Latest farming opinions OPINIONOpinion: Impossible to believe game is up for my beef farmingJust as supermarket Morrisons stopped bothering to distinguish whether it was selling Australian or British beef on its website, I signed a contract to spend £85,000 on a cattle handling… OPINIONEditor's View: Kindness still has power amid IHT debacleNo one was terribly surprised by this week’s news that the Treasury will press on with its plan to reform inheritance tax (IHT) with virtually no changes to what had… OPINIONOpinion: Seller beware as farm scams spreadLittle of much intrigue happens on this farm in the depths of winter, but on one drizzly, dark day just before Christmas last year there was a brief exception. As… OPINIONOpinion: Farmers showing the way on climate change mitigationThe recent progress report from the Climate Change Committee (CCC) is a stark wake-up call: the UK’s preparations for climate change are “inadequate”. But out in the fields, farmers have… OPINIONOpinion: We need more 'bums on seats', not more robotsI’m not particularly “techie”, but fortunately I run with bright young staff. Any setting up or day-to-day running of complicated kit can easily be grasped by them and, eventually, taught… OPINIONEditor's View: Welsh scheme deploys both carrot and stick“That’s very brave, minister.” The immortal words of Yes Minister’s permanent secretary Sir Humphrey when he wanted to advise the minister for the Department of Administrative Affairs, Jim Hacker, that… OPINIONOpinion: Connecting with my 'caveman' sparks a revelationI had a profound experience recently. I discovered a deeply buried part of my character: my inner caveman. With all the gizmos of modern life – central heating, GPS-guided drones,… OPINIONOpinion: Tap into environmental funding, despite Defra cutsIt appears from the outside as though nature and biodiversity on farms could take a bit of a bashing over the coming years. Announcements are still to be made about… OPINIONEditor's View: Precious water is bedrock of food securityFreedom Week. That was how the editor of Farmers Weekly described the end of rationing in 1954 – 71 years ago this week – as farmers celebrated the government no longer… OPINIONOpinion: Let's stop the 'race to the bottom' by retailersStudying for an MBA module about the failure of Walmart to succeed in Germany brought a fundamental piece of legislation to my attention. Part of the reason Walmart failed in… OPINIONOpinion: A chance to share my SFI views and ideas with DefraI won’t flatter myself that anyone takes my Opinion pieces seriously. But just before you were lining the cat litter tray with my last effort, you may have noticed that… OPINIONOpinion: Wider industry to blame for lack of productivity gainIf you are not a farmer and you are reading this, you probably represent the problem this industry is facing. Farmers are not valued as part of the process that… OPINIONEditor's View: Tight times ahead for arable - who can win?Two trips in the past two weeks have given a fresh perspective on the challenges posed to the arable sector by the current ultra-low prices, and how farmers will be… OPINIONOpinion: Confusion as TB hits Hinton Ampner – or does it?Regular readers will know that I don’t often do “serious”. In nearly three decades of columns, I’ve never strayed into “glass half empty” territory. Alas, not this week. You see,… OPINIONOpinion: Farming under threat from cyberattacks and AITo misquote Terminator 2: Judgement Day: "I need your clothes, your boots and your farm subsidy." It’s my favourite instalment from the film – Schwarzenegger switching sides, a young street-smart… OPINIONOpinion: Stop defending Brexit fantasy and tell the truthIn the years since Brexit, British agriculture has become caught in a peculiar double bind. We’re told to look forward, not back. To embrace change. To take responsibility. But at… OPINIONEditor's View: What will your cab musings be this harvest?“First come the dreamers. Then the bankers. Then the salesmen. Then the sharks. Then the desperate. Then the thieves.” So said the fictional Tommy Norris, Billy Bob Thornton’s character in… OPINIONOpinion: IHT stance is 'incompetence and intransigence'The online newspaper that I read enables comments under most articles. When it comes to farming, there is a cohort of contributors who are furious that farmers will pay only… OPINIONOpinion: Mindset matters when it comes to climate changeEvery farming decision is a risk calculation. Whether it’s when to buy in feed, how long to hold finished stock, or whether to invest in that new handling system, farmers… More articles
