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Time rolls on and it is even wetter than a month ago. We had a decent week in the middle of tupping, but it has rained pretty much all the remaining days, making ground work tricky.

We understand farmers are anxious about the changes outlined by Defra in its agricultural transition plan this week, but that change will offer real opportunities for the sector, says Farming Minister Victoria Prentis.

I have decided to allocate time in this opinion piece to bovine TB – specifically residual disease.

As I write, the misty weather seems to be echoing life. The path ahead is not clear and it is difficult to see anything on the horizon.

As the weather turned wet in early October, the 2020 maize harvest could be described as a tale of two halves.

Lee Robb, 29, works at Ladyyard Farm, Mauchline, Ayrshire. He is a Crossroads YFC member, past Ayrshire District chairman and a current Ayrshire representative for agri and rural affairs.

The EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy, which sets a target to reduce pesticide use by 50 per cent, would negatively affect the world’s most food-insecure populations. The UK should not follow suit, says Adam Speed, director of public affairs at the Crop Protection Association.

2020 has been a challenging year for farmers, but with the end of the transition period, changes to direct payments and new trade deals on the horizon, 2021 may bring further hardship, says Conservative peer Anne McIntosh.