Scientists have published some major new research into bird flu. A consortium of British universities and the Animal and Health Protection Agency has been working on "the flu map project" which is now going to extended. For farmers, the situation so far this year is better than last year and scientists say the virus doesn't spread between poultry farms in the air and that spread from farm to farm has been very rare. They did find some immunity to the infection in some wild birds - particularly gannets and shags - but game birds were found to be very susceptible, along with chickens, turkeys and ducks.

All this week we're looking at education in agriculture and to make higher education more accessible the University of Cumbria is offering three short part-time courses for farmers, land managers and farming advisors. The modules are equivalent to the first year of a degree course and have been tailored to help equip farmers for the current rapid changes in farming policy.

Dorset Police have launched a new rural neighbourhood watch - on horseback. The force is recruiting volunteer horse riders who will be visible and provide the police with information while they are out and about in the countryside.

Presenter = Charlotte Smith

Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Farmers are warning that cuts to the rural affairs budget in Wales are a significant blow which puts environmental targets at risk. The Farmers Union of Wales and NFU Cymru have both criticised the Welsh Government, which in an emergency budget announced cuts across departments. About 8% of the rural affairs budget, will go, that is around £37 and a half million.

Farmers in Scotland are bracing themselves for more bad weather. The Met office is forecasting 'unprecedented levels of rain'. This follows hard on the heels of heavy rain and flooding in Argyll, Aberdeenshire and Tayside when fields with crops were submerged for days.

Drones are already being used for photography and surveying farms, and drones which spray aren't far behind. Harper Adams is the first university to offer a qualification in using drones for agriculture. We meet the people running the course and the people learning how to operate them.

Presenter = Charlotte Smith

Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Fishers in Shetland are warning lives will be lost unless authorities crack down on the alleged dangerous behaviour of some foreign vessels in the area.

All week we're looking at agricultural education; while some students choose to go down the traditional route, others are opting to go high-tech - into what some might call "digital agriculture".

We hear how Syrian refugee, Wejdan Ghazal, has been growing her own fruit and veg, with the help of a community vegetable project, near Strangford in County Down.

Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

MPs launch an inquiry to find out if young people are failing to get the skills needed to work in rural jobs.

All week we're looking at training and education in land-based careers. Rural Skills Scotland offers apprenticeships and qualifications to help get people who are unemployed or live in towns and cities back to work. We visit a training session in Fife.

Can upland farms cut their environmental impacts and still stay in business? That’s what trials in the Scottish Highlands are aiming to find out. The Cairngorms National Park has backed a study to see how emissions can be cut, and biodiversity boosted, while farms still stay in the black. We visit one farm taking part in the study.

Coracle fishing may be in danger of dying out, because of river pollution, according to South West Wales fishers. It’s a tradition that dates back centuries, using a small, rounded, lightweight boat, but fishermen say it's at risk because of a lack of fish.

Presenter = Anna Hill

Producer = Rebecca Rooney

The SNP is meeting in Aberdeen - throughout the party conference season we've been catching up with the rural affairs spokespeople. Today we talk to the Secretary for Rural Affairs in the Scottish Government, the SNP's Mairi Gougeon.

A project offering fishermen free dental checks and treatment on the harbourside has got underway in Newlyn in Cornwall. Smiles at Sea will be visiting eight fishing ports in Devon and Cornwall between now and December. The demands of being at sea means it can be hard to visit a dentist. The scheme is also helping children in coastal communities be seen by a dentist.

All week we're taking a look at land-based education. A parliamentary committee launched an inquiry into it last month. The EFRA committee is looking at education from primary to universities to see how effectively its making students aware of the opportunities in agriculture and equipping them with the right skills. We speak to Landex who represents 39 colleges and universities in the sector.

Presenter = Charlotte Smith

Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Red Tractor logo goes green: are farmers being asked to enhance retailers' green credentials for free?

As a solar farm in Yorkshire is turned down, we discuss producing food versus producing energy.

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

How do energy companies decide where to put renewables? After a Yorkshire couple, successfully challenged plans to build a solar installation on their tenant farm, we speak to the company that wanted to create a solar farm there, and find out how they select land for renewable projects.

Conservationists say the government's new agri-environment scheme, the Sustainable Farming Incentive, doesn’t reward farmers adequately for the human, social and cultural value of the land they manage. Friends of the Lake District has published research to establish the ‘true’ value of an upland common. We visit Little Asby Common in the Westmorland Dales to see why the charity thinks the 450 hectare site has a potential value of £61 million.

All week we're celebrating autumn fruits. It's been a good year for grapes, with vineyards enjoying a bumper harvest. One producer in Shropshire has enlisted a small army of volunteers to help pick the crop.

Presenter: Caz Graham

Producer: Jon Wiltshire

A couple has won their battle to stop a solar farm being developed on the land they farm. The application was turned down by North Yorkshire Council. The Tenant Farmers Association, who backed Rob and Emma Sturdy, says renewables should not go on good arable land which is being used for food production.

Coastal communities living close to wind turbines off the east coast are to be offered cheaper electricity. The scheme, which runs from Grimsby down to Skegness, aims to promote the use of green energy.

All week we're talking about autumn fruits. A brewery in Cornwall is using foraged blackberries to create a beer, with a little help from the community.

Presenter = Caz Graham

Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Scientists in Edinburgh have used gene editing techniques in chickens which they say could eventually limit the spread of bird flu.

A heated debate on social media has been sparked amongst farmers after the Red Tractor assurance body unveiled proposals for a new environmental label to its scheme.

Some pear growers in Wales are trialling using a willow mulch around their trees to help tackle fungal disease.

Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

Farmers in Scotland are assessing the damage caused by record-breaking rainfall which has flooded hundreds of acres of farmland. As much of England was basking in sunshine, Scotland experienced a deluge. The floodwater, which is unusual for this time of year, has ruined high-value crops that were still waiting to be harvested.

We talk to the farm manager whose mental health campaign Walk With Me has gone global. It encourages a more open approach to mental health in agriculture across the world, as part of World Mental Health Day.

All week we're gathering up autumn fruits, and hearing how farmers are taking advantage of the season's natural abundance. On King Charles's Sandringham Estate a new pilot project has started to grow fruit and nut trees in strips, among arable crops. Agro-forestry, as it's known, is gaining recognition by commercial farms as a system which can enhance soil health, while creating invertebrate habitats in fields which sometimes have little space for biodiversity. 

Presenter = Anna Hill

Producer = Rebecca Rooney