Next-Door Nuisance?

Your new neighbours may have some reservations when you mention buying your first pigs. Liz Shankland offers some advice about staying on good terms

Life Under Lockdown

Coronavirus has changed British life, causing heartbreak, isolation and financial ruin for many. It has also shaken up the food chain in a remarkable way and, looking on the brighter side, it may have created new opportunities for smallholders. Charlotte Cooper finds out how smallscale farmers are coping, and where the sector can look for assistance

Udderly nightmarish

Spotting mastitis isn’t easy and swift treatment is essential in order to avoid storing up problems for the future, warns vet Bella Lowis

My first ever pig

Broadcaster and presenter Paul Heiney has written about his tempestuous relationship with a Large Black pig in his brilliant new book, A Pig called Alice. In this extract, he reveals how the idea of the purchase came about

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

Go posh with a practical Porsche

Dream of owning a Porsche? Well you probably can, says Kevin Alviti, as this high-end, vintage tractor is practical and has serious kerb appeal, plus a (usually) lower price tag than its car namesake

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

Black beauties

In his series on birds that breed true, Grant Brereton looks at the great number of black varieties available, with a common ancestor probably being the key to their existence.

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

The perfect package

Tim Tyne explains why he has a soft spot for the attractive Hampshire Down, which is simply ideal for small farmers

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

Turf wars

#PeatFreeApril is a new month-long, industry-wide campaign that has been launched to get smallholders and gardeners to go peat free. Sally Morgan reports

Trials not tribulations

In the final part of his mini series on training a sheepdog, Dudley Edmunds says why not consider moving on to the next level by taking part in trials with your canine superstar

The ‘seaweed breed'

Adam Henson divulges why the unique North Ronaldsay sheep is leading the way in terms of methane research

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

Delightful Dorpers

The British Dorper, a true all-round breed, seems to have everything a smallholder could want, but UK numbers are very low. Charlotte Cooper visits a Derbyshire breeder who has gone to the other side of the world in her bid to create the perfect sheep

An idiot's guide to lambing

Newish sheep-keeper Mike Fry reveals what the textbooks don’t tell you when it comes to welcoming little woolly bundles into your smallholding life

'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