The Country Smallholder

30/09/2025

Defra confirmed the first single detection of Bluetongue Virus serotype 8 (BTV8) since 2007 on Friday (26 September), in a small sheep flock in Cornwall, England.

Defra confirmed the first single detection of Bluetongue Virus serotype 8 (BTV8) since 2007 on Friday (26 September), in Cornwall, England.

29/09/2025

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) reports that highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 has been confirmed at a premises near Wetheral, Cumberland, Cumbria.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) reports that highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 has been confirmed at a premises in Cumbria.

26/09/2025

Skills workshops are on offer to farmers this autumn at the start of a new chapter for Future Farmers of Yorkshire, a group supported by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society and guided by South Yorkshire farmer Joe Seels (pictured above), the group’s new Chair.

Skills workshops are on offer to farmers this autumn at the start of a new chapter for Future Farmers of Yorkshire.

25/09/2025

Know your onions....find out how to chose and get the most from your autumn onion sets.....

24/09/2025

In his examination of how farming and smallholding practices have altered over the past century, Jeremy Hobson compares the traditional hedgerow maintenance of yesteryear with today’s modern methods.

From man to machine, Jeremy Hobson compares the traditional hedgerow maintenance of yesteryear with today's modern methods.

23/09/2025

Could you keep pigs? Find out more in this months magazine....

22/09/2025

This year’s Dairy Show is introducing a new AgriForum, offering visitors a more dynamic, interactive space for debate and discussion.

19/09/2025

The inaugural Innovative Fleece Assessment Show, hosted by Alpaca Evolution, will take place this weekend (September 20-21, 2025).

19/09/2025

Throughout the summer, when the weather allowed and there were suitable plants in flower, foraging bees collected nectar and pollen and brought them back to the hive. Some of this food will have sustained the colony’s adult bees and fed the developing larvae but the surplus will have been stored for future use.

In this article extract, taken from The Country Smallholder September, Claire Waring examines the differences between pollen, nectar and honey

18/09/2025

The Country Smallholder columnist, Cara Wheeldon, has been recognised for her outstanding journalistic talent at the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) Diploma in Journalism Awards.

The Country Smallholder columnist, Cara Wheeldon, has been recognised at the NCTJ Diploma in Journalism Awards.

17/09/2025

Feeding ducks and geese doesn’t need to be complicated. With the right approach and a little planning, you can keep your birds healthy, productive and behaving naturally at every stage of life.

Sarah Day, nutritionist for Small Holder Feed, shares expert guidance to help you make informed feeding choices for ducks and geese.

16/09/2025

October is a quiet month in the farming calendar. We have done the drilling. We are still harvesting the Sugar Beet for British Sugar, which unlike us, has loved the rain during the summer. The Beet harvest will continue until the factories shut at the end of January/beginning of February.

Henrietta Balcon provides 'the best' quick tomato soup recipe, as she looks to a new season of chilly days and warm kitchens