Rural News

Scottish farming and crofting families who have been severely hit by the ongoing impact of the extreme wintry conditions in parts of Scotland are encouraged to apply for support via a Snow Impact Fund. 

Scottish agricultural charity RSABI is urging farmers to check on the welfare of neighbours, especially those in their communities who are elderly or vulnerable, as wintry conditions are set to continue.

Experts speaking at the 2026 Oxford Farming Conference warned that radical changes are urgently needed across the supply chain to secure a resilient future for farming. 

Speaking at the Oxford Farming Conference today, environment secretary Emma Reynolds announced reforms to the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), which are aimed at simplifying the scheme, levelling the playing field, and providing stable, predictable delivery.    

The countdown is on for CropTec, taking place at the NEC, Birmingham on 14-15th January alongside LAMMA and the Low Carbon Agriculture show.

A convoy of trucks will pay tribute to a 14-year-old boy who tragically died in an accident on a farm in County Durham. 

The Suffolk community has paid tribute to Peter Over, who suddenly passed away on Sunday, 4th January. 

Next year, Open Farm Sunday celebrates 20 years of connecting people with sustainable farming and food production. To inspire even more farms to take part next year, event organiser LEAF has developed a comprehensive support package for all host farmers.

The chairman of the Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies), James Chapman MBE, announced that he is hanging up his yellow wellies this month.  

With many farming and crofting families worrying about the cost of heating their homes this winter, RSABI is reminding the agricultural community about its Help for Heating payments, which provide a minimum of £400 to help heat homes this winter. 

The British farming community has responded to plans laid out by the government to speed up the house-building process by simplifying biodiversity rules for smaller sites and fast-tracking certain housing projects.

Experts at this year’s Larking Gowen Autumn Farming Conference series in East Anglia noted that while the Budget was not as bad as expected, it was not a Budget for growth. Farmers Guide attended the Ipswich conference.