Grants
Delinked Payments 2026: When You Get Paid and Why the Maximum Is £600
Delinked payments 2026 are capped at £600 for every English farm. Here is how the 98% reduction works, when the RPA pays, and what 2027 leaves behind.
From the fields and beyond
The journal.
Stories, practical guides and a working farmer’s view.
Grants
SFI 2026 Payment Rates: Window 2 Opening Date and What Each Action Pays
Every SFI26 payment rate, the Window 2 opening date, the £100,000 annual cap and which actions actually pay enough to be worth the ground.
News
PM Pledges £65m Drought Package as July Driest on Record
The Prime Minister has announced a £65 million support package for English farmers hit by the worst July drought since records began, with cash for water.
Livestock
Sheepdog Breeds: The Border Collie, the New Zealand Huntaway and Which Dog Fits UK Farms
A dog, a flock, and a conversation you can barely hear.
Livestock
Soay Sheep of St Kilda: Britain’s Most Primitive Breed
Meet the small island sheep that kept her independence.
Machinery
Robot revolution hits the fields as £20 million funding announced
Farmers are being promised a wave of new labour-saving technology after Defra and Innovate UK opened a £20 million competition on Monday 3 August aimed at.
Industry
Bluetongue surge sparks ‘buyer beware’ warning ahead of sheep sales
Sheep farmers heading into the busiest trading window of the year have been told to treat every purchase as a potential disease risk.
Livestock
Swaledale Sheep: Breed Guide, the Mule Connection and Life on the High Moors
Tim’s take: The Swaledale is the sheep on the Yorkshire Dales National Park badge, and for once the marketing is accurate: the high Pennine moors are Swaledale…
Industry
Red Diesel Prices UK 2026: What a Litre Costs and the Duty Cut Running to December
Tim’s take: Fuel is the input cost nobody budgets honestly, because nobody knows where it will be by drilling, let alone by next harvest. Pump diesel has…
Livestock
Blackface Sheep: The UK’s Most Numerous Breed and Why the Hills Run on It
Tim’s take: Stand on any Scottish hill road long enough and the sheep that walks out in front of the car will be a Blackface. No breed…
Livestock
Orf in Sheep: Symptoms, Treatment and When to Vaccinate
Tim’s take: Every flock meets orf eventually, usually in the lambing shed, usually at the worst moment: a pen of thriving lambs one week, scabby mouths and…
Arable
UK Wheat Prices 2026: Feed Wheat, Milling Premiums and What Moves the Market
Last updated: 8 September 2026. The price table and the written analysis both cover AHDB figures for the week ending 4 September. The page is refreshed when…
