Firstly, I would like to start by acknowledging the fantastic job Christine Ryder has done writing this column for the past five years. She is truly a hard act to follow.

Isla Soutter, 19, from Leicestershire, is a National Hereford and English Winter Fair young handlers champion and recently competed in the World Hereford Conference in New Zealand.

As spring rolls on, so does the dry weather. And, while this has been great for lambing, the flush of grass we usually get in the back half of May which allows us to turn the cattle out won’t be happening without a little wet weather; a statement I would not have imagined saying only a couple of months ago.

Dairy Farmer commentator Christopher Murley tells us about his Jersey herd in far flung Cornwall.

There is much good in the Agriculture Bill, but its failure to protect farmers from low standard imports is very serious, says Daniel Zeichner, Labour’s Shadow Farming Minister.

The EU’s anti-innovation approach to policy making has stopped UK farmers benefitting from the latest scientific developments – but now there is an opportunity to change that, says Mark Buckingham, chair of the Agricultural Biotechnology Council.

Faced with the greatest threat to public health this country has faced in our lifetimes, the Government has taken a series of unprecedented steps to protect the NHS and save many thousands of lives, says Defra Secretary George Eustice.

It is hard to believe it was only two months ago when newspaper headlines read ‘Britain doesn’t need farmers’, says poultry farmer and owner of Flower Farm farm shop Patrick Deeley. 

In conjunction with Bayer we will be keeping track of winter wheat crop development this season as emergence is likely to be variable following the challenging conditions.

Refusing to extend the deadline for EU trade talks will weaken the UK’s position and play straight into the hands of the US and others, says Dr Nick Fenwick, FUW head of policy.