Farm Life

When opportunity knocked, Damian Barson answered. His lifelong dream of becoming a farmer has recently become a reality after being given the chance to farm 26 hectares (64 acres) at Warton, near Preston, Lancashire.

A change in mindset, a passion for agriculture and a willingness to work with nature allows one Cumbrian farmer to make major system changes and add value to the farm business.

Fifth generation dairy farmer, Ross Johnson, is one of few choosing to use milking robots with a grazing system and he is achieving his goals for cow performance and health.

NFU Scotland is gathering evidence on how deteriorating ferry services are affecting farmers and crofters.

Improving herd efficiency has helped a dairy farm to reduce its carbon emissions from milk production to below the national average. Debbie James reports.

On-farm renewable energy projects are being severely hampered by an inability to secure grid connections and planning permission.

NFU Scotland has launched a survey to help it assess the scale of change brought about by this year’s unprecedented input costs and flat-lining output prices.

Academics have called on the Government to publish an annual report on the state of the UK’s food security.

The energy crisis has sparked greater interest in renewables projects as farmers look for opportunities to slash their own bills or to diversify into producing energy for the National Grid.

As Christmas approaches, Emily Ashworth takes a look at the fundraising events going on in the rural community this season.