Farm Life

A new well-being survey ‘designed by farmers for farmers’ is hoped to provide a better understanding into Scottish farmers’ and crofters’ needs and concerns.

Farmers have a lot to deal with in normal times, but with rising costs, the loss of the Basic Payment Scheme and no real sense of direction from Defra on new schemes, it can sometimes be overwhelming.

As green shoots literally reappear and multiply amidst the UK’s farmland hedges and woodland, so too will visitors and day trippers re-emerge en mass this Easter weekend as the countryside once again gears up for an influx of people.

Spring on the farm is a crazy balancing act which comes with the territory of being a mixed farm.

Heather Mackie, 25 is from a dairy and beef farm in Lochwinnoch, Renfrewshire. Her family has been farming for as far as they can trace back.

Just Jerseys is a new community micro-dairy serving people in Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire, and beyond with fresh milk from a vending machine. Sara Gregson went to talk to the family behind it.

Police responses to sheep worrying incidents are improving as more farmers opt to report the crime, industry chiefs have said. 

The council at the heart of a row over its move to serve only plant-based dishes at council events has said it may ‘look again’ at suppliers after a number of council officials abandoned the group’s first meat-free feast in search of alternative fayre at the local pub and pictures posted on social media showed a decided lack of local produce.

There are many farming ‘anchor points’ throughout the year which provoke memories and underline how yet another year has flown past.

A Government proposal to ban local authorities from charging for DIY household waste disposal could help curb fly-tipping incidents, industry chiefs have said.