Opinion

August is the month when we get to enjoy Bucks County Show although, granted, it’s a fair few weeks away yet.

It’s quite something when you visit a museum and recognise things from your own childhood - but how about visiting a museum and actually seeing a building that your ancestors once worked and played in?

Young farmers are being sought to join one of the most popular civic pageants in the world. The National Farmers Union (NFU) wants a bunch of enthusiastic young farmers to have starring roles in the 2018 Lord Mayor’s show in London and is launching a competition to find them.

As I am writing this it’s just been declared the hottest day of the year with the temperature reaching over 30 degrees.

Our suckler herd has now left us and the farm feels very quiet without the cows and calves.

Agricultural shows and events this summer will be a perfect opportunity for the National Sheep Association to remind members of the public about the importance of keeping dogs on leads when they are near to sheep.

A more perfect prize could not have been found for Tristan Pengilley who has been announced as the first winner of the National Sheep Association (NSA) 2018 membership prize giveaway.

I wrote last week about my husband’s decision to retire after a lifetime of farming.

Retirement for a farmer is a pretty big decision. Farming isn’t just a job, it’s a way of life – often from birth, and that’s certainly been the case for my husband.

If you have always wanted to visit a farm but don’t have any farming friends, now is your chance to see what goes on beyond the farmyard gates and fields. On LEAF Open Farm Sunday hundreds of farmers and their families across the country welcome visitors and showcase all that British farming delivers.

Spring turnout for the suckler herd is always a lovely time. After spending the winter months in the yards, the cows and calves are over the moon to get out into the fresh air and enjoy space and new grass.

Small independent retailers have been the backbone of this country, and to find a fabulous butcher is always a huge bonus.

Countryfile fans were in for a treat when presenter and farmer Adam Henson visited Briants of Longwick recently.

Every day motorists and pedestrians drive and walk by miles and miles of fields, bordered in most cases by some kind of fencing.

Driving into the office yesterday I passed a field filled with ewes and lambs, and it was obvious the gorgeous little lambs were Jacob crosses due to their black, brown and white colouring. I used to have a pet ewe that was a Suffolk/Jacob cross and she was a beautiful chocolate brown colour.

Intense campaigning by the National Farmers Union (NFU) has led to a government decision that will see nursery growers treated equally to other agricultural businesses regarding business rates.

The National Farmers Union (NFU) is urging dog walkers to #takethelead and use a lead near livestock when in the countryside over the Easter school holidays.

The early spring muck spreading season is upon us. Muck spreading has been an integral part of farming and food production for centuries but there is no way of avoiding the downside - it smells!