make sure you get full benefit of market values

    17 October 2007

    WHILE there are signs that commodity prices may be close to peak, farm gate prices have further to rise to restore the normal market balance and farmers must ensure they get the full benefit of rising market values.

  • Make sure you get full benefit of market values

    17 October 2007

    WHILE there are signs that commodity prices may be close to peak, farm gate prices have further to rise to restore the normal market balance and farmers must ensure they get the full benefit of rising market values.

  • Mass meeting as prices plummet

    October 19th 2007

    A mass meeting to discuss the desperate situation in the livestock industry is being arranged for Tuesday evening at the Royal Welsh Showground, Builth Wells, in Mid Wales.

  • McDonald's to pay more for British pork and beef

    15 October 2007

    FAST-FOOD giant McDonald's has announced it will increase the prices paid to British farmers for the pork and beef it uses in its products.

  • Medical techniques could aid detection

    October 19th 2007

    ACUTE phase protein (ACP) techniques, already widely used in human medicine to detect infections, could well have a role in the detection of mastitis in cattle, said Dr Paul Torgerson of Tri Delta, Switzerland.

  • More options on offer in new multi-spec Arion range

    October 19th 2007

    Aiming to take the number four spot in the UK tractor market, Claas has been honing its line-up to offer more models in the 100hp to 175hp sector.

  • More pain to come? Bovine TB

    October 19th 2007

    If Defra announces a badger cull, it will probably demand something in return like tighter cattle controls, meaning hot on the heels of foot-and-mouth and bluetongue, more draconian movement restrictions. ALISTAIR DRIVER reports.

  • MPs visit South West to see badger cull preparations

    19 October 2007

    A GROUP of MPs was due to visit South West England yesterday to witness at first hand the preparations being made by farmers for a badger culling policy.

  • Myths and legends inspire creativity to take floral displays into a world of make believe

    October 19th 2007

    IMAGINATION ran riot in the floral art competition as members were asked to represent ‘Myths and Legend’ through the power of flowers.

  • Never too old to learn

    October 19th 2007

    HE may be 84 years old, but North Wales farmer Glyn Roberts has proved that age is no barrier to learning, having joined hundreds of farmers across Wales who are harnessing the power of new technology to help run their farm businesses.

  • New approach to UK conservation

    October 19th 2007

    THE Government has announced a new approach to conserving the UK’s wildlife and habitats, which encourages individuals to look after the ecosystems around them.

  • New bluetongue cases

    17 October 2007

    DEFRA has confirmed two new cases of bluetongue one near Peterborough, Cambridgeshire and one near Ashford, Kent.

  • New Claas tractors for 2008

    October 19th 2007

  • New guidance issued on ammonium nitrate fertilisers

    18 October 2007

    NEW guidance notes have been issued for fertiliser manufacturers, importers, blenders, storekeepers, transporters and suppliers as a result of changes in legislation concerning safety in handling ammonium nitrate-based fertilisers.

  • New Holland T7040

    October 19th 2007

    FIELD TEST - AS designs go, New Holland's T7040 won't win any beauty contests. It has a large, bulbous front-end, dominated by an excessively large hood – but necessary, says the firm, to accommodate the large cooling pack needed to meet Stage IIIa emissions and beyond.

  • New policy could impact heavily on farmers in TB hotspots

    15 October 2007

    IN AMONGST all the angst and anger over foot-and-mouth and Bluetongue restrictions, another potentially even more damaging policy being discussed within Defra has been somewhat overlooked.

  • New Row celebrates its 50 years anniversary in style

    October 19th 2007

    THE New Row recommenced in 1947 and hence the opportunity to celebrate 50 years of competition near and around Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion.

  • New Zealand will have to rethink its UK export strategy

    October 19th 2007

    THE glut of domestic lamb in the UK market – a result of the foot-and-mouth and bluetongue-linked export bans – would be an issue for New Zealand in the coming months, according to Mr Petersen.

  • NEWS IN BRIEF

    October 19th 2007

    Winter Show is on in Anglesey

  • NEWS IN BRIEF

    October 19th 2007

    New members

  • NFYFC Competitions Weekend

    October 19th 2007

  • Night at the races as Gloucester celebrates its 70th anniversary

    15 October 2007

    OLD meets new as members gathered together to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Gloucestershire Federation of Young Farmers.

  • Night at the races as Gloucester celebrates its 70th anniversary

    16 October 2007

    OLD meets new as members gathered together to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Gloucestershire Federation of Young Farmers.

  • OSR fields re-sown due to variable emergence

    October 19th 2007

    SOME fields of oilseed rape drilled shortly after harvest are now having to be re-sown with another crop due to variable emergence.

  • Passion for a pure dairying unit means upping sticks again

    October 19th 2007

    Four years ago, at a time when dairying was in the doldrums, the Haigh family decided to move out of beef and sheep production to establish a new pedigree Jersey herd. Michael Haigh tells NEIL RYDER what’s next on the agenda and why the family are on the move once again.

  • Pirimiphos-methyl achieves Annex 1 listing

    15 October 2007

    THE grain storage insecticide pirimiphos-methyl has achieved Annex 1 listing, Syngenta has announced.

  • Political debate sparks a win for Cornwall

    October 19th 2007

    Delivering gutsy speeches and taking control of a political discussion seemed a natural everyday occurrence for the Cornwall federation, winners of the senior debating competition.

  • Prices collapse at multi-breed ram sales

    October 19th 2007

    BARRY ALSTON reports from Europe’s biggest multi-breed ram sale, jointly sponsored by Farmers Guardian, and this year staged in two parts.

  • Pumkins are the latest to suffer from poor summer

    October 19th 2007

    PUMPKIN growers around the country are yet more victims of this summer’s wet weather.

  • Radical thinking on suckler production may cut upland farm costs

    October 19th 2007

    WHILE future business planning is often on the basis of ‘the same but better’, some livestock farmers might this year adopt somewhat more radical thinking.

  • Rapid disease detection system

    October 19th 2007

    VETS will have access to new technology to enable rapid diagnosis of infectious animal disease next year, according to the manufacturer of a new hand-held testing kit.

  • Report’s content is slammed by NFU

    October 19th 2007

    THE NFU has condemned a campaign by an animal welfare pressure group calling on people to eat less meat and dairy products because of the implications for climate change.

  • Rising to the challenge in battle for a national title

    October 19th 2007

    The murky sky and persistent threat of rain did not dampen the determination of members attending this year’s National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs’ Competitions Weekend at Staffordshire County Showground. DANUSIA OSIOWY reports on the battle of the best and meets the winners of the weekend.

  • Royal Smithfield Christmas Fair cancelled

    16 October 2007

    THE 2007 Royal Smithfield Christmas Fair has been cancelled due to foot-and-mouth disease.

  • Royal Smithfield Christmas Fair cancelled

    16 October 2007

    THE 2007 Royal Smithfield Christmas Fair has been cancelled due to foot-and-mouth disease.

  • RPA to invite applications from sugarbeet growers to renounce delivery rights

    18 October 2007

    THE Rural Payments Agency (RPA) is to write to sugarbeet growers to invite applications from growers to renounce their 2008/09 beet delivery rights in return for EU compensation.

  • Rural businesses are hit by postal dispute and the threat facing post offices

    October 19th 2007

    POSTAL strikes across the country have hit rural businesses hard and look set to put a number of people out of business.

  • Sainsbury’s to pay more for pig meat

    19 October 2007

    AN extra £5 million for the British pig industry is the estimated value of Sainsbury’s decision to pay more for British pork, ham, bacon and sausages.

  • Sainsbury’s to pay more for pig meat

    19 October 2007

    AN extra £5 million for the British pig industry is the estimated value of Sainsbury’s decision to pay more for British pork, ham, bacon and sausages.

  • Scottish protest threat over foot-and-mouth compensation

    October 19th 2007

    DEFRA Secretary Hilary Benn is facing a huge backlash from Scotland and Wales over the UK Government’s refusal to provide foot-and-mouth compensation for the devolved regions.

  • Scottish trials results

    18 October 2007

    Netherhill (Judge: G. Bell, Selkirk) Open – 37 ran – 1, R. Dalziel, Jamie, Ettrick, 100; 2, R. Dalziel, Joe, Ettrick, 98; 3, R. Dalziel, Spot, Ettrick, 97; 4, R. MacPherson, Roy, Kirklinton, 95; 5, S. Montgomery, Kate, Irongray, 92; 6, R. MacPherson, Don, Kirklinton, 91.

  • Sheep producer problems are worldwide

    October 19th 2007

    Leaving the industry creates serious problems for those remaining, warns NZ chief

  • Sheepdog trials diary

    18 October 2007

    ENGLAND

  • Shrewsbury’s best trade ever

    October 19th 2007

    THE first green market at the Shrewsbury Auction Centre since the lifting of restrictions saw an entry of 76 dairy cattle sell to the best trade ever at the weekly market. Heifers sold to £1,800 for both Graham Evans, Forden, Welshpool, with a heifer by his own bull, Lizbert, and for Jack Taylor, Harmer Hill, Shrewsbury, with a Lookout heifer.

  • Skipton multi-breeds

    October 19th 2007

    SKIPTON Mart, North Yorkshire, saw 1,145 lots pass through the rings at the annual multi-breeds show and sale of pedigree and pure-bred rams and females.

  • Strong demand for Lleyn rams

    October 19th 2007

    THERE was a reduced entry at the Lleyn Society’s West Country sale at Exeter Livestock Centre.

  • Supermarkets more sustainable but more needs to be done

    October 19th 2007

    SUPERMARKETS are embracing a ‘greener’ approach with increasing moves towards sustainability, according to a report by the National Consumer Council.

  • Supermarkets’ commitments to pork and eggs

    15 October 2007

    MORRISONS says all of the fresh pork sold in its stores nationwide will now be British sourced.

  • Supermarkets’ commitments to pork and eggs

    15 October 2007

    MORRISONS says all of the fresh pork sold in its stores nationwide will now be British sourced.

  • Survey results show a decrease in quality of wheat and barley compared with last year

    18 October 2007

    LATEST results from this year's HGCA Cereals Quality Survey reveal a decrease in the quality of wheat and barley compared with the 2006 crop.

  • Suspected foot-and-mouth case in East Sussex

    15 October 2007

    A THREE-kilometre foot-and-mouth disease Temporary Control Zone has been put in place around a premises near Rye in East Sussex.

  • Talybont rams to 3,400gns

    October 19th 2007

    PRICES peaked at 3,400gns at a show and sale of Talybont Welsh rams at Talybont-on-Usk market.The top price of the day was for a yearling ram from B.P. and R.J. Davies, Llangynidr. Other yearlings from the same flock sold for 3,100gns, 2,400gns, 2,200gns and 1,600gns.Auctioneers: Montague Harris and Co.

  • Temporary FMD restrictions lifted in East Sussex

    16 October 2007

    THE Temporary Control Zone put in place yesterday in East Sussex is being lifted, after initial laboratory results and further clinical inspection indicated foot-and-mouth was not present on the farm.

  • The birds from Brazil

    15 October 2007

    BETWEEN 1999 and 2006 poultry exports from Brazil doubled. After a visit to the country KATIE LOMAS takes a look at the production methods and what is being done to secure future markets.

  • Thumbs Up from judges for pony of the year

    October 19th 2007

    ANGELA CALVERT and SARAH JONES report on HOYS ponies

  • Toxoplasmosis increase may cause more sheep abortions

    October 19th 2007

    ANNUAL results on causes of abortion in sheep show a 28 per cent increase in the number of flocks exposed to toxoplasmosis, compared to the previous 12 months.

  • UK exportable wheat surplus could go towards powering the nation

    October 19th 2007

    WITH most of the world’s energy sectors slowing down, except that is for transport fuels, biofuels presents UK agriculture with an exciting opportunity, said John Pinkney, technical director for Ensus.

  • Ventilation helps cut stress

    October 19th 2007

    A WARNING that heat stress could be a problem in the UK and could lead to increased levels of mastitis came from Brian Pocknee of ADAS.

  • Welsh Mules triple sale

    October 19th 2007

    THE Welsh Mule Sheep Breeders’ Association has finally been able to stage its three-centre run of autumn sales. While prices and throughput were generally much lower than 2006 levels there was a steady demand and all venues saw good clearances.

  • Welsh trials results

    18 October 2007

    NEW ROW 50th ANNIVERSARY. Open National: 1, E.L. Morgan (Aberystwyth) Fred, 8; 2=, W.G. Davies (Llangeitho) Rock and E. Evans (Llangammarch Wells) Meg, 111¼2; 4=, Rhys Jones (Llanafan Fawr) Mac, M. Williams (Welshpool) Bella and J. Rees (St. Dogmaels) Floss, 14.

  • Winners of new production and efficiency LDY awards

    October 19th 2007

    NMR and cattle breeding company Alta have announced the winners of their new production and efficiency awards. The awards use NMR’s Lifetime Daily Yield (LDY) data to identify herds and cows achieving their milk production potential efficiently across a number of lactations.

  • Wishing well for recycling

    October 19th 2007

    THE smell of woodchip, the sound of busy drills and the task of recycling an old pallet into a new work of art attracted the curiosity of the crowds and ensured it was one of the most watched competitions throughout Saturday.

  • Wool chairman calls for single Bluetongue Zone as disease confirmed on his farm

    19 October 2007

    FRANK Langrish, one of the country’s best-known sheep farmers, has issued a plea for the whole of England to be turned into a Bluetongue Control Zone.

  • Xerion gets more grunt

    October 19th 2007

    Claas is pushing ahead with its flagship Xerion by upping the power to 379hp. Joining the current 3300 is the 3800, which will also be offered with three cab positions. There is the fixed mid-cab, forward cab with rear load platform and the movable cab that allows the tractor to be used in reverse drive mode or with the load deck.

  • YFC Competitions Weekend results

    October 19th 2007

    Junior member of the year 1, Luke Smith (Abinger, Surrey); 2, Hannah Dyer (Bridgwater, Somerset); 3, Anna Stockil (Winksley cum Grantley, Yorkshire), Tom Jolley (Hope Valley YFC, Derbyshire).