Last call for orders required for Easter Weekend!
We are closing at 4pm on Wednesday 13th April. Reopen Tuesday 19th April.

Last call for orders required for Easter Weekend!
We are closing at 4pm on Wednesday 13th April. Reopen Tuesday 19th April.
DEFRA, The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is to have its budget cut by up to 33% in the Comprehensive Spending Review:
Defra will reprioritise its spending, focusing tax payer’s money on British farming and food production; enhancing the environment and biodiversity; and supporting a green economy resilient to climate change.
The Department will manage its reductions by:
Maximising the use of matched European funding for the Rural Development Programme for England, enabling a £66m reduction in domestic contributions. This will allow environmental stewardship schemes to remain open to all farmers. Defra will prioritise schemes that will be most beneficial to the environment, increasing the Higher Level Stewardship Scheme by 80%.
Here is the summary of the comprehensive spending review as applied to DEFRA
The Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution 2010 Christmas cards available are now – we love the kids colouring in ones!!!
Buy them here (opens RABI order form)
About RABI:
We were founded in 1860 and have an unbroken history of providing long-term care
and emergency help. The help is provided for retired farmers, farm workers and working farmers and their families who find themselves in financial difficulties. In 2010 RABI is very proud to be celebrating its 150th anniversary.
Celebrate the best of British Food and Produce – here are some top tips to help you discover the diverse and delicious range! Click here
Here at Agratech Towers, we were well impressed with the Tomato and Sweetcorn soup, made with goodies from our Abel & Cole box!!! We adapted this recipe by using corn from three cobs(boiled) and five large British tomatoes chopped, added teaspoon of sugar, and a smidgen more tomato puree!!! Yummy
Courtesy of Love British Food
This is the eleventh year of searching for the best in food and farming and these Awards have never been more relevant. Many people are looking for new ways to make money in the food business and we need models to inspire us to do that in the best way.
Alongside categories such as ‘Best Market’, ‘Best Takeaway’ and ‘Best Local Food Retailer’ there will be much coveted awards for ‘Best Dinner Lady / public caterer’ and the ‘BBC Farmer of the Year’ won last year by Andrew Dennis of Woodlands Farm Organics http://bit.ly/9iBs9e
Nominations close 15 August, and you can vote via the BBC Radio4 website http://bit.ly/d54wHb
Featured in this week’s budget, the newly named ‘cider tax’ has attracted a lot of publicity and debate within the British Farming Industry. This post from the Farmers Guardian features the latest debate which we thought you’d like to read……
THE cider industry is still benefiting from significantly lower rates of duty than its main competitor, Farming Minister Jim Fitzpatrick has said in response criticism of the new ‘cider tax’.
Mr Fitzpatrick was forced to defend the controversial decision to raise the duty on cider by 10 per cent above inflation when the issue was raised in the Commons during Defra Questions.
Alistair Darling’s announcement in Wednesday’s Budget, which has provoked a furious response from cider makers and drinkers, has also upset some MPs.
Conservative MP Bill Wiggin, representing the cider-rich constituency of Leominster, in Herefordshire, accused the Minister of hypocrisy on Thursday when he praised British farming while representing a Government happy to tax cider makers so heavily.
“How has the Minister got the nerve to tell the House all those nice things about agriculture when yesterday, on the same spot, the Chancellor increased duty on cider by 10 per cent over inflation?” Mr Wiggin said.
“There are 600 businesses in Herefordshire alone producing this exclusively British drink. How will the Minister ever persuade anyone to take anything he says about British agriculture seriously again?”
Mr Fitzpatrick said he recognised Mr Wiggin’s concerns about the industry in his constituency.
But he said that, historically, cider producers have paid lower rates of duty than other producers. The new rate will still be about half that paid on beer, he said.
He said the smallest UK cider producers would remain exempt from the duty increase, which applies only to makers who produce more than 7,000 litres a year
“We estimate that, as a result, nearly 400 UK cider makers will not be affected by any of the changes announced yesterday,” he said.
What do you think? Agratech are proud to support the British Farming Industry and hope that whatever happens, British farmers are supported in all their activities!
Due to heavy snowfall, no couriers are able to reach our unit today. Therefore, no large items (knapsack sprayers etc) will be despatched.
Small items will continue to be posted Royal Mail.
If you plan to visit us to collect items, please ring first to check that safe access is available. You will find our contact details here
Help support farming families, via RABI, and give city kids a taste of farm life with Spitalfields City Farm through the purchase of this Calendar!
At just £5.99 it won’t hurt the purse too much, and of course the lovely guys won’t hurt your eyes much either!
The Farmers Calendar 2010 is on sale now! You can buy via their website
More Pics here, if you’re interested!!!!!!!!!!
Now, lets see if this blog post gets as high stats as the Devon farm girls one!!! Enjoy x
…went to mow a meadow.
Well, 140 acres actually.
In another charity event, 175 combine harvesters simultaneously cut the field, and easily gained a new Guinness World Record, beating the previous record of a (now seemingly paltry) 57!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fixG09kgTZY]
The feat was achieved in Platin, Duleek, Co. Meath, Ireland on Saturday August 15th 2009, and is set to raise cash for various charities – Barnardos, The National Rehabilitation Hospital, Gary Kelly Cancer Support and Self Help (Africa), and organised by a group calling themselves Combines 4 charity
Quite a spectacle! As one commentator asked, ‘were the pubs shut in Ireland that day?!’
A group of brave & beautiful farm girls have stripped for a Charity Calendar in aid of Cancer Research uk. The girls, from various North Devon Young Farmers Clubs can be seen wearing wellies and wide smiles and not much else, as they go about daily farm tasks.
The girls hope that the calendar, sponsored by North Devon Journal , along with Farm & Cottage Holidays, the Student Association at North Devon College as well as Winkleigh, Shebbear and Buckland Brewer Young Farmers’ Clubs, will raise £2000 for the charity.
If you are in North Devon, the calendar is available from the New Inn at Roborough, the North Devon Journal offices on Roundswell Business Park, Barnstaple
For anyone else, e-mail [email protected] for mail order info
You can see more of the girls at The Daily Mail website!
North Devon Young Farmers Charity Calendar