Know How latest

DIVERSIFICATION

How alternative enterprises can provide valuable farm income

The most common form of diversification is letting out buildings for commercial purposes, with storage, workshops and office spaces among the most popular uses. Even when commercial lets are removed…

LIVESTOCK

Benefits of learning from a non-farming business

There is much to be gained from visiting a non-farming business as part of a group of livestock farmers wanting to learn from high-performing, profitable people. One of the key…

TRACTORS

Driver's view: Tom Dirom's Valtra Q285

Valtra’s long-awaited Q-series finally broke cover in 2022, filling a void between its existing T and S ranges. Second biggest in the five-strong line-up is the Q285, which matches the…

ARABLE

New entrant's journey from photographer to regen farmer

Starring in a film, returning home to help run the family farm, and continuing the transition to a regenerative system her father had started three years earlier have all been…

BUSINESS

How a dairy farm solved planning permission and succession

One dairy farming family is looking forward to building a new home on their holding in Derbyshire, thanks to the use of planning guidance which requires local authorities to consider…

SHEEP

Sheep system change sees agreement between father and son

Introducing some smart technology, buying a quad bike and replacing a sheep breed on the family livestock farm seem easy decisions for one young farmer, compared with managing his dad’s…

NEWS

FW Survey 2025: A year of improvement - for some farms

Given the lack of confidence pervading agriculture right now, it is perhaps surprising to see that more businesses have enjoyed a relatively prosperous 2025 than in the preceding 12 months.…

TRACTORS

Driver's view: Tom Mixture's John Deere 6R 250

Sitting at the apex of John Deere’s “mid-size” tractor line-up, the 6R 250 offers a healthy slug of power in a modestly proportioned chassis. Its versatility in tackling jobs both…

ARABLE

Young farmers bold move to take on council tenancy pays off

Joshua Dennis, a 26-year-old arable farmer from Cambridgeshire, made the bold move to take on a county council tenancy at just 22 years old. Three successful yet challenging harvests later,…

TRACTORS

Driver's view: Robin Ward's Massey Ferguson 8S.305

For the Massey Ferguson buyer seeking 300 horses, both the 8S and 9S can deliver the goods. But the former’s blend of power and manoeuvrability made it the sensible choice…

BUSINESS

Farming partnership prompts move from Hampshire to Somerset

Ben and Molly Foote made the move from Hampshire to Somerset in October, to start milking on a former dairy farm where they are renovating and adding to the buildings.…

LIVESTOCK

How off-farm pursuits are benefiting two livestock farms

A change is as good as a rest, the saying goes, and getting away from the farm to do something completely different is a great way to recharge the batteries.…

TRACTORS

Driver's view: Dan Chanin's Claas Axion 870

Armed with a 6.7-litre FPT engine and a choice of transmissions, Claas’s five-model Axion 800 range has the 200-300hp sector covered. And it’s the range-topping 870 with Cmatic CVT that’s…

ARABLE

Young farmer completes marathon 2,000-mile US harvest

When Eleanor Gilbert graduated from university, she knew she wanted to travel overseas – not looking out the window of a tour bus, but by completing a marathon 2,000-mile harvest…

TRACTORS

Driver's View: Ben Sharp’s Case IH Optum 300

Case IH’s Puma 260 might be the obvious match for the 300hp tractors featured in this series, but, with the near-identical T7.300 already covered, we’re instead focusing on a model…

POULTRY

Benefits of premium turkey contract for beef and sheep farm

Growing turkeys is allowing a Powys farm to earn an additional income stream from its beef and sheep sheds at a time of the year when they would otherwise have…

OTHER CROPS

How agronomist is helping growers earn more from niche crops

Armed with new research findings, analysis of farm yield data and many hours of crop walking, a team of agronomists are helping farmers maximise returns from their niche crops. For…

COMMUNITY

How two livestock farmers give back to their communities

If you want something done, ask a busy person, so the saying goes. Few people are busier than farmers, yet thousands still find time to take on charitable and community…

SUCCESSION PLANNING

Farm succession: how to plan for future control and ownership

There are many ways of achieving the successful transfer of a business. A planned change over time is the ideal, but the last two Budgets have ramped everything up several…

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

OFC report: Tough choices today protect your farm tomorrow

UK agriculture is standing at a crossroads, and the roadmap to a new future, according to a fresh report from the Oxford Farming Conference (OFC), isn’t going to be set…

ATVS AND UTVS

On test: Kawasaki's keenly priced Brute Force 450 ATV

You’d be forgiven for thinking Kawasaki had forgotten about agricultural ATVs. Ever since the Mule rose to prominence, the Japanese firm’s attentions seem to have been focused on steering wheels…

LAND MARKETS

Farmland in your area 2025: West Midlands

Supplies of farmland in the West Midlands have bucked the national trend with the number of acres marketed in 2025 among the highest for five years. According to rural agents,…

BEEF

How cost focus unlocked beef and sheep farm’s potential

There is nothing like a debt to focus the mind – and a farming partnership restructuring that allowed Richard McCornick and his brother Craig to farm independently certainly did that.…

LAND MARKETS

Planning consent and lotting - when do they help a farm sale?

Maximising the value of your assets is clearly a sensible strategy when preparing to sell your farm, but sometimes the rewards don’t outweigh the time, effort and costs involved. Securing…

ROTATIONS

Poor grain outlook sees farms rethink rotations and machinery

For many arable farmers, the reality of low grain prices and minimal government support has triggered some of the toughest decisions of their careers. As margins tighten and markets fail…

BUSINESS CLINIC

Business Clinic: Tax advice on sheds let for commercial use

Whether it’s a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s Business Clinic experts can help. Here, Kate Bell, a partner with accountant Albert Goodman, explains the many tax…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

Calf toys: What’s on offer and are they worth it?

Introducing toys into the calf pen can enhance the development and wellbeing of youngstock, helping them thrive and become resilient animals in adulthood. However, these should not be at the…

SUGAR BEET

Suffolk beet grower counts huge cost of beet moth

Beet moth was responsible for a sugar beet yield reduction of 25%, a drop in sugar content and a forced switch to earlier lifting at Troston Farms in Suffolk, where…

PARASITIC DISEASES

Advice on an integrated approach to endoparasite management

Managing endoparasites, including worms, fluke, and coccidia, remains a persistent challenge for UK farms that directly affects animal welfare and profitability. As resistance to anthelmintics – and understanding of their…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

Advice on using natural predators to control nuisance flies

Early birds may get worms, but livestock farmers planning fly control in winter benefit by preventing a population explosion of common and stable flies next summer. Starting a tailored fly…

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

Farm data revolution relies on greater collaboration

The data revolution could transform UK agriculture, but fundamental issues remain. That was the key takeaway from speakers and delegates at the recent Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’ Telecoms conference.…

NEWS

Silicon Valley cash shapes UK animal welfare agenda

Tens of millions of pounds are flowing to UK organisations from the San Francisco-based Coefficient Giving foundation (formerly Open Philanthropy), giving them influence in Westminster and raising questions about transparency,…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Why genetics must be central to late blight management

Late blight resistant varieties must be an active component of potato crop management regimes, rather than a “just-in-case” safety net. That is the view of Dan Milbourne, who is leading…

LAND MARKETS

Farmland in your area 2025: East Midlands

A slowdown in new instructions and completed sales in the East Midlands was evident in the spring and summer. The combination of downward pressures of extreme weather, economic challenges, crop…

TAX

Budget analysis: IHT concession but added taxes elsewhere

Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s 26 November Budget made the £1m inheritance tax (IHT) allowance on qualifying assets transferable between spouses and civil partners. This brings the rules for this allowance in…