The Farmers Weekly Podcast

In this episode, we examine new farm-level evidence suggesting phosphorus is coming into balance on farms in the River Wye catchment – and ask what it means for water pollution.
We visit a field trial where precision breeding could make UK-grown soya commercially possible.
We examine the continuing decline in cattle and sheep numbers, and run the rule over the latest livestock and arable markets.
And we discover why some of Britain’s biggest music names are heading to Suffolk for a harvest festival with a difference.
This episode is brought to you by Bayer Crop Science – weeding out uncertainty.
Chapters
00:00 – Introduction
00:51 – River Wye: are farmers turning the tide on pollution?
10:18 – Bayer autumn drilling update: tackling weeds field by field
12:20 – Could gene-edited soya become a UK break crop?
21:51 – Farming news: El Niño, Asian hornets and SFI26
26:07 – Why are Britain’s beef and sheep herds shrinking?
32:21 – Markets: beef firms as grain prices rise
34:59 – A Great British Harvest Festival with a difference
42:13 – That’s all for this week
Guests
Dan Smith – farm facilitator, Herefordshire Rural Hub
Rachel Banks – technical manager, Bayer Crop Science
Dr Frank Röber – Europe Breeding Alliances lead, Corteva Agriscience
Philip Case – Farmers Weekly
Prys Morgan – beef and lamb sector director, AHDB
Andrew Sunnucks – farmer and music producer
Useful links
River Wye nutrient balance project
River Wye water quality – Environment Agency
SFI26 Window 2
AHDB Beef & Lamb
Bayer Crop Science
Great British Harvest Festival
This episode of the Farmers Weekly Podcast is co-hosted by Johann Tasker, Louise Impey and Hugh Broom. Edited and produced by Johann Tasker.
To get in touch with the Farmers Weekly Podcast: -
Contact or follow Johann: linkedin.com/in/johanntasker/
Contact or follow Louise: linkedin.com/in/louise-impey-95470b20b/
Contact or follow Hugh: linkedin.com/in/hugh-broom-9b11906a/
For Farmers Weekly, visit fwi.co.uk or follow linkedin.com/company/farmers-weekly
To contact, sponsor or advertise on the Farmers Weekly Podcast, email podcast@fwi.co.uk. In the UK, you can also text the word FARM followed by your message to 88 44 0.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, how much rain is enough to start drilling after one of the driest summers in recent memory?
We look at autumn crop establishment as growers weigh up whether to put oilseed rape and other crops into exceptionally dry soils – or wait for more meaningful rainfall.
We assess the prospects for the coming sugar beet harvest after drought, heat and pest pressure take their toll on crops.
And farm leaders call for tougher controls on Brazilian beef and imported eggs as questions mount over whether food coming into Britain meets the same standards expected of UK producers.
Meanwhile, fertiliser suppliers urge growers to start talking about next season’s requirements as geopolitical disruption threatens to disrupt another buying season.
And finally, a police watchdog says firearms licensing in England and Wales is “not fit for purpose”.
What would a new national licensing authority mean for the thousands of farmers and other rural businesses that rely on shotguns and firearms for their work?
This episode is brought to you by KWS – seeding the future since 1856.
Chapters
00:00 – Introduction
00:53 – How much rain is enough to drill oilseed rape?
02:24 – How late is too late for oilseed rape?
03:21 – Drilling into exceptionally dry seed-beds
04:01 – Should growers increase seed rates?
05:07 – Has this week’s rain changed anything?
07:14 – Grass, cover crops and an exceptionally early maize harvest
08:21 – What happened to cabbage stem flea beetle?
09:24 – Farmers Weekly Harvest Update with KWS
11:45 – How badly has drought hit sugar beet?
14:02 – Beet armyworm adds to pest pressure
15:01 – Building more resilient sugar beet crops
16:05 – Can plant breeding deliver drought tolerance?
16:52 – What are growers expecting from harvest?
19:29 – A difficult lifting campaign ahead?
20:49 – Calls to stop Brazilian beef imports
21:11 – Imported eggs and the salmonella outbreak
22:53 – Farmers urged to plan fertiliser requirements early
24:17 – Geopolitics puts fertiliser supply chains under pressure
25:01 – But what about farm cash flow?
26:17 – Can the supply chain cope with another late rush?
28:59 – Markets update
29:20 – Firearms licensing ‘not fit for purpose’
30:25 – Farmers’ experience of firearms licensing
31:26 – Would a national firearms authority work better?
32:18 – Closing remarks
Guests
Jock Willmott – partner and agronomist, Ceres Rural
Matt Bull – product manager, KWS
Dr Georgina Barratt – head of crop production, British Beet Research Organisation
Harriet Trewin – head of fertiliser, Agricultural Industries Confederation
Lee Freeman – HM inspector of constabulary
Useful links
⁠Ceres Rural
⁠British Beet Research Organisation
⁠Agricultural Industries Confederation
Latest UKHSA salmonella outbreak update
Government firearms licensing guidance
This episode of the Farmers Weekly Podcast is co-hosted by Johann Tasker, Louise Impey and Hugh Broom. Edited and produced by Johann Tasker.
To get in touch with the Farmers Weekly Podcast: -
Contact or follow Johann: linkedin.com/in/johanntasker/
Contact or follow Louise: linkedin.com/in/louise-impey-95470b20b/
Contact or follow Hugh: linkedin.com/in/hugh-broom-9b11906a/
For Farmers Weekly, visit fwi.co.uk or follow linkedin.com/company/farmers-weekly
To contact, sponsor or advertise on the Farmers Weekly Podcast, email podcast@fwi.co.uk. In the UK, you can also text the word FARM followed by your message to 88 44 0.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Could government-backed crisis loans help cash-strapped farmers recover from drought and keep Britain producing food?
This week, we examine industry proposals for a Keep Britain Growing Loan – an interest-free, government-backed scheme planned for farmers.
With the bluetongue outbreak continuing to spread northwards, we hear why livestock producers are being urged to vaccinate susceptible cattle and sheep as soon as possible.
We look at China’s drive for greater food self-sufficiency and what it could mean for global agricultural markets.
And a new report called From Risk to Reward examines the financial cost of switching to regenerative farming.
If farmers lose money during the transition, should food companies and the wider supply chain shoulder more of the risk?
This episode is brought to you by Bayer CropScience - weeding out uncertainty.
Chapters
00:00 – Introduction
01:02 – Could crisis loans keep farmers farming?
04:30 – Would the loans make a difference?
09:46 – Autumn Drilling Update with Bayer Cropscience
11:44 – Bluetongue spreads further across Britain
17:05 – Is it too late to vaccinate?
17:57 – Preparing for bluetongue in 2027
23:34 – Harvest, autumn cultivations and SFI
27:07 – China targets greater food self-sufficiency
30:06 – Markets
33:16 – Who pays for regenerative farming?
39:02 – Should food companies share the risk?
Guests
Alex Godfrey – Lincolnshire farmer and chairman, GB Potatoes
Rachel Banks – technical manager, Bayer Cropscience
Claire Wise – acting national livestock chair, NFU
Mandy Nevel – head of animal health, AHDB
Joe Stanley – head of sustainable farming, Allerton Project
Useful Links
Keep Britain Growing Loan
Bluetongue – latest situation
Bayer weed management advice
Regenerative agriculture and Nestlé
Allerton Project
From Risk to Reward
This episode of the Farmers Weekly Podcast is co-hosted by Johann Tasker, Louise Impey and Hugh Broom. Edited and produced by Johann Tasker.
To get in touch with the Farmers Weekly Podcast: -
Contact or follow Johann: linkedin.com/in/johanntasker/
Contact or follow Louise: linkedin.com/in/louise-impey-95470b20b/
Contact or follow Hugh: linkedin.com/in/hugh-broom-9b11906a/
For Farmers Weekly, visit fwi.co.uk or follow linkedin.com/company/farmers-weekly
To contact, sponsor or advertise on the Farmers Weekly Podcast, email podcast@fwi.co.uk. In the UK, you can also text the word FARM followed by your message to 88 44 0.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Defra unveils a £65m package to help drought-hit farmers – we examine how it could help your farm business.
We also look at whether growers should start drilling winter crops into exceptionally dry soils – and assess the worsening forage situation for cattle and sheep.
Elsewhere, farmers in South Wales help firefighters tackle wildfires, grain markets respond to renewed turmoil in the Black Sea,
And three veteran kayakers take to the rivers of East Anglia to raise money for rural mental health charity YANA (You Are Not Alone).
This episode is brought to you by plant breeder KWS.
Guests
Ian Gould – Independent farm adviser
John Cousins – Weed scientist, ADAS
Andrew Jones – Independent dairy and beef nutritionist
Brian Bowen – South Wales farmer
Henry Kilvert – Norfolk farmer and YANA supporter
Chapters
00:00 – Defra unveils £65m drought package
01:52 – SFI flexibility in extreme drought
06:33 – What does the £65m package actually offer?
10:40 – Extra grazing for livestock farmers
13:07 – Can farmers rely on SFI long term?
15:51 – Farmers Weekly Harvest Update with KWS
18:04 – When should growers start autumn drilling?
23:17 – Blackgrass, herbicides and dry seedbeds
26:06 – Should growers risk drilling oilseed rape?
28:37 – Livestock forage crisis deepens
29:57 – Drought threatens fertility and production
32:18 – Sheep, forage and winter feed stocks
5:23 – Listener feedback and farming resilience
36:34 – Farmers battle South Wales wildfires
39:29 – Grain prices react to Black Sea attacks
40:26 – This week’s farmgate prices
42:56 – Three old men in boats
44:37 – Tackling loneliness in farming

Usel links
Government £65m drought support announcement:
Sustainable Farming Incentive:
Environment Agency drought and water resources information
AHDB harvest progress
AHDB drought, feed and fodder advice
ADAS
YANA – rural mental health support
This episode of the Farmers Weekly Podcast is co-hosted by Johann Tasker, Louise Impey and Hugh Broom. Edited and produced by Johann Tasker.
To get in touch with the Farmers Weekly Podcast: -
Contact or follow Johann: linkedin.com/in/johanntasker/
Contact or follow Louise: linkedin.com/in/louise-impey-95470b20b/
Contact or follow Hugh: linkedin.com/in/hugh-broom-9b11906a/
For Farmers Weekly, visit fwi.co.uk or follow linkedin.com/company/farmers-weekly
To contact, sponsor or advertise on the Farmers Weekly Podcast, email podcast@fwi.co.uk. In the UK, you can also text the word FARM followed by your message to 88 44 0.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As drought conditions worsen across England, MPs demand urgent government action to safeguard water supplies for food production.
South Norfolk MP Ben Goldsborough says farmers need more flexible abstraction licences, simpler rules for building reservoirs and adequate support.
We examine Defra’s new £1.5m Farmer Welfare Grant and ask whether improving personal resilience can help farmers navigate increasingly volatile weather, markets and government policy.
Meanwhile, grain marketing consultant Richard Whitlock warns growers to carry out due diligence when selling grain as profitability among merchants comes under pressure.
And we celebrate 150 volumes of the Aberdeen Angus Herd Book – and ask how genetics and data could shape the breed’s next 150 years.
Guests
* Ben Goldsborough – Labour MP for South Norfolk
* Samantha “Sammy” Seaman – farm leadership, mindset and resilience coach
* Richard Whitlock – grain marketing consultant
* Robert Gilchrist – chief executive, Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Society
Chapters
00:55 – Farmers demand their fair share of water
01:25 – Ben Goldsborough: “Drier than Jerusalem”
02:28 – Abstraction licences and regulation
03:16 – Food security versus data centres
03:48 – What farmers can do
05:35 – Is Defra listening?
08:17 – What help do drought-hit farms need?
10:57 – A climate “doom loop”?
14:37 – Bayer Autumn Drilling Update
16:55 – £1.5m Farmer Welfare Grant
17:20 – Samantha Seaman on handling pressure
20:01 – Building resilient farm businesses
23:25 – Can farmers bounce back?
26:31 – Bluetongue situation worsens
30:57 – Sustainable Farming Incentive update
32:27 – Harvest quality surprises
34:47 – Be careful who buys your grain
36:47 – Checking your grain buyer
38:30 – Commodity markets
41:27 – Aberdeen Angus at 150
42:29 – Why Aberdeen Angus endures
43:17 – Genetics, DNA and lower emissions
49:30 – Closing remarks

Useful links
- Rural Payments Agency extreme weather guidance
- Defra Farmer Welfare Grant
- Samantha Seaman Coaching
- Richard Whitlock – grain merchant analysis
- Bayer Crop Science weed management
- Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Society
This episode of the Farmers Weekly Podcast is co-hosted by Johann Tasker, Louise Impey and Hugh Broom. Edited and produced by Johann Tasker.
To get in touch with the Farmers Weekly Podcast: -
Contact or follow Johann: linkedin.com/in/johanntasker/
Contact or follow Louise: linkedin.com/in/louise-impey-95470b20b/
Contact or follow Hugh: linkedin.com/in/hugh-broom-9b11906a/
For Farmers Weekly, visit fwi.co.uk or follow linkedin.com/company/farmers-weekly
To contact, sponsor or advertise on the Farmers Weekly Podcast, email podcast@fwi.co.uk. In the UK, you can also text the word FARM followed by your message to 88 44 0.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.