Archive

  • Sustainable planting for the smallholder

    I AM a great believer in every animal on the holding needs to earn it’s keep and I am sure many of you think the same but are you asking this question every time you plant a tree or shrub? What benefits does it add to the home and garden? Planting

  • Tractors for smallholders with land to spare

    Now topping out the Deutz-Fahr X-series tractor range is the new X730 which is powered by a Deutz turbocharged engine rated at 305hp. With four valves per cylinder, the engine employs the Deutz common rail high-pressure fuel injection system and externally

  • Top tips for buying a new dog of help to smallholders

    Animal welfare organisations have united to send a strong message to potential dog owners to do their homework before buying a new dog or puppy. Smallholders may also find these helpful. The Blue Cross, British Veterinary Association (BVA), BVA

  • Smallholder Event Day for January 2010

    January Until March 7 2010 The Good Life Exhibition – 100 years of growing your own. Garden Museum, Lambeth Palace Road, London SE1 7LB. www.gardenmuseum.org.uk 1 RSPB Icebreakers walk at Paxton Pits Nature Reserve, 10.30am and 2pm, Countryside

  • Something a little fishy

    SOMEWHAT different from the normal smallholding but if angling is a hobby or worth doing as a business, then Symonds & Sampson in the South West have something of interest. The firm is bringing one of the largest fisheries in the region to the market

  • A French "petite exploitation"

    BUYING a smallholding is a life-changing event for many. Buying one overseas is an even greater challenge. But just how easy is it? Many people in this country considering moving overseas, do so with France in mind. The country, many times the size

  • Goose newcomers award goes to the Peak District

    A NEWCOMER to farming in one of the country’s most scenic locations, Lizzie Murphy, has been announced as the 2009 winner of the John Adlard Memorial Award for new entrants to goose production. The award, which includes a number of free goslings

  • Winter solstice blues

    MOST of use feel rather tired at the end of the year, especially this one. The summer wasn't as we had been led to believe it would be and now the short cold days and chasing around preparing for Christmas doesn't help our state of well-being either

  • Down is a luxury product

    DOWN is a symbol of softness. It refers to the feathers taken from the breast of birds, and particularly the insulating, soft feathers under the outer contour feathers. Such feathers are both soft and excellent at trapping heat; so they are used

  • NFU leaders meet Cornish farmers and officials

    NFU Leaders and local farmers met with leading Liberal Democrat, Terrye Teverson, to highlight serious issues facing the industry in Cornwall. Andrew Butler, NFU Food and Farming advisor in the South West, David Berridge, Chairman of Truro NFU and local

  • On with the show

    THERE is one aspect of the turkey world that is becoming increasingly popular and it is that of exhibiting turkeys at shows. There is a long tradition of exhibiting turkeys which in the UK goes back well over a century. Classes for turkeys were offered

  • F is for Frizzle

    FOR such a fascinating breed the origins of the Frizzle are surprisingly obscure, mysteriously lost in the mists of time. Research suggests that they’re an Asiatic breed. Exactly what part of Asia they came from has created much discussion but the

  • A unique breed for the smallholder

    FOR such a fascinating breed the origins of the Frizzle are surprisingly obscure, mysteriously lost in the mists of time. Research suggests that they’re an Asiatic breed. Exactly what part of Asia they came from has created much discussion but the

  • Alpaca gifts for Christmas

    THIS is the time of year when you start racking your brains for Christmas presents. What do you give an alpaca owner that has everything? Or an alpaca that has everything for that matter? The well-dressed alpaca will have a head collar that is a

  • Apairy ideas at Christmas for smallholders

    IT WILL soon be Christmas and up and down the country there will be people getting frustrated because they cannot find just the right gift for a particular person. Beekeepers have an easier time than most. Because being a beekeeper, even a new one

  • Signs the smallholder should watch for pigs coming on heat

    MOST female pig’s will show signs of heat at about six months of age but it’s often advisable to leave them for another couple of months before you consider serving them. Best, long term results are achieved by starting off with a good strong healthy

  • How to get a sow in pig

    MOST female pig’s will show signs of heat at about six months of age but it’s often advisable to leave them for another couple of months before you consider serving them. Best, long term results are achieved by starting off with a good strong healthy

  • Piggy on the red carpet

    I WAS contacted by 'Human Film Co.' at the beginning of 2009 with a proposal to train a piglet to take part in a short French TV film. The legislation was a nightmare and the only way I could get my pigs, we were taking three, into France and back

  • Piggy on the red carpet

    I WAS contacted by 'Human Film Co.' at the beginning of 2009 with a proposal to train a piglet to take part in a short French TV film. The legislation was a nightmare and the only way I could get my pigs, we were taking three, into France and back

  • Motivating the native pony

    WHEN I first met my Dales gelding, Jack, as an un-backed three-year-old, one of the things I most appreciated about him was his placid, laid back personality. I had reached the age where, although I still wanted to start my own horses from scratch

  • Motivating the native pony

    WHEN I first met my Dales gelding, Jack, as an un-backed three-year-old, one of the things I most appreciated about him was his placid, laid back personality. I had reached the age where, although I still wanted to start my own horses from scratch

  • BVA say review welfare codes for cats and dogs in a year

    The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has welcomed the publication of Codes of Practice for Dogs and Cats by Defra, but calls on the Government to review their effectiveness in a year. The welfare codes have been drawn up under the Animal

  • After tupping

    THE dark months of the year are usually a fairly quiet time for the flock which should be safely in-lamb, but this doesn’t mean you can shut the gate and forget about it. Just what you should be doing and when depends very much on when the first

  • Tips for the smallholder for tupping sheep

    THE dark months of the year are usually a fairly quiet time for the flock which should be safely in-lamb, but this doesn’t mean you can shut the gate and forget about it. Just what you should be doing and when depends very much on when the first

  • What's for tea?

    THE meaning of tea has greatly changed over recent years. When I think of tea, it’s cakes, scones and dainty sandwiches that come to my mind, but to anyone still in education tea means a meal around six o’clock. They all come home starving and cry

  • Strawberries in Spring

    ONE of the joys of ‘growing your own’ is eating seasonally, and nowhere more than for soft fruit. The flavour of a perfectly ripe strawberry or tart gooseberry, freshly picked at just the right time, is incomparable to anything shop bought, and certainly

  • Supplying a foodie empire

    COOKING is not one of my fortes, an unusual thing to admit I know when my whole life nowadays revolves around encouraging people to keep pigs for their own consumption. I was never interested in learning the necessary skills as a child, and as I

  • Diary of an inner city farmer

    THE big discussion among local Government allotment officials when they met at Newham was the price that should be charged. Kingston has already shocked the locals by suggesting over £60 a year, when the previous average for the 33 London boroughs

  • Smallholders grown your own wild harvest

    RECENTLY there has been a massive revival in ‘grow your own’ following escalating fears over food security, planet sustainability and a mistrust in mass-produced processed products. Growing your own can be a precarious occupation as many of the

  • Growing Brussels Spouts for the smallholder

    BRUSSELS sprouts are probably the most important cold weather crop in the garden, providing nutritious fresh vegetables through autumn and winter. You can gather them as early as September, but flavour is much improved by a sharp frost and

  • Brussels sprouds for the smallholder

    BRUSSELS sprouts are probably the most important cold weather crop in the garden, providing nutritious fresh vegetables through autumn and winter. You can gather them as early as September, but flavour is much improved by a sharp frost and so I

  • Smallholders - Deck the halls with holly

    HOLLY, particularly English holly, Ilex aquifolium, is enjoyed at Christmas as the top seasonal decoration in most homes. But in the garden it has special attributes that go beyond the festive season. Its variety of berry colour and foliage hue and

  • Sustainable Planting for the smallholder

    I AM a great believer in every animal on the holding needs to earn it’s keep and I am sure many of you think the same but are you asking this question every time you plant a tree or shrub? What benefits does it add to the home and garden? Planting

  • Contribution by smallholders recognised by Defra

    ON April 29 this year, the government through Defra started a consultation on the current review of the CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) usually referred to as the CAP health check. Of those questions, two may be of particular interest to smallholders

  • Apiary ideas at Christmas for smallholders

    IT WILL soon be Christmas and up and down the country there will be people getting frustrated because they cannot find just the right gift for a particular person. Beekeepers have an easier time than most. Because being a beekeeper, even a new

  • Dairy and beef conference for south west breeders

    Anyone with an interest in dairy and beef cattle genetics is urged to take a look at the next British cattle Conference, which will take place on January 26 and 27 in Telford. A broad cross-section of speakers ranging from innovative cattle

  • Editor's Welcome - Christmas 2009

    WHAT does Christmas mean to you? Is it a time for family and friends, a time to relax and watch guilty television, a time to think about the forthcoming year or a time to reap the hard work of the summer and autumn, producing and preserving

  • Top turkey facts for smallholders

    Did you know? · Turkeys have good hearing but no external ears. · Turkeys can see in colour and have a wide field of vision of about 270° (humans have just a 90° field of vision). · Domesticated turkeys cannot fly, however wild turkeys can

  • Top turkey facts for smallholders

    Did you know? · Turkeys have good hearing but no external ears. · Turkeys can see in colour and have a wide field of vision of about 270° (humans have just a 90° field of vision). · Domesticated turkeys cannot fly, however wild