New entrants

After buying his own farm in 2018, young farmer Jesper Toft Bitsch has invested in a new cow accommodation and automation. Chris McCullough reports.

The NFU has revealed the names of the 11 farmers chosen to be its Student & Young Farmer Ambassadors for this year.

Through hard work, positivity, and a can-do attitude, new entrants Stuart and Chloe Graham, made their dream a reality when they secured a ten-year tenancy on one of Scotland’s Crown Estate farms.

Women are being put off farming because of a perception that the work is unsuitable for them, according to a new Scottish Government report.

The harvest moon will appear soon after sunset on September 9. The bright moonlight in the early evening was traditionally a great help during harvesting, hence the name.

Finally, a little more rain has arrived here in Cheshire. Regardless of soil type, the second half of the summer has challenged all our grazing.

Recently, Dad and I took a now very rare trip to Gisburn Auction Mart. As the business has grown over the years, we have headed down dealing with more direct contracts, so no longer get out to marts as much.

The recent rain has been very welcome here, as I am sure it has for most of the country.

Since I last wrote we have had 10mm of rain, all of which arrived this week. 

We are an industry that welcomes new talent and with the recent labour shortage crisis we are in need more than ever. Emily Ashworth speaks to new entrants who are looking to make their mark on farming.