• Vehicles reclassed as company cars • Due to come into effect from April • Other changes come into force too Farmers in the market for a double-cab pickup (DCPU) are being advised to move quickly to get ahead of changes to the tax regime. From next month, double-cab... Read more
A firm of farm consultants says it will continue offering free business advice after the end of the government’s Future Farm Resilience Fund. Up to 500 free one-to-one business reviews are being offered to farmers by Ceres Rural. The reviews were previously funded by Defra’s resilience fund which is... Read more
• Consultation on land use framework • Most productive land to be retained • Changes will help meet green targets Government plans could see a 9% reduction in the amount of England’s farmland used to produce food, suggests a Defra consultation. Proposals for a national land use framework would... Read more
• Forecast remains relatively stable • Higher value than national average • Investment benefits are still strong The amount of farmland coming to the market this year is expected to remain relatively stable – following an increase in sales and lower prices last year. The East of England saw... Read more
Improve nutrition for dairy herds Dairy farmers who take first-cut silage during April often end up with better quality forage, says a specialist. Sticking to a traditional May cutting date for making first-cut grass silage could be putting winter milk yield at risk, claims Amanda Clements, Ecosyl technical business... Read more
• Helps improve flock management • Easy to operate strict culling policy • Integrated farm assurance scheme State-of-the-art data management is helping an organic sheep producer run a more efficient flock. A strict culling policy and close monitoring of lamb weights during the finishing period are the keys to... Read more
Part 2: Choosing a compound feed Following last month’s article on optimising forage, this month we focus on selecting a compound feed to complement your forage analysis, writes Nerys Wright. Seasonal variations in forage quality mean the same compound feed and quantities may not be suitable in every situation... Read more
• Viable alternative to feeding warm milk • Advantageous at different growth stages • Can help save time during busy periods Feeding cold milk to surplus lambs makes no difference to growth rate – and can ease the workload during a busy season, suggests a study Some 58% of... Read more
• Deadweight prices reach record highs • Domestic production expected to fall • Tighter supplies meet higher demand Beef prices are expected to remain firm this year – although imports are expected to rise to compensate for a fall in domestic production. UK beef production is expected to decline... Read more
EXPERT VIEW Farming must address the twin challenges of food and water security, says Melvyn Kay. “Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink,” wrote English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Penned in 1798, it’s a sentiment that echoes down the ages as... Read more


















