10/05/21 - Virtual health checks, livestock marts reopening and on-farm trials

Farming Today

• Episode: 10/05/21 - Virtual health checks, livestock marts reopening and on-farm trials
• Website: Farming Today
• Feed URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qj8q/episodes/downloads.rss
• Duration: 00:11:40
• Published: 2021-05-10 07:00

Auction marts are beginning to open up - throughout the lockdowns they’ve been operating under strict restrictions. It's impacted on the way they trade, but also hit the other services marts provide for the farming community: from a chat in the cafe to an appointment with a nurse of GP. We hear from one charity in Lincolnshire which is urging agricultural workers to sign up for virtual health checks after almost a thousand appointments were missed there due to COVID. Research and Development have become agricultural buzz words. The Government is keen to see productivity in farming rise and new approaches, new technology and innovation are seen as key. Getting something from the idea stage to a practical tool which farmers will adopt is the challenge and this week we’re going to highlight on-farm trials - from new varieties of crop, to robots and new ways of working. We start by hearing from Professor Tim Benton, who chairs Innovative Farmers - a not for profit organisation which brings farmers and researchers together. Presented by Charlotte Smith Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons