AHDB Food & Farming

John Bates recently caught up with Kim Malley (Senior Analyst within AHDB's Consumer Insight team) and Sarah Baker (Economist for AHDB).

They discussed the latest changes in consumer behaviour and how views have shifted throughout the year. 

Key issues such as COVID-19 and Brexit were on the agenda, with both our experts providing updates on the role they've played in recent times in affecting consumer behaviour.  

Tuesday 20 October 2020 - A changing market landscape in the dairy industry: What behavioural changes has Coronavirus driven? Sign up here.

Wednesday 21 October 2020 - A changing market landscape in the potatoes industry: What behavioural changes has Coronavirus driven? Sign up here.

Thursday 22 October 2020 - A changing market landscape in the red meat industry: What behavioural changes has Coronavirus driven? Sign up here.

Tuesday 10 November 2020 - A changing consumer landscape: How have consumer attitudes towards dairy shifted during the coronavirus pandemic? Sign up here.

Wednesday 11 November 2020 - A changing consumer landscape: How have consumer attitudes towards fresh produce shifted during the coronavirus pandemic? Sign up here.

Thursday 12 November 2020 - A changing consumer landscape: How have consumer attitudes towards red meat shifted during the coronavirus pandemic? Sign up here.

AHDB's latest Brexit-related information

Characteristics of top performing farms information

FarmBench information

In this episode Knowledge Exchange Manager Steve West talks to Jamie Robertson from the University of Aberdeen about how to tackle calf pneumonia during the changing autumn weather.

 

For more information please visit our Calf Pneumonia webpage or you can access calf resources on our Knowledge Library.

 

Feedback survey: We'd love to know what you think of our podcasts. If you’d like to give your feedback, please complete our short questionnaire, which will help us to improve the podcast on an ongoing basis.

If I told you 84% of farmers under the age 40 are battling with poor mental health what would you say. You’d be shocked, right?

 

Your health is your wealth, so the saying goes, and the Coronavirus pandemic has certainly tested many individuals and families due to the restrictions and changes in everyday life. 

 

In this episode, John Bates discusses the importance of mental health with those with first-hand experiences within the farming community and a charity anxious to raise awareness of how, triggered by the rural isolation, loneliness and financial uncertainty, depression and anxiety are a real threat. We have some special guests, who are willing and enthusiastic to support those in need. You’ll hear from: 

 

1.    Lee Thompson, pig farmer and host of Flat White Chats podcast

2.    Emma Picton–Jones, founder of the DPJ Foundation 

3.    Vicki Beers, National Partnerships Manager from FCN 

 

It’s worth noting #WorldMentalHealthDay is on Saturday 10 Oct, which gives some appreciation of the scale of the problem. 

 

If you have 5 mins spare, take a look at the resources and support network available. Please don’t be afraid to speak about your health: 

 

Watch our mental health and wellbeing webinars, designed to provide guidance and support for any challenging situations you may face:    

 

Visit Farm Well, the dedicated support network, designed for the farming community

Visit the DPJ Foundation, led by Emma Picton-James 

Exiting the EU, the pandemic and economic uncertainty at home and abroad, should farmers and growers plan for the worst and hope for the best? 

Also, the weather during the last growing season will not be forgotten anytime soon with farmers and growers now coping with the results of a poor harvest, reduced cash flow and the availability of feed for livestock. 

Can AHDB help mitigate the challenges of mother nature and assist you to make decisions to help your business in the future weather the storm?

John Bates speaks to beef farmer and director of market intelligence Phil Bicknell, about how AHDB’s studies and tools, together with the experiences shared by fellow farmers has changed the way he works on his farm.

For further resources please visit: 

In this episode, Mandy Nevel, Head of Animal Welfare at AHDB speaks to representatives from Morrisons, Red Tractor and the National Pig Association about the importance of good pig handling.

Sophie Throup, Head of Agriculture, Morrisons

Dr Zoe Davies, Chief Executive, National Pig Association

Dr Georgina Crayford, Technical Manager for Pigs, Red Tractor

 

Moving and handling web page

Use this information to learn why pigs behave in certain ways, how they respond to humans and how to handle them effectively.

For the latest industry data, analysis and insights from the pork sector, to help inform your business decisions visit: ahdb.org.uk/pork/pork-markets

Sign up to our weekly pork e-newsletter: ahdb.org.uk/keeping-in-touch

For information, guidance and support during the coronavirus pandemic, visit our dedicated web page: ahdb.org.uk/coronavirus

Feedback

We'd love to know what you think of our podcasts. If you’d like to give your feedback, please complete our short questionnaire, which will help us to improve the podcast on an ongoing basis.

Defra published the government-led Request for Views on AHDB in April 2020 in which, Victoria Prentis’ foreword stated that 64% felt that there was a need for the statutory levy to continue. However, it also identified that there is a desire for an overhaul of the current structure of AHDB and its governance to operate in a more modern way to reflect the needs of the modern market.

 

In this episode, following the issue of the Commitment to levy payers outlined by Nicholas Saphir, AHDB Chair, Jennifer Morgan talks to AHDB Board and Horticulture Sector Chair, Hayley Campbell-Gibbons, on what that means for levy payers in the horticulture sector.

In this episode Sarah Pick, Knowledge Exchange Manager for AHDB Beef and Lamb talks to Donall Fahy who manages the dairy calf to beef trial at Teagasc, Ireland.

During the podcast Donall discusses the management practices he recommends to improve animal health and business profitability in calf rearing systems.

Additional resources:

Better returns from calf rearing

In this episode Knowledge Exchange Manager Kate Harris talks to Andre van Barneveld from Graise Consultancy about what makes a good grassland farmer stand out from the average, and what the challenges might be for them in the future.

 

For the latest research and advice on grass, forage and soil management to help improve grassland productivity on livestock farms, visit our Grass & forage management webpage.

Get the latest grass growth measurements straight from farms to your inbox by signing up to our Forage For Knowledge weekly updates.

Feedback survey: We'd love to know what you think of our podcasts. If you’d like to give your feedback, please complete our short questionnaire, which will help us to improve the podcast on an ongoing basis.

In the latest AHDB Cereals and Oilseeds podcast, James Lamb from our Farm Economics team chats to Knowledge Exchange Managers David Pett and Tabitha Allen about the importance of knowing and understanding your costs. David and Tabitha also speak to two farmers, George Hosford and Tom Jackson, about their experiences of AHDB's discussion groups with regards to the subject of costs and how Farmbench has helped them.

For more information, please visit www.ahdb.org.uk/farmbench

In the first part of this episode we discuss the results of our latest marketing campaign and how our education team continued to teach children about potatoes even when the schools were closed.

In the second part you will hear from our Market Intelligence team. They will explain us why the price of potatoes is still low at the moment and what are the latest trends. 

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