Know How latest BUSINESSCranswick half-year profits soarMeat processor Cranswick has posted a 31% increase in half-yearly profits to almost £61m. The Hull-based company exports pigmeat and supplies chicken and pork products to British retailers. Figures… SOILSTwo growers reveal their soil health improvement tipsThere is an increasing focus on improving soil health as farmers look to introduce more sustainable arable cropping systems, and the finalists of the Soil Farmer of the Year 2020… FEED AND NUTRITIONExpert guide to feed and water requirements for weanersResearch has shown that good growth rates in the weaning period sets the pig up for continued strong growth until slaughter. Therefore, it is crucial to carefully. manage weaner nutrition.… POULTRYBumper demand expected for turkeys this ChristmasTurkey producers are looking forward to strong sales this Christmas as stay-at-home families scramble to buy smaller birds for smaller gatherings. The British Poultry Council (BPC) says there is increasing… MACHINERYBuyer's guide to tractor-powered woodchippersBiomass burners have been popping up on farms and estates all over the country during the past decade thanks to some attractive renewable heat incentives that have helped subsidise installation… HEALTH AND WELFARECMT could cut dry-cow antibiotics use by half, study showsUsing the Californian Mastitis Test (CMT) at drying off could help cut antibiotics use by 50% without impacting clinical mastitis, a study has found. In the first large-scale investigation to… BEEFOn-farm project shows cost benefits of home-rearing bull beefHome-rearing bull beef on ad-lib concentrates and straw has worked out marginally cheaper for a Welsh suckler enterprise than outsourcing the job to a finishing unit. The Griffith family run… FARM MAINTENANCEHow to make fence posts on farms last longerPreservative-treated timber fence posts have developed a pretty dire reputation over the past decade or so. Countless farmers have shelled out thousands for these products, gone to the expense of… MARKETS AND TRENDSChina, currency and weather are global grain market driversThe outlook for UK prices is expected to be influenced by Chinese demand prospects and currency volatility in the next few weeks, says Cofco UK trading director Stuart Shiells. The… FEED AND NUTRITIONEwe nutrition requirements through the production yearGetting ewe nutrition right is not only critical to the health of the ewe and her lambs, both present and future, it is also pivotal when it comes to profitability.… POULTRYHow to manage poultry housing environments in winterMaintaining a healthy and productive environment in poultry housing requires careful management of a number of interrelated factors. Producers have to walk a fine line, balancing ventilation rates, humidity and… LAND MARKETSLand market in your area: North-east EnglandThe number of acres on the market in north-east England is down on the year by almost 40%, on a par with the national supply’s picture, which at its worst… CRIMERural crime: The mental and financial toll on farmersIn 2019, rural crime cost the UK £54.3m – a rise of nearly 9% from the previous year, with farmers bearing the brunt of the damage. But it is not… TECHNOLOGYEmerging tech to improve soil health and cut pesticide useSoil degradation across the world is costing agriculture average losses estimated at 1.5mm/year on conventionally managed farms and how to reverse this trend is key to the future of farming.… DAIRY7 reasons mastitis is more challenging in automatic milkingAutomatic milking systems are growing in popularity due to the lifestyle benefits they afford farmers. But independent research shows udder health can deteriorate when farms transition from conventional milking systems… MEAT MARKETS AND PRICESCoronavirus: Beef imports figures show sharp riseBeef imports have risen sharply since the summer as restrictions imposed during the first UK Covid-19 lockdown were relaxed. Figures released by the AHDB show imports reached 26,200t in September… WORKSHOP SKILLSManaging welding fumes on farms – all you need to knowFarm businesses must now understand and mitigate the health and safety risks associated with fumes produced during welding and other metalwork tasks to protect the long-term health and wellbeing of… NUTRITION AND FERTILISERWhat agronomists say about a urea fertiliser banDefra’s consultation on reducing the ammonia emissions from the use of urea fertilisers has received a mixed reception from the arable farming industry, with some accusing the government department of… BREEDING AND FERTILITYHow Welsh sheep producers are improving hill geneticsWelsh Mountain sheep producers from across Wales have joined forces to raise the commercial standard of regional types of hill sheep. The ProHill producer group is the biggest collaborative breeding… FEED AND NUTRITION5 warning signs of mycotoxin contamination in feedFarmers are being warned to keep their eyes peeled for signs of contamination in feed after sampling has shown high mycotoxin risk levels. UK-wide sampling carried out by Alltech has… WORKSHOP SKILLSWorkshop heaters: The options and the rulesWinter is a prime time for repairs, maintenance, modifying or making pieces of equipment that will make life easier when fieldwork picks up again. But the thought of spending long,… DAIRYDairy financial KPIs: What they mean and when to use themEvery business should know financial measures so they can understand and benchmark business performance. Oliver Hall and Jake Armstrong-Frost, consultants from The Andersons Centre, take us through the main ones… POULTRYExpert advice for preventing vermin issues on poultry farmsVermin can leave a big dent in a poultry farm’s feed conversion figures and the damage they cause to housing and equipment is costly. As the days get shorter and… BUSINESS MANAGEMENTFinalists line up for 2020 Nuffield Bullock AwardThe Stephen and Gill Bullock Award, and its £1,000 cash prize, is presented to the Nuffield scholar judged to have done the most with their Nuffield experience 10 years after… 4X4SArkonik upgrade gives old Land Rover Defenders a 430hp V8Land Rover lovers unconvinced by the exterior frills and fripperies of the new-style Defender can now have all the mod cons, and a V8 engine, shoehorned into an old model's… CROP MANAGEMENTHow arable data analytics could counteract the loss of BPSCould insights from data analytics drive an improvement in business performance that will counteract the loss of Basic Payment Scheme income? That’s the ambitious objective the 15 farmers in Yagro’s… DAIRYGold Cup winners 2003: Where are they now?The Sanders family have completely overhauled their business since winning the NMR/RABDF Gold Cup. The family, famed for turning out 120 cows with a 100t lifetime production – the most… FARM POLICYAnalysis: What a ban on solid urea could mean for farmingGovernment plans to place a ban on the use of solid urea have taken many farmers by surprise, even though the idea has been kicking around for a couple of… OTHER CROPSSpring triticale is best performing crop on Wiltshire farmSpring-sown triticale was the best performing crop for Wiltshire mixed farmer David Irvine last summer, giving a yield of 8t/ha and plenty of high-quality straw. His Cotswold brash soils often… LAND MARKETSHow farmers can sell small blocks of land for a big returnOwners of small fields delivering limited returns from agriculture could benefit from cashing in on the general public’s growing demand for land. The Covid-19 lockdown experience has changed buyers’ priorities,… FEED AND NUTRITIONHow a dairy farm lifted pregnancy to 31.5% through nutritionAberystwyth University’s farm manager Stephen Jones has increased pregnancy rates from 20.8% to 31.5% by improving forage quality and dry matter (DM) intakes. At the same time, he has reduced… CEREAL DRILLSUltimate guide to buying a min-till drill 2021Our latest Ultimate Guide focuses on direct, min-till and disc cultivator drills, with the listings providing a snapshot of every make, model and variation in terms of format, specification and retail… CROP MANAGEMENTHow on-farm weather data can improve crop managementWhether it is a text to alert you to the wind speed being too high to continue safely spraying, or understanding your cumulative rainfall over the past 24 or 48… FEED AND NUTRITIONBenefits and considerations when feeding youngstock molassesStrategic feeding during identified phases of heifer growth can be useful to get heifers to target weight at breeding and liquid feeds such as molasses can play a role in… GRASSLAND MANAGEMENTHow a grazing and stocking overhaul reduced sheep costsLambs are finishing earlier on a diet of grass and red clover since a Ceredigion sheep farm swapped set stocking and creep feeding for paddock grazing. The Davies family sold… FEED AND NUTRITIONAdvice on dealing with dairy feed refusalsManaging feed refusals is a careful balancing act between providing enough feed to maximise intakes and minimising waste at the trough. Independent nutritionist Mark Price of Dairy Diagnosis gives advice…
