Country Focus

Rural crime - the cost of crime in the countryside has jumped by 7 percent in Wales according to the latest figures from the rural insurer NFU Mutual.

Lime Kilns - the Llanymynech Limeworks, closed over a hundred years ago calls for volunteers to help with the restoration work, wildlife surveys and keeping the site open to the public.

Mushrooming success in Gwynedd - the grower who's pioneered a method for raising a range of exotic, Lions Mane mushrooms

and how a pop-up pastaria, called Pasta a Mano, has quickly gained a cult following for offering authentic Italian Street Food will be competing in next month's British Street food Awards.

The brand new Horticulture Village at the Royal Welsh Agricultural Show this year celebrated all aspects of horticulture in Wales from community to commercial growing. Caroline Evans explores the new Village and hears find out what we need to do to produce more fruit, veg, plants and flowers, and deliver greater health and environmental outcomes for the nation, through horticulture.

Competitions, world-class livestock, crafts, countryside sports, shopping, food and drink.... you name it, the Royal Welsh Show has it all! Celebrating the Society’s 120th anniversary this year, there will be special displays, a new horticultural tent and the poultry are back! Kicking off BBC Radio Wales' coverage for the week ahead, Country Focus presenter Caroline Evans is joined by BBC Wales' Environment and Rural Affairs Correspondent, Steffan Messenger to look ahead at this year's "Sioe Fawr"!

Ahead of this year's Royal Welsh Agricultural Show, we talk to the Welsh Government's Climate and Rural Affairs minister, Huw Irranca Davies about policy, farm protests and the future for agriculture in Wales.

People are being asked to avoid the River Irfon, near Builth Wells over fears of a suspected case of 'crayfish plague'. The Wye catchment, including the River Irfon, is a key habitat for the white-clawed crayfish. The plague is harmless to humans but it is a highly infectious disease that is fatal to the crustacean that is already under threat from the non native crayfish.

We visit a new nature reserve that has just been opened at the Gwent Levels. Bridewell Common was purchased by Gwent Wildlife Trust four years ago, but it has been closed to the public until now, to allow the charity to restore the area.

and for our Bird of Conservation Concern this month it's a charismatic and striking bird of prey, that is unfortunately the UK’s most persecuted bird of prey in relation to its population size - the Hen-Harrier

Pembrokeshire Creamery is the UK's first new dairy for 15 years and it's aim is to reduce food miles and increase supply chain efficiency. It will have the capacity to bottle 60 million litres of milk in its initial 12-18 month phase, building to 120 million litres per year when it reaches full capacity. Caroline Evans tours around the facility and through the stages of milk production to find out what this new venture means for the Welsh dairy industry

It once made the finest steel but when Wrexham's Brymbo Steel works closed in 1990 it was a huge blow to the local community but now the historic industrial site is being turned into a remarkable heritage attraction. Sarah Easedale meets the members and volunteers of the Brymbo Heritage Trust and hears about the community's efforts to preserve and celebrate Brymbo's industrial past, conserve a 300-million-year-old fossil forest and provide an area for events and activities

Farming and environmental groups call on politicians to commit to a major increase in funding for the agricultural sector ahead of the General Election. We hear from BBC Wales' Environment correspondent, Steffan Messenger.

We hear about the remarkable natural phenomena of insect migration through a Pyrenean mountain pass. Insect migration scientist, Dr Will Leo Hawkes, explains how migrating flies could help in the face of climate change.

Rodney’s Pillar - an update on the campaign to save an iconic landmark near Llanymynech, on the Welsh border.

We escape to the Skerries for our Red listed bird of conservation concern and hear how some very noisy Arctic Terns are faring.

Dancing with Daffodils project - trials are to begin next month using an extract from daffodils, to feed to cows, with the aim of reducing livestock methane emissions and transform the efficiency and sustainability of ruminant farming.

We hear how the Chinese Mitten Crab has established itself in the Dee estuary and has now been confirmed in the Conwy estuary. The crab is one of a number of invasive non-native species (INNS) that are on the increase and pose a threat to biodiversity.

and at the Oak and Smoke Tannery in Ceredigion, we meet Jane Robertson who uses natural tanning methods to produce and craft traditional leatherwork.

Concern over the 'worrying' state of nature in our national parks in Wales. The Campaign for National Parks calls for urgent action to halt and reverse biodiversity declines so National Parks can properly contribute to the UK’s efforts in tackling the nature and climate crisis.

The annual Hay literature festival begins and not to miss out on Country Focus, we've a book selection for you! "Tir: The Story of the Welsh Landscape" discusses the relationship between land and people in Wales. We speak to the author, ecologist Carwyn Graves.

....and for our red-listed, Bird of Conservation Concern this spring month, we have a lesson in how to pick out the trills of the Wood Warbler in a Celtic Rainforest near Dolgellau

Welsh Farmers Unite - a new grassroots organisation organises a march in Cardiff this Tuesday, to highlight the threat to our food security and what they perceive as anti-farming policies. We speak to one of the organisers. We also hear from a group of farmers called Digon yw Digon, or Enough is Enough campaign about their meeting with the Welsh Government's Climate change and Rural Affairs minister

The mental health lorry providing a safe haven for farmers to share their struggles and receive support . The DPJ Foundation drives a lorry to the marts and shows in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire to provide a dedicated space for the rural farming community.

The Scarce Yellow Sally - we explore the efforts to save a large stonefly that was once thought to be extinct on the river Dee, now rediscovered. It's just one of the species focused upon with Natur am Byth - a major nature recovery project to save rare species. And whether it's the shrill carder bee, pink sea-fan coral, barbastelle bat, or Snowdonia’s arctic alpine plants - they're all in line for intensive care and this week is ‘Nature in your Community’ week and we're being encourage to get out and reconnect with nature.