Rural News

Livestock farmers will be able to apply for grants of up to £500,000 to improve cattle housing and boost productivity, with further grants being made available for purchasing equipment and technology as part of the government’s Animal Health and Welfare Pathway.

A new report by the Efra Select Committee has accused the government of failing to take food security seriously enough, and urged it to change its definition to include affordability and access to food.

Responding to financial pressures facing the sector, Yorkshire pig producers Vicky, Rachel and Kate Morgan, diversified into holiday lets. Since their March launch they’ve received outstanding customer reviews and their new enterprise is fully booked until August. This is how they did it… 

As part of their campaign to Back British Farming, A-Plan Rural Insurance is sitting down with farmers to chat about all things farming. In their latest blog, they spoke with Anna Longthorn (@annas_happy_trotters), who is an English farmer. Anna discusses the farm she works on, how she came to be a pig farmer, the farming tradition in her family and the opportunities she sees for others wanting to enter farming.

Sustainability, water management and environmental schemes will be the key topics discussed during the 2023 Autumn Farming Conference at Wherstead Park, Ipswich on Tuesday 10th October.

With the rate of suicide reported to be alarmingly higher in farming compared to the national average, Jeremy Clarkson is on a mission to help raise awareness of poor mental health in farming caused by mounting financial and societal pressures.

Building on last year’s success, a two-day event celebrating the countryside is expected to generate a major boost for the North Wales economy, with record-breaking sales of £12 million being forecast.

Despite recent rainfall, the Environment Agency is urging farmers, water companies, and the general public to maintain collective action on protecting water resources in preparation for future droughts and weather extremes.

With subsidy payments for farmers set to end this year, the Welsh government has announced the launch of an interim agri-environment scheme from 1st January 2024 to provide alternative support until the start of the proposed Sustainable Farming Scheme in 2025.

A-Plan Insurance sat down with India Bradshaw (@thecurlyfarmher) who left her career in hairdressing to start her journey into farming during the first Covid-10 lockdown.

Long-time senior CLAAS employee Thomas Spiering will be joining the group’s executive board from 1st October 2023, where he will be overseeing the company’s self-propelled harvesters business unit.

The life of Samantha Kinghorn MBE changed in an instant when she was crushed by a forklift at the age of 14, leaving her paralysed from the waist down. With her incredible spirit and determination, she has climbed the sporting ladder and is now Britain’s fastest-ever female wheelchair racer. Farmers Guide spoke to Sammi about triumph over adversity in the context of Farm Safety Week.