Tim Harfield

139 dispatches on file Tim Harfield is a working British farmer in Suffolk with 21 years in UK commercial agriculture — primarily salad and veg, with arable added to the rotation in the last two years. Full stack from hand-harvest to running the whole operation. He founded BritFarmers as an independent publication alongside his day job, sourcing every guide from DEFRA, AHDB and NFU primary material.

7 May 202616 min standing

UK Precision Agriculture 2026: A Working Farmer’s Guide for Salad/Veg and Small Arable

What earns its keep on a sub-500-acre holding: precision kit for salad/veg and small arable, with SFI 2026, Capital Grants and FETF mapped against it.

7 May 202626 min standing

SFI 2026 (SFI26): A Working Farmer’s Guide to Payment Rates, the 71 Actions and the September Window

SFI 2026 actions, payment rates and the June 2026 window for under-50ha farms, in plain English from a working Suffolk farmer.

7 May 202624 min standing

UK Salad and Vegetable Production: A Working Grower’s Guide to 2026

It covers the economics, agronomy, labour, cold chain and supermarket dynamics that decide whether a salad and vegetable holding clears its costs in 2026,.

5 May 202622 min standing

UK Beef Farming in 2026: A Working Farmer’s Guide to Suckler and Finishing Systems

UK beef farming 2026: suckler calving, finishing systems, bTB testing, RUMA antibiotic targets, BPS phase-out — practical guide for working farmers.

4 May 202623 min standing

UK Sheep Farming in 2026: A Working Farmer’s Guide to Lowland and Upland Flocks

UK sheep farming 2026: breeding, feeding, foot health, BTV-3, SFI options and lamb marketing for lowland and upland flocks — working farmer guide.

3 May 20265 min standing

Nz meat industry bodies release manifesto for 2026 election

New Zealand's major meat industry bodies have published a thorough manifesto calling on political parties to protect sheep and beef farmers as the countr...

3 May 20265 min standing

Record £8.5m enforcement funding signals new era of water company

8.5 million pounds in Enforcement Undertakings, up 47% in a year. What tougher water-company enforcement means for farms with watercourses or boreholes.

2 May 20267 min standing

John McLenaghan elected UFU president as union charts new course

Ulster Farmers' Union elects Garvagh beef and biogas farmer John McLenaghan as president alongside returning and new deputy presidents at Loughry Campus.

1 May 20265 min standing

Agri-BusinessReport: Scotland’s total farm income rises by 24% in 2025

Scotland's farm income hits record £1.5 billion in 2025, with beef sector leading a 24% surge. What this means for farmers across the UK.

30 Apr 202620 min standing

Lambing Season UK 2026: A Complete Guide for Working Sheep Farmers

This guide pulls together the practical preparation, the disease watch, the kit list and the welfare framework for a UK lambing season in 2026, for indoo...

Tim Harfield

One letter a week. Every claim carries its source.