Íæż½ã½ã

Farming economics, it is sometimes argued, work in a countercyclical fashion to the wider economy. And if there was one year to seemingly prove that it would be 2020.

It has been a long held truth that farmers bear too much of the risk, and not enough of the reward, in a food supply chain stacked against them.

In a normal year, mid-September is the time when eyes are cast towards the end of the agricultural show season.

If the British are a nation of curtain twitchers then there is every chance I have joined their ranks. Since lockdown at the end of March, those Íæż½ã½ã staff who were office-based have swapped life on a business park for life at home.

Although Abi Reader in this week’s Farming Matters has somewhat stolen my thunder with her comments about 24 Hours in Farming, she is entirely correct and it is a point worth re-emphasising: that positive messaging about agriculture is vital, whatever platform it appears on.

The escalating cost of rural crime must be a major concern to farmers across the country, but perhaps not a surprise.

Back for another year, 24 Hours in Farming has become a beacon of positivity in the agricultural calendar. Here, Íæż½ã½ã editor Ben Briggs talks about the initiative and why it matters so much for UK ag.

At a time when there is huge demand for sustainable, natural materials, it seems counter-intuitive that one of the most traditional and long established of natural fibres, wool, finds its price languishing and farmers composting or burning fleeces after shearing.

In his hard-hitting and brave retelling of the fall that changed his life, farmer and auction mart director Trevor Wilson has laid bare the profound impact an on-farm health and safety incident can have on an individual and those around them.