Breeding low-methane sheep - can it be done without compromising performance?

Breeding low-methane sheep - can it be done without compromising performance?

On this episode of The AG Show, we’re getting stuck into low‑carbon lamb - where big science meets real‑world farming. It’s all off the back of the three‑year Breed For CH4nge project, and now it’s wrapped up, we’re hearing straight from the people involved and asking the big question: will this actually work on UK sheep farms? We’re also catching up with a CEVAS‑trained dairy farmer who’s been opening the farm gates to school visits – and why it’s not just the kids who get something out of it. And with the football World Cup in full swing, we’ll take a lighter look at what might be fuelling the teams on the pitch. SOME USEFUL BITS (FROM AHDB & BEYOND) Sheep Breeding UK | Low Carbon Lamb | Low Methane Sheep [https://www.breedforch4nge.co.uk/] Innovis Sheep - Leading UK Sheep Breeding Services & Sales [https://www.innovis.org.uk/] Signet Breeding Services | Signet Breeding [https://signetdata.com/] Lancashire Farm Education Centre – Home Farm – Croston [https://farmeducationcentre.co.uk/] Access To Farms Home Page | Access To Farms [https://visitmyfarm.org/] GET IN TOUCH Charlotte, Hannah, Phil and Producer Martin would love to hear what you think! Got feedback, stories, or ideas for future episodes? Drop them a message at agshow@ahdb.org.uk [agshow@ahdb.org.uk]. Sign up to the AHDB Preference Centre [https://preferencecentre.ahdb.org.uk/en-gb/Home/Index] so that you can: * Easily update your preferences and contact information * Get information on the latest AHDB events, webinars, market insights and more * Receive important updates such as disease alerts

Five non-negotiables for dairy resilience

US dairy couple Rodney and Dorothy Elliott jump on The AG Show to break down the five non-negotiables of a resilient dairy business - with their UK roadshow just around the corner. Originally from Northern Ireland, the pair headed stateside in 2006 and started out with a 1,400-cow setup. Fast forward 20 years, and Drumgoon Dairy is now a multi-barn operation milking around 6,500 cows - so they’ve definitely learned a thing or two along the way. We also take a look behind the scenes at how AHDB works with retailers to get red meat and dairy on the supermarket shelves. Plus, we’ve got the latest from the Planting and Variety Survey, and an update on our environmental baselining pilot - which suggests we could be seriously underestimating just how much carbon is actually stored in soils. SOME USEFUL BITS (FROM AHDB & BEYOND) Drumgoon Dairy: The 5 non-negotiables of a resilient dairy business | AHDB [https://ahdb.org.uk/drumgoon-dairy-the-5-non-negotiables-of-a-resilient-dairy-business] GB barley area hits 16-year low as growers rethink cropping strategies | AHDB [https://ahdb.org.uk/news/gb-barley-area-hits-16-year-low-as-growers-rethink-cropping-strategies] AHDB-led pilot shows current soil carbon measurement methodologies may be underestimating carbon stocks by a third or more | AHDB [https://ahdb.org.uk/news/ahdb-led-pilot-shows-current-soil-carbon-measurement-methodologies-may-be-underestimating-carbon-stocks-by-a-third-or-more] Consumer Insights: Improving shopper engagement with the meat aisle | AHDB [https://ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/consumer-insights-improving-shopper-engagement-with-the-meat-aisle] GET IN TOUCH Charlotte, Hannah, Phil and Producer Martin would love to hear what you think! Got feedback, stories, or ideas for future episodes? Drop them a message at agshow@ahdb.org.uk [agshow@ahdb.org.uk]. Sign up to the AHDB Preference Centre [https://preferencecentre.ahdb.org.uk/en-gb/Home/Index] so that you can: * Easily update your preferences and contact information * Get information on the latest AHDB events, webinars, market insights and more * Receive important updates such as disease alerts

SFI made simple? Inside AHDB’s new cost/benefit tool for farmers

The AG Show might’ve just stumbled on something genuinely handy for farmers ahead of the next round of the Sustainable Farming Incentive. We’re joined by one of the brains at AHDB behind a new tool that helps you see what different SFI actions could actually mean for your own farm - so you can make smarter calls. Plus, we hear from a farmer who’s already put it to the test. We’ll also be chatting to the head of the Association of Independent Meat Suppliers as AIMS hits a big milestone - 25 years. And we’ll get into herbal leys too, catching up with organisers from a recent event focused on growing and managing multi-species swards. SOME USEFUL BITS (FROM AHDB & BEYOND) SFI cost benefit tool | AHDB Tools [https://tools.ahdb.org.uk/SfiCalculator] Sustainable Farming Incentive | AHDB [https://ahdb.org.uk/trade-and-policy/elms/sfi] The Garlic Farm Isle of Wight | Farm Shop | Restaurant | Café [https://www.thegarlicfarm.co.uk/] Association of Independent Meat Suppliers [https://www.aims2001.co.uk/] FarmED - FarmED - Farm & Food Education England [https://www.farm-ed.co.uk/] Home | Niab [https://www.niab.com/] GET IN TOUCH Charlotte, Hannah, Phil and Producer Martin would love to hear what you think! Got feedback, stories, or ideas for future episodes? Drop them a message at agshow@ahdb.org.uk [agshow@ahdb.org.uk]. Sign up to the AHDB Preference Centre [https://preferencecentre.ahdb.org.uk/en-gb/Home/Index] so that you can: * Easily update your preferences and contact information * Get information on the latest AHDB events, webinars, market insights and more * Receive important updates such as disease alerts

Why grow cover crops? Plus, falling cattle price and menu trends for red meat and dairy

It’s a Cover Crops 101 special on The AG Show - and we’ve got a couple of proper experts on hand to help. Clive Wood from Frontier and AHDB’s Bek Hirstman join us to break it all down, getting you up to speed on the basics of cover crops (yes, all those non-harvested plants that can provide benefits to a rotation). We dig into what they actually do, the different types out there and - crucially - how to choose the right ones without causing yourself headaches further down the line. We're also asking what’s going on with finished cattle prices - why are they dropping and is there more to come? And we check in on how red meat and dairy are performing on foodservice menus right now. Plus, who could have been part of the farmers choir that won Britain's Got Talent? SOME USEFUL BITS (FROM AHDB & BEYOND) Home - Cover Crops Guide [https://covercropsguide.co.uk/] An introduction to cover crops | AHDB [https://ahdb.org.uk/cover-crops] Frontier Agriculture [https://www.frontierag.co.uk/] Why are finished cattle prices falling and will this continue? Beef market update | AHDB [https://ahdb.org.uk/news/why-are-finished-cattle-prices-falling-and-will-this-continue-beef-market-update] Red meat in foodservice: The trends shaping today’s menus | AHDB [https://ahdb.org.uk/news/consumer-insight-red-meat-in-foodservice-the-trends-shaping-today-s-menus] Dairy in foodservice: The trends shaping today’s menus | AHDB [https://ahdb.org.uk/news/consumer-insight-dairy-in-foodservice-the-trends-shaping-today-s-menus] GET IN TOUCH Charlotte, Hannah, Phil and Producer Martin would love to hear what you think! Got feedback, stories, or ideas for future episodes? Drop them a message at agshow@ahdb.org.uk [agshow@ahdb.org.uk]. Sign up to the AHDB Preference Centre [https://preferencecentre.ahdb.org.uk/en-gb/Home/Index] so that you can: * Easily update your preferences and contact information * Get information on the latest AHDB events, webinars, market insights and more * Receive important updates such as disease alerts

Can understanding body condition optimise sheep flock performance? Plus, rewilding with Derek Gow

This week’s AG Show is absolutely stacked. We’re diving into a huge project that’s been seven years in the making - Challenge Sheep - and hearing what farmers Ian and Anna Wilson have actually taken from it. It’s all about body condition, breeding ewes younger, and what that really means for lifetime performance. Then… it gets interesting. Never mind the bullocks, here comes the rewilder. Derek Gow joins us to explain why he ditched conventional farming to hand his land back to nature. But will any of that thinking rub off on his neighbour, Devon farmer and previous AG Show guest Derek Banbury? Perfect timing, too - because both Dereks are about to hit the big screen in a brand new film: Derek vs Derek. SOME USEFUL BITS (FROM AHDB & BEYOND) Challenge Sheep | AHDB [https://ahdb.org.uk/challenge-sheep] www.derekvsderek.com/screenings [https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.derekvsderek.com%2Fscreenings&data=05%7C02%7Cmartin.winch%40ahdb.org.uk%7Ca90105e57147440dec1908deb7284ccc%7Ca12ce54b3d3d434695efff13ca5dd47d%7C0%7C0%7C639149580930370671%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=7%2B%2BiRS%2B%2FazNwWAQBVkBSkGH%2BYXod0k7XYZLYHzl4rlQ%3D&reserved=0] GET IN TOUCH Charlotte, Hannah, Phil and Producer Martin would love to hear what you think! Got feedback, stories, or ideas for future episodes? Drop them a message at agshow@ahdb.org.uk [agshow@ahdb.org.uk]. Sign up to the AHDB Preference Centre [https://preferencecentre.ahdb.org.uk/en-gb/Home/Index] so that you can: * Easily update your preferences and contact information * Get information on the latest AHDB events, webinars, market insights and more * Receive important updates such as disease alerts