Latest farming opinions NEWSOpinion: Standing room only when a planner comes to talkI’m off to Montague Farm in East Sussex, which seems to alternate use of its farm buildings as a venue for upmarket weddings and … er … NFU gatherings. Sadly,… NEWSOpinion: Rule burden set to grow, with farmers bearing bruntThe recent decision by poultry processor Avara to impose new litter management protocols on its farmer-suppliers and the government’s U-turn on nutrient neutrality rules for housing developments show how the… NEWSOpinion: It's been another 'perfectly average' harvestMy first full-time job was on a training scheme with one of the large corporate farming businesses. Fettling with some hail nets on one stunning spring morning, we stopped for… NEWSEditor's View: SFI rollout begins but questions remainGood things, it is said, come to those who wait. But farmer patience has already been severely tested, and questions remain about just how good it really is. Yes, we’re… NEWSOpinion: Nutrient U-turn shows flaw in ecological approachThe government announced a staggering U-turn last week on its requirement of nutrient neutrality for new housing developments. Bemoaned by the Home Builders Federation as a “disproportionate moratorium on housebuilding”,… NEWSOpinion: Workable public access depends on 'respect'Like it or not, land is a commodity. Everyone wants a piece. Yet we live in a society where, as the conservationist Aldo Leopold wrote, most people have no direct… NEWSEditor's View: Farmers and MPs more similar than you thinkHow do you feel about our current crop of politicians? If you’re anything like the rest of the population, the answer is probably “not good”. Survey after survey show politicians… NEWSOpinion: Time to act if village pub is worth fighting forThe sad saga of the Crooked House pub in Staffordshire piqued my curiosity. It’s the sort of situation on which I would have been asked to give advice in my… NEWSOpinion: Natural England's approach to SSSIs is too blinkeredI was able to attend, as an observer, the 10-hour meeting held in St Ives on 28 June, where the board of Natural England (NE) approved notification of a site… NEWSOpinion: It was inevitable - bring on the ugly Discovery 5My best mate, Julian, had his Land Rover Discovery stolen recently, leaving the local police force baffled. They weren’t mystified by who took it so much as why on earth… NEWSEditor's view: Learnings from nutrient neutrality debacleFrontrunners to be the next NFU president will have had their notepads out this week to analyse what is shaping up to be a contender for the most effective bit… NEWSOpinion: Work experience student rises to the challengeWe’ve just had a work experience student to stay for a week. He’s been here before (mainly as a broom operator, with a few basic tractor driving lessons thrown in)… NEWSOpinion: We should be ashamed of our safety recordAs a farmer or farmworker, you are 21 times more likely to be killed at work than the average Briton. If you are over the age of 45, you occupy… OPINIONEditor's view: Volatility will breed a new type of farmerIt strikes me that farmers are being just as selectively bred for the conditions imposed on them as the livestock and crops they select traits for. How different are you… NEWSOpinion: Farming legend Temple Grandin reviews handling raceI can only describe it as the agricultural equivalent of having Tiger Woods staring at you while you take a swing at the local driving range. We’ve run tens of thousands… NEWSOpinion: Give farmers information to tackle water scarcityFarmers are experts in making valuable resources go further – getting the most from every bag of fertiliser, every hour of available daylight, every drop of red diesel. But what… NEWSOpinion: AI will focus on farm management, not tasksWhat role will AI play in the farm of the future? It took me a moment to twig that the question was about artificial intelligence, not bull sperm or bird… OPINIONEditor's View: Still reasons to be cheerful amid dairy gloom“Leverage is knowing if someone had all the money in the world this is what they’d buy.” So says John Dutton, the hard-bitten cattle rancher played by Kevin Costner in… NEWSOpinion: Red meat industry needs healthy competitionAs I sat there, hungover, in the lecture hall, I knew I would never use this drivel. Economics? I hadn’t signed up for this as an ag student. I made… More articles
