Farmers who have declined to invest in replacing their leys over the past couple of years are now paying for it in the shape of reseeding delays, it has been claimed.
While farmers operating in the grass production sector of the industry benefitted from a wet 2008, with this followed up by a wet 2009, according to Simon Broddle, the forage manager at Nickerson Direct, this served to lull many into a "false sense of security".
Writing for the website Farming UK, the industry expert noted that the dry weather seen over the first few months of the current year has highlighted the gap between those farmers who replaced their leys two years ago and those that did not.
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Two UK councils have launched a new initiative in a bid to improve metal recycling rates.
Warwickshire-based Nuneaton and Bedworth borough council and East Hampshire district council have both introduced the 'metalmatters' scheme.
The project aims to improve residents' awareness of the fact they can recycle metal products such as drinks cans and packaging in their area.
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The UK farming industry could be boosted by calls to up surveillance in a bid to crack down on illegal food imports.
Research from DEFRA revealed that more than 21,200 illegal food items were seized by UK enforcement agencies last year.
Meat was the biggest illegal food import with 12,943 meat seizures taking place over the course of 2009 and 9,108 dairy seizures.
Ed Bailey, National Farmers Union Cymru president, claimed foods can carry diseases, such as foot and mouth disease, which can devastate British crops.
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Young farmers in Wales have secured funding in a welcome boost to the future of the industry in the country.
Clwyd-based Young Farmers Club (YFC) has received £200 from the National Farmers Union (NFU) Cymru to help the voluntary organisation continue to provide farming training, reports farminguk.com.
Ceiriog Jones, Clwyd NFU Cymru county chairman, expressed his delight that the organisation could support the YFC.
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London breweries have united to create a beer which could help boost the industry in the capital.
Members of the London Brewers Alliance have created London Brewers Porter which will be sold at bars and restaurants across the city, reports morningadvertiser.co.uk.
With over three thousand pints of the brew set to be produced, demand for conveyors and screw augers used during the brewing process could be set to rise.
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The farming industry of the north-east of England is set to be given a much-needed boost as a local food production firm completes its expansion plans, it has been reported.
Following on from a strong performance in 2009, the County Durham-based Tanfield Food Company is coming to the end of a period of expansion which has seen it double the size of its workforce over the past few months alone.
And, according to the Northern Echo, this move is especially likely to benefit local farmers as the firm's own Look What We Found range of gourmet ready meals makes use of produce sourced within 50 miles of the factory.
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The global brewing industry could be set to be given a boost in the arm by a major takeover.
Following on from the recent news that Carlton & United Breweries is looking to offload its struggling wine business, speculation is now mounting that brewing giant SAB Miller is gearing up to make a bid for the Australian firm.
According to initial reports, SAB, which is the world's second-biggest brewer, with dozens of plants making use of the latest equipment such as valves and bucket elevators to produce brands including Foster's, could be prepared to pay £7 billion for its rival.
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The farming industry could be boosted by the release of a new tractor which could help farmers reduce costs.
The McCormick CT55U tractor features an economy setting which can save users a significant amount in fuel costs.
Farms of all sizes could benefit from the new tractor which could help boost efficiency and therefore production rates.
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Local authorities should be faced with less bureaucracy when providing waste processing data, it has been claimed.
Currently, councils are required to regularly submit information to the Environment Agency's WasteDataFlow database.
The online system was introduced in 2004 to help monitor waste processing rates and it has now been criticised for taking a long time to complete.
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The brewing industry is set to be largely unaffected by the rising costs of barley, it has been claimed.
The price of barley has more than doubled in the past two months, reaching €210 (£175) a tonne.
However, major breweries are not panicking despite the huge hike as they have locked in the price they pay for the crop with a process known as hedging.
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Farmers who have declined to invest in replacing their leys over the past couple of years are now paying for it in the shape of reseeding delays, it has been claimed.
