Farming Today

Mixing trees and farming in agro-forestry: why the key to resilient farming could be trees. We're looking at this all this week and today we hear from a British pioneer.
A week today millions of people will head to the polls to vote in a number of local council and mayoral elections in England, while voters in Scotland and Wales will elect representatives to their national parliaments.  Farming policy is largely devolved to the governments in Edinburgh and Cardiff, and having heard the latest from the campaign trail in Scotland yesterday, today we turn to Wales.
This Sunday is International Dawn Chorus day. The RSPB is using the occasion to celebrate a rise in the number of young people bird watching, though the British Trust for Ornithology warns that there are fewer birds for them to see and hear.
Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

A 40 hectare greenhouse has been given the go-ahead in Essex. It'll be the UK's second largest, and will be powered and heated by a domestic waste incinerator on the same site. The company says it will grow 28,000 tonnes of tomatoes a year, which will offset 7 percent of UK tomato imports from Southern Spain, Morocco and Holland.
We visit a farm in Gloucestershire where they incorporate trees into everything they grow. Silvohorticulture uses the trees to provide shade, wind cover, and compost.
And this week we're looking ahead to the upcoming elections in the UK. Today, what politicians are promising farmers in Scotland.
Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Sally Challoner.

A new collaboration has been set up between scientists and the fishing industry in Cornwall, to integrate scientific research with the real experience of fishers. Assessing current fish stocks and how not to damage them, has often been a point of contention between the two, but now it's hoped that the Cornwall Fisheries Science Board will lead the way for a similar approach nationwide.
All week we're taking a closer look at agro-forestry, today we visit a farm in Shropshire which has created silvo-pasture - growing trees on the pasture used by livestock. Tim Downes says the health of his 300 organic dairy cows has improved, since he planted willow trees and walnuts.
Some potato farmers are struggling to find a market for their crop, one grower in Cambridgeshire is donating tonnes of spuds he can't sell to a food bank. It seems there is an over-supply of potatoes after a very successful growing season last year. It's not just in the UK but across Europe too. As war in the Middle East pushes up the cost of fuel, fertiliser and energy, will farmers bother planting potatoes this spring?
Presenter = Anna Hill
Producer = Rebecca Rooney

A landmark legal case over water pollution gets underway later today. Thousands of people are part of the case which claims that chicken farming and sewage spills are causing pollution in three rivers, the Wye, Usk and Lugg. The case against chicken producers Avara and Freemans of Newent, and Welsh Water, will be heard at the High Court in London. All three firms vigorously deny the claims.
A new report from MPs highlights low morale and a lack of trust in officials amongst fishing communities.
All week we'll be looking at agroforestry, or farming with trees in the mix: putting pigs into an orchard or planting fruit trees in an arable field to provide wind breaks and food.
Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

A new trial is starting this summer, as part of a programme to develop a vaccine for people against bird flu. 3000 volunteers are needed from the UK to take part, and 1000 in the USA. Researchers at the National Institute for Health and Care Research are hoping that poultry workers might take part.
A new report warns that UK farming's reliance on imported fertiliser and minerals, puts it at risk in times of geopolitical stress. Analysis, published by the National Preparedness Commission, highlights the fragility of global supply chains on which UK agriculture depends.
Fuel and fertiliser costs are soaring because of disruption caused by the war in the Middle East. That's having a big impact on farmers and it's also putting pressure on food prices as MPs on the Environment Food and Rural Affairs select committee have been hearing. They were told that food prices were 40% higher than before Covid and that the food supply chain needed urgent government support with fuel costs.
We visit a field trial of a gene-edited barley which contains higher levels of fat. Scientists believe this will make it a more efficient livestock feed, and could also reduce methane emissions by making it more digestible.
Thatching is becoming more of a challenge due to issues with some of the materials. Supplies of the right sort of wheat straw can be unpredictable and the hazel spars used to attach the thatch to the roof now have to be imported from Eastern Europe. To kick start interest in growing more locally a ‘summit’ of thatchers, farmers and plant scientists was held this week in Suffolk.
Presenter = Charlotte Smith
Producer = Rebecca Rooney