Business News

Nick Harper, of chartered surveyors Hawkspur, explains options on making money from land you don’t own, biodiversity net gain for development, and more.

With more farmers looking to diversify and capitalise on the staycation trend, sustainable cabin company The Box BnB, is working with UK farmers to support their diversification strategies and provide holidaymakers with a unique experience.

Many farmers are currently making use of unused land for holiday cabins and glamping, as the general public are itching to get away for a staycation when lockdown restrictions ease later on in the year. Such business opportunities come at a good time; with the phasing out of the Basic Payment Scheme, many farmers are looking to find alternative revenue streams.

Glampsan general manager Jon Trelfa shared his advice on toilet and waste management options for diversified farms wanting to offer camping facilities.

“What3words has become an absolutely essential part of the modern farmer’s toolkit,” says Rhonda Thompson, the NFU’s Lincolnshire county adviser.

Scientists are reporting a breakthrough in efforts to cultivate ‘interstellar’ crops, as a team of astro-biologists and botanists successfully grow a new hybrid crop species in simulated Martian soils.

Since its Lamma launch in 2020, the Smart Farmer app has taken the industry by storm, quickly becoming a must-have safety device on farms across the UK. Its creator, Marc Skivington, originally created the app to help with machinery checks on his own farm, and has since developed a range of updates, covering lone working, training, risk assessments and more.

Ben Burgess takes a stroll down memory lane, looking back over 90 years of serving the agricultural sector – from post-war agricultural depression in the 30s, to a thriving modern business currently comprising seven depots.

In business since 1951, Valtra turns 70 in 2021 and is celebrating its milestone anniversary in a variety of different ways throughout the year.

Erosion of resistance genes is a major concern, and with a declining plant protection toolbox, scientists, breeders, agronomists and farmers are working together to try to catch a moving target. Farmers Guide spoke to an agronomist, a breeder and a researcher to find out what is being done to help the industry – Heather Briggs reports.

James Maguire has been named as the new President of Pulses UK, the trade association representing the processors and users of British-produced pulses, at its annual meeting held earlier this month.

Auto Spray Systems has announced the launch of a new breed of autonomous robot – the first of its kind in Europe – which promises increased efficiency and reduce emissions.