There is a well known saying, 'no pain, no gain' and that will be ringing true in the minds of Milk Link’s 1,600 producers, who are on the brink of reaping just reward for 12 years of loyalty and investment.Farmers Guardian
October 9, 2009
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A Conservative Government would buy British
6 October 2009
THE Conservative Party will announce new measures to boost public procurement of food produced by British farmers this afternoon (Tuesday, October 6).
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Agriculture in the national news
7 October 2009
A DAILY look at how agriculture has hit the headlines across the country (Wednesday, October 7).
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Agriculture in the national news
5 October 2009
A DAILY look at how agriculture has hit the headlines across the country (Monday, October 5).
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Agriculture in the national news
6 October 2009
A DAILY look at how agriculture has hit the headlines across the country (Tuesday, October 6).
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Agriculture in the national news
9 October 2009
A DAILY look at how agriculture has caught the headlines across the country (Friday, 9 October).
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All pulling together
October 9, 2009
STUDENTS from the Royal Agricultural College have raised more than £16,600 for charity thanks to a hugely successful RAG week earlier this year.
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Arla milk quality award winners
October 9, 2009
FOR the third year running Jonathan and Caroline Fletcher of Buxton, Derbyshire, have won Arla’s milk quality awards - this time with an average SCC of 51,000.
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Barony college’s exciting project
October 9, 2009
BARONY College Farm welcomed its first Wagyu beef calf to its unit, born to a Holstein Fresian dairy cow but sired by a Wagyu bull.
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Block grazing beef cattle to get the most out of grass
October 9, 2009
As part of the Northwest Livestock Programme, Reaseheath College organised and Eblex supported a visit to a Cheshire beef farm, looking specifically at grazing management. Katie Lomas reports.
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Bluefaced Leicester shearling ram tops Skipton multi-breed sale at 1,800gns
October 9, 2009
AN entry of 1,149 rams and females, up 200 on the year, were forward at Skipton’s multi-breed show and sale fixture. Six breeds competed for individual championship honours.
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Borderway Beltex sale sees peak of 1,250gns
October 9, 2009
AT the second sale of rams held on behalf of the Beltex Sheep Society at Borderway Mart, Carlisle, a top price of 1,250gns was achieved.
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British Blue champion Ballyhosset Duke in 10,500gns high at Carlisle
October 9, 2009
WITH a top call of 10,500gns and a further eight bids to 4,000gns and above, the overall average for bulls was up on the year at the Border British Blue Club’s show and sale at Carlisle.
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British Blue steers top pen knocked down to judge
October 9, 2009
AN entry of 566 store cattle were forward for sale at Lancaster last Friday for the annual show and sale of steers, which was sponsored by Farmers Guardian.
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British Sugar confirms 2010/11 beet price
6 October 2009
BRITISH Sugar and the NFU have agreed a price for 2010/11 beet contracts, but negotiations are set to continue in an attempt to thrash out a more sustainable, long-term deal.
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Call for intervention to avoid cereals disaster
5 October 2009
ALL EU members states must have access to public intervention as soon as possible if a threat to food security - and animal feed prices - is to be avoided the Commission was told today (Monday, October 5).
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CAP vision ‘devastating’ for UK beef and sheep sectors
9 October 2009
DEFRA is facing calls to retract its stance on Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform in light of research showing its plans would wipe out large sections of the UK beef and sheep sectors.
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Challenger offers higher capacity sprayer
7 October 2009
Challenger will be offering a forward control self-propelled Ro Gator sprayer with tank capacities up to 6,000 litres.
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Charolais females sell to 7,500gns at double dispersal
October 9, 2009
CHAROLAIS females met a solid trade, selling to a top of 7,500gns at Newark Mart last Saturday.
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Conception rate key to boosting margins
October 9, 2009
Eblex says a 10 per cent improvement in conception rates could boost margins by more than £.50 per ewe.
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Concerns for LFA farmers in new Glastir scheme
5 October 2009
NFU CYMRU has major concerns over the impact in upland areas of the Welsh Assembly’s planned new all embracing Glastir land management support scheme due to be introduced from 2012.
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Cooking up real farmhouse fare to put joy back into the farm kitchen
October 9, 2009
RURAL entrepreneur Helen Colley has come a long way from cooking sticky toffee puddings in her parents’ farmhouse kitchen. Danusia Osiowy discovers how traditional values, talent and tenacity have led to success for our new cookery expert.
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Devolved nations slam Defra’s CAP vision
9 October 2009
FARMING leaders and politicians in Scotland and Wales have called for greater freedom to negotiate policy in the EU after a report predicted Defra’s policies on CAP reform would result in a major drop in production.
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Don’t get complacent on slug control threat
October 9, 2009
BE extra vigilant and be ready to act against the threat posed by slugs this autumn when the current dry spell ends, growers are being advised.
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Equipped farm values have fallen argues firm
9 October 2009
THE value of bare agricultural land in England increased by 2 per cent to an average of £4,900 per acre between July and September 2009.
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Farmers Guardian talks to vets about bovine TB
6 October 2009
WHEN vets met in Cardiff for the annual British Veterinary Association (BVA) congress, we caught up with them to discuss bovine TB, one of the biggest issues facing farmers today.
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Farming leaders disappointed with EU dairy meeting
6 October 2009
THE creation of a ‘high level expert group on milk’ is the only result so far from Monday’s special meeting of farm council ministers in Brussels.
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Farming Offers - five FG umbrellas to be won
6 October 2009
Farmers Guardian has 5 NEW FG branded umbrella’s to give away.
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Fendt unveils new middleweight 800 series
7 October 2009
There will be two new tractor ranges on display from Fendt at this year’s Agritechnica event. Mervyn Bailey reports.
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First Milk board election results
8 October 2009
BEDFORDSHIRE milk producer Richard Davis and Hugh Parker from Stranraer are to serve as farmer directors on the First Milk board.
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Flouting of fallen stock rules ‘concerns’ Defra
6 October 2009
EVIDENCE is emerging that suggests some livestock farmers are ignoring the ban on burying fallen stock, according to the National Fallen Stock Company.
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Fluke threat higher than ever following wet summer
October 9, 2009
WITH summer rainfall 40 per cent higher this year than last, and the temperature up 0.6degC, fluke infections this autumn could be ‘at their highest level ever’.
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Former Environment Secretary attacks organic lobby
7 October 2009
FORMER Secretary of State for the Environment, John Gummer, launched an extraordinary attack on the organic farm lobby at the Conservative Party conference yesterday (Tuesday, October 6).
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FSA states campylobacter is rife in UK chicken
8 October 2009
THE Food Standards Agency (FSA) has called for poultry farmers to do more to reduce levels of campylobacter after a new survey found the bacteria was present in 65 per cent of chicken on sale in the UK.
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Getting the best out of pastures for the minimum cost
October 9, 2009
Grassland rejuvenation has its supporters and critics. Andy Collings spoke to one contractor who believes that, performed correctly, the system is an economic and viable route to improved pastures.
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Grain trade challenged to back Campaign for the Farmed Environment
7 October 2009
AGRONOMISTS and farm advisers will play a key role in delivering the Campaign for the Farmed Environment, NFU head of economics and international affairs, Tom Hind, told the HGCA Grain Market Outlook Conference yesterday (Tuesday, October 6).
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Grain trade challenged to back CFE
October 9, 2009
This year’s HGCA Grain Market Outlook conference, the first following completion of the reorganisation of levy boards to form the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), took the theme ‘Meeting Future Challenges’. Teresa Rush reports.
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Hampshire Downs top 650gns at Skipton
October 9, 2009
HAMPSHIRE Downs met a firm demand, peaking at 650gns at the breed association’s official northern region show and sale at Skipton.
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Horsewatch scheme helps target crime
9 October 2009
WEST Yorkshire Police have set up a Horsewatch Scheme to support the equine community by helping them create secure environments for their horses, equipment and vehicles.
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In-lamb Charollais shearling ewe makes 1,750gns at Worcester
October 9, 2009
THERE was strong demand for in-lamb Charollais females at the first sale of the season held at Worcester market.
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John Davies: Sunny days kick-started our positivity
October 9, 2009
HOW much easier and less stressful it is when the sun shines!
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John Walton: ’Extremely biased’ words are a blow
October 9, 2009
I thought that if I start on a positive note and finish on a positive note, then the rant in between won’t sound like a whinge.
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Landmark merger set to put Scottish science on the map
7 October 2009
TWO of Scotland’s leading science institutes are to join forces to form a new research centre for food, land use and climate change.
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Livestock farmers must be careful when spraying
October 9, 2009
WITH a ban on several herbicides and pesticides threatened, livestock farmers need to take their lead from the arable sector and prove they too can use chemicals responsibly.
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Lonk sheep buyers in plentiful supply
October 9, 2009
THE championship title at the Farmers Guardian-sponsored show and sale of Lonk sheep at Clitheroe, Lancashire, went to a shearling ram from T.W. Pickard and Son, Great Harwood, Blackburn.
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Mac takes one of the first nursery trials of the season
October 9, 2009
As the Open Trial season draws to a close, the Nursery Trials are beginning in Wales.
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Market place is the key to prosperity - Conservatives
6 October 2009
THE Conservative Party’s principle job will be to design a market place to enable farmers to ‘compete and prosper’ after the ‘inevitable’ loss of direct farm payments.
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Massey Ferguson focuses hybrid combine on European markets
7 October 2009
Massey Ferguson is to enter the hybrid combine market with its Delta 9280 which will tour the country next harvest.
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Milk production increase could well be a blip
9 October 2009
UK milk production increased by 20million litres in September 2009 compared with September 2008.
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NBA calls support extension for over 48-month cattle
5 October 2009
THE National Beef Association (NBA) has called on Defra to extend financial support for the collection of over 48-month cattle.
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New classes added to Countryside Live event
October 9, 2009
NEW classes for pigs are one of the additions to this year’s Countryside Live event.
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New net group for apprentices
October 9, 2009
A NEW social networking site targeted at apprentices has been launched.
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NFU 'confident' of badger cull in the next 12 months
9 October 2009
THE NFU says it is ‘confident’ political opinion is shifting on the issue of bovine TB and has begun preparations to begin a badger cull in the next 12 months.
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NFU withholds ‘full support’ from ‘disappointing' TBEG report
8 October 2009
THE NFU has expressed ‘disappointment’ that the TB Eradication Group’s (TBEG) report fails to make any firm recommendations on badger culling.
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NI store producers want to side-step low prices
8 October 2009
MOMENTUM is growing in Northern Ireland to bolster the live store cattle trade with mainland Britain.
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North Country Cheviot rams to £800 at Longtown
October 9, 2009
NORTH Country Cheviot rams sold to £800 at Longtown Mart last week and averaged £260 for 100 shearlings.
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Northern Expo preview: Still got the bug for showing after 25 years
October 9, 2009
Exhibitors are starting to make their preparations for this year’s Northern Daiiry Expo.
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October readers' gallery
6 October 2009
SEND us your farming pictures for October and we will display them in our online gallery and each month picture desk will award an FG thermal mug to their favourite.
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One-year bTB testing plan recommended for England
8 October 2009
A LARGE chunk of England covering the main TB hotspot areas will be turned into a single one-year testing zone under plans unveiled today (Thursday, October 9), by the TB Eradication Group (TBEG).
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Opinion: Focus on sustainable crop production
October 9, 2009
Dr Tina Barsby talks about addressing the issue of sustainability.
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OSR trials to help get a grasp of crop potential
October 9, 2009
AGRONOMY and crop protection business Agrovista is setting up six oilseed rape trials sites across the UK with the aim of gaining a better understanding of OSR crop potential.
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Outstanding trade at Alston Moor
October 9, 2009
THE Alston Moor show and sale of Mule gimmer lambs at Lazonby saw an entry of 19,645 forward.
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Processors have 'nowhere to hide' on milk price
5 October 2009
NFU dairy board chairman Gwyn Jones accused dairy processors of failing to pass on price increases to their farmer suppliers.
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Retailers switching from British pork to cheap imports - NPA
7 October 2009
THE National Pig Association (NPA) has called on retailers to show support for British pork after a recent survey found a ‘significant’ number had switched to cheaper, imported products.
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Richard Johnston-Smith is BHS Young Instructor of the Year 2009
9 October 2009
RICHARD Johnston-Smith from Edinburgh, Scotland has been named as The British Horse Society’s Young Instructor of the Year.
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Risk management help from HGCA
October 9, 2009
Help with risk management in grain marketing is being made available from the HGCA.
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Scientists’ new approach to CLA vaccine for sheep
October 9, 2009
A NEW vaccine for caseous lymphadenitis (CLA) in sheep and goats is a step closer due to funding secured by the Moredun Research Institute from Scottish Enterprise.
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Sea The Stars wins L’Arc de Triophme
5 October 2009
SEA The Stars earned a place in racing’s history with a stunning victory in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp on Sunday.
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Seed treatments will remain effective following establishment delays
October 9, 2009
WITH rain finally arriving in the East of England this week in what has been one of the driest autumns in memory, Dominic Kilburn seeks advice on how the drought conditions may have affected cereal seed treatment performance as crops wait to get established.
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Sheepdog trials diary
October 9, 2009
ENGLAND
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Sheepdog trials diary
October 9, 2009
?ENGLAND
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Sheepdog trials results
October 9, 2009
A full round-up of results.
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Show’s demise presents chance to travel abroad
October 9, 2009
A NEW travel scholarship has been launched to encourage young farmers and those involved in agriculture to study or develop their business ideas abroad.
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Skipton Lleyn sale tops at 1,300gns
October 9, 2009
A yearling ram from Graham and Mandy Fort, Keighley, Yorkshire, achieved the day’s top price of 1,300gns at the Lleyn Sheep Society’s show and sale at Skipton Auction Mart.
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Stephen Duckworth and Vic master the conditions
October 9, 2009
STEPHEN Duckworth was on top form last weekend. After winning at Brindle on Saturday with Vic, he took a second open title the following day at New Hutton with Highcliff Tom.
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Strong demand for rams at Gisburn realises £640
October 9, 2009
RAMS were in demand at Gisburn auction’s show and sale of breeding rams last week with a top price of £640 realised.
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Supermarket ombudsman must be cost-effective - Conservatives
7 October 2009
JIM Paice, Shadow Farming Minister, said he would back a code of practice to control the power of supermarkets but added a freestanding supermarket ombudsman ‘could be too bureaucratic’.
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Target TB: Living and coping with damage from bTB
October 9, 2009
HOW do farmers affected by bovine TB feel? How do they think the disease should be tackled? To find out, Alistair Driver sat down with three farmers at the Dairy Event to hear their views.
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Target TB: Meet the farmers
October 9, 2009
MEET the three farmers Alistair Driver sat down with to talk about bovine TB.
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TB Eradication Group report – the recommendations
8 October 2009
THE TB Eradication Group for England has made a number of recommendations in its progress report published on October 8.
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Tesco sales rise as profits top £1bn
6 October 2009
SUPERMARKET giant Tesco announced pre-tax profits of £1.42 billion for the six months to the end of August, defying the global recession as sales continued to rise.
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Three-model Claas Arion 400 takes it all in its stride
October 9, 2009
WITH plenty of hydraulic power and a four-speed powershift, the Claas Arion 400 would appear to have plenty to offer. Mervyn Bailey gets behind the wheel.
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Tillage 2009: 3m Trio mounted cultivator
October 9, 2009
POPULAR with Scottish farmers is the trailing kit for the 3m Trio mounted cultivator.
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Tillage 2009: Auto reset Versa Drill
October 9, 2009
WITH stones aplenty, Sumo showed the auto-reset version of its soil loosener attachment for the Versa Drill.
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Tillage 2009: Dal-bo 3m front grubber
October 9, 2009
KONGSKILDE was showing how front-mounted cultivators can be used to compliment rear-mounted machines.
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Tillage 2009: Kuhn's power harrow drill combo
October 9, 2009
TILLAGE was the first working outing for Kuhn’s Moduliner trailed power harrow drill combination. Carrying a price tag of £95,000 this unit belongs to a nearby farm.
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Tillage 2009: News round-up from the northern event
October 9, 2009
FARMERS Guardian has a round-up of news from this year’s northern Tillage event. Mervyn Bailey reports from Spylaw near Kelso.
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Tillage 2009: Semi-mounted Araplow
October 9, 2009
HAVING offered fully mounted versions of the Araplow measuring up to 4m, P.J. Services has introduced a semi-mounted version that goes up to 6m. Manufactured by French firm Razol it uses the curved Michele tines on 30cm spacings for loosening followed by wavy discs for surface tilling.
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Tillage 2009: Vertical folding booms
October 9, 2009
AMONG the number of sprayer manufacturers at Tillage was Hardi which had its Master Pro mounted sprayer on display, complete with 18m VHZ vertical folding booms.
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Tips on better weed control in grass and forage crops
October 9, 2009
Responisble use of sprays.
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Tory leaders urged to support NFU manifesto
7 October 2009
CONSERVATIVE leader David Cameron was urged to support the NFU’s manifesto as he attended a meeting of North West party members at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester.
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UK Vendeen sheep semen exported
October 9, 2009
BRITISH Vendeen Sheep Society members Charles and William Vernon-Miller have exported semen to the USA.
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Upland farmers start an apprenticeship scheme
October 9, 2009
ELEVEN farmers from the North York Moors National Park are offering young people chance to take up an apprenticeship on local upland farms.
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Using the right header can improve efficiency throughout harvest
October 9, 2009
IF you can’t get the crop into the combine, the threshing system cannot work efficiently, however big it may be. Andy Collings takes a look at two alternative headers working under tough conditions in the UK this season.
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Vario 200 completes CVT tractor line-up for Fendt
7 October 2009
Fendt now has a CVT-equipped agricultural range starting at 70hp with the addition of the Vario 200.
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Victory in fight against NVZ designation in Wales
8 October 2009
FARMERS in Monmouthshire are celebrating victory in the fight to de-designate the county’s Great Springs Nitrate Vulnerable Zone.
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Welfare and attention to detail are paramount for Gold Cup winner
October 9, 2009
The winner of this year’s NMR/RABDF Gold Cup competition was Geoff Spence. Angela Calvert went to Northallerton, Yorkshire to meet him.
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Welsh Black cattle champions
October 9, 2009
GWARCWM Max 10 and Llainshed Beti 2 are the Welsh Black Cattle Society’s champion bull and female of the year 2009.
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Welsh Dairy Show Preview: ‘They dared to be different’
October 9, 2009
ANOTHER chapter in the tale of tenacity of three pioneering farming women which has led to the development of a major player in the UK dairy industry came to an end last month with the death of 98-year-old Dinah Williams.
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Welsh Dairy Show preview: Cowshed now a hive of activity in gunslip venture
October 9, 2009
With farmgate milk prices nowhere near what they should be, additional income sources have become a necessity on many family-sized dairy units. Barry Alston looks at two unusual diversification ventures.
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Welsh Dairy Show Preview: Event briefs
October 9, 2009
Young handlers and calf classes
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Welsh Dairy Show Preview: Event information
October 9, 2009
Event detailsThe Welsh Dairy Show takes place on October 20 at the United Counties Showground, alongside the A40 at Nantyci, near Carmarthen, SA33 5DR.Gates open at 9.00am, judging starts 9.30amAdmission is £10, including car parking and show catalogueCall 01267 232 141 or email enquiries@ unitedcounties.co.ukTimetable
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Welsh Dairy Show Preview: Good milkers and not bad at shows too
October 9, 2009
The best supported cattle classes at many shows these days are down to Jersey exhibitors. Barry Alston visits two Welsh Dairy Show regulars where role reversal means the men have off-farm jobs while the women stay at home.
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Welsh Dairy Show preview: Helping to deal with the milk crisis
October 9, 2009
FG asked the dairy farming spokesmen from Wales’ farming unions for their views on the crisis facing milk producers.
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Welsh Dairy Show preview: Making waste work for the business
October 9, 2009
ONE man’s waste is another man’s plenty… is a saying that definitely rings true for a North Wales dairy farmer.
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Welsh Dairy Show Preview: President's welcome
October 9, 2009
FROM the president of this year’s Welsh Dairy Show. - Roger Evans, Typicca Farm, Dryslwyn, Carmarthen.
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Welsh Dairy Show Preview: Three is the magic number
October 9, 2009
NOT one, but three women are behind the remarkable rise to success of the Nicel Jersey herd at Nantyci, on the outskirts of Carmarthen.
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Welsh Dairy Show Preview: Twenty years strong for renowned show
October 9, 2009
IT began as a germ of an idea, but two decades on support for the Welsh Dairy Show continues to grow and grow - firmly maintaining its ranking among the UK’s top rated specialist agricultural events.
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What should I ask my agronomist about meadow grass control in cereals
October 9, 2009
The loss of IPU has made meadow grass control more expensive, and for some crops has severely limited the product choice.
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Wheat market price gradient?
October 9, 2009
NEW demand for wheat as bioethanol plants come on stream could result in a price gradient developing in the UK wheat market, according to a leading analyst.
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William’s vintage show clinches crown
October 9, 2009
A CROWD of 5,000 turned out to watch the Ploughing and Hedge Laying at the Cookson family’s Agden Brook Farm, Altrincham.
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Wynnstay Beef Award winner
October 9, 2009
HARPER Adams student James Runciman has won the 2009 Wynnstay Beef Award for his involvement in a trial that assessed the effect of galacto-oligosaccharide on the performance of hand-reared bull calves.
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Young bull tops Hereford bids at 3,100gns
October 9, 2009
BIDDING at the Hereford Cattle Society’s autumn show and sale at Hereford topped at 3,100gns in the male section.
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Young Paul take Surrey title
October 9, 2009
THERE was a record turnout of 85 ploughmen at the Surrey County Ploughing Match and Country Fair at Loseley Park, Compton.