AHDB Food & Farming

With news this week that Mexico has officially opened its doors for British pork for the first time, our Food & Farming Podcast takes a look at what this means for the pork sector and for British exporters who can now tap into this brand new market. In this episode AHDB’s John Bates speaks to Dr Phil Hadley, AHDB’s International Market Development Director, AHDB’s Strategic Insight Manager Tom...

AHDB’s We Eat Balanced and Love Lamb Week marketing campaigns are on the horizon. Running from 1- 7 September, this year’s Love Lamb Week will remind shoppers about how good lamb tastes and provides insight on the sustainability of UK sheep production and the role sheep farming plays in maintaining our landscape and beautiful countryside. Later in September the We Eat balanced campaign which was f...

This week’s guests Phil Bicknell, Market Intelligence Director Ben Williams, Senior Knowledge Transfer Manager (Pork) Carol Davis, Lead Analyst - Farm Economics Bethan Wilkins, Senior Analyst (Red Meat)  Jennifer Newman, Animal Health and Welfare Scientist (Data) In this episode, we look at some of the business tools and services offered by AHDB to support you and help you make the most of your ci...

In this episode Alistair McLaren is joined by Marco Winters, Head of Animal Genetics at AHDB, and Professor Mike Coffey from SRUC to talk about two new breeding indexes that will enable farmers to identify and breed cows with better environmental credentials and reduce their feed costs. Find out more about breeding and genetics . Feedback survey: We'd love to know what you think of our podcasts. I...

In this AHDB Food & Farming podcast, we catch up with our new Beef & Lamb Monitor Farmers in the South West, Liz and Rob Priest. As a family they farm both sheep and beef cattle in Holsworthy, Devon. However, Rob and Liz are about to move to a new farm on the coast near Bude. They farm organically. All cattle are grass fed and rotationally grazed, they also have herbal and ryegrass leys. T...

This podcast introduces AHDB’s analysis of the prospects for the UK’s arable farming industry over the coming months. It explores production, trade and consumption for the year ahead. Phil Maiden asks Vikki Campbell (AHDB's Senior Market Specialist in Arable)  about why the market outlook is so important for arable farmers and discuss the current situation and they look to what we might expect in...

This podcast introduces AHDB’s analysis of the prospects for the UK’s livestock farming industry over the coming months. Covering red meat (pork, beef and lamb) and dairy, it explores production, trade and consumption for the year ahead. Phil Maiden asks Duncan Wyatt (AHDB's Lead Analyst for Livestock) and Patty Clayton (AHDB's Lead Analyst Dairy) about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on su...

In this episode of the Food & Farming podcast, Nic Renison talks to Colina Humphrey, sheep farmer and self-confessed grass addict! They talk about about Colina’s passion for farming with a focus on rotational grazing and all things grass. Colina also stresses the importance of planning grazing for the autumn in the summer time and how she’s met some  influential people who have really helped h...

Welcome to AHDBs Food & Farming podcast. No one would argue a good education provides young people with a great start in life and as the years tick by it’s not unusual for people to fondly remember those teachers who provided knowledge and even acted as a role models, shaping the course for the future. For those charged with the responsibility to get our children ready for the world, they must...

This week’s guest is Richard Longthorp. Richard is a cereals and pig farmer from Yorkshire and employees 20 people across his business.   In this episode, we delve into the topic of training and development within farming businesses – why it is important, it’s value and how to go about it.   Richard is a strong believer that providing learning and development opportunities for staff is a vital inv...

This week’s guests Mandy Nevel, Head of Animal Health & Welfare, AHDB Jen Waters, Head of Knowledge Exchange (Pork), AHDB Georgina Crayford, Technical Manager for Pigs, Red Tractor Zoe Davies, Chief Executive, NPA In this episode we focus on welfare training for the pig sector. Our guests explain and discuss a new training platform that we’ve developed with the wider pig industry, and which wi...

In this episode Knowledge Exchange Manager Hannah Lilburn is joined by Jamie Robertson from the University of Aberdeen to discuss how to create the perfect environment for calves to get them off to the best start in life. Find out more about dairy calf management . Feedback survey: We'd love to know what you think of our podcasts. If you’d like to give your feedback, please complete our short ques...

In this AHDB Food & Farming episode, Jimmy Phillips interviews Rob Clayton, our Sector Strategy Director for Potatoes, to discuss how the planned wind down and transition of AHDB Potatoes activities will impact potato storage research.  While Sutton Bridge Crop Storage Research has built an international reputation for the quality of its work, the voting outcome of the ballot on the statutory...

In this AHDB Food & Farming episode, catch up with John Bates as he talks about our new summertime BBQ campaign, Fire up for summer . We're encouraging Brits to elevate their barbecues with an array of inspiring recipes featuring a range of cuts – from BBQ classics like sausages and burgers to beef, pork and lamb steaks. Led by our talented apprentices, Chris Gravett and Haydon Davis - they've...

In this month's Cereals & Oilseeds podcast, Teresa Meadows, AHDB’s Knowledge Exchange Manager for East Anglia, talks to Claire Hoarau, who is carrying out a PhD at Harper Adams University on biopesticide options for CSFB. Hear about the existing work in this area, the research to date and planned experiments for the season ahead in this innovative area – might this be the future of CSFB contro...

In this episode, AHDB’s Knowledge Exchange Manager Nicola Renison speaks to Tom Vickers, a hill and upland sheep and suckler beef farmer from County Durham about finding a balance between production and the environment. Tom is 26 years old and has been farming in partnership with his mother for five years since studying Agriculture with Environmental Management at Harper Adams University. The farm...

This week’s guest was Dan Burdett, follow him on Twitter: @farmerdanb     Managers and leaders need to be fit for the future to lead themselves, their teams, and their businesses. In this episode, we hear from organic dairy farmer Dan Burdett about how being part of a leadership and management group has helped him in his role. He talks about his experiences and the benefits of investing in himself...

This podcast outlines the issue of vine weevil in container-grown hardy nursery stock and the available control methods. The outputs from AHDB funded project HNS 195 ‘Improving vine weevil control in HNS’ (a 5 year trial) are currently being applied on a commercial nursery and will culminate in a demonstration event in September 2021, the podcast also covers this project and the topics examined –...

In this episode Senior Knowledge Exchange Manager Doreen Anderson is joined by Wallace and James Hendrie, dairy farmers at Millands Farm in Ayrshire, and Colin MacPhail and Ian Cairns, independent consultants from 5 Agri.    Millands Farm is a strategic dairy farm and recently had a carbon audit and agribusiness appraisal carried out. In this episode James and Wallace will discuss the results and...

In this month's podcast, Michelle Nuttall, AHDB Arable Knowledge Exchange Manager for the North West and Northern Ireland, hosts a discussion with Ed Shuldham and Jon Swain of NFU Energy. This episode discusses a recently completed review looking at grain drying and storage from an energy perspective, covering what we know, what we don’t know and how the information and guidance available could be...

Maleic hydrazide is a growth regulator that has been on the market for many years. The true value of it is now becoming apparent, with the demise of chlorpropham (CIPC). Previously it was used mainly for volunteer control. Nowadays it is especially important in storage. Here it can provide sprout control as a standalone product, or as a cost-saving foundation for other, post-harvest treatments. Ma...

*Please note this podcast was recorded in the vets practice, so there may some background noise In this podcast Tabitha Allen, talks to our North East Strategic Farmer, Steven Lawson, on how he manages worms and other parasites in his livestock. They are also joined by Steven’s vet, Lee-Anne Oliver, from The Fold Farm Vets who gives advice on what to look out for at this time of year and the impor...

Since it first arrived in the UK in 2012, AHDB has spent more than £1.6 million to improve our knowledge, management and control of spotted wing drosophila (SWD). Join Scott Raffle in this podcast to learn more about the pest, its impact on the UK fruit industry and the work that AHDB continues to fund to develop improved management strategies. Our panel: Harriet Duncalfe: Soft fruit grower and ch...

Grazing dairy cows is nothing new so you might wonder why there is so much focus on it in the dairy sector. The influence of the New Zealand style system over recent years can’t be denied – however, grass can also form a vital part of our system if you are calving AYR or managing a herd of high yielding cows.    In this episode Knowledge Exchange Manager Becky Miles is joined by Robert Mallett, a...

This week’s guests: Andrew Palmer, Knowledge Exchange Manager, AHDB Ed Bramham-Jones, Head of Farming and Water, Norfolk Rivers Trust Rob McGregor, Outdoor pig farmer Chris Gooderham, Head of Market Specialists (Dairy & Livestock), AHDB Over the last few years, AHDB has held several meetings to bring together pig producers, landlords, arable producers and other key stakeholders to look at ways...