Ahdb Cereals & Oilseeds

In this episode Sarah Pick, Knowledge Exchange Manager for AHDB Beef and Lamb talks to Donall Fahy who manages the dairy calf to beef trial at Teagasc, Ireland. During the podcast Donall discusses the management practices he recommends to improve animal health and business profitability in calf rearing systems. Additional resources: Better returns from calf rearing

In this episode Knowledge Exchange Manager Kate Harris talks to Andre van Barneveld from Graise Consultancy about what makes a good grassland farmer stand out from the average, and what the challenges might be for them in the future.   For the latest research and advice on grass, forage and soil management to help improve grassland productivity on livestock farms, visit our Grass & forage management webpage. Get the latest grass growth measurements straight from farms to your inbox by signing up to our Forage For Knowledge weekly updates. 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 questionnaire, which will help us to improve the podcast on an ongoing basis.

In the latest AHDB Cereals and Oilseeds podcast, James Lamb from our Farm Economics team chats to Knowledge Exchange Managers David Pett and Tabitha Allen about the importance of knowing and understanding your costs. David and Tabitha also speak to two farmers, George Hosford and Tom Jackson, about their experiences of AHDB's discussion groups with regards to the subject of costs and how Farmbench has helped them. For more information, please visit www.ahdb.org.uk/farmbench

In the first part of this episode we discuss the results of our latest marketing campaign and how our education team continued to teach children about potatoes even when the schools were closed. In the second part you will hear from our Market Intelligence team. They will explain us why the price of potatoes is still low at the moment and what are the latest trends.  Guest speakers: Nicola Dodd - AHDB Marketing Manager - Crops & Dairy Sue Lawton - AHDB Education Manager  Alex Cook - MI Analyst Resources and links: Love Potatoes Website  Grow Your Own Potatoes Website  Our Keep In Touch Form  Potatoes Market Intelligence  Register for the Desiccation webinar 

In this episode, we hear from Pippa Handley, Senior Knowledge Exchange Manager (Pork) and Emily Boyce, Knowledge Exchange Officer – Skills Development (Pork).    Pippa takes us through the recent changes in the knowledge exchange and knowledge transfer teams, as well as outlining the plan for our autumn pig farmer events. Emily then talks about the stockperson training courses and how they might look over the coming months, as well as what we are offering via webinar in the meantime, with a focus on new entrants and small-scale producers. This week’s guests Pippa Handley, Senior Knowledge Exchange Manager (Pork) Emily Boyce, Knowledge Exchange Officer – Skills Development (Pork) Useful links and resources Find your regional contact and get in touch: ahdb.org.uk/meet-the-team Meet AHDB’s Pork knowledge exchange team in this short video Catch up with recent webinars in our event archive: ahdb.org.uk/pork-events-archive Find upcoming events and webinars in our events hub: ahdb.org.uk/eventsFind out about

Defra published a summary and response to the government-led Request for Views on AHDB in April 2020. In this episode, John Bates talks to AHDB Chair, Nicholas Saphir, on a new pledge to levy payers having listened to feedback. Commitments outlined by Nicholas include a new strategy, featuring key areas of farm performance and marketing (both home and overseas) underpinned with independent evidence, improved communication, a new ballot on the levy and reviews of AHDB’s governance and levy systems. Listen out for upcoming episodes featuring Nicholas on AHDB's new strategy, and learn more about AHDB’s commitment to levy payers here: ahdb.org.uk/commitments Feedback We'd love to know what you think of our podcasts. If you’d like to give your feedback, please complete our short questionnaire, which will help us to improve the podcast on an ongoing basis.

In this episode we are joined by three speakers who discuss the AHDB Beef & Lamb marketing and advertising activity that has taken place this year in response to Covid-19. This activity was supported by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) as part of the ring fenced funding. These promotional campaigns include our Make It Steak activity, which was brought in near the beginning of lock down to tackle carcass imbalance, and our ongoing Make It Lamb campaign, which was introduced to coincide with the new season lamb being on shelves. This week (1-7 September) is also Love Lamb Week - an industry-wide initiative to encourage everyone to celebrate the goodness and versatility of lamb. Speakers: Gareth Renowden who is AHDB’s senior marketing manager for beef and lamb talks us through what goes into the planning behind the campaigns. Carrie McDermid who works in the retail engagement team at AHDB tell us about the engagement levels we saw from the campaign and how supermarkets got inv

The Middle East may not be the first place on your list of markets for foodstuffs produced on UK farms but Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar represent significant opportunities for exports in the coming years. This is according to a report commissioned by the UK Government and produced by Promar.   In this episode John Bates talks to Caroline Dawson from Promar and AHDB’s Senior Exports Manager Lucy Randolph to hear about the AHDB export strategy to connect levy payers with new customers. You can sign up for the webinars here: Understanding Dairy Export Opportunities: UAE – Tues 9 Sept, 10-11.30am Understanding Dairy Export Opportunities: Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait – Thurs 10 Sept, 10-11.30am 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 questionnaire, which will help us to improve the podcast on an ongoing basis.

It’s that time of year again, harvest 2020 is underway and farmers are coming to the end of what has been a challenging year for growing crops. In this episode, we’ll hear from growers from across the country. They’ve had to deal with extreme weather, a global pandemic and the uncertainty Britain’s exit from the EU continues to pose for markets. Despite this, as we’ll hear, there have been mixed fortunes. You can find information from the AHDB harvest results service on our website. Visit ahdb.org.uk/harvestresults. Here you can find the latest data and commentary from our Recommended Lists trials all around the country. For the harvest progress in Great Britain visit ahdb.org.uk/cereals-oilseeds/gb-harvest-progress. On this page you can find an overview of the latest figures and use our interactive tool below to learn about harvest progress across Great Britain.  Thanks to: ·         Richard Payne (Manor Farm, Somerset) ·         James and Michael Parker (Sherwood Farms, Leicestershire) ·   

What a year it has been, too wet then too dry, crops failing to establish, followed by worries about the ground being suitable for getting new seeds sown.  Extreme and severe weather patterns cause more weather worries, too dry, too hot, you know the form and the indications are that the harvest will be a disappointment – who’d be a farmer eh? In this podcast, John Bates speaks to Dr Toby Willison, Executive Director of Operations at the Environment Agency and Dr Nicola Dunn Resource Management Scientist at AHDB about the impact of flooding and how farmers can use this to their benefit. We are aware the issues extreme weather can cause to farmland, the specialists discuss the support for farmers including the ELMS (Environmental Land Management Scheme) along with other resources to help businesses as well as the community. Weather impacts all sectors, it’s a time for farmers and growers to come together and encounter extreme weather conditions to help our communities.  Find out more information o

In this episode we are discussing how potato growers should prepare their crops and stores for the first season without CIPC. Guest speakers: Tom Macfarlane - Farm Manager at Bannister Farms James Lee - Business Unit Manager at Produce Solutions Adrian Cunnington - Head of Crop Storage Research at Sutton Bridge Links:   Learn more about storage without CIPC  Watch Store Cleaning Webinar Book a free one-to-one potato store visit via our new Storage Network Register to attend desiccation webinars: 19 August: Desiccation - how to apply diquat alternatives to potato crops 16 September: Desiccation - how effective are diquat alternatives for potato crops

In this episode, Ben Williams, KT Senior Manager, speaks to three industry experts about some of the work that has been taking place to help farmers become more energy efficient as we move towards net zero. He also discusses AHDB’s strategic aims in terms of the environment with Jon Foot, Head of Environment. Find out about the potential for releasing energy from slurry, the scope for improving energy efficiency on farm and how to make the most of renewable energy sources.   Featured guests Jon Foot, Head of Environment, AHDB Jon Swain, Senior Consultant, NFU Energy Martin Barker, National Pig Sales Manager, Duynie Feeds Useful information Find out more about GrowSave and our technology review: ahdb.org.uk/growsave Ammonia emissions factors: ahdb.org.uk/news/outdated-ammonia-emissions-factors-set-to-be-revised For the latest industry data, analysis and insights from the pork sector to help inform your business decisions visit: ahdb.org.uk/pork/pork-markets Sign up to our weekly pork e-newsletter: a

In part one of this episode, independent sheep consultant Liz Genever talks to two of AHDB’s Challenge Sheep farmers, Sam Jones and Rob Hawke, about their approach to sourcing replacements this year, given the restrictions associated with coronavirus. There is also mixed forage supply following a dry spring, so she explores whether this is influencing their decision to retain more animals or opt to buy in replacements. Liz also covers health precautions and things to consider when buying in replacement stock.  In the second part of this episode, Liz is joined by Ted Ogden who is the Farmstock Sales Manager & Auctioneer at CCM Auctions in Skipton, North Yorkshire. As a member of the Livestock Auctioneers' Association (LAA), Ted gives an update on the availability of sheep sales this autumn within livestock markets and provides reassurance on the changes we can expect to see given the current coronavirus restrictions. There is also the option of sourcing replacements online, such as Signet Breeding Servi

The breeding decisions taken by dairy farmers are crucially important to the productivity, health and welfare of our national dairy herd.  In this episode Knowledge Exchange Manager Becky Miles talks to Keith Gue from Huddlestone Farmers in Sussex to understand how he makes his breeding decisions and the impact it’s had on the herd. Find out more about genetics on our  Dairy Breeding & Genetics page. 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 questionnaire, which will help us to improve the podcast on an ongoing basis.

Our research has identified various key components for an integrated pest management (IPM) strategy to combat cabbage stem flea beetle (CSFB) and uses a traffic-light code to indicate the current reliability for control. In this podcast, AHDB pest specialist Charlotte Rowley, ADAS entomologist Sacha White and Richard Ling from Diss Monitor Farm discuss the results and unlock the secrets for effectively controlling this major oilseed rape pest. Further details of our research can be found via the following links: CSFB home page CSFB research page CSFB news release

In a world that’s constantly competing with emerging food trends, diets and changing tastes – it becomes harder for farmers produce to rise above the noise and maintain the front and centre position, on the plate. The marketing and advertising people do their utmost and headlines, a few weeks ago shouted Porky Brits now fatter than pigs – a topic of a separate podcast – which supports the work being done and the latest research, showing the fat levels in certain cuts of pork have now dropped. LovePork is an AHDB marketing initiative fashioned to challenge consumer’s perceptions of pork – and in the latest results following the LovePork TV advert, 89% of consumers think Pork is now leaner and a healthier food choice. John Bates, speaks to AHDB’s Strategy Director for Pork - Angela Christison, Retail Insight Manager - Kim Malley and Marketing Lead - Carrie McDermid. They will take us through how they changed consumer perceptions and how the campaign generated £12.4m of additional spend. For further inf

In our latest episode, AHDB's KE Manager for Soft Fruit and Tree Fruit Scott Raffle sat down with Louise Sutherland - Chair of the Raspberry Breeding Consortium, Nicki Jennings - Raspberry Breeder at the James Hutton Institute and Jeff Layton, a Fruit Agronomist . They discussed each of their roles, the current state of play and how raspberry varieties may change in the future. To discover more about AHDB's role in assisting in raspberry-based research through our NIAB EMR Centre, visit https://ahdb.org.uk/farm-excellence/WETCentre. 

After losing the approval for Diquat in 2019 growers are looking for alternative solutions for desiccation. Gozai and Spotlight, straight or in combination, along with flailing have shown good results in the 2019 trials. Trials on desiccation will continue this year at our SPot farms.  In the first part of this episode we will discuss with Mike Shapland, Strategic Potato Farm host in the East region, about how they will tackle desiccation this year. In the second part Dr Mark Stalham will talk about the desiccation trials which took place last year and he will also offer an update on this year’s trials.   Guest speakers: Mike Shapland – Farm Manager, James Foskett Farms Dr. Mark Stalham – Head of NIAB CUF Links: https://ahdb.org.uk/potatoes https://ahdb.org.uk/farm-excellence/james-foskett-farms https://ahdb.org.uk/news/the-cost-of-desiccation-without-diquat

In this episode John Bates talks to Head of Market Specialists Chris Gooderham, and Duncan Wyatt, Lead Analyst, about the challenges faced by the beef, lamb, pork and dairy sectors in 2020 and what the future may hold. They discuss some of the winners and losers of the coronavirus pandemic, and touch on Brexit.   You can find more information on prices and consumer trends, both in the short- and long-term, on our Market Intelligence web pages or by reading the latest Agri-market outlook reports. If you’d like to sign up to receive our regular e-newsletters, visit: ahdb.org.uk/keeping-in-touch and if you’d like to give feedback on our podcasts, please complete our short questionnaire, which will help us to improve the podcast on an ongoing basis.

In March 2020 Nicholas Saphir was appointed by the Secretary of State to follow Sir Peter Kendall and become the new chairman of AHDB. In this episode, John Bates questions AHDB's new chair, Nicholas Saphir on his future plans for the agriculture and horticulture industry. Bringing a strong set of new skills and experience, Nicholas shares the vision of where he wants AHDB to be in the upcoming years. Find out what the means for our industry, staff and allied stakeholders.  Learn more about Nicholas Saphir If you're interested in our upcoming work, visit: https://ahdb.org.uk/ Keep your eye peeled for our upcoming podcasts featuring Nicholas on AHDB's upcoming strategy and request for views