In other news…

The birds take to the skies en masse after calling out their 'vote', scientists have discovered.

Farmers Weekly Protecting and improving the environment is a priority for Robert Law, who has always made good use of agri-environment schemes across the 1,800ha of farmland that he oversees on the Hertfordshire/Cambridgeshire border. It was this focus on stewardship which led to him taking the bold decision to take 17% of one farm out of production The post Bold agri-environment choice takes land out of production appeared first on Farmers Weekly

Farmers Weekly Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the pig industry (for each unit of meat) are lower than the dairy, beef and sheep sectors. However, there are still ways producers can reduce their carbon footprint. Improving pig genetics and health, incorporating alternative protein sources into the diet and better handling of manure all have potential to cut The post 11 ways pig farmers can aim for net zero appeared first on Farmers Weekly

Farmers Weekly Northern Irish maker Erth Engineering has added a small secondary hopper option to its low-disturbance Agriseeder in an effort to make it more versatile. The company’s distributor, Hexham-based Dales Agri Sales, has seen demand surge thanks to the availability of grants for 3m direct drills. And, says Dales, the particular appeal of the Agriseeder is The post ScotGrass: Erth adds extra hopper to Agriseeder drill appeared first on Farmers Weekly

Farmers Weekly It’s all been about forms lately. First, a Countryside Stewardship (CSS) Higher Tier (HT) application completed before the end of April. Then the obvious Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) by mid-May and now an Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme  Landscape Recovery (LR) bid in conjunction with some of our neighbours in the Breckland Farmers Wildlife Network The post Farmer Focus: Hours filling out forms is worth the cash appeared first on Farmers Weekly

Farmers Weekly Defra secretary George Eustice wrote to me personally this week with news that he has decided to bring forward payment of part of my Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) money for 2022. I thought I should write him a reply: Windy Hill Farm Flint Acre Drought Prone East Sussex Dear Mr Eustice, Many thanks for your The post Opinion: BPS advance is small compensation, Mr Eustice appeared first on Farmers Weekly

Farmers Weekly Farmers are facing once-in-a-generation decisions about the direction of their businesses. Generating a positive financial return from agricultural production is going to become increasingly challenging as the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) is phased out, and major new legislation – much of it associated with mitigating climate change and fostering environmental benefits – is phased in. The post How to pivot your farming business to deal with loss of BPS appeared first on Farmers Weekly

A bill is to be introduced in Parliament in two days' time to allow the commercial growing of gene-edited crops in England.

Farmers Weekly Herd health reminders have been issued after a spate of significant bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) outbreaks across six herds in northern Ulster. Tag-and-test results from calves on six County Armagh farms in the Markethill, Keady and Killylea areas have returned more than 70 positive results this year. This lifts the county’s overall disease disclosure rate The post Rising BVD level causes concern in Northern Ireland appeared first on Farmers Weekly

Farmers Weekly A rural community in north Lincolnshire has paid tribute to the Queen ahead of the Platinum Jubilee by creating some stunning bale art. The patriotic scene, on display near the village of Westwoodside, shows two Queen’s Guards stood either side of the Union Jack, which features the Queen’s crown and the number 70 – to The post Village creates bale art to celebrate Queen’s Platinum Jubilee appeared first on Farmers Weekly