Farm infrastructure

"We have had about eight acres of the farm which has completely flooded because streams cannot cope with the amount of rainfall we have experienced"

Theft and criminal damage are growing concerns for farming businesses, so improving security could be a valuable investment. Jane Carley reports

Farm businesses - particularly diversifications- were presented with several different products and systems for reducing carbon emissions and improving energy use.

Jeremy Moody, secretary and adviser to the CAAV, said farmers can help reduce emissions through slurry storage

Biobed or biofilter? Either one is worth installing when upgrading the sprayer area. Jane Carley gets the lowdown.

As cars and vans are rapidly changing to all-electric drives, agriculture’s power and energy storage requirements have left it largely addicted to diesel. The explosive element hydrogen could offer a power-equivalent alternative with zero emissions. Toby Whatley and Emma Penny report.

Seasonal poultry production is a key enterprise for many farms, and with difficulties sourcing skilled labour, utilising advancements in technology could help increase processing rates and ease production pressures. Tom Woolman considers the infrastructure options available.

Keeping dairy cows happy and healthy makes a difference to the bottom line as well as improving their welfare, and a new shed flooring development could help, Jane Carley reports.

Many grain dryers have lain idle this year, but not everyone enjoyed a sub-15% harvest – and the next wet summer may not be far away. With fuel prices looking unlikely to fall far, Martin Rickatson seeks advice from manufacturers on maximising efficiency from mobile units.

Scraping cubicle housing can be one of the most time-consuming parts of the day on some dairy farms. James Huyton visits a Lancashire-based dairy which is saving time and labour with a robotic system.