Hownow (brilliant) brown cows!

For certain smallholdings, Covid-19 has brought welcome growth. The carbon-neutral Hownow Dairy in South Devon is one such firm that has experienced an exponential hike in home deliveries. Catherine Austen reports

Courting popularity

Tim Tyne looks at two Welsh breeds of sheep — the Lleyn and the Llanwenog — neither of which is particularly easy to pronounce, but both of which are equally deserving of plaudits

Timing is everything

Adam Henson laments the demise of the Lincolnshire Curly Coat pig, but welcomes some Hungarian Mangalitzas to his Cotswold Farm Park

Keep calm and carry on

There are many things you can make and do on your holding to ensure that the Covid-19 lockdown is bearable

Digging for victory (again)

As the battle with the invisible enemy, Covid-19, sweeps across the world, Leslie Bliss looks back into history to see how today's reaction to a global crisis — including a huge shift back to the land — compares to World War II

All you can eat!

Belching bovines are blamed for being the primary culprit when it comes to greenhouse gases, but Christine Page argues that this is down to what and how you feed your cows

A walk on the WILD SIDE

Robin Harford tells Lydia Tewkesbury how plant-based foraging changed his life

The Crop That's Flying High

In the first of a new series on crops that suit smallholdings, Sally Morgan explores the pros and cons of the ‘superfood’ quinoa, which will grow in Britain despite rumours to the contrary.

Has The World Gone Micro Mad?

Forget designer dogs favoured by models, so-called celebrities and fashionistas, for some it’s more about micro pigs, micro cows and miniature livestock

‘The week between Storms Ciara and Dennis may not have been a good choice, but building work commenced'

It’s taken longer than anticipated, but the builders finally arrive to renovate diarist Corinna Bull's home — and all goes well until they dig through a power cable under the patio

On the sick list

With Coronavirus dominating the headlines, Helen Babbs asks how smallholdings can be kept going in the face of adversity or the owner’s illness

Looming large

In the second part of her beginner's guide to using fleece, Marcella Craven explains how to operate the ancient and brilliantly simple peg loom

Eggspress delivery

Hatching eggs may be cheap to buy, but success depends on careful and speedy transportation, warns Andy Cawthray

A big meaty issue

Are you getting all your meat back following a kill — or did it even belong to your animal in the first place? In the first of a two-part mini-series, Mandie Rickaby investigates whether smallholders are being short-changed by the system

A new direction

Diversifying your holding is a great way to broaden your horizons and potentially boost income, but what are the options and how should you go about it?

Study Finds That Ranging Behaviours Impact On Problem-Solving In Chickens

Chickens have different personalities, a new study has suggested. This finding, which will hardly come as a surprise to most keepers, was published in Biology Letters in what the researchers believe to be the first study of its kind.

‘We suddenly seem to have a problem with most of our boundaries'

With plenty of escapees, plus some unwanted visitors, poultry diarist Julian Hammer finds that the fencing at Rose Cottage is in need of some TLC

Western wonders

Queen Elizabeth I was a staunch advocate of Ryeland wool, while the last of the original Portlands to be sold at market 100 years ago were so poor that they barely received a bid. Tim Tyne looks at the fascinating past and present of both breeds

In the buff

In his series on birds that breed true, Grant Brereton looks at the various buff varieties, one of which has a very special royal connection

'Raddling black sheep is not very successful for obvious reasons'

New diarist Paul James is a doctor in a busy NHS hospital, but home is a smallholding in Derbyshire complete with sheep, poultry and a Welsh Mountain pony called Malty

Yellow And Green Should Always Be Seen

Kevin Alviti waxes lyrical about John Deere’s powerful and handy 2140 tractor, which has a turning circle to die for

A cut above

Do you have meadows to manage? Then SCH’s FM48 could be the perfect flail mower for you

A hole lot of help

To most smallholders, a digger is manna from heaven. Kevin Alviti, a huge fan of the JCB 3CX Sitemaster, sees what it can do

The right medicine

Calling the vet can be stressful because it is expensive. So how can you budget for veterinary fees on your smallholding, asks Charlotte Cooper?

Open for business

Working from home sound appealing, but are you are really equipped for the challenges of running a business on site? Liz Shankland looks at the pros and cons of inviting the paying public onto your smallholding

Let the trailer take the strain

With an SCH wooden trailer on your holding, moving items around will be child’s play

Celebrating 20 glorious years

Siromer Tractors’ MD Louise Howard reveals how the company plans to celebrate two decades of successful trading by helping good causes

Caught in the act

The uWatch Cube, used and recommended by many police forces is a versatile, portable and affordable rural crime solution

Tips for a stressfree Christmas

When it comes to Christmas, no one is more switched on than AGA Living magazine food editor Dawn Roads, so we asked her to give us the lowdown on her top tips for perfect festive entertaining…

Digging deep

The David Brown competition plough continues to bring boundless joy to enthusiasts, finds Kevin Alviti