This Week in Farming: Harvest, capital grants and new Ranger

Welcome back to another edition of This Week in Farming, your regular round-up of the best Farmers Weekly content from the past seven days.

First, to the markets (opens as PDF). All red meat looks to have edged lower on the week in the live ring, while cereals are flat and red diesel is a penny lower at 68.4p/litre.

Now, on with the show.

Harvest is a go

Farmers started cutting winter barley in earnest across a swathe of England this week with the recent hot weather letting many get going earlier than normal.

Indeed, the curtain did not come down on the summer arable event calendar until this week, with Groundswell finishing on Thursday (3 July).

I filed my article from there on the sobering outlook for growers’ (lack of) profitability.

It’s not too late to plan a change of cropping for next season, with arable editor Richard Allison speaking to Premium Crops about three in-demand crop options – winter linseed, oilseed rape and borage.

The arable team have also dug into the yellow rust-induced narrowing winter wheat options, and why variety Bamford is breathing new life into the Group 3 biscuit wheat sector.

The start of the season also means our annual Harvest Photography competition is now open, with a chance to see your image on the Farmers Weekly magazine front cover.

Capital grants scheme reopens

For the first time since November, farmers in England will be able to apply for capital grant funding to assist with on-farm projects.

There are 78 specified items eligible for funding from the £150m pot, but funding is capped on a per business basis.

Defra secretary Steve Reed announced the reopening of the scheme on the main stage at Groundswell this week, where I also tried to wheedle out more details of what the next iteration of the Sustainable Farming Incentive looked like, with limited success.

Partnership problems

Three pieces on various aspects of structuring a business correctly will provoke some ponderings, especially with all the upheaval in this area as many families prepare for inheritance tax changes.

We revisit the pros and cons of having a limited company as a partner within a partnership, with our Business Clinic experts answering two probing questions.

The first is around the ramifications of being in two partnerships at the same time and the second is advice on fluctuating partnership capital – a major consideration at the breakup of a partnership.

Rounding off Business Clinic this month sees a planning expert looking at what to consider before applying to convert a farm building into a large house.

Ranger powers up

Ford has followed Toyota in launching a hybrid pickup onto the UK market, with machinery editor Oliver Mark giving a petrol-and-electron-powered Ranger a thorough test this week.

At 281hp, it’s the punchiest powertrain yet seen by the model.

It comes with the lower emissions that unlock additional savings for company car buyers, as well as the nifty Pro Power Onboard feature – sockets in the cab and load bed to you and me.

Elsewhere in Machinery this week, we speak to the Isle of Wight contractor who’s ditched his foraging work and speak to Mzuri founder Martin Lole who reveals why production of the company’s arable kit has moved from Warwickshire to Poland.

Who’s up and who’s down?

On the up this week are agronomy firm Agrovista, which revealed it has snapped up smaller rival Zantra.

Feeling glum this week will be livestock farmers, who have had to shell out significant sums to get hold of standing straw, amid fears over tight supplies this season after the dry weather.

Listen to the podcast

Don’t forget to tune in to the Farmers Weekly podcast, with Johann Tasker, Louise Impey and Hugh Broom. 

You’ll find it anywhere you listen to podcasts, or free to listen to on the FW website.