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AGRICULTURAL TRANSITION

FW's Transition Live unites farmers for talks on key issues

Hundreds of farmers and growers have already booked their places at Farmers Weekly’s Transition Live event on 9 May. The event, held at Cambridge University’s mixed, arable and dairy farm,…

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

TCFD rules: Threat or opportunity?

Climate change is a financial threat to big business. Supply chain disruption caused by extreme weather is expected to cost many billions of pounds.  Governments and global economic institutions are…

TENANCIES AND RENTS

New landlord-tenant code of practice – what’s changed?

The need for an Agricultural Landlord and Tenant Code of Practice to put the relationship between all parties on a more positive footing was a key recommendation of the 2022…

AGRICULTURAL TRANSITION

Transition: Ways to generate non-farming income

Developing non-agricultural income is an increasingly important consideration for farm businesses. And it doesn’t always have to come at the expense of food production, as speakers at a recent Farmers…

DAIRY MARKETS AND PRICES

Fairer dairy contract regulations come into force in July

Milk processors will be required to begin issuing farmers with new “fairer” dairy contracts from this July. Legislation has been designed to create more price transparency for farmers, as well…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Wheat surges above ÂŁ180/t as Black Sea tensions flare up

Old-crop and new-crop wheat futures both jumped by £10/t earlier this week in the UK due to increased conflict in Ukraine and reports of poorer crop conditions in the US.…

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BUSINESS

Farmers warned against fraudsters stealing VAT refund cash

Farmers are warned to check that HMRC has the correct bank details for VAT refunds. This is because fraudsters are imitating genuine businesses, contacting HMRC to request changes to bank…

MEAT MARKETS AND PRICES

Store cattle hit ÂŁ2,000 a head peak at Scots auction marts

Scottish livestock farmers have been receiving higher returns for store cattle at auction markets so far this year, with prices consistently above the same period in 2023. Store cattle prices…

BREXIT

New border controls to prioritise 'highest risk goods'

Post-Brexit border checks on animal, plant and food products will not be fully implemented when they are introduced later this month amid concerns this could cause “significant disruption”. Less than…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Hectare launches instant grain payments system for farmers

Crop-trading platform Hectare has launched a new agricultural finance product that enables arable farmers to be paid within three days for up to 80% of a contract’s value. The agri-tech…

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BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

How to manage business change for agricultural transition

While farmers have always faced change, the agricultural transition period requires most of them to implement new practices and embrace new thinking to achieve successful business transformations, at a scale…

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

How to set up a farm machinery sharing syndicate

As farmers transition to more resilient systems, greater scrutiny is applied to fertiliser, seed, herbicide and other agronomy costs, but is that same degree of analysis applied to machinery outlay?…

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

6 business areas to focus on for Transition farming success

Successful farming businesses will need to be streamlined, efficient and diversified for the significant challenges that lie ahead, while having built-in resilience and being financially astute. Those that survive will…

BUSINESS

Advice on some of the pitfalls of land transactions

Good preparation is the watchword when selling land, and "buyer beware" is the catchphrase for purchasers. The checklist for sellers is a long one, starting with advice from land agents,…

GRANTS

Farming grant funding in England: A comprehensive guide

A plethora of government grants and support payments is available for farm businesses in 2024. Charlie Reeve discovers what’s up for grabs from Defra and the Rural Payments Agency (RPA)…

BUSINESS CLINIC

Business Clinic: Who owns land in two-generation partnership?

Whether it’s a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s Business Clinic experts can help. Here, Russell Reeves, partner and head of agricultural litigation at law firm Thrings,…

BPS

Advice on the delinked payment transfer market

Farmers in England who want to transfer or sell any of their delinked payment reference data have only a short window in which to do so. The window for transfers…

BUSINESS CLINIC

Business Clinic: Should we surrender tenancy and create LLP?

Whether it’s a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s Business Clinic experts can help. Carly Drummond, senior tax manager at MHA, advises on the tax implications of…

BUSINESS CLINIC

Business Clinic: Is battery storage an option on poultry unit?

Whether it’s a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s experts can help. Jamie Baxter, Senior Rural Surveyor at Carter Jonas, advises on energy use and storage for…

TENANCIES AND RENTS

Advice for tenant farmers considering diversification

Changes in support payments and tough trading conditions mean many farmers are considering diversifying, but tenant farmers have an extra hurdle to clear before embarking on any project. Agricultural tenancies…

BUSINESS

Rural housing: Options to decarbonise and improve efficiency

From period farmhouses to farmworkers’ cottages, rural housing comes in many shapes and sizes, but they all share similar challenges when it comes to energy. Rural properties off the mains…

LIVESTOCK

Valuable business skills courses for dairy farmers

Many dairy farmers tend not to be driven by profit: satisfaction comes from a herd of fine cows, full clamps or milk in the tank. But being good at milking…

HEALTH AND SAFETY

How to manage less common farm health and safety risks

The fatal incident rate in agriculture over the past five years has on average been 21 times higher than that across all other industries. Incidents involving animals or machinery and…

BPS

BPS application tips and reminders for 2024

There are different approaches to the Basic Payment Scheme claims system in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with changes this year in some nations that farmers need to be aware…

STAFF MANAGEMENT

Recruitment management decision shapes estate's farm staff

The recent appointment of an assistant manager at the Woburn Estate’s in-hand farming operation is an important part of William Haupt’s approach to risk management and succession. Seven years into…

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

What are the key traits of top-performing arable farms?

High input costs, volatile markets, challenging weather and reduced direct support payments are all affecting the bottom line for farmers, making it imperative that businesses focus on improving performance and…

Business Clinic

BUSINESS CLINIC

Business Clinic: Who owns land in two-generation partnership?

Whether it’s a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s Business Clinic experts can help. Here, Russell Reeves, partner and head of agricultural litigation at law firm Thrings,…

BUSINESS CLINIC

Business Clinic: Should we surrender tenancy and create LLP?

Whether it’s a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s Business Clinic experts can help. Carly Drummond, senior tax manager at MHA, advises on the tax implications of…

BUSINESS CLINIC

Business Clinic: Is battery storage an option on poultry unit?

Whether it’s a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s experts can help. Jamie Baxter, Senior Rural Surveyor at Carter Jonas, advises on energy use and storage for…

BUSINESS CLINIC

Business Clinic: How do we check decades-old land ownership?

Whether it’s a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s Business Clinic experts can help. Here, solicitor Jessica Moore of of Thrings’ agriculture team, explains how the ownership…

 

Markets and trends

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MEAT MARKETS AND PRICES

Store cattle hit ÂŁ2,000 a head peak at Scots auction marts

Scottish livestock farmers have been receiving higher returns for store cattle at auction markets so far this year, with prices consistently above the same period in 2023. Store cattle prices…

BREXIT

New border controls to prioritise 'highest risk goods'

Post-Brexit border checks on animal, plant and food products will not be fully implemented when they are introduced later this month amid concerns this could cause “significant disruption”. Less than…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Hectare launches instant grain payments system for farmers

Crop-trading platform Hectare has launched a new agricultural finance product that enables arable farmers to be paid within three days for up to 80% of a contract’s value. The agri-tech…

MEAT MARKETS AND PRICES

'Vet attestation' rules for meat exports to be tightened

UK farmers will be barred from exporting non-assured livestock or products derived from them to the EU from next week, unless they have a vet-supplied declaration that their animals have…

DAIRY MARKETS AND PRICES

Arla invests ÂŁ179m to become major supplier of mozzarella

Major dairy co-operative Arla has unveiled plans to invest £179m in its UK business as it aims to grow exports of mozzarella. The milk processor, which is supplied by more…

LAND MARKETS

Outrage as Scots government plans to break up larger holdings

Scottish landowners have slated a new Land Reform Bill tabled in Holyrood on Thursday (14 March) which sets out plans to break up larger farms and estates should they come…

LAND MARKETS

Scottish land owners must register or risk ÂŁ5,000 fine

Scottish owners and long-term tenants of land or property may need to submit an entry to a new register or risk a £5,000 fine, the Scottish government has warned. The…

POTATOES

UK potatoes in tight supply and selling for more than ÂŁ500/t

Several years of declining production and a prolonged wet winter have started to bite in the potato sector, with a tight supply situation for potatoes forcing up free-buy prices. The…

Commodities

Futures markets and commodity risk management online course

Learn all you need to know about the futures markets and how you can benefit from them:

  • Risk management strategies for a more predictable financial performance
  • Educated conversations when collaborating with your advisors
  • Negotiate better prices with your grain merchants

Find out more

 
 

Land in your area

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LAND MARKETS

Farmland in your area 2023: East of England

The land market in the east of England is bucking the national trend, with farmers accounting for the bulk of buyers in this region. Although 2023 saw growth in the…

LAND MARKETS

Farmland in your area 2023: West Midlands

The acreage of land offered for sale in the West Midlands in 2023 is up by about one-third on the previous 12 months, pushing supply higher than the 10-year average.…

LAND MARKETS

Farmland in your area 2023: Wales

Intense competition among farmers in some Welsh regions led to farmland changing hands at more than £20,000/acre in 2023. Known hotspots, including Anglesey and the Vale of Clwyd which have…

LAND MARKETS

Farmland in your area 2023: East Midlands

Public and private market activity for land and farms in the East Midlands has increased in 2023, with what agents suggest is a reasonable supply and a good level of…