A patch of commercial forest has been left "flattened" by Storm Eowyn and looking like "a bunch of giants have gone in there and played rugby" according to one farm manager in Scotland. We catch up on how the clear up is going.

Since the Budget in October, farmers have been coming to terms with the introduction of inheritance tax on their businesses. Many are now trying to work out how much money they might owe the Government when the changes come into force next year. So what does that mean for the agricultural valuers doing the sums?

And we catch up on progress towards the introduction of the Sustainable Farming Scheme - due to start being rolled out across Wales in 2026, after years of negotiation between farmers, environmentalists and the Welsh Government. This is the farming policy and payments that will replace old EU payments: to gain access to the funding under the new rules, farms will have to sign up to 12 so-called universal actions. These range from soil health planning and habitat maintenance, to "continuous professional development". 

Presented by Anna Hill

As the climate warms, UK farmers may be able to start growing new crops - from oranges to okra. That's according to a new study from the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and the University of East Anglia which looks at the future suitability of more than 160 existing and new food crops in a warming climate.

We visit the new International Barley Hub in Dundee, where scientists are exploring the genetic diversity found in their collection of ancient barley varieties for traits that could be beneficial on modern farms.

And it’s five years since the UK left the EU. For farmers that meant leaving the EU Common Agricultural Policy and transitioning to new policies which are being drawn up by the different UK nations, since agriculture is devolved. We ask how it's going.

Presented by Caz Graham

This week, the Government has refused emergency use of pesticides shown to harm pollinators for the first time.

What’s the future for US agriculture if farm workers with no documents are deported?

And will the collective voice of the supermarkets make a difference on inheritance tax for farmers?

Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

The dispute over the proposed inheritance tax on farms continues, with the UK's farming unions planning what they call a "Day of Unity" to demonstrate their opposition to the plans. Meanwhile, the supermarkets have added their voice to the argument, with many big players asking the Government to reconsider the tax. DEFRA Secretary, Steve Reed, argues "stable finances are the foundation of the economic growth needed" and has outlined a "new deal for farmers" that would help them become more profitable.

Farmers will not be allowed to use neonicotinoid pesticides on sugar beet crops this year, after an application for emergency use was turned down by the Government for the first time. Environmental groups have welcomed the decision, but the NFU says it could leave farmers unable to protect their sugar beet crops from virus yellows - a disease spread by aphids.

The UK is launching a Grain Verification Scheme to help identify grain that's been stolen from occupied areas of Ukraine. It uses chemical analysis to determine where grain was grown and a specialist database.

And we go out with a second generation sheep scanner, and discover the key to successful scanning isn’t just sophisticated equipment - you also need spray paint, a sturdy notepad and a lot of teamwork!

Presented by Caz Graham

Climate change is altering the number, variety and distribution of plants and animals around the coast of Scotland according to a new report from NatureScot. It’s good news for some sea-snails and barnacles, but not so good for blue mussels and the wildlife that feeds on them. Scientists have been surveying changes in 50 species at 167 locations around the Scottish coast to assess the impact of minute increases in sea temperature.

This week we’re looking at the jobs that fill up farmers’ days in January when there’s not much to harvest and there’s not much growing. Today it’s muck spreading. We visit a beef farm in the Scottish Highlands where the farmer's been cleaning out the cattle sheds, and using the muck to fertilise the fields. However farmers can’t just spread as much muck as they want, anywhere, at any time and because agriculture is a devolved power there are different regulations across different parts of the UK. Nitrate Vulnerable Zones or NVZs are designated in England and Scotland to add additional protection to water courses, and there are broader controls in place across both Wales and Northern Ireland. We talk to a senior lecturer in soil and environmental science about who can spread what, where and when.

Presenter = Caz Graham

There are concerns food production in The United States could be affected by President Trump's plans to deport illegal immigrants, since many thousands of farm employees are living in the US illegally. Donald Trump has said the deportation of criminals and national security threats will be his priority, but hasn't ruled out extending deportations more broadly to include undocumented farmworkers.

It's peak time for getting hedges laid and maintained, before birds start nesting in them in the spring. But the suspension of capital grants from the Government in England, which in many cases pay for that work, could lead to hedgerows being neglected.

Soil has become a buzzword among farmers, conservationists and policy makers...and it turns out artists are getting interested too! We get a sneak peak of a new exhibition on the topic, to find out why.

Presented by Anna Hill

"Too many farmers feel farm assurance is 'done to them' rather than 'delivered with them'." That's the finding of an independent review into farm assurance, which looked at whether schemes like Red Tractor and RSPCA Assured are working well for farmers and supply chains.

A UK decision to ban vessels from catching sandeels in the North Sea is being challenged in court by the EU in the first battle of it's kind since Brexit. Sandeels are small fish which are vital food for protected seabirds like puffins and kittiwakes, and the UK wanted to protect that food source. But the ban is being challenged by the European Union saying it breaches the post-Brexit trade deal.

And January might seem a quiet time on the farm, but we visit one farm in Devon where it's a busy time for weaning, after they calved close to 100 cows in December.

Presented by Anna Hill

There has been a 'lack of progress' from the Scottish Government in implementing reforms recommended for the salmon farming industry, according to MSPs. Members of the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee in the Scottish Parliament warned that such delays could be 'detrimental to the long-term viability' of the sector.

Farmer protests against the introduction of inheritance tax are continuing up and down the country, with more planned for the end of the month. But many agree that the row has at least made families talk about what should happen when one generation passes on the farm to the next. Professor Matt Lobley from Exeter University says while around 60% of farmers in their 60s have a successor lined up, the transfer of ownership can be a painful process.

This week we'll be looking at some of the jobs that need to be done at this time of year to ensure the maintenance of the farm all year round. Today it's fencing, vital for keeping animals in, and your neighbours' animals out.

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

The Climate Change Committee is revising its advice on eating meat. In 2020, the committee - which is the government's advisor on climate change - recommended people cut their intake of beef, lamb and dairy produce by 20% by 2030 and by 35% by 2050, to reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses produced by livestock in the UK. But now that could change, in the light of progress to reduce emissions though things like livestock breeding and new technologies on farm.

Farmers are being warned to be vigilant after Foot and Mouth disease has killed several buffalo in Germany. Back in 2001 an outbreak of Foot and Mouth in the UK caused the death of millions of animals, through disease and preventative culling. The UK has temporarily banned imports of German meat and dairy, as well as live cattle, sheep and pigs.

And we visit the the LAMMA machinery show - which took place at the NEC in Birmingham this week - to see some innovations in farm kit, and ask farmers whether they feel ready to invest right now.

Presented by Charlotte Smith

The Climate Change Committee is revising its advice on eating meat. In 2020 the Committee, which is the Government's advisor on climate change, recommended people cut their intake of beef, lamb and dairy produce by 20% by 2030 and by 35% by 2050, to reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses produced by livestock in the UK. But the Interim Chair Professor Piers Forster tells us that in light of new technologies, this is being looked at again.

Farmers have to drive change if we're to meet legally binding targets on improving the environment. So says the Office for Environmental Protection in a new report looking at the last government's progress on meeting targets on water quality, air pollution and stopping biodiversity loss. It says England remains largely off track as progress 'slowed' and 'very substantial' challenges remain if targets are to be reached by 2030.

We hear about the workarounds which farmers come up with to keep older machines going.

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.