£65m drought aid, autumn drilling, livestock forage, firefighting farmers & fundraising for mental health

In this episode, Defra unveils a £65m package to help drought-hit farmers – we examine how it could help your farm business.

We also look at whether growers should start drilling winter crops into exceptionally dry soils – and assess the worsening forage situation for cattle and sheep.

Elsewhere, farmers in South Wales help firefighters tackle wildfires, grain markets respond to renewed turmoil in the Black Sea,

And three veteran kayakers take to the rivers of East Anglia to raise money for rural mental health charity YANA (You Are Not Alone).

This episode is brought to you by plant breeder KWS.

Guests

Ian Gould – Independent farm adviser John Cousins – Weed scientist, ADAS Andrew Jones – Independent dairy and beef nutritionist Brian Bowen – South Wales farmer Henry Kilvert – Norfolk farmer and YANA supporter Chapters

00:00 – Defra unveils £65m drought package

01:52 – SFI flexibility in extreme drought

06:33 – What does the £65m package actually offer?

10:40 – Extra grazing for livestock farmers

13:07 – Can farmers rely on SFI long term?