After an absence of twenty-nine years the British National Ploughing Championships are returning to Surrey. Held in a different part of the country each year, this year's event is taking place at Loseley Park, near Guildford, in Surrey, on Saturday and
We have looked at two wheel tractors, four wheeled tractors, alternate and home made tractors. In order to have a reasonably broad level of knowledge on the subject we should look also at specialized tractors and utility vehicles. Specialized tractors
The first thing everyone starting out in smallholding does is try to find a suitable piece of land that will hopefully fulfil all their needs and dreams. Some of the best people to do this are the auctioneers who operate the livestock markets in rural
Click onto www.smallholder.co.uk and visit the forums for a wealth of shared information. Every month we pick some queries and answer them in the magazine. And we leave you with one that stumped us for YOU to answer!! Egg packaging & selling regulations
Gloucester Old Spots Another instantly recognisable pig. Originally from the Severn Valley where it was kept in the apple orchards grazing on the windfalls and was known, not unreasonably, as the Orchard Pig. The story is, that its black spots were
Those of you considering using AI this coming season need to plan well in advance. Getting together the straws of your choice, plus equipment and storage facilities if you want to do the job yourself takes time. Brian Perry & I offer one day "BGS Approved
Maureen James explores fairy beliefs and tradition at the time when the veil' between our world and theirs is at its thinnest. In July 2004 I wrote an article for Smallholder Magazine on the subject of Robin Goodfellow and the Mischievous Fairyfolk
2005 was a very productive year, with the allotments and garden producing masses of crops. We try to grow a wide variety of fruit and vegetables that will give us a succession of things to eat, throughout the year and we only grow things that we like
Does this sound familiar? From the kitchen door, I can see a spire of crazy paving, varied timber, several old windows and a ladder that's too heavy for me. All stuff that my partner wants to take to the tip, but that I can't bear to get rid of. It might
Property correspondent Peter Trevail discovers parts of the UK where you can still buy a smallholding for the price of a London studio. Many of you who have become smallholders over the last quarter of a century were possibly inspired by the BBC's
Property correspondent Peter Trevail discovers that you can save thousands of pounds if you look for the right house and land. I hate dealing with bureaucrats and their petty regulations and I've been threatened with legal action on more than one
Property correspondent Peter Trevail discovers that livestock thrive in the shadow of London's tallest building, but you'll need a fat cheque book to buy a city house with land. A young lady from the Smallholder marketing department, who is responsible
An area of rainforest the size of six football pitches is being destroyed every minute in the Amazon to make way for soya plantations. It's a terrible situation, you might say, but what does it have to do with me? Unfortunately, if you are a regular
David Chapman explains what to look out for in late Autumn in his regular wildlife identification guide BLACKBIRD, Turdus merula The blackbird is our commonest breeding thrush and it is also our most easily identified. The all black male sports a
Bill Turnbull is probably best known as one of the presenters of BBC Breakfast, the morning news and current affairs programme on BBC1. However, Bill is much more than that as far as I and many others are concerned. Bill is an ambassador. He is someone
Unusual dispersal of collection of Agricultural Bygones. Many Smallholders find that an old fashioned tool is just what they need to solve their problem. The Old Sod has been approached by relatives on behalf of a well respected farming family who have
The Humane Slaughter Association (HSA) has been awarded a grant by the Rural Development Service to run a one-day training course, on the 15th of November 2006, intended for small producers looking to gain their poultry slaughter licence. The course is
Before any alpaca being imported into the UK can be registered with the British Alpaca Society (BAS; www.bas-uk.com), it must pass a screening test. This system is designed to ensure that the quality of the UK alpaca herd is maintained and it also gives
