UK Agriculture what's new

23rd May 2008
We have added our seasonal foods database to the site. Development is ongoing and data for fruit and salads will be added shortly and additional vegetables. Also new to the site are a series on production cycles and the start to our energy cropping section.

15th May 2008
Farming statistics now includes data for 2007 with additional functionailty and notes. The quickest way of accessing key agricultural statistics, by far.

7th January 2008
We have added additional feedback and functionality to the farming pictures image library so that users can now vote for their favourites.

2nd October 2007
High resolution images are now available from our farming picture library for educational use and are designed to support the Year of Food and Farming.

2nd August 2007
What's next for set-aside? With obligatory set-aside looking like ending, we propose a solution for preserving the valuable habitats that have been created. Read more at Life after set-aside.

6th June 2007
We have introduced a new search and related links facility throughout the site and the results are now icon classified for easier interpretation. We have also included a selection of farming videos in multimedia as well as a number of new production cycle articles.

28th February 2007
We launch our solution to the UK's housing crisis. Diffuse development provides a sustainable answer.

22nd December 2006
We have introduced a new events section to help users keep in touch farming and countryside matters through the many shows and events that are run throughout the year. We will be populating the database over the coming month, please feel free to suggest your own events.

11th September 2006
The whole of the UKagriculture website is launched in W3C style featuring cross browser compatibility and floating styles. Please contact us if you come across any errors. With the new style we have added additional articles and provided the opportunity for users to add comments to pages. Related links and additional navigation items add to the improved functionality.

6th July 2006
A vision for the CAP - our response to H M Treasury and Defra.

28th June 2006
We have launched a public forum for you to discuss farming and countryside issues. Please read the terms and then log in to join the discussion.

15th June 2006
Nigel, an old friend of the UKagriculture website launches his weblog with thoughts on Defra's Whole Farm Agreement.

2nd June 2006
Agristats - useful statistics about agriculture in the UK is updated to include all the latest data for 2005. Search across hundreds of records.

24th May 2006
We launch our latest campaign with a strategy for the renewal of hedgerow trees throughout the UK.

3rd March 2006
Avian influenza is reviewed in both the global and UK context.

10th December 2005
We launch our living countryside campaign for the restoration of hay meadows.
And just how sustainable is all this sustainability? Sustainable agriculture in perspective.

23rd November 2005
The history of the countryside has been completely updated with dozens of new high resolution images and the navigation enhanced to make access to the media easier.

22nd November 2005
We have added a Farming News Review. Produced in association with Chavereys - Chartered Accountants the review summarises the main farming news for the preceeding month. We have also updated our popular E-card facility which now includes a selection of new images.

16th September 2005
We have added 75 new farming and countryside images to our multimedia library. These are made available for educational use. Please see the copyright terms detailed in the library. We have also added three new articles on rearing beef calves, rearing dairy calves and calf housing and health.

15th September 2005
Field to Fridge now includes sheep and the production of lamb. Follow our photo sequences to discover what's going on and why.

7th June 2005
We add a new site section dedicated to farming and agricultural statistics featuring hundreds of useful statistics. We now include an introduction to - uk farming. This introduces UK farming to those who seek an overview of the industry.

2nd March 2005
In Livestock we have added an article on the stratification of the sheep industry and flow diagrams illustrating the production cycles of beef, sheep, pig and dairy systems.

The renowned "History of the Countryside" has been revised and each of the "broadband" virtual movie clips now features sound.

21st January 2005
In Livestock we have added two new articles on Poultry, introduction to broiler chickens and broiler health and housing.

Farming Today we have added two new articles on Issues, an introduction to GMO's and GM crops - the risks. We have included a unique smiley based guide to assess the risks.

Farming Today includes a section detailing opportunities for higher education in agriculture and farming with a brief introduction to most of the colleges and universities.

We feature Guy Smith's booklet; Farm, Food, Countryside, a guide supporting UK agriculture with all sorts of useful information to confound political and media bias!

All the articles in the site now include a page specific feedback form. We welcome your comments.

8th December 2004
The latest update includes:

We have greatly expanded the conservation and biodiversity database which now includes 450 examples of practical on-farm conservation work. This data is mainly drawn from farms within a few miles of our offices and the sheer scale of what is going on in just one small area of the UK provides an excellent snapshot of the national picture.

New links to key organisations from Community in the Countryside section.

In the Conservation section we have added articles introducing the two key national conservation awards. An introduction to The Game Conservancy and FWAG are also now included.

In Farming Today two articles are dedicated to agricultural support. One looks at the role of the WTO, the EU and UK government agencies in the politics and distribution of support. The other looks at the changing nature of support in the EU and the trade consequence of decoupling.

In Food Production we have added a section dedicated to farm assurance, certification and the major marques.

In Crops we have added articles on grain and forage maize.

1st October 2004
After four months intensive work we are pleased to announce are biggest update so far. This includes:

The Four Seasons - a completely new section of the site offering a seasonal view of farming and countryside activities with hundreds of new images accessible by season, month and day.

Field to Fridge has been completely updated and two new crops, winter oilseed rape and winter oats have been added. This section now features over 600 dedicated images.

Many new images taken over the last year are added to our multimedia library with explantory text.

The index page of the site has been completely redesigned and a dynamic navigation system incorporated throughout the site.

The site search facility has been enhanced and updated to provide improved navigation between selected searches.

20th March 2004
Work published by the Commercial Farmers Group argues the case for Food Security at a time when debate about agriculture addresses the issue of how food is produced whilst ignoring the crucial issue of how much.

18th March 2004
We outline organic farming - an introduction with links to the key organisations within the movement.

Our livestock section adds an introduction to beef with a look at the industry and the origins of the stock.

The arable area adds field beans to the crops described.

29th February 2004
With the ever growing area of woodland cover in the UK we provide three new articles that focus on woodland ecosystems, planning a new wood and finally planting new woodland.

22nd December 2003
We add over 200 images to our multimedia library that have been collected through 2003. The library now contains nearly 1000 useful images for educational use. In the most recent batch to be included there is strong emphasis on fresh foods - these images should be of use to teachers and students of both agriculture and domestic science.

21st December 2003 We have selected some of our favourite images and created a set of wallpapers for use on your PC.These are available in fun and games.

20th December 2003
Over the past year we have been working on the development of the www.coppicing.com site.This goes live today with a look at the role and importance of coppicing as a woodland management technique. The site details a comprehensive case study that follows the management of adjoining new and ancient woodland.

5th September 2003
A new look to the site is introduced with dynamic html menus and a revised index page to improve navigation through the site.

10th July 2003
We launch our strategy for the creation of biodiverse grassland meadows throughout arable areas of the UK.

3rd July 2003
GM Crops and genetic modification - we introduce this subject with a timely perspective on the origins of breeding and improvement in livestock and crops.

3rd June 2003
An introduction to animal welfare details the history of legislation in the UK and provides links to the current codes of practice.

2nd June 2003
We introduce the subject of grass and grassland management with three separate articles. Grass covers around half of the UK landmass and is three times more common than all other crops combined. An introduction to grassland, grassland management and grazing systems detail what is going on and why.

1st May 2003
We take a look at The Image of Agriculture Campaign and summarise E-coli 0157.

28th March 2003
The Future of Farming and Food - what the Curry Report should have said.

5th March 2003
The history of the countryside 3D virtual reality movies have now been added to our multimedia area for quick access. A video search for "hoc" will bring all to the fore.

We introduce a new section on infectious diseases. Included are foot and mouth, brucellosis, TB, BSE, and swine fever with more soon.

The fascinating story of wool production and sheep sheering are accompanied by lamb welfare in the sheep section.

Self sufficiency and overproduction. UK agriculture is often accused of the pointless overproduction of commodities. We explore production in relation to self sufficiency and ask at what point self sufficiency (or lack of it) has strategic implications?

Conservation headlands, their establishment and use. We examine these colourful strips.

28th January 2003
The first of our farming videos are added to the multimedia image library. These feature a number of arable and forage operations in an easy to use and searchable format.

18th January 2003
Conservation grazing, its role and importance in the maintenance of some of our most important habitats.

10th November 2002
Completely revised History of the Countryside with key time period pages featuring 60 3D virtual reality images of the countryside over the last 15,000 years, 20 3D movie clips and a full five minute virtual reality fly through movie (40mb) from the ice age to the countryside today. This substantial project has been under production for over a year.

Multimedia image and video library with hundreds of pictures available for educational use in searchable and categorised form.

Potatoes are added to our fast facts series and we follow the whole crop in Field to Fridge.

Tell a Friend and Have Your Say are added to the site.

The Agriquiz now features four quizes for you to test your farming and countryside knowledge.

19th September 2002
30 new conservation projects are added to the conservation database. To see just the latest examples that have been added search for "uka1". The new projects include field margins, pond restoration, new hedging and organic conversion amongst others.

30th May 2002
Articles on grain storage and oilseed rape

29th May 2002
The "crop by month" - an illustrated monthly guide to wheat, spring barley, spring oilseed rape and peas is added. These pages can be found through the search facility

27th May 2002
The dairy day - a series of articles looking at a typical day in the dairy herd

24th May 2002
Peas, lamb and oats are added to the menu in our Fast Facts about Food

7th May 2002
How to plant a hedge - article greatly expanded with new images and information

3rd May 2002
Developing solutions from the Farmed Environment Company

30th April 2002
Fascinating new projects are added to the conservation database with work from Surrey, Grampian Region, Herefordshire and Dorset. Conservation database

16th April 2002
We start the sheep section with Lambing Time

28th March 2002
The Field to Fridge series now includes milk production and the dairy day.

13th March 2002
A search facility is added to the site and the main articles of the site can now be accessed outside the main navigation items.

1st March 2002
Barley. An intorduction to the second most widely grown cereal crop.

13th February 2002
Why farming matters - practical solutions that enhance biodiversity. Follow the farming matters link.

12th February 2002
Sugar beet. An introduction to this important break crop. Follow the link to arable crops.

25th January 2002
Farming in Crisis. Comprehensive analysis illustrating the plight of agriculture in the UK.

24th January 2002
The Conservation Database is revised and project information is now available in two levels of detail. The Field to Fridge series concludes the existing crops with illustrations of food products following processing.

15th January 2002
The Ask Nigel Q&A Database is enlarged with over 200 new questions and answers.

5th December 2001
The first of our new "Fast Facts" series starts with food. This unique guide gives users a quick overview of the importance of crops and livestock and why they are grown, illustrating their role in day to day foods.

28th November 2001
The Field to Fridge series includes a section on pigs illustrating the journey of this important farm animal and illustrating its versatility as a producer of food.

20th November 2001
The first of a series of articles on pesticides and spraying appears in the Cultivations section of crops.

9th November 2001
New "picture memory" game added in our Fun and Games section.

6th November 2001
Comprehensive introduction to pigs added to our Livestock section.

15th October 2001
250 new conservation projects added to our Conservation database.