In this week's podcast, harvest 2020 is go with combines rolling into barley across the south of England as a challenging season nears its conclusion. We talk to two growers – one in Devon and one in East Anglia – and get the lowdown on yields and moisture content as the first crops are combined. In a surprise announcement, the government has finally agreed to set up a commission to help ensure British farmers aren't undermined by substandard food imports. We ask NFU president Minette Batters an...
Jul 03, 2020•38 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Farmers are being urged to help shape the government's forthcoming Environmental Land Management Scheme. The flagship support scheme – which will come into place as direct payments are phased out – will require farmers to undertake environmental work on their land. We speak to Natural England head of agriculture Geoff Sansome and Tenant Farmers Association chief executive George Dunn about how the new scheme will work. With the coronavirus lockdown easing further, we examine whether it is the ri...
Jun 26, 2020•32 min•Season 1Ep. 13
In this week's podcast, – one million people have now signed an NFU petition calling on the government to ensure all imported food meets UK standards. Farm leader Minette Batters explains how they NFU is determined that UK farmers will not be undermined by substandard food imports. Re-thinking arable rotations – we examine why more growers are ditching traditional break crops in favour of a two-year sown legume fallow. We speak to Suffolk farmer Tom Jewers, seed specialist Ian Gould of Oakbank, ...
Jun 19, 2020•40 min•Season 1Ep. 12
In this week's podcast, an NFU petition calling on the government to make sure food imports are produced to UK standards is set to pass one million signatures. It comes in the week that the House of Lords have been debating the Agriculture Bill – we ask whether the government can be trusted on farming. As one of the most challenging seasons in living memory nears a conclusion, we examine the prospects for this year's wheat harvest On the markets – beef continues to rise as ram sales are put into...
Jun 12, 2020•33 min•Season 1Ep. 11
In this week's podcast, the death of an 82-year-old rambler who was attacked and killed by cows highlights the dangers of mixing cattle with walkers. Cattle were responsible for nine deaths nationally last year – including non-farming folk who were killed while out walking in the countryside. We talk to retired agronomist John Porter – who lost his brother Mike when the two men were attacked by cows while out walking seven years ago. In other news, get off those mobile phones – police warn tract...
Jun 05, 2020•36 min•Season 1Ep. 10
In this episode, drought fears grow as lack of rain hits crops and grass growth across much of the UK – farm leaders call for action. We look at the weather prospects for the June – and towards harvest. MP Julian Sturdy and Professor Cristobal Uauy from the John Innes Centre explain how they believe gene-editing could benefit UK farmers. Suffolk farmer Brian Barker explains how he uses keeps track of farm inputs and we examine the prospects for new season lamb prices. We preview all the latest a...
May 29, 2020•35 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Police are warning farmers that criminal gangs are targeting farms across the country – stealing GPS systems worth thousands of pounds from tractors. Prince Charles joins the campaign to get Brits working on farms and help bring in this year's harvest. We need “pickers who are stickers,” he says. The government says it will introduce tariffs to protect UK farmers from sub-standard food imports. It might help – but will it really work? On the markets – there's a big barley bulge – and not just in...
May 22, 2020•47 min•Season 1Ep. 8
In this week's podcast, we look at the impact on farmers as coronavirus restrictions are eased and allow people back into the countryside. Social distancing must still be observed – of course – but concerns remain that an influx of visitors from towns and cities could spread the virus through rural communities. Farm leaders say the fight goes on after MPs ditch the idea of making sure food imports adhere to the high standards met by UK growers and livestock producers. It follows the return of th...
May 15, 2020•40 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Farmers and grainstore managers face a critical shortage of dust masks ahead of harvest because demand has soared due to coronavirus. People are buying up the masks to limit the spread of the virus – making them hard to come by for farmers who need them when working in grain stores. Dairy farmers are to receive up to £10,000 each in government help to get them through the coronavirus pandemic. We talk to an MP who says the crisis highlights the importance of food security and resilience. We take...
May 08, 2020•32 min•Season 1Ep. 6
In the last week of the driest April since records began, it finally rains – prompting growers to tweak their crop management programmes. We ask three farmers – David White (Cambridgeshire), Colin Woodward (Oxfordshire) and Craig Livingstone (Hampshire) – how they are getting along. Growers of ornamental plants say garden centres which were shut down under coronavirus restrictions must reopen to the public as soon as possible. Sales of ornamental plants are worth £1.4bn annually – and May is the...
May 01, 2020•34 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Farmers are to get more say on how the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board spends their money. We talk to AHDB chairman Nicholas Saphir and Mark Coulman of the Tenant Farmers Association. Devon sheep farmer Colin Rowland, Essex cereal grower Ed Ford and Cumbrian dairy producer Robert Craig all say there is room for improvement at the AHDB. In the markets, the government wants more farmers to apply for a Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan – Farmers Weekly deputy business editor And...
Apr 24, 2020•35 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Sir Peter Kendall reveals all about his time at the Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board – after serving six years as AHDB chairman. In this special interview – recorded just days after Sir Peter left the AHDB – he tells Farmers Weekly chief reporter Johann Tasker that: Queues outside supermarkets during the coronavirus crisis are a stark reminder that farming should be at the centre of government policy It would be “bonkers and insane” for the UK government to allow in cheap food im...
Apr 20, 2020•49 min
In this week's podcast, MPs and fire chiefs side with farmers who want people banned from releasing sky lanterns as a show of support for the NHS during the coronavirus crisis. We talk to Hampshire fire chief Neil Odin, who says the emergency services have enough to deal with without having to fight fires caused by the lanterns. Meanwhile long-awaited government report is set to see changes for the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, says former AHDB chairman Sir Peter Kendall. The y...
Apr 16, 2020•30 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Turmoil in the dairy supply chain due to Covid-19 is forcing UK farmers to throw away thousands of litres of milk. We speak to Staffordshire dairy farmer Peter Pratt and NFY Cymru dairy board chair Abi Reader. Agrovista agronomist Linda Sheppard has a special look at all things arable – and Jeff Fieldsend of FMC Agro explains how a new mutation of yellow rust disease is threatening winter wheat crops across the country. Beef farmers are up in arms about shipments of cheap mince arriving in the U...
Apr 09, 2020•26 min•Season 1Ep. 2
What is the risk of catching coronavirus from walkers using footpaths across farmland? We find out by talking to Professor Mark Fielder, of Kingston University London, president of the Society of Microbiology. We also look at spring cropping progress with Yorkshire agronomist Patrick Stephenson; discuss the latest dairy market news with Farmers Weekly business editor Suzie Horne; and examine the impact of chip shop closures on potato growers with Cambridgeshire farmer Tom Clarke. The challenges ...
Apr 02, 2020•25 min•Season 1Ep. 1
