Prime Minister steps in to halt crisis in uplands communities
Cumbria's hill farming crisis has prompted the launch of an inquiry into the future of Britain’s uplands communities.
Computer bus returning to the roads thanks to £20,000 grant
A cash injection has put the Pentalk computer bus back on the road to farmyards in Cumbria. Newton Rigg, then run by the University of Central Lancashire, stopped funding the bus two years ago at the same time as withdrawing most of its Pentalk courses.
Crops left rotting after washout
Millions of pounds worth of crops are rotting in fields throwing farming into another crisis after the worst harvest on record
Bluetongue vaccine ignored
Thousands of Cumbrian farmers are failing to vaccinate their stock against bluetongue according to evidence from county vets.
Marts reports
Special sales
Click on any of the headlines to get the latest mart reports from across north and west Cumbria
Free range egg investments are coming home to roost for David
Farmer David Brass has launched a premium egg brand which could bring thousands of pounds of extra revenue to the county. Natures Nest eggs are already on sale at Morrisons supermarkets for £1.62 – 10p per half dozen more than its standard free range eggs.
Cumbria Farmer - September 08
In this edition: More county farms avoiding antibiotics; Rising costs could drive farmers out of business; Meet the foxinator!; How to make the most of opportunities in farming; We should treat our dairy cows as if they are Olympic athletes
Nine Cumbrian farms are still tested for Chernobyl radiation
Nine Cumbrian farms remain under post-Chernobyl restrictions more than two decades after radiation from the nuclear power plant contaminated the county.
Top honour for caring farmer
A Cumbrian farmer’s dedication to the welfare of horses has been recognised with two British Horse Society honours
Biomass fuel cash boost
Farmers, foresters and biomass producers can apply for up to £200,000 each under a new grant scheme
‘Stagnating with no really good quality courses and little of use’
Newton Rigg is letting Cumbria’s farmers down and forcing them to find an education elsewhere, according to the county’s Young Farmers’ leader.
Polish workers step in to plug dairy skills gap – milking cows
A small army of Polish workers are milking Cumbria’s cows as farmers desperately try to plug a skills gap. An estimated 200 Poles are already helping out on dairy farms, more than 30 of them in the Longtown area alone.
