The Wardman Wire

Since I’ve been doing an early morning podcast I’ve taken to listening more often to the 5:45am programme “Farming Today” on Radio 4.

When I first started listening occasionally, in the 1980s, the programme came complete with market prices of sprouts, turnips and carrots.

Then it had a (mercifully short) phase - which may have been in the green fog when organics were fashionable but not yet practical - where it seemed to want to be a sort of consumer programme to do with vegetables.

Now, we have a good balance - ranging from current affairs for the farming niche, to best practice and the occasional interview.

The programme’s Saturday sibling (Farming Today this Week) is a weekly roundup.

Walnut Farming in Italy

And Sunday is “On Your Farm” is an account of a visit to an unusual o typical farm. At Christmas I posted one of a visit to a Walnut Farm in Italy. I have reposted the programme below - 15 minutes long.

I have included three features I found interesting below.

Fly-tipped Asbestos

Back in September I snagged an interview with a farmer frustrated about Asbestos that had been fly-tipped on his land. The clearance cost was going to be £3000. The attitude of the Department of the Environment was legally correct but unforgiving: “We sympathise, but it is your problem. Fix it or we move in, move it, and send you the bill”. 5 minutes.

Fair Trade for Farmers

A programme which looks at the application of some Fair Trade principles for sustainability in British Farming (I have always found it quite bizarre that a campaign based on respect for the environment should ship products across the world).

Update on Organics

And finally, here is a programme from late January about organic farming from the “farming” not the “organic” side.

This programme looks into pressure on the supply chain to match the growth in demand - for example a fourfold increase in the price of organic grain which (as the required foodstuff) threatens the supply of organic animals.

RSS

And the best bit is that it is available via a podcast feed here, so you don’t evenahve to get up early.

Wrapping Up

There won’t be anything more on this blog until the “House Rules for Parliament Article at 3:00pm - today’s is by Tim Ireland of Bloggerheads.

Copyright

All copyrights for material acknowledged as belonging to the BBC.

Tags: Farming today, audio, organic, organic food, fair trade[tags]Farming today, audio, organic, organic food, fair trade[/tags]