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PAYMENTS, SCHEMES AND GRANTS

SFI 2024 update: All you need to know

Starting your Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) journey is becoming an increasingly urgent task for farm businesses looking to increase resilience and improve cashflow. SFI has been through multiple revisions since…

BUSINESS

Grassland dairy unit adopts low-input strategy

Dairy farmer Tim Morrow provided an insight into his low-input grazing system and nature-friendly farming methods during a Transition farm walk in Northern Ireland. Farmers, agricultural advisers and supply chain…

LAND MARKETS

Farms new to Scottish market buck autumn trend

Mid-autumn typically sees fewer farm launches, but Scotland is bucking that trend with several that are new to the market, notably in Aberdeenshire. An arable and livestock farm with considerable…

AGRICULTURAL TRANSITION

Precision farming: Benefits, costs and developments

Practical pointers on new technology were the focus of a Transition Project event in our webinar series. Precision farming techniques are already used across about 60% of UK farmland and…

BUSINESS

How farms are generating income from the environment

Flood-prone land in west Norfolk that is difficult to farm productively is being turned into wetland – thanks to a mix of public funding and private investment. Using “blended finance”…

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

What to consider when reviewing farm insurance

Insurance is a challenging market, with weather-related claims behind much of the premium increases policyholders have seen over the past few years. General inflation and in particular in farm machinery…

PAYMENTS, SCHEMES AND GRANTS

Scottish agricultural support scheme changes: What we know

The Scottish government has provided further detail on its post-Brexit farm support policy. Here consultants and policy experts give an insight into this summer’s update and their views on the…

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CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

UK wheat demand hit by limited access to EU biofuels market

Arable farmers supplying cereals to the biofuels sector could see curtailed demand as a result of trade limitations imposed by the EU. In order to have continued access to the…

FARM POLICY

Scottish govt 'fails to consult' on support scheme extension

Industry leaders have hit out at the Scottish government for failing to consult with them on a plan to extend payments under the Scottish Rural Development Programme (SDRP). Ministers were…

MEAT MARKETS AND PRICES

FSA sheep slaughter survey shows high hygiene levels

The Association of Independent Meat Suppliers (Aims) has praised the findings of a recent Food Standards Agency (FSA) study investigating microbiological contamination in sheep slaughtered for human consumption in England…

BUSINESS

Dyson Farming increases profit to £5.2m in 2023

Dyson Farming made a pre-tax profit of £5.2m in the year to 31 December 2023, up by £527,000 on the previous year. Sir James Dyson’s farming business also increased its…

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Latest from farm management Know How

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BUSINESS

Grassland dairy unit adopts low-input strategy

Dairy farmer Tim Morrow provided an insight into his low-input grazing system and nature-friendly farming methods during a Transition farm walk in Northern Ireland. Farmers, agricultural advisers and supply chain…

BUSINESS

Alternative land uses: Woodland creation - key points

Financial support for woodland creation and management in England is at record levels, so it could be the right time to consider this as an option. Talk of reducing sheep…

AGRICULTURAL TRANSITION

Precision farming: Benefits, costs and developments

Practical pointers on new technology were the focus of a Transition Project event in our webinar series. Precision farming techniques are already used across about 60% of UK farmland and…

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

What to consider when reviewing farm insurance

Insurance is a challenging market, with weather-related claims behind much of the premium increases policyholders have seen over the past few years. General inflation and in particular in farm machinery…

BUSINESS

How to bounce back from bad weather and drop in farm support

Labelled as a perfect storm, declining support payments, a new government, extreme weather and market disruption have combined to cause uncertainty and put incomes under pressure in 2024. Transition from…

BUSINESS

Variable production margins highlight importance of SFI

Typical farm types in England face a lean financial future unless they adopt Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) options or find sources of income from other environmental measures or alternative enterprises.…

BUSINESS

Business Clinic: Succession prompts decisions on farmland

Whether it’s a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s Business Clinic experts can help. Here Edward Beale, associate partner with Carter Jonas, advises on a question of…

BUSINESS

FW Awards 2024: Farm Manager of the Year

Breiffni Daly, of Sansaw Dairies in Shropshire is Farmers Weekly Farm Manager of the Year 2024. Budget, budget, budget is the key, he says , as manager of a 1,500-head…

BUSINESS

FW Awards 2024: Diversification Farmer of the Year

Annabel Makin-Jones of Sturton Grange, West Yorkshire, is Farmers Weekly's 2024 Awards Diversification Farmer of the Year. A keen eye and determination has enabled Annabel Makin-Jones to build a successful…

CARBON

Carbon markets: A beginner's guide

The UK’s carbon markets are growing, but there is confusion around the principles. Farmers Weekly asks CLA adviser Matthew Doran how they work. See also: Mineral rights - what farmers…

BUSINESS CLINIC

Business Clinic: Responsibility for hedges, trees and ditches

Whether it’s a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s Business Clinic experts can help. Tanya Griffiths, associate in the Thrings Agricultural Litigation team, advises on responsibility for…

BUSINESS CLINIC

Business Clinic: Advice on employing staff for the first time

Whether it’s a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s Business Clinic experts can help. Joe Spencer, a partner in MHA, advises on the administration implications of employing…

DIVERSIFICATION

How diversification can offer route to succession

The range of enterprises on the Williams family’s 81ha farm on the outskirts of the Cornish village of St Agnes demonstrates their entrepreneurial approach, incorporating a willingness to take calculated…

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

Farm cashflow advice as cost and price pressures mount

Creditor levels on-farm are rising and bank facilities are stretched as cashflow is further squeezed. The payment of Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) cash in two instalments this year has helped…

BUSINESS

Consider implications of farming company structure fully

A company structure is right for some businesses, but too often the decision is driven by the potential for paying less tax on profits when there is far more to…

TAX

Advice on averaging farm profit to smooth out tax bills

Farming profits can be averaged over two or five years provided certain criteria are met. This has the advantage of smoothing cashflow on tax and national insurance payments, also potentially…

Business Clinic

BUSINESS

Business Clinic: Succession prompts decisions on farmland

Whether it’s a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s Business Clinic experts can help. Here Edward Beale, associate partner with Carter Jonas, advises on a question of…

BUSINESS CLINIC

Business Clinic: Responsibility for hedges, trees and ditches

Whether it’s a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s Business Clinic experts can help. Tanya Griffiths, associate in the Thrings Agricultural Litigation team, advises on responsibility for…

BUSINESS CLINIC

Business Clinic: Advice on employing staff for the first time

Whether it’s a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s Business Clinic experts can help. Joe Spencer, a partner in MHA, advises on the administration implications of employing…

BUSINESS CLINIC

Business Clinic: Tax advice on shared land project

Whether it’s a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s Business Clinic experts can help. Here Joe Spencer, a partner in MHA, advises on the tax relief implications…

 
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Markets and trends

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CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

UK wheat demand hit by limited access to EU biofuels market

Arable farmers supplying cereals to the biofuels sector could see curtailed demand as a result of trade limitations imposed by the EU. In order to have continued access to the…

BROILERS

South Africa reopens for UK chicken post bird flu

The UK has regained market access to South Africa for poultrymeat in a deal which could be worth £160m to the sector over the next five years. South Africa has…

BUSINESS

Machinery dealers hit by slump in agricultural sales

Machinery dealers are facing considerable financial and mental pressure as sales slump in response to challenges facing the whole agricultural sector. One of the most telling indicators is the significant…

DAIRY MARKETS AND PRICES

Lactalis gives notice to 12 dairy producers in Scotland

Global dairy processor Lactalis has served notice to 12 of its farmer suppliers in south-west Scotland. Affected producers have been given 12 months’ notice to try and secure a new…

MEAT MARKETS AND PRICES

NSA ram sale average up nearly 30% on the year at £886 a head

More than 2,500 tups sold to an average price of £886 a head at the NSA main ram sale on 23 September at Builth Wells. Averages were up overall by…

BUSINESS

Borderway Mart receives £1m investment as it marks 50 years

Auctioneer Harrison and Hetherington has announced it is to invest £1m in its Borderway Mart facilities in Carlisle. The investment will help to improve the movement and welfare of livestock…

MEAT MARKETS AND PRICES

Red tape pressure lifts Irish cow culling 10%

More evidence of tighter cattle supplies is coming out of Ireland, where beef and dairy dispersals are rife. Irish Food Board data show a 25,820-head increase in cows culled from…

DAIRY MARKETS AND PRICES

Farmgate milk prices and processor profits both on the up

Dairy farmers supplying Meadow and Freshways will receive a higher milk price this autumn, following the wider industry trend. Commodity markets continue to look strong with price gains for cream,…

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…

 
 
 

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