Bovine TB

In your field: Alan Carter - "All you need for a summer of checking stock with your children and a dog is: a bag of electric fence wire, CDs (Johnny Cash and ABBA), ball valve arms, tennis balls and car seats"

In your field

In your field: Alan Carter - "All you need for a summer of checking stock with your children and a dog is: a bag of electric fence wire, CDs (Johnny Cash and ABBA), ball valve arms, tennis balls and car seats"

Alan Carter farms in partnership with his parents, Paul and Christine, on a 162 hectare (400-acre), 400-cow dairy unit at Constantine, Cornwall, with 130 milking cows, supplying Saputo. Alan, also a parish councillor, and his wife Sarah, have two children, Ross and Dana

clock 22 February 2025 • 3 min read
In your field: Helen Stanier – "My heart goes out to those losing good cows through bovine TB"

In your field

In your field: Helen Stanier – "My heart goes out to those losing good cows through bovine TB"

Helen is a fifth-generation farmer who farms with her family at Grey Leys Farm in the Vale of York. The farm comprises 162ha (400 acres) of grass, maize and wholecrop for their 240 pedigree Jersey cows plus followers

clock 11 February 2025 • 3 min read
In your field: James Robinson – "We all have a voice when it comes to disease control or how our farmland is managed"

In your field

In your field: James Robinson – "We all have a voice when it comes to disease control or how our farmland is managed"

James farms Dairy Shorthorns east of Kendal, Cumbria. The fifth generation to farm at Strickley, he is also vice-chair of the Nature Friendly Farming Network

clock 11 February 2025 • 3 min read
Number of beef cross dairy calves up 77% in 10 years

Livestock

Number of beef cross dairy calves up 77% in 10 years

British dairy farmers have significantly reduced the number of pure-bred dairy bull calves being born on their farms, according to a report outlining the progress of the GB Dairy Calf Strategy

clock 04 February 2025 • 4 min read
From the editor: New research showcasing impact of bovine TB on farmers must be heeded

Politics

From the editor: New research showcasing impact of bovine TB on farmers must be heeded

Farmers Guardian editor Olivia Midgley's take on this week's top farming news stories

clock 31 January 2025 • 2 min read
James Robinson on bTB: "Give us the choice to at least stand and fight"

Livestock

James Robinson on bTB: "Give us the choice to at least stand and fight"

Cumbrian dairy farmer and FG columnist, James Robinson, provides an account of the bovine TB situation on his farm and airs his frustration at not being able to identify the root cause

clock 31 January 2025 • 6 min read
Farming in Five: Farmers frustrated by having to publicly defend the safety and viability of their businesses in light of public concerns around methane suppressors

Farming in Five

Farming in Five: Farmers frustrated by having to publicly defend the safety and viability of their businesses in light of public concerns around methane suppressors

In today's Farming in Five, chief reporter Rachael Brown reports on farmers' frustration of having to publicly defend the safety and viability of their businesses in light of public concerns around methane suppressors, Wales announces an all-wales avian influenza prevention zone, after it was declared across England and Scotland earlier in the week, and NFU Council members vote in favour of staging a further protest in the capital as part of a drive to halt the family farm tax

clock 30 January 2025 • 1 min read
Bovine TB causes sleepless nights, anger and depression for farmers

Animal Health

Bovine TB causes sleepless nights, anger and depression for farmers

A new report commissioned by the Farming Community Network (FCN) has laid bare the impact of bTB on farmers' health

clock 28 January 2025 • 2 min read
Semex conference: The challenge of herd health

Dairy

Semex conference: The challenge of herd health

The number of heifers leaving the herd before completing their third lactation is a challenge for the industry, but should also be viewed as an opportunity to improve, said Sarah Tomlinson, lead veterinary science expert at AHDB

clock 21 January 2025 • 3 min read
Dairy Talk - Ben Yates: "We were relieved to have a clear TB test at the beginning of November"

Dairy

Dairy Talk - Ben Yates: "We were relieved to have a clear TB test at the beginning of November"

We were lucky enough to have a relatively quiet and drama-free Christmas period on the farm, with some drier weather helping

clock 17 January 2025 • 3 min read