Farming Today

The many pressures on land use are coming into sharper focus in Scotland where opposition is growing to a series of large AI data centres planned across the central belt, between Glasgow and Edinburgh. The ruling Scottish National Party’s national council is calling for a moratorium on building them. Most of the centres are to be built on open countryside, and farmers are among the people who have raised concerns. However the boss of one data centre company claims the centres could bring a boost to horticulture by using the heat they generate to warm glass houses.
While farmers across much of the UK are counting the cost of a poor harvest, it's a different story in The Outer Hebrides. We speak to a crofter from Uist who's just had one of his best years yet.
The state of the UK's rivers has been making the news - if not pollution, then drought, and, earlier this year, flooding. The Tweed is one of the world's most famous salmon rivers, flowing eastwards across the Scottish borders and Northern England. We've been finding out how conservationists and farmers are working together to ease the pressure climate change is putting on the river.
Presenter = Anna Hill
Producer = Rebecca Rooney

As the UK experiences its worst ever outbreak of the livestock disease bluetongue, we find out how government vets and scientists are coping as they deal with thousands of cases. The trade union which represents them says morale is low and the workload is mountainous. They say more long term strategic planning is needed and better pay to address staff shortages.
Scientists in Northern Ireland are using DNA methods to help identify the exact source of pollution in Lough Neagh. It's the fourth summer in a row that the lough has been blighted by blue green algae.
As the Bayeux Tapestry goes on display at the British Museum in London, BBC Radio 4 has a range of programmes inspired by the Normans. We hear from food producers in Normandy whose apple harvest and cheese making have been affected by drought and climate change.
Presenter = Caz Graham
Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Farming groups from around the country are pressing for what they are calling 'a government-backed, interest-free Keep Britain Growing Loan' which they say will help farmers maintain cashflow and fund next season’s crop production.
How using pasture sown with a diverse mix of grasses, legumes, and deep-rooted herbs and rotational grazing can help in times of drought.
Finding out exactly what species are in a river can be challenging, but environmental DNA sampling is a relatively new tool which can help. It can detect the presence of rare or invasive species by analysing genetic material in water.
Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

Anna Hill travels on a safari with a difference, across North Norfolk, to discover how dozens of farmers have joined together to create connected corridors for wildlife and farming. She explores four projects funded by FiPL (Farming in Protected Landscapes), follows a 26-mile mega-hedgerow across 14 farms; a 10 mile corridor of wildflower margins along a river bed; follows a new shepherdess moving a flock of sheep across contiguous arable farms to fertilise the soil; and sees the extraordinary natural hives for wild bees, which farmers have created to protect the species for years to come.

With the livestock disease bluetongue still spreading across the UK, we speak to a Dutch vet about how they coped with a massive outbreak there in 2023, and what we can learn.
This week we've been looking at what crops farmers might grow in the future to cope with a changing climate - whether precision-bred crops, or turning to traditional varieties.
And we're at a lavender farm in the Lake District. The farm uses several varieties of the aromatic herb, including those from Provence in France.
Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Sally Challoner.