pollinator

Hi everyone 👋 I am completing my university project and am investigating the impact of agricultural land management practices on bumblebee populations in rural areas of the UK. If you are a farmer or land owner, please could spare 5 minutes to complete my survey of 14 short questions I would...

Written by Rachel Martin Farmers in Northern Ireland are encouraged to set aside just half an hour to get counting and join the Big Farmland Bird Count (BFBC). Taking place from February 5 to February 14, 2021, the initiative run by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust aims to show the...

We are currently in the process of setting up a cluster with some other local farmers and have formed a steering group of interested members to get the ball rolling. Is anyone on here part of a local farming group/cluster that focuses on landscape scale environment projects? If so would you be...

Written by Agriland Team Subsidies paid to farmers for protecting the environment lead to more stable incomes compared with payments based purely on the number of hectares being farmed, according to a new study of farms in England and Wales. The research, from Rothamsted Research, the...

Written by William Kellett Well-known Swedish environmentalist campaigner Greta Thunberg has criticised the UK government for allowing farmers to continue using a bee-killing pesticide that has been banned by the EU due to the levels of poison it contains. English farmers will soon be able to...

Written by Charlotte Cunningham The UK sugar beet industry has been granted an emergency authorisation for the use of the neonicotinoid seed treatment, Cruiser SB, in 2021. Charlotte Cunningham reports. The case was prepared by British Sugar, NFU Sugar and the British Beet Research...

Reporting of strict controls for emergency pesticide authorisation Written by Defra Press Office There have been reports this morning in the Guardian and Independent of the emergency authorisation of a neonicotinoid seed treatment for the limited use only on the 2021 sugar beet crop...

Statement on the decision to issue – with strict conditions – emergency authorisation to use a product containing a neonicotinoid to treat sugar beet seed in 2021 Published 8 January 2021 Contents The process for assessment and decision-making The requirements for emergency authorisation The...

Gene Editing consultation launches in England Written by Defra Press Office There is widespread coverage today in The Financial Times, The Times, Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, The Daily Mail, Daily Express and other publications, reporting on the launch of a 10-week consultation on the...

We are in a system now where we crop every other year with a fallow in between. The idea has been to no-till wheat into the fallowed fields because the surface will be completely free of black-grass (having had a spray before viable seed set). This year we started no-till wheat on 16th...

Written by John Swire A survey has shown farmers and landowners have a strong interest in the environment and the need to tackle climate change – but they do have concerns over the lack of clarity on the Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS). The survey, carried out jointly by the...

Written by William Kellett The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Welsh government have published the Healthy Bees Plan 2030 to protect and improve the health of honey bees in England and Wales. The plan sets out four key outcomes for beekeepers, bee farmers...

Ideally I'd want to establish cover crops in two scenarios After winter barley and after spring barley. I'm in north east scotland so WB is cut early August, and SB cut late august, early september. I dont want to be growing brassicas, to keep club root down. I'd like to have something that...

I have been discing some land that’s been uncropped since harvest 2019 but was sprayed off twice so quite bare. Anyway where the soil is soft and organic there’s bees everywhere. Difficult to photograph but I have attached one. Anyone know anything about them? @Princess Pooper

Go on, someone must have started...

Written by cpm The recent shake up to the rotation could be viewed an opportunity to re-evaluate crops on the farm and the way they’re marketed. CPM talks to a grower who is doing exactly this. The story of OSR is a cautionary tale on monocropping. By Lucy de la Pasture For a large number of...

We plan to buy another farm in Devon - not very big 50 - 100 acres. We don’t want to run livestock or grow crops but put the whole acreage down to permanent pasture. This is because we want less hands-on commitment and plenty of opportunity to support wildlife and conservation. The question I...

I'm harvesting wind fall plums, and getting up late to avoid the wasps......but where do they go at night? Presumably they fly to a nest? So how far do they travel to get at my fruit? Or do they just hunker down? I presume they are feeding on the sugar then taking it back to their nest? I...

Have RPA or Government announced the BPS reduction rate over the whole period 2022-2027? I’ve got the 2021 reductions. I’m really struggling with rent figures for rent review! My gut says 12% reduction per year! I think that works a £150/ac rent in 2020 to £54/ac in 2028! Too much or too little?

Written by Tom Allen-Stevens Download PDF A drive by his local water company to improve water quality prompted a Dorset grower to embark on a plan through Countryside Stewardship to deliver bold environmental goals. CPM visits to find out more. I’m probably contributing more than my fair share...