Country Focus

Willow is a beautiful tree in our landscape that's proved to be a versatile plant in rural crafts and traditions..... from the ornamental to the practical - basket weaving, garden sculptures, hurdles, fencing, not forgetting cricket bats! Pauline Smith visits a smallholding in the village of Gwernogle in Carmarthenshire to meet owners of West Wales Willows, Justine and Alan Burgess. They're specialist growers of the Salix, to give it its Latin name - or Helyg in Welsh and Justine is a basket weaver. We also meet willow sculptor, Mel Bastier and Sarah Hatton, owner of Hatton Willow, who together also run a business selling willow woven coffins!

This week we're joining farmers, businesses, environmentalists and people with a passion for talking about food and farming - to discuss how it's good for us, our communities and the environment. Caroline Evans visits the Lampeter campus of University of Wales Trinity St David's for this years' Wales Real Food and Farming Conference.

The Nature Friendly Farming Network is a group of like minded people, championing a way of farming that's good for nature. In Wales there are 360 farms in the Network and this week Huw Jenkins visits a farm in Abergele in Conwy, that's exploring woodland products and a more traditional livestock farm in the Brecon Beacons, that's focused on sustainable food production.

The rural affairs programme for everyone working, living or visiting the Welsh countryside

It began with digging a borehole to source water for the cows. Nearly 30 years on and the Radnor Hills Water Company is an award-winning, multimillion-pound, spring water and soft drinks empire located on a family farm in rural Wales. Caroline Evans visits the headquarters at Heartsease Farm, just outside Knighton, in the Radnor hills from which the company takes it's name. It's there Caroline meets the founder of the company, William Watkins and hears how it's been a successful farm diversification but the cows are still never far from his heart!

Celtic Promise , Perl Wen or Perl Las or perhaps it's Black Bomber or Hafod cheddar? What's your favourite? Wales is a nation of passionate cheese makers. It's part of our culture and history but how do our Welsh Cheeses compare to the rest of the world? This week over 4,000 cheeses, from over 40 different nations, will be tested and tasted in the World Champion Cheese competition being held at the International Conference Centre Wales, in Newport. It is with mixed emotions though because the event was supposed to be held in Kyiv this year. The Guild of Fine Food, organisers of World Cheese, say cheesemakers of Ukraine will not be forgotten in their celebrations of cheeses from around the world. To get a flavour of what the judges will be tasting, Mariclare Carey-Jones visits the Welsh Cheese Company in Taffs Well.

The current outbreak of H5N1 bird flu has been described as "unprecendented." We speak to conservationists about the impact of Avian flu on wild birds and breeding colonies of seabirds. A UK wide bird flu ‘prevention zone’ has been declared - we ask the interim Chief Vet for Wales what more can be done?

And Radnorshire Wildlife Trust appeal for funds to transform Pentwyn, a 164 acre livestock farm, into a wildlife haven

Why farmers welcome the delay to new rules on reducing river pollution but campaigners call it bad news for nature. The first Welsh lamb on American plates in decades but what does the deal really mean? We meet Newtown's newest butcher, fresh back from the "Meat Olympics". Tyfu Dyfi - the project in the Dyfi Biosphere helping to connect people to the food they eat and grow their own and what is the Welsh for Champagne?!

Peatland restoration targets in Wales are to be tripled to increase biodiversity - a move welcomed by delegates at an international conference in Aberystwyth this week. We hear about the campaign to designate the Cambrian Mountains as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. After 17 years in the role, the Chief Vet for Wales, Christianne Glossop retires. And the golf club in Powys clearing its scrubland to encourage rare butterflies

Photo: Pearl Bordered Fritillary. Photographer: Ben Williams.

Located just outside St Davids, in Pembrokeshire, the Bug farm is a visitor attraction with a difference. Founded by Dr Sarah Beynon an academic entomologist, ecologist and farmer and her partner, chef Andy Holcroft - together they're on a mission to enthuse people about insects. Food, farming, research and conservation are equally important strands for an otherwise traditional farm. They don't actually farm bugs on a commercial scale, rather their farming practices, including a herd of Welsh black cattle, arable crops and rich wildlife meadows all helps and informs, their research into tackling issues of sustainability in the food chain. Mariclare Carey Jones visits the Bug Farm to hear more about the secret world of bugs