A charitable trust is inviting application for help with the costs of further or higher education for students studying an agriculture-related course in 2026/27. The Deakin and Coombe Memorial Trust provides grants of up to £1000 towards items such as training courses, laptops and books.
Visit www.nfuonline.com/deakincombegrants to read more and download an application form. Closing date is 7 September 2026.
Our first joint event with the Country Land and Business Association took place on 30 April 2026, when 20 people visited Village Farm in Marton to hear how owners Miranda and Ulli had restored an abandoned smallholding alongside full time careers. Four years after buying the property, they finally moved in to the house on the 16 acre site. The land has since entered into Higher Level Stewardship due to the rare wildlife present in the meadows. Following the presentation we toured the smallholding before enjoying refreshments in the quirky party barn.
Recent data shows prices for some fertilisers have risen by more than 40% due to global events. Although supply remains stable, higher prices and market volatility are making it harder for farmers to plan and manage budgets. Defra recently asked farmers to share their experiences of rising prices and how these are affecting their on-farm decisions and their replies, plus a range of tools and tips on using nutrients more efficiently, have been pulled together in a blog post. Visit this page to receive guidance on milling wheat application, access a nitrogen fertilizer adjustment calculator and a nutrient management planning tool and a crop nutrient management guide. There are also tips about how SFI can help you reduce use of inorganic fertilizers and planning as part of a wider resilience approach.
This year, there are two application windows for the Sustainable Farming Incentive: The first window will open in June 2026 for 2 groups:
- small farms
- farms without an existing Environmental Land Management (ELM) revenue agreement
The second window will open in September 2026 for all farmers and land managers If you are eligible for the first window you can start to prepare for your application now by reading the latest information on the Defra website. Read more on this blog post.
The new Crime and Policing Bill has received Royal Assent, which will grant the police new powers to enter premises without a warrant to recover stolen agricultural equipment that has been electronically tracked. Currently, officers must apply to the courts for a warrant. Time is critical in cases of machinery theft and enabling police to act immediately when the location of stolen equipment is known should improve recovery rates, disrupt organised rural crime and provide farmers and growers with the much-needed confidence that these crimes are being taken seriously.
May marks a significant milestone for soil. The National Soil Map for England and Wales (NATMAP), alongside a range of additional LandIS (Land Information System) datasets, are now openly accessible to all through a new public portal. This follows a collaborative effort by Defra and Cranfield University to make our most comprehensive soils datasets publicly available. Alongside this, Defra is publishing a new and updated version of the Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) map for England. The soil map is one of the largest systems of its kind in Europe and is recognised as the definitive source of national soils information in England and Wales. It has information from over 30,000 soil samples and more than 250,000 soil observations.
View the Land Information Services Portal here. Read more about the initiative on this Defra blog post.
An innovative social media campaign has been launched by Warwickshire County Council, targeting improved safety for young and newly qualified drivers on the county’s rural roads, where they face the highest risk according to casualty data. The campaign focuses on the Fosse Way, Warwickshire’s longest rural road, and combines physical engineering measures with a targeted social media campaign. The campaign is underpinned by data which shows that 41% of all collisions in Warwickshire occur on rural roads. While young drivers make up around 8% of the county’s driving population, they are involved in 21% of crashes and 31% of fatalities on rural roads. In addition, 82% of those killed on Warwickshire’s rural roads are men. A local study also identified that 66% of 4,700 critical speed incidents took place at junctions. Read more here.
The Rural Flood Resilience Partnership has launched a new website, where you can find new guidance developed for rural communities, farmers and landowners. The advice includes preparing for a flood and recovery support. Further practical guidance is due to be published in Spring 2026. Access the website on this link.
The EA (Environment Agency) is working to increase the number of farm inspections by employing an additional 84 Agricultural Regulatory Inspection Officers across England. They have been focusing on delivering an advice-led approach that aims to help farmers make improvements, rather than seeking prosecutions. Many of the EA inspections that take place, are selected on a risk basis but they may routinely visit all farm’s in a river’s catchment area. Farms being inspected will be contacted to arrange a date and time and sent a list of documents and areas the inspectors will need to see. The whole inspection usually takes between one and three hours, but may be longer depending on the size of your farm and the advice needed. Should any non-compliances be found, the officer will discuss the actions needed and agree an appropriate and reasonable timeframe for completion. You’ll receive a post-inspection report, usually within two weeks.
The AHDB is to publish weekly reports on fertiliser prices following the conflict in the middle east. These reports will provide a clearer picture of the impact of the natural gas supply issues on the production of fertilisers, and the knock on effect on domestic food production. Get the latest prices information at www.ahdb.org.uk/GB-fertiliser-prices