July 2007 Archives

Thanks for your suggestions as to species you particularly don't like after my rant about non-native introductions.

You've highlighted ruddy duck, zebra mussels - and, of course, Canada geese.

The geese might look cute - but don't believe it, they're not so cute if you've got a thousand of them grazing your corn!

After our "worm charming" audio recording, here's some video footage of another bizarre county pursuit - cheese rolling.

I can't help but asking myself - why?

Remember the groundbreaking BBC show Castaway 2000?

This, as tv fans will remember, was one of the first reality shows - screening even before the first Big Brother, which is now in its eighth series.

Field Day reader Mike McNabb has been very helpful shedding some light on the cane toad debate.

All this talk of 'non-native introductions' has got me thinking about which such species have caused problems in this country.

There's the grey squirrel, of course, the American Signal Crayfish, the coypu and the mink, for starters.

Let me know what your least-liked 'introduced' species is...

A couple of people contacted me convinced my tale about bull semen being used as a hair treatment was a wind-up.

It wasn't, though - and now I've been informed about how nightingale droppings have been used for centuries in Japanese beauty treatments.

Apparently, geisha girls and actors use the songbird's poo to remove thick, clay-based make-up, while monks use it to polish their shaved heads.

The guano contains the enzyme guanine, an amino acid which heals and brightens the skin. It's also sterilised so it's fragrance-free. Which, no doubt, is a big relief to geishas, actors and monks everywhere.

Eighteen out of a possible 21 Clubs took part when the East Region of the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs held its recent rally at Methven.

Stockjudging, valuation, arts-and-crafts, fancy dress, digger handling and tug-of-war were among the closely fought competitions.

First time I saw the photo I wondered if the theme was 'The Wizard of Oz' – but in fact it was ‘the circus’.

You can see the full results here.

Now the Cumbrian farm tearooms have found a Geisha, they want people to send them some haiku.

The lads mag FHM has recruited four 100-year-olds to act as agony uncles.

The hope is that they'll be able to offer the benefit of their vast experience to the magazine's predominantly 18 to 30-year-old readers.

I'm sure they're very wise old gentleman, but I bet they've got nothing on Farmers Weekly's agony uncle, Farmer Frank...

Remember the giant Homer Simpson painted alongside the Cerne Abbas giant?

Pagans promised "rain magic" to wash it away - and rained it certainly has although I doubt this has much to do with their efforts.

Homer remains, defiant on the hillside...

The Countryside Alliance’s Game-to-Eat campaign, now in its sixth year, has published a new game recipe booklet.

You can get hold of a copy (or a pdf of it) by emailing info@gametoeat.co.uk but here to whet your appetite is one of the recipes from the 12-page booklet. Venison stir fry. Yummy - I'm going to try it this weekend.

Bird of prey fanciers had a good time at the recent Festival of Falconry, and there's more good news for them following the publication of a report by Moors for the Future.

One of its new pieces of research work shows bird of prey numbers thriving in the Peak District, with the number of peregrines up almost three-fold and merlin numbers up by almost 50%.

I recently read on the guru blog (musings on life in the workplace) about some funny suggestions for out-of-office email replies.

My favourite is: I am out of the office for the next two weeks for medical reasons... when I return please refer to me as 'Margaret' instead of 'Steve'.

It got me thinking about messages those in farm businesses could have. Here are five for starters:

* I am busy until harvest ends in September (or make that December, this year).
* I am very stressed so you're better off not talking to me until harvest ends in Septemeber (or make that December, this year).
* I no longer use the computer or phone for fear of contravening a new DEFRA regulation.
* I am busy investigating opportunities for quitting farming and doing something easier (as I have done regularly but consistently decided against for the last 20 years).
* Try me on my mobile. Unless you're the Health and Safety. In which case I'm unavailable. For ever.

Field Day readers tell me they like Land Rovers (other than those who don't, of course, and they seem to really hate them).

Fans of these iconic vehicles might be interested to see this report from the recent LRM show.

Looks fun...

National Moth Night is happening this year on August 11 - and once again it'll be your chance to help record moth numbers.

The results will then be pooled into Britain’s largest moth survey.

Writtle College is one of the many venues that'll be involved - the Essex campus will be running moth traps on its estate on that evening, using high intensity bulbs to attract the night-flyers.

Members of the public can go along - but you need to register by contacting Alan Roscoe on 01245 424200.

I'm probably going to offend about a million people here but, ho-hum, say it as you see it and all that: I hate caravans.

I just don't get it, the notion of towing some overpriced half-hearted apology for a home around slowly for mile after mile.

I can see why some farmers like them, as hosting caravans and campers can generate some much-needed diversifcation cash, but the thought of sleeping in one makes me go cold!

It was always a great source of amusement to me that the ex-DEFRA head-honcho Margaret Beckett was a fan of the pursuit - something I was reminded of yesterday by Radio 4's Today programme when another MP with an interest in rural matters, Lib Dem Lembit Opik, read out his ode to caravanning.

Sad!

I'm gutted that the Game Fair has been cancelled.

OK, so I had a lot of work to do at the event (my days of just turning up at shows, shopping, eating and catching up with mates are sadly long gone) but it's my favourite summer show.

It's devastating, too, for all the people who had planned to exhibit - not to mention the 140,000-plus people who were planning to attend.

Meanwhile in Wales the Royal Welsh continues, despite the rain and come traffic-related chaos. My friends who are they're tell me it's been raining again this afternoon. No surprise there then...

Young Farmers come up with some pretty wacky ideas when it comes to raising money.

Towcester Young Farmers are organising a charity event that's got a certain, how shall we put this, carnal dimension.

It might be summer but you'd have to be an optimist to put the wellies away completely this year.

Forget the traditional shades of green and black, though, some brighter hues could soon be on show after Hunters introduced new colours to their range.

Cheesemakers are an imaginative lots.

Not one to miss a marketing opportunity, Wyke Farms has introduced Pubtubs.

These are 150 gram pots containing bite-sized cubes of cheddar, designed to offer an alternative to smokers missing having a puff in the pub.

Pity the poor Australians with their invasion of cane toads.

Well pity the poor toads, too - the Aussies are resorting to a rather bizarre technique of killing them, according to The Ranger's Blog.

I said I'd bring you highlights of the World Worm Charming Championships just as soon as we could get them edited.

Well here they are. Click here to find out how our reporter got on when he made an audacious bid to win this coveted title.

For fans of birds of prey, here are a few more pictures from the recent Festival of Falconry.

OK, I've been trying my best not to rattle on too much about my new cats.

My friends and collegues seem to be split into two distinct camps - cat-people and dog-people. The farming people, it seems, tend to be in the latter category.

Like with Agas and Land Rovers, which people either seem to love or hate, there doesn't seem to be a lot of middle ground.

If this picture doesn't convert a few of the dog-people, though, I don't know what will...

First, it's a giant advert for a lap-dancing club in a field, now news reaches us of a farmer using his land to promote the forthcoming Simpsons film.

It involves an 180ft picture of Homer, painted on a hillside in Dorset alongside the well-known and well-endowed Cerne Abbas giant - the ancient fertility symbol.

Henry Digby, the farmer who own the land on which it's painted - and whose family used to own the giant before gifting it to the National Trust - has denied any suggestion it's vulgar.

"It's been done in fully soluble paint," he maintains, "so it'll be gone within a couple of weeks - or with the weather the way it is, it might be gone rather quicker than that."

Pagans hate it and have announced they'll be doing some rain magic to speed its disappearance. Other locals, meanwhile, heartily approve.

When I first saw it, I assumed it was a doughnut that Homer was brandishing - but my better educated collegues tell me it could also be intended to suggest he's playing the game of quoits. Doh!

Remember I've mentioned the Festival of Falconry - well this event happened at the weekend.

We'll bring you more on it in due course, but here is a flavour of it. Thanks for the picture to Emily Padfield.

Forget The Open, Scottish Young Farmers have been battling it out on the greens themselves.

Carluke YFC took first place at the SAYFC's National Golf Tournament at Hollandbush Golf Club yesterday.

An annual event, dating back to Medieval times, begins today.

Swan upping - the process of recording the number of swans on the Thames - gets underway. As always, it'll be done by people in traditional costumes and boats.

The cygnets are weighed - hence the word 'upping', as this refers to the process of lifting them from the water.

They're beautiful creatures, swans - but you wouldn't get me going near one. They can break your arm, I was always told!

Farm diversifications are wonderful things - and there are some fascinating ones in Britain.

One in Northumberland is even planning to apply for a zoo licence so it can keep even more exotic animals than the ones it's already got.

White House Farm Centre, which was started by co-owner Heather Hogarty when she took over the family farm, currently looks after everything from sheep and pigs to llamas and a giant boa constrictor.

The centre, which is currently celebrating its 10th anniversary, has seen visitors more than treble since it opened its doors in 1997.

Needless to say, vistors are warned that they can't touch the tarantula or the scorpion!

Pets getting married, whatever next.... This isn't a late April Fool. It's genuine.

Think of tearooms in rural Britain and what do you think of? Elderly ladies? China cups? Scones with butter jam? Geishas don’t immediately spring to mind.

But a group of farm teashops in the Lake District has launched the search for a Geisha because they're expecting an influx of Japanese visitors.

Ever wondered if you could do an estate agent's job?

Well visitors turned valuers at the Cotswold Show in Cirencester last weekend as they took part in a competition involving them guessing the value of a country cottage, some farm machinery and an antique item.

Seeing as I’ve recently mentioned the Ancient Tree Hunt, I couldn’t pass this beauty without snapping a picture of it.

As I was out walking, I didn’t have my camera so the picture was taken on my mobile. I’m no arboricultarist but I think it’s a plane tree.

I also think, if it’s the one I think it is, that it’s over 200 years old and is known as “the green angel”.

It’s in Carshalton in Surrey. And the person standing in front of it is Isabel (she's actually camera shy, but I insisted to give an idea of the tree's size!)

I’ve been contacted by someone who is working on a strand for the One Show that airs on BBC1.

They’re aiming to test whether there is any truth behind old weather lore sayings - to prove scientifically whether they’re true or not.

We've talked a lot about dogs on Field Day.

We've talked about ugly dogs, tearaway dogs, Rick Stein's dog and show dogs, but as yet not specifically big dogs.

So have a look at this story about what's supposedly Britain's biggest dog.

It's that time of year again - farmers will soon be dusting down their combines and wheeling them out of the barn.

It's not just the traditional use to which combine harvesters are put in Holland though - as these photos from the Dutch Combine Cross Championships last weekend show.

If you’re an EastEnders fan, don’t forget it’s tonight that something unusually agriculturally-related happens on the show – a sheep makes an appearance.

The ewe - which is connected to Phil Mitchell's stag-do - has sent newspaper and magazine headline writers into a frenzy. Look at what The Sun says.

All this talk about cutting air travel in a bid to reduce global warming is all very well - but environmentalists have got a new target in their sights - cows.

Boffins are working out ways to stop them belching quite so much.

Sorry if I sound a bit like a broken record – but I’m convinced kids don’t have as much fun as they used to.

How much more boring, I’ve often thought, childhood must be these days when kids aren’t allowed out to roam for miles and experience the rough-and-tumble of growing up in an outside environment.

So, the new DEFRA minister Hilary Benn is a vegetarian. I’m all for freedom of choice – and we should, after all, judge him on his actions not on his eating habits - but I still reckon the guy’s missing out big-time.

Here is my list of "10 dishes that might tempt the Minister back to meat". Things, in other words, that I reckon could “cure” him:

* A bacon bap with lots of tomato ketchup (particularly when hungover)
* Roast beef with horseradish sauce (followed by a nap in front of the telly)
* Steak and kidney pudding with puff pastry
* New-season lamb chops with mint sauce - perfect with boiled potatoes and fresh veg from the garden
* A 16oz fillet steak with chips, mushrooms and tomatoes (lots of mustard, essential)
* Lancashire hotpot (unbeatable on a cold winter's day)
* Pork, leek and apple sausages with mash and beans
* Roast pork with crackling, sage and apple sauce
* Barbecue spare ribs
* Spicy meatballs with tomato and basil sauce

What are your suggestions for dishes that you think might tempt Hilary Benn to eat meat again? Post your comments here, or join the debate at our forums.

Towards the end of the year, I usually get contacted by quite a few lads and lasses who are planning to take their clothes off. For charity, obviously.

This whole naked calendar thing's really taken off (as it were!) but I was surprised to get an email this morning from Lesley Mansfield of Nantwich Young Farmers Club in Cheshire who's already planning a 2008 calendar.

We look forward to seeing it, Lesley. The calendar, that is!

If you're interested, here's a little reminder of what they're like - this is one modelled by the staff at a farm shop in Scotland.

First, a warning.

Don't click on this link if you're easily offended.

It's a story from The Sun today about, eeeer, how shall I put this - someone's relationship with a cow! If you're broad-minded, though, it's worth looking at if only for the puns!

An Oxford Down ewe is all set for its guest appearance in EastEnders next Tuesday.

You won’t be able to miss the little beauty, according to owner Helen Wakefield.

She’ll be seen right in the middle of Albert Square - the storyline is all about her causing havoc, including inside the Queen Vic.

It’s that time of year again… students around the country are stepping into the big wide world and starting their new jobs soon.

Scott Crossley is one of the students finishing the Fish Management national diploma at Myerscough College and he’ll be beginning work in an aquatics and garden centre.

He’s obviously found a bit of time to pursue his fishing passion though.

After the recent dwarves in maize shocker, here's another maize story.

This year Hannah & Oliver Arnold have created a maize maze in the shape of a John Deere forage harvester from their crop of forage maize at Taverham near Norwich. It's open daily from July 20 to September 3.

Rachel Bramley has helped to raise over £3000 with her friends from Amotherby Young Farmers Club in Yorkshire.

There’s hope, it seems, for even the most disobedient of pooches - as a woman in Cumbria has started running four-day “citizenship classes” for dogs which lack countryside manners.

More and more people are getting into this blogging lark.

We've now even got four chidlren blogging for us here at Farmers Weekly (we set them to work young in the countryside!) so if you want to read what life's like growing up on a farm, check out the Kids Connect Campaign Blog.

Remember the piece of cheese that's got its own website so you can watch it ripen in real time?

Its makers have now run a competition for fans of the website to name it. The name they eventually went for? Wedginald!

One Field Day reader, John Snuggs, tells me he's disappointed that his suggestion wasn't picked - The Cheesemeister.

Don't know what to make of this story. I'm tempted to laugh but I'm not sure it's meant to be funny - and I fear it may be politically incorrect to do so.

So, we've got a new DEFRA minister, Hilary Benn.

Here are 10 things about him you may not know.

I'm not a big fan of hedgehogs.

I reckon they're like squirrels - in principle, they're quite cute, but in practice they're a pain in the backside.

It's that time of year again - straw bales will soon start appearing in fields across Britain.

Have you - like me - ever felt the desire to do something out-of-the-ordinary with them, something creative?

Maybe our chance has come because the NFU and Weetabix are running a "Bale Art" competition.

Remember a while back when I talked about the World Worm Charming Championships?

Well I wasn't making it up, this is an actual event - and it took place at the weekend. A friend of mine, Stuey, only went and took part!

He tells me he 'charmed' loads... so I've asked him to write a piece for Field Day about his experiences. Keep an eye out and you'll get to hear all about this truly bizarre event.

In the meantime, you can watch some of the BBC's footage about the pursuit.

One of the best things about my job is that I get sent loads of books.

Far too many to review all of them, sadly. Far too many, in fact, to read even more than a small proportion of them - but there is an occasional gem.

Three have landed on my desk recently weeks that have caught my eye.