Opinion

Primary schools can enter a national competition with a top prize giving them the chance to have their school turned into a farm for a day.

My visit to Bucks County Show this year was quite different from previous years. For one thing I had my daughter with me for the first time in many years, which was rather lovely, and reminded us both of her visits when she was a child and had to follow me around whilst I interviewed people for multiple news stories and spreads in the paper.

Throughout the years I have been writing this column I have written before about farm sales, and I have always appreciated the emotional impact on a farming family of losing not only their business but their way of life.

Technology has changed our lives in many areas - at work, at home, leisure, shopping, banking, the list is endless. Technology has also changed the face of farming, with herd records kept online, satellite navigation aiding fieldwork and special apps to assist business plans.

Recently I went to Countryfile Live at Blenheim Palace. This was my first visit and it was an impressive event.

British wool producer Stuart Connor has qualified through the English Open Shearing circuit as a member of the England team for the World Shearing Championships to be held in France next year. This achievement comes in spite of a year of personal tragedy, when Stuart and his wife Kira lost their three year old daughter, Grace, to mitochondrial disease.

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.