The Source

Western Europe has been hit by a series of intense heatwaves in recent months with temperature records being broken in both May and June in GB. With climate change and more extreme fluctuations in weather becoming a fact of life we look at what the impact is on milk production and what this means for the future, both short and long-term. 

Researchers from The James Hutton Institute have published a report outlining a national strategy for Scotland to monitor and protect its natural environment, using environmental DNA (eDNA) and other biomolecules to track biodiversity and environmental health.

Cattle are being used to help fight wildfire risk on one of Wales’s rarest landscapes, as a community grazing scheme tackles flammable vegetation and restores biodiversity.

Applying crushed basalt rock or beneficial soil microbes to newly planted woodlands can increase early tree growth and carbon storage, according to a new study.

Lower fertiliser rates reduced aphid pressure in greenhouse tomatoes while maintaining yields, suggesting nutrient management could support biological control.

Scaling up AD remains challenging as biomethane is more expensive to produce than natural gas, with uncertainty over whether the best policy approach is to adopt a producer-focused, state-driven, circular economy model or a market-driven model focused solely on biomethane. 

“We would be very grateful for expert input from Society of Agriculture members and others with relevant knowledge of these technologies and their adoption in UK farming.”

As part of the Ceres Innovation Group, we’re sharing monthly reflections on the innovations, technologies and ideas shaping agriculture. The aim isn’t simply to highlight new products, but to explore where they may add value in practical farming systems and where further evidence is needed before widespread adoption.

"One of the biggest challenges we see across both agriculture and horticulture is a lack of belief around earning potential, alongside unclear career pathways."

With another hot, dry harvest season upon us, fire safety is once again becoming a major consideration for farming businesses.

"In a recent piece I wrote about whether a regeneratively farmed KitKat was progress or just good PR, and I left a question hanging: is a chocolate bar a worthy home for some of our highest-integrity produce? This time I want to turn the lens around and look at the people growing the wheat - because the more interesting story, and the more human one, sits upstream of the wrapper." (Ian Gould)

The Nature’s Rights Bill is a private member’s bill introduced in the House of Lords. If enacted, it would recognise nature as “a legal subject and rights-bearing entity” to change the basis on which decisions affecting nature are made. Rights of nature raise questions about the ethical basis of environmental protection and the implications of extending rights beyond humans.