Rural News

Farmers are being warned to up their security following a spate of tractor GPS thefts in the south west.

Meat exporters will have the opportunity to learn about the impact of coronavirus on global trade during the first in a series of export webinars starting next month.

Warm weather this week after a prolonged dry period across much of the south east of England has prompted wildfire warnings.

Well-known Welsh farmer and TV presenter Gareth Wyn Jones has said he was left “fuming” after walkers left a gate open on his farm, allowing sheep to escape.

Two long-running agricultural educational courses have been postponed for 12 months because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

When Covid-19 restrictions lift, campaigns should be ready to promote holidays in rural areas, as they offer a combination of limited travelling time, health benefits of fresh air and easier social distancing than cities.

Today marks the start of Mental Health Awareness Week and, with a survey of NFU Mutual customers showing that nearly three quarters of people are feeling more isolated since the UK went into lockdown, it’s a crucial time for support to be available.

To support the UK agricultural industry, the Farm Safety Foundation wrote and published a follow up to their popular Little Book of Minding Your Head – a 32 page guide to dealing with the stress of COVID-19.

The risk of blowfly strike has now risen to ‘medium’ in parts of southern and central England, according to real-time updates produced by Elanco and the National Animal Disease Information Service (Nadis).

Growers across the country will be able to access their most relevant local trial findings, variety intelligence and cropping improvement advice from the UK’s most extensive agronomy research and demonstration network without leaving their farms this summer, thanks to the virtual 2020 events programme developed by Agrii.

As farmers battle a set of unique and complex challenges, the trend for branching out into new revenue streams, outside of traditional farming, is becoming increasingly important.

“Opening garden centres provides a lifeline for British plant and flower growers that have been devastated by the near complete loss of their market this year,” says NFU President Minette Batters.