20th June 2024
Nature Natters: Pastures new
As farmers, the unusual weather and the amount of rain during the past year have had a considerable impact on our work and it’s affected us all. On this occasion, it was our Prime Minister…
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Opinion
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19th June 2024
Smith’s Soapbox: 1966 and all that
I’ve never been one to get over excited about elections, but when they do come around, I usually summon up the energy to troop to St Osyth village hall to put my pencilled mark against…
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18th June 2024
Talking Taties: The challenges continue
As seasons go, spring 2024 must be one of the most frustrating that I’ve experienced in 30 years of farming. It’s tested everything – from kit to people to resolve, and everything in between. But…
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17th June 2024
Last Word: Ruminating regret
In my opinion, it’s all too easy to claim that you have no regrets – that the decisions you’ve made along the way have all contributed to the person you’ve become today. And while in…
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14th May 2024
Last Word: Accent depundant
Does how we sound impact how we’re perceived? Periodically, the question of equality comes knocking at my door but usually, it’s regarding being female. It’s rarely about my provenance and/or accent, yet this is where…
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14th May 2024
Talking Taties: Safe way should be the easy way
So how’s it going? We’re about a month behind instead of what was three, so progress has been made.
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14th May 2024
Nature Natters: Hitting the ground running
I’ve just returned from a weekend in London, supporting my daughter who was running her first London Marathon as well as the thousands of others who were also taking part. On the journey home I…
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14th May 2024
Smith’s Soapbox: No mow May
There’s a hint of irony in the fact that just as ‘no mow May’ becomes the height of fashion among the Chelsea Flower show set, arable farmers across the land will be out more than…
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12th April 2024
Talking Taties: Never rains, it pours
Last month I said it would dry up soon…well it hasn’t! I can cope with a wet winter – in this part of the world we get an average of 760mm of rain per annum,…
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12th April 2024
Nature Natters: With farmers, not for farmers
Does science hold the solutions for farming in the future, or can many of the solutions be found closer to home, under the ground and in the hedges? With large investments from government and private…
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11th April 2024
Smith’s Soapbox: Gone completely cuckoo
I’ll admit I’m not a huge believer in old weather sayings. I suspect it’s because as much as I’d treasure an accurate long-term weather forecast, I’ve yet to find one and that, in turn, causes…