Farming Today
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside. This BBC Radio 4 podcast covers agricultural policy, rural affairs, and food production in the UK.
Episodes
22/10/26 Grazing and arable, apples and agroforestry, BBC Food & Farming Awards
Farmers in Scotland have been taking part in a four year scheme to get more arable farmers to have sheep on their land. Instead of leaving fields bare over winter, cereal growers have been planting cover crops, things like oats or turnips. They then invite a shepherd to graze sheep on the fields. The sheep farmer gains extra grazing, and for the arable farmer, the sheep help fertilise the soil, k
21/10/26 Wildfires report, pear harvest, planting plans
A report by MPs says this year's wildfires exposed severe weaknesses in our ability to tackle them, and that immediate action must be taken to ensure an effective response next year. The Environment Food and Rural Affairs Committee heard more than 1,300 wildfires broke out this year - the highest number on record. It says the government needs a national strategy.This week we are looking at top fr
20/10/26 Abattoirs, strawberry glut, apples and other top fruit
The decline in abattoirs across the UK has been an issue for many years. A new coalition of more than 150 organisations, has sent a letter to the Prime Minister calling for urgent government action. The Sustainable Food Trust, Soil Association, Rare Breeds Survival Trust and other groups claim the UK’s abattoir network has fallen to around 200, from roughly 2,500 in the 1970s. In Scotland crofters
19/10/26 Defra secretary on organic farming and sustainable farming incentive; cider apples
Over the next nine years the government would like to see the amount of land farmed organically in England treble, from 3.4% now to 10% by 2036. It's part of the new Organic Action Plan for England which the government says will 'open up opportunities across the sector'. Demand for organic food is growing, the UK market is worth £3.9 billion a year and ministers aim to reduce the amount of importe
17/10/26 Farming Today This Week: The Future of Farming
As The Archers marks its 75th anniversary, Farming Today is looking ahead to the next 75 years of British farming.All week we’ll be imagining how agriculture could change, from how land is used to what crops we grow, using what technology and how the identity of farming itself could shift.We hear from Jeremy Clarkson, Sir James Dyson and Helen Browning, amongst others.Presented by Charlotte Smith
16/10/26 What will a farmer be?
As part of a special week marking the 75th anniversary of The Archers and exploring the next 75 years of farming, we visit Harper Adams University's farm to meet the next generation looking to build a future in the industry, and ask: what will it mean to be a farmer in the decades ahead.Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
15/10/26 Succession
Over the past 75 years, the pattern of land ownership in the UK has changed dramatically. Farm businesses have grown larger, more farmers now own at least some of the land they work, and those who rent it are often doing so on shorter-term agreements. At the same time, there's growing interest from corporations, investors and lifestyle buyers, all competing for a stake in the countryside.As part o
14/10/26 Homegrown
Climate change is already reshaping the way farmers think. Wetter winters, hotter summers, and new pests and diseases are creating fresh challenges. At the same time, global instability, from conflict to trade disputes, has highlighted the fragility of food supplies. As part of our special week exploring the next 75 years of farming, today we're asking: what should Britain be growing in the futur
13/10/26 Tech
As part of a special week marking the 75th anniversary of The Archers and exploring what the next 75 years could hold for farming, today we look at how technology and AI could transform the way food is produced. At Place UK, one of the country's biggest soft-fruit growers, automation and robotic harvesting are already being trialled, to help cope with labour shortages and rising costs. We hear fro
12/10/26 Land Use
As The Archers marks its 75th anniversary, Farming Today is looking ahead to the next 75 years of British farming. All week we’ll be imagining how agriculture could change, from how land is used to what crops we grow, using what technology and how the identity of farming itself could shift. Today we’re in Inkberrow in Worcestershire, the village which inspired Ambridge and asking: what will we be
10/10/2026: Harvest, Bird flu, Farm boundaries
The official estimates for England's harvest 2026 are in, and the figures from the governnment show that its the smallest harvest of both barley and oats since 2012. Wheat saw a small increase with losses in the South and East offset by a better harvest further North, and oil seed rape had a better year with a 6 per cent increase in yield. We hear from farmers who suffered in the droughts.
This
09/10/26 Drought aftermath, Cornish hedges, SNP conference, AI and farming
The official estimates for England's harvest 2026 are in, and they don't make happy reading. Provisional figures from the government show that it's the smallest harvest of both barley and oats since 2012. Wheat saw a small increase with losses in the south and east offset by a better harvest further north, and oilseed rape had a better year with a 6% increase in yield. All week we're talking ab
08/10/2926: Fly tipping, History of barbed wire, Energy from heat
Half of farmers say they've had rubbish fly tipped on their land, and the majority of those asked say the problem is getting worse. These are the results of a survey of 512 farmers in England and Wales by the National Farmers Union - which is campaigning for more and stronger deterants to tackle the problem. The latest government figures show a 9 per cent year on year increase in fly tipping repor
07/10/26 Sugar beet, flagstone walls, dairy show.
After months of negotiations, British Sugar and the National Farmers Union have agreed a price for sugar beet farmers for 2027/28. It's lower than last year, with a one-year contract paying £28.50 per tonne for up to half of the contract tonnage. This compares with £30 a tonne for up to 65% on the current crop, and that's lower than the year before. So the price is falling. Sugar beet is grown m
06/10/26 Rural connectivity, dry stone walls, Conservative party conference.
The Farmers Union of Wales says it's very concerned about new rules which they say could see rental incomes cut by 90%. The FUW estimates that a revaluation of thousands of existing agreements could affect 15,000 masts, and if the changes put off farmers going into mast agreements, connectivity in rural Wales could be hit. We hear from a sheep farmer in Radnorshire, who's had a mast on his land f
05/10/26 Pig industry in crisis, beating the bounds, Green Party conference
Pig farmers say they're losing thousands of pounds a week as prices fall, but costs, particularly of feed, are rising. Processors have given notice to some farmers, saying they no longer want to buy their pigs. The National Pig Association is warning an oversupply this autumn could push prices down further. All this week we'll be looking at the hedges, fences and dry stone walls that mark out fiel
Farming Today This Week: food industry whistleblowers, red diesel, disease resilience, apprenticeships, Shetland wool, demo farm
An anonymous group of senior executives from retailers and food suppliers is warning that 'short term thinking' in the industry is driving up food prices and that farmers are being left to face the financial risks of an increasingly umpredictable supply chain.Diesel prices hit an all time high this week, with drivers paying almost £2 a litre, according to the RAC. The conflict in the Middle East c
02/10/26 Food industry climate whistleblowers, farm apprenticeships, Plaid Cymru conference
An anonymous group of senior executives from retailers and food suppliers is warning that 'short term thinking' in the industry is driving up food prices and that farmers are being left to face the financial risks of an increasingly unpredictable supply chain. This week we’re talking about how young people can find a career in agriculture, and the apprenticeship route is a popular one, especially
01/10/26 Red diesel; Labour party conference; getting into farming; the sound of worms.
Diesel prices hit an all time high this week, with drivers paying almost £2 a litre, according to the RAC. The conflict in the Middle East continues to disrupt supplies of fuel, pushing up prices. Farmers don’t get their fuel from filling stations, they buy it in bulk and use what’s called “red diesel” - it’s dyed red and is much cheaper - with less fuel duty to pay because it’s only for use in of
30/09/26 Nitrogen in soil, organic veg scheme, student bursaries.
New research shows that improving the nitrogen-cycle in the soil can significantly reduce emissions. The study took in evidence from around the world - the international research team analysed 2,235 comparisons from 210 experimental sites. We speak to one of the report's authors Professor Simon Willcock director of sustainable farming systems at the University of Reading.A project in Cardiff has b
29/09/2026: Precision breeding, Community farm, Mentoring on farm
UK scientists leading research on precision breeding - or genetic editing - say uncertainty around the law in England could put investors off and jeopardise our competitive edge. The technology has rapidly taken hold of plant breeding and development, and has been used to develop vitamin D-rich tomatoes, and bananas that don’t turn brown. But there are still many questions surrounding the techniq
28/09/2026: Disease resilience, getting young people into agriculture
The new president of the British Veterinary Association is calling for more resilience against disease outbreaks. As the UK battles a huge outbreak of the livestock disease Bluetongue, and there are warnings of a new pig disease in the Netherlands and Denmark, Dr Gwen Rees says as a profession, vets need to make sure they are ready to act. It comes following National Audit Office reports warning t
26/09/26 Farming Today This Week: 'shambolic' and 'disheartening' SFI application process; pulses; heating oil costs
'Shambolic', 'disheartening' and 'carnage' - some of the words being used by farmers to describe the application process for England's biggest farm environmental scheme that opened, and closed, on Tuesday. This is the Sustainable Farming Incentive, which pays farmers for environmental work, like planting hedges or improving soil. On Tuesday, the total budget available was £253 million, it was a fi
25/09/2026: Heating oil costs, Bluetongue lessons, Beans as chicken feed
The millions of people in rural areas who rely on oil to heat their homes have seen prices rise by 40 per cent in the past two months alone. They're not covered by the energy price cap, set by the regulator OFGEM, which limits the increase that most will see this winter because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. More than a third of households have no access to mains gas but instead rely
24/09/26 'Shambolic' and 'disheartening' SFI application process, British baked beans
'Shambolic', 'disheartening' and 'carnage' - some of the words being used by farmers to describe the application process for England's biggest farm environmental scheme that opened, and closed, on Tuesday. This is the Sustainable Farming Incentive, which pays farmers for environmental work, like planting hedges or improving soil. On Tuesday, the total budget available was £233 million, it was a fi
23/09/2026: Bluetongue, Defra funding, Growing pulses
Vets in the South West are testing breeding rams to see if the disease bluetongue has caused infertility. One vets practice in Devon said of the 500 rams they've tested, a quarter were a cause for concern. One farmer we spoke to has had to buy in extra rams to replace those found to be temporarily infertile. There's a warning the breeding season could be delayed, leading to fewer early lambs nex
