News

Written by Matt Hopkins

Carbon management requires understanding soil at increasingly finer scales. Learn how remote soil sensing is helping to meet that challenge.

The post Regenerative Agriculture: How Remote Soil Sensing Can Enhance Carbon Management appeared first on PrecisionAg...

The 31 March deadline for responses to RABI’s Big Farming Survey is fast approaching and everyone linked to farming across England and Wales is being encouraged to take part.

“The support that we’ve received since the launch of The Big Farming Survey in January has been incredible. We’d like to thank everyone who has already completed the questionnaire or promoted the research project more widely,” says RABI’s Chief Executive, Alicia Chivers.

“However, the more comprehensive the data collected, the better the reflection on the daily realities of people from all sectors of agriculture and across all regions,” she adds. “We therefore want to hear from farmers, farm workers, contractors, spouses, adult-aged children and...

Written by Iain Hoey

RSPCA Assured – the RSPCA’s ethical food label – is now recognised by 64% of young professionals and families (its target market) less than six years after it was rebranded from Freedom Food – more three times higher than at its launch in 2015.

4Media carried out a survey of 2,000 adults in December 2020 to measure awareness of RSPCA Assured, also recording a significant increase in general awareness from 15% in 2015 to 58% in 2020.

RSPCA Assured – which now has more than 1,100 different labelled product lines – has also reported a significant 52% increase in the amount of food carrying its label between 2016 and 2020, partly due to a 63% increase in the number of...

Reporting of the threshold for use of emergency pesticide authorisation not being met

Written by Defra Press Office



There has been coverage this morning in the Guardian, BBC News Online, Farmers Weekly and...

The incessant and extreme wet conditions are now presenting huge challenges for every farm’s spring agronomy and cropping decisions.

Plans are being urgently reevaluated and rejigged to set priorities for treatment, with a watchful eye on deadlines for timely spring crop establishment when a window allows. And all against a backdrop of potential damage to soil structure to fields from traveling in waterlogged conditions.


Lessons learned from last year have proved invaluable, with the latest Syngenta Spring Guide giving an insight into some of the tips and ideas to help with this season’s decisions...

British agriculture is at cross-roads, one in which farmers can decide to innovate, be dynamic and resilient. This may require an alternative approach to your current farming production methods.

At Oxbury, we know farmers have inconsistent experiences with their current banks. So, we are stepping up – focussing all our lending on British agriculture and creating opportunities for farm business to prosper in a time of change.

Farming as an industry is known for its resilience, adaptiveness, and ambition; consistently acting as the bedrock of our economy – day in and day out – and Oxbury is ready to support farm businesses take on the challenges and opportunities ahead.

Introducing Oxbury Farm Loans

Growing and innovating your farming business is important for...

Carbon Week

Carbon Week is a series of AHDB events, taking place from 1 to 5 March.
The webinars and panel discussions will feature a range of speakers and are for farmers and growers interested in understanding more about the carbon cycle, carbon auditing, reducing emissions and the opportunities around this.
More information about each session can be found from these links:

• 1 March, 12noon: Understanding low carbon farming
• 2 March, 12 noon: Understanding fertilisers, carbon emissions and what you can do to reduce them
• 3 March, 12 noon...

The new Sustainable Farming Incentive

Written by Tom Lewis


Source: Natural England

At NFU21, The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs...

Please watch our Farming Help Awareness Week Yellow Wellies Takeover Video to find out about all things Addington Fund and how we help the farming community.

Click here to watch (this will take you to our YouTube channel)

For more information about us or if you would like to support our work, visit www.addingtonfund.org.uk

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for more information about what we are getting up to behind the scenes of the charity.

Following on from the brilliant Yellow Wellies #MindYourHead campaign this week is the Farming Help Awareness Week.

Starting Monday 22nd - Friday 26th February, Farming Help Awareness Week will be raising awareness for the Farming Help charities and will explain what each individual charity does to support the farming community, with the latest updates of what's going on behind the scenes. So make sure you join us and join in all week, Addington Fund will feature on Monday!

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for updates and more! @addingtonfund & @yellowwellies

Visit our latest news section for more information about all things Addington www.addingtonfund.org.uk/latest-news

Cereals 2021 is currently on target to open its gates on 9-10 June 2021 at Boothby Graffoe, Lincolnshire. It is still early days but we are getting positive signs thanks to our spacious outdoor venue, early biosecurity planning and the speed of UK vaccinations.

We want to provide Cereals attendees with risk-free entry so that you can go ahead and get the dates in your calendar now. To that end, we are offering free early bird tickets to Cereals 2021 due to uncertainty of COVID-19. To register for your free ticket use the code FREE1 in the action code area when registering.

Once we get government approval post-lockdown, you can rest assured that we will provide all...

Written by William Kellett

Launching a business in lockdown may sound like a challenge, but Rhys Jenkins, founder of Wild Wales Seeds, is delighted with how his business has grown during the company’s first year and even credits lockdown with driving demand for seeds as more people focus on their gardens.

Wild Wales Seeds is based in the Vale of Glamorgan. It produces seeds and sells them to a range of customers, from large organisations such as local authorities down to individuals looking to enhance their gardens.

The company is a first for Wales and has been welcomed because it has made it possible to source seeds locally rather than buying from large European producers.

Farmer Rhys...

'Rock stars of American cheese': the enduring legacy of Cowgirl Creamery

Written by Charlotte Simmonds in Oakland

Over the course of two decades, Sue Conley and Peggy Smith created a beloved California brand – and helped redefine our relationship to food

When Sue Conley and Peggy Smith announced their retirement last month from Cowgirl Creamery – the cheese company they grew from plucky startup to leader in the modern farm-to-table movement – the tributes came in thick and fast.

To their devoted followers, this was no surprise.

Continue reading...

Since you’re...

Following the successful launch of our Farm Business Bonus Accounts and our exclusive Notice and Fixed bond accounts, we are now launching Oxbury’s Personal Savings accounts into the open market.

Our Personal Savings accounts offer competitive interest rates to securely maximise your savings while backing British farmers and the future of UK agriculture.

Founded by farmers, bankers and technologists, Oxbury has combined the worlds of finance and agriculture to support British farmers thrive during a time of uncertainty and change.

Last year, we cannot deny that the roles of farmers were highlighted. At Oxbury, we recognise that farmers are the backbone of our food supply chain and our economy; without farmers – there is no food. We pride ourselves on putting farmers first, that is...

Unstoppable eating machines: why Australian farmers are renting out goats for weed control

Written by Bianca Nogrady

Goats have a well-deserved reputation for eating anything. Now you can rent them to deal with your weed problems

La Niña has been good to the backyards and farmlands of much of eastern Australia. Cooler, wetter conditions have led to a flourishing of lush grass, trees and – unfortunately – weeds.

With so many more people working from home, the joy of gazing out of the home office window has turned to dread as the eye alights on knee-high greenery, terrifying tangles of blackberry, pink heads of scotch thistle, and possibly the occasional triffid.

I just remember...

The Farming Forum is encouraging farmers and those living and working in agriculture worldwide to start putting their mental health first. The Farming Forum is supporting the fourth annual Mind Your Head campaign (15-19 February) organised by farming charity the Farm Safety Foundation. The campaign is aimed at raising awareness of an issue that few in the industry want to talk about but that affects one in four people in the world at some point in their lives.

According to recent research carried out by the Farm Safety Foundation. 88% of farmers under 40 now rate poor mental health as the biggest hidden problem faced by farmers (an increase from 81% in 2018). The UK-wide survey of 450 young farmers also revealed that 89% believe that talking about...

Written by William Kellett

Global animal nutrition provider, the Denis Brinicombe Group, has strengthened its sales team with the appointment of animal health co-ordinator, Hayley Cook.

Cook’s new position coincides with the recent expansion of Brinicombe’s product portfolio, including the EnduraBol cattle bolus range.

An experienced transport manager with a background in equine management, Cook joins Brinicombe from Harpers Feeds, where she has worked for the past 12 years in multiple roles.

“At Harpers Feeds, I went from working in customer service, to working with raw feed materials and formulations, to managing the company’s fleet of lorries plus overseeing all products moving in...

Written by Lydia Turner

OF&G (Organic Farmers & Growers) is championing the launch of the English Organic Forum’s (EOF) new report, ‘Why organic – contributing productively to future farming and food policy’.

Produced as an organic industry-wide blueprint, the report sets out a comprehensive rationale for how and why organic land management should be integrated into English agricultural policy.

It’s publication is welcomed by OF&G’s chief executive and EOF member, Roger Kerr, who believes that organic can be a powerful pivot for system change.

“Collectively, the EOF is intent on amplifying the voice of the organic sector, as key decision makers fail to engage in a meaningful dialogue...

Written by William Kellett

Organisers of the Turriff Show in Scotland have announced that the event will not run in 2021 as planned due to the “continued uncertainty” around the ever-evolving Covid-19 situation.

“It is with deep regret and much consideration that we had to make the extremely difficult decision that the next Turriff Show will take place in 2022 and not 2021 as we had hoped,” said Alan Gaul, president of the show, which is organised by the Turriff District Agricultural Association.

The announcement of the release of the Covid-19 vaccine gave us all fresh hope for our 2021 event, but as time has moved on and with the possibility of restrictions for mass gatherings...

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Written by William Kellett

An international YouGov survey of more than 22,000 people in 16 countries reveals the most and least-respected professions.

While scientists and doctors came out as the most-respected professions worldwide – which is no surprise given how the world continues to be gripped by a pandemic – 47% of UK respondents said they would be happy if their child became a farmer, compared to a global average of 23%.

No other country in the survey showed a higher degree of respect for farmers than the UK.

Mark Bridgeman, president of the Country Land and Business Association which represents 30,000 rural businesses across England and Wales, said:

“Covid-19 and...