In his 2010 report, The Rural Advocate states; “From day one, by far the most frequent issue raised with me has been the need for more affordable housing in rural areas”. Later, in the report he recommends that planners should take a flexible and creative approach to deliver more affordable housing.

UKagriculture.com has long campaigned for flexibility to be adopted by planners when considering new properties in farmyards. Planning consent for new properties could be granted subject to the condition that the property was made available for letting on a long-term basis. This could be reinforced by restrictive covenants that ensured that the property could not be sold away from the farm, nor occupied by holiday lets; thus preserving its status as rented accommodation.

Over the past couple of decades many farmers have converted redundant farm buildings to workshops and retail outlets. The businesses that occupy these buildings employ staff who frequently would prefer to live, on-farm, at the place of their employment. If farmers were given the opportunity to build a few traditionally styled cottages to house these workers, they would be able to incorporate district-heating systems into the design from the outset and heat the cottages from farm-sourced renewables. Living and working in the countryside utilising locally produced energy is a particularly sustainable form of existence that has proved itself over the last 6000 years.

The provision of rented accommodation in rural areas would help reinvigorate our villages, maintain their social fabric and prevent their decline into dormitory status. We believe this can be achieved sustainably and have developed the concept of Diffuse Development which we commend to the Rural Advocate and local planning authorities. More from the bookmark of the same name.

Congratulations to Hovis who are now making bread made exclusively from British wheat.

Most bread in the UK is produced using a mix of home-grown and imported flour. The imported flour, which has strong baking characteristics, is usually derived from red wheat that is imported from Canada. Traditionally British farmers have not grown red wheat as it is spring sown and lower yielding than the winter wheats normally chosen. Although Canadian wheat is sold at a premium to British wheat this has been insufficient to tempt farmers into trying the crop.

To overcome this Hovis has taken the brave decision of offering a more substantial premium to British farmers to produce red wheat - their efforts have been successful. Farmers have now started to produce the red wheat that Hovis require - the result is tasty bread made with 100% British wheat.

This is good news for consumers who now have a new choice. It's good news for Hovis who can market their loaves with a Union Jack marque and differentiate their sales in a competitive marketplace. It's good news too for farmers who now have a market for a product that they can viably produce.

And unexpectedly it's also good news for the countryside. Spring sown crops are produced less intensively than winter sown crops. In the winter months an overwintered stubble provides a good habitat for farmland birds. Through the summer, when the crop canopy is more open, spring crops provide a better environment for nesting birds and other wildlife.

Sliced genius!

Did Queen Victoria predict the Second World War....or the First for that matter? Of course not.

Twenty years ago did you predict the internet or how it would impact on society? Unlikely, how ever obvious in retrospect its development might now seem.

The day before "9/11" almost all of humanity thought it unthinkable, yet it happened.

The near future is uncertain, the far future exceptionally so, but that hasn't stopped Natural England producing "Vital Uplands - A 2060 vision for England’s upland environment". Wasted paper from an organisation that talks sustainability.

In 2004 we asked whether
"GM crops offer solutions for world and British agriculture"
On 6th October 2004 our poll concluded:
Yes 54% No 39% Maybe 7%

In 2009 we asked whether
"GM crops offer solutions for world and British agriculture"
On 22nd December 2009 our poll concluded:
Yes 52% No 31% Maybe 18%

A slight softening of the "No" vote, to the "Maybe".

During the past five years the world has experienced food shortages, food riots and massive price rises. It's been a rollercoaster that has forced even Defra to look up and question whether food security can be taken for granted. Politically, climate change has started to dominate the agenda with plenty of media coverage looking at its possible adverse impact on future food production. Meanwhile the world's population continues to head towards 9 billion by mid century. Surely GM technology is essential. Yet despite the entirely safe consumption of simply billions of GM derived meals, we remain deeply sceptical. Five years and mountains of evidence have done little more than soften the "No" stance. Fascinating.

Three years ago we sold our spring barley on a forward contract. We reckoned on a reasonable yield and were happy with the forward price. Between the contract date and harvest we had a drought and the spot price of the crop soared. Harvest came; we sold what we had, but were short on our contract tonnage. The buyer then bought in against us charging for the shortfall at the then, much greater spot price. A contract is a contract – nothing wrong with that.

One year ago we sold our barley on a forward contract. We reckoned on a reasonable yield and were happy with the forward price. Between the contract date and harvest we had favourable growing conditions and the recession began. The spot price of the crop fell. Harvest came; we put the contract tonnage in store and waited for collection as per the terms. Now a month after the end of the contract period there is no sign of the buyer. A contract is a contract – now wouldn’t that be nice?