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Dog owners urged to help fight cattle parasite

8:40am Thursday 2nd September 2010

Dog owners are being urged to clean up after their pets to help stop the spread of a virulent parasite in farms in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

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Find a Farmer to FixIt

1:43pm Wednesday 1st September 2010

Want a handyman? Or a capable Miss Fixit? Why not find a farmer and help to keep people on the land and in farming as well as help yourself.

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Choosing the right smallholding for you

8:20am Tuesday 31st August 2010

It’s a lovely summer’s day, the birds are singing and the sounds of sheep lazily bleating to their lambs can be heard in the hills. It’s idyllic but should you buy it?

Time for action to increase British fruit and vegetable consumption and production

8:10am Tuesday 31st August 2010

Proposals to encourage more growing and eating of British fruit and vegetables should move forward as soon as possible, says the NFU.

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On my smallholding - an orchard and forest garden

10:10am Monday 30th August 2010

I love September with a passion. Really I should hate it as I was not a huge fan of school but despite those gloomy memories, the excitement of harvesting from the garden and from the fields, the warmth of the days compared with the slight crispness of the nights and the dramatic changing of the countryside all combine to make it one of my favourite months together with May. Both these months herald a change and that in itself is exciting. Make your winter plans in September and you can look forward to a warm and comfortable season, make your summer plans in May and you can confidentally expect to have a good harvest. This autumn and winter we are planning to plant a cross between a permaculture forest garden and a traditional orchard on our smallholding. Our large veg patch has gradually been moved (albeit smaller) closer to the house to raised beds and a more controlled situation – with a poly tunnel also awaiting erection. So we have decided to utilise the previous garden area to experiment with ideas such as a fruit hedge, a ‘grow your own” foraging area, nut trees, apple trees and even to introduce funghi. We are going on a course run by the Eastern Apple and Orchard Project on how to start an orchard which I think will be very helpful and are keenly viewing a DVD on Forest Gardens. There's more on Liz and her smallholding if you click on to Editor's Blog

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Can you offer a smallholding Guardian home to a pony in need?

3:20pm Sunday 29th August 2010

A pony that survived a vicious dog attack is finally ready to look for a new home thanks to the RSPCA and Redwings Horse Sanctuary.

Winter bee keeping for smallholders

2:10pm Sunday 29th August 2010

Finally with bees almost constantly in the news, it’s also time to prepare for a successful winter in the apiary which means providing enough food at the correct time, something that is more complex than it sounds. Coupled with the often challenging weather conditions, it means that bee keepers, new and old, have to be very much on the ball to ensure that their bees receive enough nutrition to get them through until the flowers are once more productive next spring. Then it’s back to the winter lectures provided by most bee keeping clubs and swopping experiences with fellow bee keepers which is a very positive help to everyone. If you have had a good honey harvest then it won’t be hard to sell it as honey is in great demand or perhaps its time to dust down the books and use it in recipes or even in cosmetics? Honey is such a versatile product with so many uses. As usual – there are never enough hours in the day for smallholders!

Public perception of farmers is on the increase for fifth year in a row

5:40pm Friday 27th August 2010

The importance of food security, quality produce and animal welfare are just some of the reasons cited by British people for why they think farming matters.