AHDB Food & Farming

It is all about affordable alternatives to the traditional Christmas dinner as AHDB's Denise Spencer-Walker draws inspiration from the numerous delicious recipes she has created for our marketing campaigns. Useful links AHDB launches brand new Let’s Eat Balanced campaign | AHDB Feed your family for less with British pork | AHDB Marketing | AHDB Feedback We'd love to know what you think of our podc...

We visited Jack Houghton, a farm manager near Wolverhampton, as he officially joined the AHDB Monitor Farm programme. Our reporter Carolyn Smith went along to the launch event to meet all those involved, including Knowledge Exchange Manager Alex Ansell. Useful links Content related to the topic: monitor-farms | AHDB The soil health scorecard | AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds | AHDB Feedback We'd love...

Hear what Cereals & Oilseeds sector chair Tom Clarke had to say at AHDB's Funding Your Future live event in November. Useful links Funding Your Future 2023 – Cereals & Oilseeds | AHDB Funding Your Future 2023 – Beef & Lamb | AHDB Funding Your Future 2023 – Dairy | AHDB Funding Your Future 2023 – Pork | AHDB Feedback We'd love to know what you think of our podcasts. If you’d like to giv...

AHDB's knowledge exchange manager for dairy, Daisy Green, has been to Buitelaar’s Long Lane Development Farm in Somerset to find out if their high health units can help tackle calf pneumonia. Useful links Helping you and your calves breathe easy this winter | AHDB Pneumonia in calves | AHDB Dairy calf management | AHDB Feedback We'd love to know what you think of our podcasts. If you’d like to giv...

AHDB's new Roots to Resilience programme aims to equip farmers with the learning they need to take their businesses to the next level. Our senior knowledge exchange manager for beef and lamb, Amy Hughes, caught up with Dallas Mount who will be leading the workshops. Useful links Roots to Resilience | AHDB Roots to Resilience - YouTube Beef & Lamb sector plan 2022–2027 | AHDB Feedback We'd love...

AHDB Chief Executive Officer Tim Rycroft, who's stepping down from his position at the end of the year, has been talking to presenter John Bates about the changes to the levy board during his time in charge. Useful links Tim Rycroft to step down as CEO of AHDB at end of year | AHDB Four sector councils publish levy increase proposals | AHDB Sector plans | AHDB AHDB appoints Tim Rycroft as CEO | AH...

British red meat and dairy exporters have been showcasing their products at Anuga in Cologne, this year’s biggest agri-food trade show. Our reporter Dami Oyinlola went along to bolster AHDB's efforts in Germany, as well as getting a flavour of the event. Useful links AHDB and UK Government support UK red meat and dairy exports at Anuga | AHDB Beyond Borders: working together for your export succes...

Our sector councils are proposing to increase levy rates from the 2024/25 financial year. Joining guest host Rebecca Wilson to discuss the reasons behind this and why it will benefit you and our industry are sector chairs Mike Sheldon (Pork), Colin Bateman (Beef & Lamb), Tom Clarke (Cereals & Oilseeds), and Lyndon Edwards (Dairy). Useful links Funding Your Future 2023 | AHDB Funding Your F...

Carbon footprinting was the topic when AHDB's Thom Washbourne visited Bridge Farm in Glastonbury to meet dairy farmer David Cotton and Liz Bowles, CEO at the Farm Carbon Toolkit. Useful links Calculating and reducing your carbon footprint | AHDB Net zero: agriculture and carbon | AHDB Dairy | AHDB Feedback We'd love to know what you think of our podcasts. If you’d like to give your feedback, pleas...

We throw the spotlight on a service that aims to make livestock record management much more convenient. Ian Hewett, managing director for Livestock Information Ltd, a subsidiary of AHDB, joins our presenter John Bates to explain more. Useful links Livestock Information Transformation Programme (LITP) | AHDB https://www.livestockinformation.org.uk/ Changes to Bovine Identification, Registration, an...

The Nutrient Management Guide (RB209) helps farmers make the most of organic materials and balance the benefits of fertiliser use against economic and environmental costs. The guide explains the value of nutrients, soil and why good nutrient management is about more than just the fertilisers you buy; it can save you money as well as help protect the environment. This year, the RB209 is celebrating...

AHDB's Senior Knowledge Exchange Manager (Dairy), Stephen West, finds out about a new licence for moving cattle from TB-restricted holdings during a meeting about the disease at a monitor farm in Herefordshire as GB Calf Week gets underway. Useful links Bovine Tuberculosis | AHDB UK Dairy Day 2023 sees launch of third successive GB Calf Week campaign | AHDB GB Calf Week 13–20 September 2023 | AHDB...

Join us for some insight into how to establish and manage clover in new and existing pastures. AHDB’s national specialist for grass forage and soil, Katie Evans, leads the discussion with Teagasc’s Nicky Byrne and Northumberland-based farmer James Drummond. Useful links ManagingClover2871_210310_WEB-1.pdf (windows.net) Management-and-establishment-of-grass-white-clover-swards.pdf (teagasc.ie) Red...

High quality cattle are key to dairy farming. This requires good quality genetics as without this and however good your management is, there is a cap to your herds productivity and profitability. In this episode, Daisy Green, Knowledge Exchange Manager (Dairy), speaks to George Brown, a dairy farmer from Hampshire who has made significant changes to his herd. Useful links Dairy herd genetic report...

In this episode, AHDB's Phil Maiden talks to Dr Temple Grandin, a world-renowned animal behaviourist and autism advocate. Temple is known for her work on designing humane livestock handling facilities, and she has also written several books on animal welfare. We discuss the importance of understanding livestock behaviour to handle them in a humane and stress-free way. We also talk about Temple's u...

Last month, we hosted some speaker sessions at Groundswell covering topics on regenerative agriculture, crop rotation, perennial agriculture, genetic diversity of grains, and composting. In this podcast, Jason Hendy, Knowledge Exchange Manager, AHDB, brings together a summary of each session, including interviews with the speakers. Speakers Day one - session one: Mind the Gap John Pawsey, Mind the...

Getting to the root of growing herbal leys (also known as multi-species swards) is AHDB’s senior knowledge exchange manager for dairy, Stephen West. Helping Stephen improve his understanding of both the challenges and benefits of the practice are Peak District farmers Ben Rodgers and Robert Thornhill. Useful links Herbal leys and their place in a resilient dairy system | AHDB Six new varieties nam...

In this podcast, AHDB’s senior knowledge exchange manager for beef and lamb, Amy Hughes, leads the conversation about a recent visit from Japanese importers and a fact-finding mission in the US. Joining her to talk about the delegation from Japan are colleagues Jono Eckley (head of international trade development), Susan Stewart (senior export manager for livestock), Phil Hadley (international tra...

AHDB held an export conference on Thursday, 22 June at Butchers' Hall in London to unveil its new export strategy, Beyond Borders. The strategy aims to help more exporters maximise the global potential for high-quality domestic produce by providing enhanced services, such as bespoke training and advice and industry-leading marketing support. This podcast episode recaps the event and features recor...

From silaging to slurry spreading and bringing the cows in or out, the weather is a major driver of day-to-day life on British dairy farms. Last summer's unprecedented periods of hot weather will have a big impact on our cows and, if not managed effectively, will have led to more stress, lower milk production and higher rates of disease. As more extreme weather seems set to be the norm, preparing...

A major review of the Recommended Lists for cereals and oilseeds (RL) saw over 900 people provide views on the variety trialling project. The views covered many aspects, from the type and nature of the trials to the way data is analysed and variety decisions are made. In this Food and Farming podcast, AHDB’s Jason Pole talks to Jenna Watts, who leads on integrated pest management research at AHDB....

In this episode of the Food and Farming podcast, we bring you the highlights of the recently held Pigs Tomorrow conference in Leicestershire. The event united pig producers, experts, and researchers for two days. It was a platform to tackle key challenges and actively explore innovation within the global pig farming industry. We explore labour in pig farming and its influence on working towards a...

Open Farm Sunday is a fantastic opportunity for farmers to showcase what they do and connect with their local community. It is a chance to educate people about farming and food production, and to highlight the important role that farmers play in our daily lives. The public can see where their food comes from and learn about the different stages of production.  In this episode, we discuss Open Farm...

In this episode of the Food & Farming podcast, AHDB National Specialist for Grass Forage and Soil Katie Evans is joined by Dr Kathryn Huson from Agri-Food and Bioscience Institute, to discuss the GrassCheckGB project and how the industry can benefit from being involved in this piece of work.  Useful links View our Grass resources Find out more about Forage for Knowledge Sign up to the Forage f...

In this episode, AHDB’s John Bates talks to three farmers about their experiences of the AgriLeader Forum – an annual conference for farmers looking to improve the way they manage themselves, their people and their businesses. He also speaks to AHDB’s Mark Campbell to find out more about the AgriLeader programme. Listen to find out why the guests attended the conference in the first place, what th...