Latest farming opinions

NEWS

Opinion: Society and government need farmers more than ever

 The future of farming is bright, even if it may not feel that way at times. Ultimately, there will be some 10 billion mouths to feed by the middle of…

NEWS

Editor's View: Little prospect of bigger budget at Defra

What do the NFU, Country Land and Business Association, RSPB, National Trust and the Wildlife Trusts have in common? No, it’s not that they represent more than 50% of the…

NEWS

Opinion: Farmers need a new mindset and sense of purpose

Of all the problems that beset farming, the idea that farmers are heroes is one of the worst. The film poster for the new US movie documentary Common Ground even portrays…

NEWS

Opinion: Colostrum will be key in two-tier calf market

A bit like our scraper tractor, whose throttle has been stuck since the mid 1980s, it takes quite a bit to get me revved up. But an article in Farmers…

NEWS

Editor's View: Time for Red Tractor to find reverse gear

The dam has sprung a leak. Farming officialdom – in the form of the NFU, NFU Scotland, Ulster Farmers’ Union and AHDB – has finally recommended Red Tractor’s Greener Farms…

NEWS

Opinion: Simple self-help tools can be useful to farmers

An Irish podcaster known as “Blindboy”, famous for wearing a mask fashioned out of a shopping bag, may have one of the best tools for mental health. He highlights the…

NEWS

Opinion: Welsh SFS plans take toll on farmers' mental health

When is the Welsh government going to undertake an analysis of the mental wellbeing of farmers affected by its new Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS)? That’s a question I asked myself…

NEWS

Opinion: Welsh farming SFS proposal has 'ignited a fire'

Saturday night and I am in the theatre in Port Talbot. My 10-year-old son is performing in the Glamorgan Young Farmers drama competition. The place is buzzing with mums, dads,…

NEWS

Editor's view: Political reset gives hope to Welsh farmers

It was 120 years ago that the Welsh National Agricultural Society was born in Committee Room 12 in the Houses of Parliament. This week, that poignant milestone has been honoured…

OPINION

Charlie Flindt: 'Lorry Rage' soon turns to melancholy

A two-hour drive to the West Midlands on one of the few nice days we’ve had in the past month inspired the first twinges of regret since our big lifestyle…

NEWS

Opinion: Diversification feels like Monopoly

Dairy farming these days can feel a bit like a life behind bars so, to use a Monopoly analogy, it seems our many trips around the farming board just repeatedly…

NEWS

Editor’s View: Batters' baton passes to Bradshaw. What next?

The Batters era is over. The Bradshaw era has begun. The NFU presidential baton was passed this week at the annual conference, with David Exwood and Rachel Hallos coming in…

OPINION

Opinion: Farmers getting plenty of mixed messages

These are confusing times to be a farmer, torn between concerns about the impact that food production has on the environment and the need to grow ever more food for…

NEWS

Opinion: The scientific case for land sparing is compelling

A report last year from the World Resources Institute (WRI) noted that, while about 85% of the planet’s usable land is already used for commercial forestry or agriculture, the world…

NEWS

Opinion: 'Pivot fever' aside, Kiwi farmers are remarkable

My wife and I have just returned from a delayed honeymoon in what is, in my opinion, one of the finest countries in the world – New Zealand. Twelve years…

OPINION

Editor's View: Fine job so far by Welsh protest organisers

Last week (8 February), an estimated 3,000 people gathered in Carmarthen Market to say: “Digon yw digon. Enough is enough”. It followed a meeting in Welshpool on 1 February with…

OPINION

Opinion: Tractor blockades would just 'irritate' supporters

I hear rumours of British farmers wanting to mirror the protests in Europe. French farmers are using their tractors as a show of defiance. Echoing the spirit of Mary Antoinette,…

OPINION

Opinion: Too many politicians are ignorant of rural life

Of all the eyebrow-raising moments in former MP Rory Stewart’s recent memoir, Politics on the Edge, an encounter with Liz Truss in the Defra offices was truly astonishing. Our shortest-serving…

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