Charlotte and Charlie Bennett are on a mission. Over the last four years they’ve been converting their ancient estate in Northumberland to how it would have been farmed in 1805. It’s all thanks to a long forgotten map from that year, which Charlie discovered in the Lit and Phil, a famous independent library in Newcastle. Drawn up when the land was owned by the Greenwich hospital in London, it revealed a landscape of pastures with ancient field names, and hedgerows and woodland that had long disappeared. Inspired also by the work of the engraver Thomas Bewick, who was illustrating wildlife in the same period, they decided they would recreate that landscape, taking the land out of arable and back to grass, putting all the ancient hedgerows back in and creating habitats for the species that would have been prevalent at the time. It’s a project which has seen astonishing results for wildlife, with species not seen for generations reappearing.  Produced and presented by Jo Lonsdale

28/12/2023 Middleton North. From 2023 to 1805.

The latest news about food, farming and the countryside

Science

This week as the Prime Minister sets the date for the General Election, we ask what farmers will be looking for.
And as antidote to all the politics, we bring you flowers. All week we've been taking time to enjoy the blooms, inspired by the Chelsea Flower Show. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

25/05/24 Farming Today This Week: The Chelsea Flower Show; what farmers want from a new government

Farmers from different parts of the industry say what they want from the next government. A woman who swapped a life in the luxury hospitality business in Jamaica for mushroom farming on Scotland’s west coast. And an arable farm which specialises in growing flowers for the British market. Presented by Caz Graham Produced by Alun Beach

24/05/2024: Farmers on the election, Mushroom farming, Growing flowers

The date's been set for a general election. Some would argue all the main political parties have been wooing the farming and rural vote for months now, Rishi Sunak was the first PM in 16 years to appear at the NFU conference this spring, Labour’s promising a rural crime strategy and the Lib Dems say they’d put an extra billion pounds into farming budgets.  According to the Rural Service Network 40% of constituencies are rural, and that rural vote will be a key battleground, especially in the light of the recent local elections where the Conservative party had its worst results in years.  The wet weather we’ve experienced this year has been a real challenge for farmers and that's affected flower growers too.  As part of our week-long look at the flower-growing industry in the UK, we’ve been finding out how the weather’s affected this year’s daffodil harvest with a visit to a grower in Cornwall. Changes to planning law came into effect this week making it easier for farmers to convert unused farm buildings into new homes and new businesses like farm shops. It means buildings can be altered to create up to 10 homes, without planning permission. Some are worried that this is going to push up the value of land with farm buildings, and price smaller farmers and new entrants out of the market.  Presenter = Caz Graham
Producer = Rebecca Rooney

23/05/24 General election and rural vote; Daffodils; New planning rules and land values.

New figures from the Office for National Statistics show a record number of people are not employed due to long term sickness. The Government's launching a new task force with the aim of getting people who are off work and on benefits, back on the payroll. The Prime Minister has suggested they could they be persuaded to get out into the fields to pick fruit and veg. The wet weather is impacting farmers across the country - and flower growers are being hit too. For many of those exhibiting this week at the Chelsea Flower Show, the heavy rain has meant losses of precious stock. Some haven't been able to exhibit this year at all.   And animal welfare organisations have welcomed a ban on exports of some live animals from Great Britain for slaughter and fattening, which has come into law this week. Cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and horses are covered by the ban - but animals can still be exported live, for breeding and competitions. Presented by Anna Hill
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons

22/05/24 - Farm labour, flower growers and live export ban

Changes to planning law will allow more freedom for farmers and landowners in England to convert unused buildings into new homes, or new businesses like farm shops. The relaxed rules make it possible to alter buildings to create up to 10 homes, without planning permission. In addition, the amount of floorspace that can be changed from agricultural to commercial use has been doubled. When you pick up a potted rose in a garden centre do you think about how long it's taken to get there? At Whartons Gardens Roses, based on the Suffolk / Norfolk border, it takes them 4 years to produce a rose, from land cultivation, through growing the root-stock and bud grafting. They produce 1 and a half million rose plants each year for garden centres across the UK.  And at this time of year, as dairy cows are out eating the lush spring grass the industry normally sees a glut of milk, known as the Spring Flush. But this year, its been more of a Damp Squib, as the persistent heavy rainfall has left some pasture struggling to grow, and milk production is reportedly a million litres a day less than expected. Presented by Anna Hill
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons

28/12/2023 Middleton North. From 2023 to 1805.

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