Government asked to support game-changing agroforestry systems
Some of the UK’s leading farming and forestry organisations have put their names to a letter to Secretary of State Michael Gove, highlighting the benefits of agroforestry, the practice of cultivating trees and crops or livestock on the same area of land. The current Rural Development Programme for England does not include options to support […]
The big questions for UK agriculture post-Brexit
In just 21 months’ time the UK agricultural sector will operate outside The Common Agricultural Policy, so how quickly will changes be felt, what form will the changes take, and how will the UK manage to take charge of its own agricultural destiny? These were some of the questions addressed at a recent event organised […]
Somerset Estate forms partnership to improve eating quality of potatoes
Dillington Estates, near Ilminster is working in partnership with research organisations and those in the supply chain to drive productivity and improve marketable yield. The Estate is one of four Strategic Potato (SPot) Farms in Great Britain and forms part of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board’s (AHDB) Farm Excellence Platform, which inspires industry to […]
British blackcurrant season has a sweet start two weeks early
British blackcurrant growers anticipate a sweeter than usual crop this year, thanks to favourable growing conditions, as the British blackcurrant season gets under way. The British blackcurrant season officially began on 26th June, with growers’ organisation, The Blackcurrant Foundation predicting a crop yield of 12,000 tonnes. This is two weeks earlier than the average harvest […]
LEAF Demonstration Farm receives Royal visit
On Wednesday 5th July, HRH The Countess of Wessex, visited Overbury Enterprises, a LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) Demonstration Farm, near Tewkesbury in Worcestershire/Gloucestershire. The Countess, who became LEAF’s Honorary President last year, toured the farm and estate. Her Royal Highness met LEAF trustees, LEAF Demonstration Farmers and staff, as well as representatives from Overbury […]
Cereals industry must take action to thrive post Brexit
AHDB is today issuing a bold message to the cereals industry not to sleepwalk into Brexit. The scale of the potential challenge must be appreciated by businesses at every level of the supply chain and steps must be taken to improve competitiveness, according to Chief Strategy Officer Tom Hind. The statement will be made as […]
In ovo nutrition and hypoxic exposure as new strategies in chicken production
From 8 to 11 May, more than 1,600 scientists and poultry nutrition specialists from over 60 countries came together in Salou/Vila-seca (Tarragona). The European Symposium on Poultry Nutrition (ESPN 2017), organized by IRTA, consisted of 4 days brimming with knowledge and discussions on the future of poultry nutrition and production. It is important to remember […]
Potato stocks keep pace with 2015/16 season
GB grower-held potato stock levels at the end of March were at 1Mt, around the same volume as the end-March 2016 and 300Kt less than the end-March 2015 according to an AHDB estimate. Despite the similarity in stock levels, any repeat of the high prices seen in 2016 will depend on a number of factors […]
Farming and scientific leaders discuss challenges facing UK’s crop production
Key stakeholders across the UK’s farming sector have joined academic scientists for a collaborative workshop to discuss the challenge of increasing crop production whilst maintaining soil health. The workshop, ‘Increasing crop productivity through understanding and improving soil health’, was co-hosted by the N8 Research Partnership’s (N8) AgriFood programme and research and consultancy company ADAS. Farmers, […]
