Peas and beans have never been my favourite vegetables - that particular accolade goes to braised red cabbage, followed closely by honey roasted parsnips.

But they have certainly gone up in my estimation following what amounted to three hours of "hard sell" at the PGRO (Processors and Growers Research Organisation) in Cambridgeshire last Friday (29 Jan).

Speaker after speaker sung the praises of peas and beans, making the attendees wonder what the world would be like without them.

PGRO chief executive Salvador Potter described them as the "ultimate break crop", fixing nitrogen and clearing up weeds and other pests.

Nutritionist Judith Buttress explained how pulses counted towards the "five-a-day" target and were especially good at providing fibre and iron...

More good news has emerged this week from the IGD (Institute of Grocery Distribution), this time in the form of a survey looking at the consumer trend to buy more local food.

According to the report, 30% of shoppers have specifically purchased locally-produced food in the past month, compared with 15% just four years ago.

A similar number (31%) also said they would like more local products available to them, compared with 12% in 2006, as consumers look to improve freshness, reduce food miles, support farmers and keep jobs in the countryside.

The growing demand for local food does not come as a complete surprise, however - least of all to us at Farmers Weekly who were very much behind the push for local food with our Food Miles Campaign in 2006...

The latest TIFF (Total Income From Farming) figures from DEFRA published this week come as quite a surprise.

OK, everyone was expecting that these new figures would differ significantly from the "first estimates" issued by the department's statistical bods last November.

Then the data seemed to suggest that farm incomes had actually increased by 25% during 2009 - which was plainly total nonsense. At the time on this blog I said that DEFRA's track record of getting it right first time left a lot to be desired.

So the fact that this week's figures suggest UK farm incomes actually fell by 6% in 2009 was not unexpected.

What was a complete surprise, however, was that this turnaround had not come about because of any major revision to the 2009 TIFF figure - which has been recalculated at £4.1bn instead of £4.3bn....

To find the NFU and the CLA at loggerheads over the future shape of the CAP comes as little surprise, given the organisations' track record in this area.

It's a little like history repeating itself, since the two bodies took a similarly divergent view six or seven years ago, when DEFRA was consulting on the best way to implement the Fischler reforms in the UK.

Back then the NFU was arguing for a historic receipts based system of single farm payment - insisting that such a system would minimise the redistribution of support, with the inevitable creation of winners and losers.

In contrast, the CLA advocated a flat rate regional payment, saying it would be simpler to organise and eliminate the need for a "spurious" trade in entitlements.

Sheep values are in the ascendancy with producers enjoying a larger slice of the pie, as the gap between farmgate prices and retail prices narrows.

Finished R3L carcases are pushing close to the 440p/kg peak achieved last spring and are 25% up on year-ago levels in response to tighter supplies.

The cull ewe trade is also booming, with older sheep regularly fetching over £100 a piece in the auction ring, and some of the largest, well-fleshed beasts even topping £150.

Not surprising then that, as with the beef trade last year, some farmers are tempted to sell their female sheep for slaughter, rather than retain them for breeding.

But this is all in stark contrast to the situation in the wool market, where values have slumped in the recession and collecting a fleece has become a loss-making activity...

Farmers Weekly's publisher Trevor Parker approached me at the start of the week and asked me to come up with a current "state of the industry" assessment for a presentation he is giving.

It was a good opportunity to take stock and have a think about where we have come from in the past 18 months and where we might be going. The following is what I told him:

UK agriculture was the best performer in the European league table of farm incomes in 2009. EU farm income figures from Brussels show that the UK is just one of four member states to have seen an increase in farm income in 2009 - thanks in large part to the weakness of sterling. Provisional figures put us up 14%, compared with a 35% decline for Hungary, 25% decline for Italy and 20% declines for France and Germany. DEFRA predicts an 8% fall in UK farm income in 2010, but it will still top £4bn - the second best result in a decade...

Talk about mixing with the great and the good - the delegates list at this week's City Food Lecture really did read like a Who's Who of the food and farming industry.

Supermarket bosses, farm leaders, food processors, academics and political figures filled the lofty chamber that is London's Guildhall - and even a few agri-journalists were allowed to mingle with the crowd.

And, despite the predominance of pinstripes and brogues over boiler suits and wellies, it was a thoroughly enjoyable and thought provoking event.

Former government chief scientific adviser Sir David King is always good value for money, even though his message is now starting to sound very familiar.

His key points included:

There can be little doubt that the bears are winning the day in the grain markets this month.

Prices have been under pressure since the turn of the year, with March futures dropping from £111/t in week one, to £107/t in week two, to just £101 this week - down 10% in a fortnight.

The reason for the fall comes down to two basic factors - supply and currency.

Last week's data from the US department of agriculture came as a series of body blows. Global wheat production was revised upwards by 2m tonnes, and end stocks by 5m tonnes at 196m tonnes - up 61% in just two seasons.

US wheat stocks were also increased by 2m tonnes to 26.6m tonnes - the highest for 20 years - while US maize production was raised by 6m tonnes, and stocks by 2.3m tonnes...

The joy of internet shopping is a relatively recent addition to my life.

I think it coincided with getting married a little over a year ago. Since then I've noticed a marked increase in the number of packages arriving at the door, delivered by some smug looking courier requesting my signature.

Either that or I get home in the evening to find a card telling me the postman "was unable to deliver" a package and I end up having to drive five miles to the nearest Post Office to collect it. So much for convenience!

Fortunately we've not yet got into on-line grocery shopping. I say "fortunately" because, perversely, I actually quite enjoy my weekly trip to the supermarket. If nothing else, it counts as exercise!

But, it seems, it's only a matter of time before even that is done from the comfort of our front room...

If agriculture commissioner-designate Dacian Ciolos was a cricketer, then you'd look no further for someone to open the batting.

His performance on Friday at his so-called "confirmation hearing" in front of the European parliament's agriculture committee in Brussels was confident, patient and effective as he met every delivery with a straight bat.

It was in stark contrast to Mariann Fischer Boel's performance at the same stage five years ago, who was frequently trapped in front of the stumps and failed to spot even the most obvious of googlies. She had to endure the indignity of a second innings before the MEPs were satisfied she was fit for office.

But setting aside the cricketing analogy, this was the first time I'd seen Mr Ciolos in action and I have admit I was impressed, both by what he said and how he said it.

Having studied agriculture at university, worked on farms in Romania and France, done a spell in the EU Commission in Brussels and then served as Romania's agriculture minister in 2008, it was perhaps no surprise that he was extremely well-versed in matters agricultural.

The big issues, such as the budget, food security and the WTO, one would expect any political figure to have knowledge of. But even when it got down to some of the nitty-gritty, such as milk strikes, battery cage sizes, sugar reform and bananas, Mr Ciolos was still in his comfort zone.