AHDB Food & Farming

This podcast introduces AHDB’s analysis of the prospects for the UK’s farming industry over the coming months. Covering beef, lamb, pork, dairy, cereals, oilseeds . The farming world has had a lot to contend with in the last couple of years, the consequences of Brexit, the pandemic, the weather, changes to subsidy payments and a whole lot more.  It would be easy for busy levy payers to find it dif...

This AHDB Food and Farming podcast introduces AHDB’s analysis of the prospects for the UK’s farming industry over the coming months, covering cereals and oilseeds. The farming world has had a lot to contend with in the last couple of years, the consequences of Brexit, the pandemic, the weather, changes to subsidy payments and a whole lot more. It would be easy for busy levy payers to find it diffi...

Much has been written and said about landowners and  farmers adopting new approaches to land management and being incentivised by Government to produce food in a sustainable way. It is in everyone’s interest to farm efficiently without costing the earth. In common with other aspects of life there is a balance to be struck  as the nation needs feeding and demand is ever growing, as the population ...

Hear from three AHDB Cereals and Oilseeds Monitor Farmers – Richard Orr (Downpatrick), Roger Wilson (Malmesbury) and Colin Chappell (Brigg) as they discuss their respective journeys and share their views on the future of AHDB. Could you be a Monitor Farmer? How important are the meetings? What are the benefits of working with AHDB? These questions and so much more are laid bare during this Monitor...

There have recently been many announcements of milk price increases, however we have also seen fuel increase by 54%, fertiliser increase by a whopping 238% and feed increase by 12.5%. Margins and cash flows are tight, even with the milk prices responding. In this episode Senior Knowledge Exchange Manager Steve West talks to Roy Eastlake, retired nutritional consultant who formerly worked with Lall...

Levy payers tell AHDB one of the things they value most is the marketing and advertising activity we do. A key component of the proactive work is AHDB’s hugely successful We Eat Balanced advertising campaign which returned to national TV screens from 4 January 2022.  In this episode, John Bates goes behind the scenes of the AHDB marketing department to hear how the £3m campaign aims to highlight t...

Do you get the most out of your breeder when buying in new stock? If you’re selling, do you know what your buyer really wants? Whether you are struggling to find the right stock to fit your system or worried about bringing in health problems to your herd, building a strong and trustworthy relationship between breeder and buyer is priceless. In this podcast, AHDB’s Knowledge Exchange Manager Emma S...

In this episode of AHDB’s Food and Farming podcast, John Bates talks to Lyndon Edwards, dairy farmer and new chair of the AHDB Dairy sector council, to find out more about his background, his experiences so far and his aspirations upon joining the AHDB board. Lyndon Edwards was appointed as Dairy sector chair and began his three-year term in September. Lyndon is an experienced organic dairy, beef...

This is the third in the series of podcasts that looks at how your levy is spent and also gives advice around how to register for the Shape the Future vote in the spring. Host, John Bates, chats to two sheep farmers; Matt Harding and Chris McWhirter, about how they have worked with AHDB in the past and what they hope the organisation can do more of You can find out more about the vote and register...

In April 2022, levy-paying businesses have an excellent opportunity to voice how we should invest AHDB income to help shape the future of farming.   This podcast features views on levy-fund investment – covering the positives and the negatives. Rutland farmer and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds Sector Chair, Sarah Bell, explains how (after registering online) levy payers can express opinion on the pro...

In this pork-focused edition of AHDB’s Food and Farming podcast, Andrew Palmer, a pork knowledge exchange manager in the East of England, chats with farmer David Childerhouse. They discuss some of the activities and groups David has been involved with over the last few years, which have helped him develop as a farmer and business owner. From the Professional Manager Development Scheme to AHDB’s Ma...

AHDB’s free Farm Business Review service , funded by the Defra Future Farming Resilience Fund, is designed to help those most affected by the move away from direct payments prepare for the biggest agricultural policy shift in a generation. You can: access tools and resources, tailored to you, keep a record of how your business is performing, connect with a consultant for free advice and support.  ...

Integrated pest management (IPM) is moving up the farming and political agendas. At the AHDB Agronomists’ Conference 2021, Neil Paveley (ADAS) and Phil Jarvis (Voluntary Initiative chairperson and farmer) took part in an evidence-based discussion. Hear how further adoption of IPM requires economic barriers to be addressed (such as through the Environmental Land Management scheme) and approaches ma...

This Food & Farming podcast episode is part of the Maternal Matters campaign being led by AHDB promoting the production of heifers that are efficient, profitable and fit for the future.  Our Knowledge Exchange Manager Amy Hughes speaks to suckler producer Pete Burbage who farms alongside his brother Richard in Northamptonshire. Pete talks about breeding technologies in the suckler herd and how...

In this episode, our very own Harry Henderson talks to our three Strategic Cereals Farmers (all conveniently named David) through some of the key findings from their respective on-farm trials and share how others can consider and adapt their own practice.

In this AHDB Food & Farming podcast, Katie Thorley, AHDB senior knowledge transfer manager, talks to Kate Phillips, independent sheep consultant, on the importance of recording data for your flock. They discuss looking at data that includes recording body weight, body condition, scanning percentage, lambing losses and winter forage, that will ultimately help to improve your system. For further...

Outwintering has been a popular approach over the last few years to reduce housing and feed costs, particularly for cattle, but is outwintering falling out of fashion? In this episode Bryony Ennis, Animal Health and Welfare Scientist, is joined by dairy farmer Adam Boley and beef farmer Johnny Haimes to share their experiences with outwintering cattle and discuss the following areas: Is outwinteri...

“Leadership and management are for all – you don’t need a title to be a leader”, Izak Van Heerden Senior Knowledge Exchange Manager. Earlier this year, we conducted a review of leadership and management in the UK farming sector, looking at best practice, traits, qualities, uptake, barriers and future needs. This review highlighted a shocking statistic that only 0.37% of farmers and their employees...

In this Food and Farming podcast John Bates speaks to AHDB’s Dr Phil Hadley and David Swales about why opening up export markets is a crucial strand of work by AHDB and why levy payers ought to be concerned when news breaks, as it has recently, about China banning British beef. For more information on the work AHDB exports does visit the AHDB exports page Feedback survey: We'd love to know what yo...

The AHDB Maternal Matters campaign aims to highlight the connection between maternal performance and profitability in the suckler herd. The campaign focuses on two key areas of maternal performance: age at first calving and fertility.  In this podcast suckler farmer James Shouler explains to AHDB’s Knowledge Exchange Manager Amy Hughes why he calves his heifers at two and what changes he made to b...

In this AHDB Food and Farming podcast we talk with Ed Usset, a Grain Marketing Economist at the University of Minnesota, about all things grain marketing. Looking at what constitutes a “good price”, letting go of sales, and the five key mistakes made in grain marketing. Please note the podcast was recorded online, so the recording may have some echo. Further content from the Grain Market Outlook c...

In this podcast AHDB’s Derek Carless and Peter Shallcross a dairy and arable farmer in the South of Wiltshire speak to John Bates about how levy payers can access free support to help decision making in connection with the ending of the basic payment scheme in 2027. The rundown of payments starts its run down from December and farmers need to manage the transition the best they can. AHDB’s job is...

AHDB chief executive Tim Rycroft speaks frankly to John Bates about his first few weeks in the job, meetings with levy payers, the changes in progress for the organisation and the spring 2022 vote. Tim speaks about the conversations he has had with levy payers in his first few weeks and how welcome the pledge for AHDB to be leaner and more efficiently run will enable farming success. In future AHD...

On 27 July 2021, AHDB hosted an on-farm event at Ninezergh Farm to find out how Adrian Bland is hoping to meet growth rate targets for his 180 head of youngstock, using a rotational grazing system. In this episode, Knowledge Exchange Manager James Hague is joined by Adrian to follow up from the meeting and find out what his plans are going forward. He will also speak to James Daniel from Precision...

Milk production is a fundamental driver of market dynamics in Great Britain. Twice a year, AHDB hold a milk forecasting forum, where representatives from across the industry meet to debate, analyse and discuss the key factors influencing production. The AHDB Milk Forecasting Forum (MFF) met on the 1 September to discuss the factors impacting on future GB milk production In this episode Kate Smith...