Roughly two thirds of ponds in England and Wales have been lost since the late 19th century, mainly because they’ve been filled in or drained so the land can be farmed, and unlike in the 19th century, they’re not needed to water working horses any more. Now, scientists at University College London - along with the Norfolk Ponds Project and the Freshwater Habitats Trust - have produced a new guide to help farmers and landowners restore and maintain ponds.

Kelvin Fletcher won Strictly Come Dancing in 2019, but before that he spent 20 years playing fictional farmer Andy Sugden in the ITV farming soap Emmerdale. He grew up in Oldham and, along with his wife Liz, who’s also an actor, was a self-confessed townie. Until, in 2020, they bought a 120 acre farm on the edge of the Peak District. Caz Graham visits the farm to meet the family, along with their rare breed pigs.

And one big attraction of regenerative farming is that it can save farmers money. It focuses on improving soil health, and means using fewer artificial inputs. Spend less on fertiliser and manufactured feed, and production costs go down. Some are now starting to find ways to market their produce at a premium.

Presented by Caz Graham

After the Chancellor's Autumn Statement, Caz Graham hears from a range of experts about what it contains for farm businesses and the countryside.

For many people a sticking point in regenerative farming is the herbicide glyphosate. It’s used to kill weeds and cover crops before planting new seeds, so removing the need to plough. But there are concerns about the impact of glyphosate on both human and soil health. We ask which is worse or better - ploughing or glyphosate?

Presented by Caz Graham

Soft fruit growers say they are scaling back future investment plans because retailers are not paying enough for their produce. That's according to British Berry Growers - the industry body representing the majority of British berry farmers. It's just recently held meetings with supermarkets after a survey of members found 80% of those who took part felt they 'no longer have a partnership with UK supermarkets.'

It seems Hollywood has become enamoured with the idea of regen-ag, with a slew actors and activists declaring that it is the answer to tackling climate change. We hear from former actor, Ian Somerhalder, whose the Executive Producer of "Common Ground" and "Kiss the Ground".

And are you familiar with Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty or AONB's? Apparently not that many people are. Now, the AONB's across England and Wales are all coming under the simpler banner of National Landscapes.

Presented by Anna Hill

The shipworm is a bi-valve mollusc - like an oyster or a mussel - which is known as a marine pest because it eats through sea-water submersed wood. Now, scientists at Cambridge and Plymouth Universities have developed a system for farming them, in a highly controlled environment using waste wood for feed. To make them a more appealing meal, they're re-branding the shipworm as a Naked Clam!

Rothamsted Research is renowned for its Broad Baulk field crop experiment which is celebrating its 180th anniversary this year. Now, a new long term field trial is being developed, looking at Regenerative Farming. There is no agreed definition, but generally speaking regenerative agriculture focuses on improving soil health by reducing or removing cultivation, growing cover crops and using fewer chemical inputs. It can also involve re-integrating livestock into an arable system.

And the Welsh government has commissioned Natural Resources Wales to evaluate the case for a fourth national park, in the North East. Three Parks already exist - Eryri, The Pembrokeshire Coast, and Bannau Brycheiniog. We hear from people living and working in the proposed new park area about what it could mean for them.

Presented by Anna Hill

Known as 'black gold', cuttlefish is one of the most valuable species for fishing fleets in the South West of England. The Government is proposing new rules to safeguard numbers of the species but fishermen claim they could see 40% of their catch, and millions of pounds, lost without any real benefit to cuttlefish stocks.

Regenerative agriculture has become a real buzz phrase in farming over the last decade. Very broadly speaking it’s farming in a way that improves the soil, by removing or reducing ploughing and artificial fertiliser, using fewer resources for the benefit of the environment. It has farmers flocking to events like Groundswell, Carbon Calling in Cumbria and the Oxford Real Farming Conference to exchange ideas. Global food and farming businesses like Nestle, McDonalds and Unilever say they’re doing it too. All this week we’re going to be looking into regenerative farming: what is it, who is doing it and why.

A fungus that’s extremely rare in the UK has been found in Kent. Artomyces pyxidatus, also known as candelabra coral, was discovered by enthusiasts who weren’t sure what it was. Kent Wildlife Trust says it was thought to have become extinct, with no record of it in the entire 20th Century.

Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

The widespread use of fake evidence in planning applications from livestock farms may have led to increased water pollution in Northern Ireland, including the toxic blue-green algae we reported on this summer in Lough Neagh. That’s according to the Belfast based investigative journalism network, The Detail.

After weeks of heavy rainfall, we join one farmer trying to harvest sprouts in a quagmire.

And presenter, Caz, braves the cold water to meet a group of swimmers as they travel from "source to sea" along the River Eden in Cumbria.

Presented by Caz Graham

Farmers who continually have bovine TB outbreaks on their farms should ‘find another business’. That was what Labour Welsh Senedd member Joyce Watson suggested on the floor of the Senedd earlier this week. Ms Watson was responding to a statement from the Welsh Rural Affairs Minister Lesley Griffiths about bovine TB. The Welsh Government published a new 5 year eradication plan for bovine TB earlier this year and the Minister was updating members on progress, announcing increased testing responsibilities from February next year.

This Sunday sees the first screening of a short film about a long distance swim from ‘source to sea’ along Cumbria’s River Eden. It’s part of the session on outdoor swimming at the Kendal Mountain Festival and was undertaken by a familiar voice on this programme, common land and uplands expert, Julia Aglionby. Her aim was not just to enjoy the swim but assess the health of the river.

All this week we're talking about brassicas. Mustard is a specialist crop, mainly grown in the east of England for the company Colman’s. The majority of mustard seed that’s used in Europe is brown seed, grown in Canada and last year drought there caused a shortage. The mustard grown in England tends to be a white seed, but now work is underway to enable English farmers to grow a new overwintered brown seed so the mustard market can be less reliant on Canada.

Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

The widespread use of fake evidence in planning applications from livestock farms may have led to increased water pollution in Northern Ireland, including the toxic blue-green algae we reported on this summer in Lough Neagh. That’s according to the Belfast based investigative journalism network, The Detail.

Heavy rainfall in recent weeks has turned many fields into quagmires, making the harvesting of vegetables a particular challenge and that includes brassicas which we’re talking about all this week on the programme. T.H. Clements is one of the country's largest suppliers of brassicas, with 11,000 acres in Lincolnshire and another 1,000 in Cornwall. Our reporter Bob Walker's been seeing how workers are currently braving the mud to bring in the sprout harvest.

Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

Farmers in Northern Ireland have been left wondering what's next after a proposal to cull badgers to prevent the spread of bovine TB was quashed by a court last month, which found the consultation behind the cull was flawed. At the time, the Ulster Farmers’ Union described the decision as "a major blow for livestock farmers"...saying it could now "take years before the issue of the TB reservoir in wildlife is addressed." The Northern Ireland Badger Group - which brought the legal challenge alongside Wild Justice - said "a farmer-led cull would inflict immense suffering on great numbers of healthy badgers."

Farmers in England are being warned that even if they take up multiple options to 'stack' Government payments for environmental work under the new post-Brexit support scheme, they will not receive the same amount of funding they used to get, under the EU's Basic Payments Scheme. That's according to new research by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, which found taking up multiple payments can bring stability to farm incomes, but that farmers have to judge how much it might cost them to take up the work, before committing to it.

And brassica crops like cabbages or cauliflowers face many challenges in the field. Pests, diseases and the weather can all reduce yields and affect their quality, which can cause farmers to lose income. We hear from scientists at the University of Warwick, who have been working to develop new varieties which can be more resistant to difficult weather conditions, disease and pests.

Presented by Anna Hill

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has new boss - former Health Secretary, Steve Barclay. The appointment comes after Therese Coffey stepped down during the Prime Minister's reshuffle. We get the low down on the new Secretary of State, and consider what he will bring to the Department.

Simon Naylor produces white, red and pink cabbages in South Lincolnshire, which are sold whole in supermarkets, but also go into a huge range of pre-prepared lines, including coleslaw, stir-fry mixes and salads. But as much as 35 percent of each white cabbage is wasted, with tonnes of outer leaves thrown away every year. So, he's developed a plan to use the waste and transform it into new food ingredients.

And Wildlife Trusts on both sides of the Wales-England border are working together in a new project which aims to restore habitats for wildlife and tackle the consequences of climate change. The Trusts say the "Wilder Marches" project can also support farmers to carry out environmental actions to increase biodiversity on their land.

Presented by Anna Hill