This Guest Blog is rather different. It’s about statistical analysis and written by a respected scientist, Professor Jeremy Greenwood. In his Guest Blog Professor Greenwood criticises the statistical basis of the UK government’s opposition to a ban on neonicotinoid pesticides during the tenure of Owen Paterson as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural…
Category: FARMING
That hedge again
Thank you to all who commented on the state of a local hedge after my blog on Wednesday evening. Opinions seemed to be divided between insect damage, spray drift and some nasty chemical ending up in the ditch at the foot of the hedge. I went back to the site yesterday evening to have another…
Fair to Nature farming award
Every year we are reminded in various ways about the fact that there are some really fantastic farmers – out there. And it’s so much easier to believe that now that we don’t hear the NFU spouting anti-environment nonsense every few days. This year there is a new farming award on the block – the…
We knew that – but it bears repetition
If we ate more of what we grow we could feed another 4 billion people – which would go a long way, in the short term to deal with global food poverty. Many of these gains would be achieved in a few countries. The major gains would be from eating less meat (and more plant…
Buzzing
Comments Off on Buzzing
Did you watch Hive Alive last night. I started watching it just because I know quite a few of the people involved in making it – Chris Packham, Martha Kearney, Stephen Moss and Brett Westwood. But then I found myself enjoying it! And then I was hooked. A cut above most wildlife programmes. A great…
Glad we’ve cleared that up
From Guy Smith’s Twitter feed (@essexpeasant): @bbcfarmingtoday please note that reports I mentioned on your prog of 70% of the Swedish OSR crop being destroyed by flea beetle were wrong and Now seen transcript and fully admit what I said was wrong. Apologies. Will not be repeating it again. Well done to Guy, NFU Vice-President,…
Purrrrring with pleasure
I’m pleased to tell you that I have seen Turtle Dove in Northamptonshire this year. It was only just in Northants but it was a Turtle Dove. When I did a bird survey for my favourite local farmer, many years ago, I was delighted to find that there was a Turtle Dove purrrrrring on his…
Let’s be reasonable.
I don’t know how often readers of this blog go back a few days and read the comments that continue to accrue on earlier posts. And I don’t know whether I would recommend it either – sometimes a late post is the best of the lot, but not always. So, I have little idea how…
Farmland wildlife and taxpayer short-changed
Yesterday Defra announced what it is going to do with £11bn of your money – the answer is ‘not much’ except give it to farmers. That is £11,000,000,000. If you earn £100k a year (I bet you don’t) then it is the whole of your salary for 110,000 years. This is what the RSPB said:…
Open Farm Sunday
I did a turn for my favourite local farmer yesterday on Open Farm Sunday. Duncan Farrington, of the delicious Mellow Yellow rapeseed oil (and the even more delicious Mellow Yellow garlic mayonnaise) had an event just down the road. I spent the day, in the sunshine, talking to people about birds, as I have done…