Stackyard

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However, as the government finalises the National Planning Policy Framework reforms and the new Land Use Framework, a critical disconnect remains: solar trackers remain tethered by disproportionate planning restraints. Traditional solar often limits what you can do with the ground below, whereas solar trackers allow for genuine multifunctional land use.

Once hunted to the edge of extinction across Europe and North America, the beaver's gradual reappearance has been framed as both a solution and, in some quarters, a complication. New research suggests the balance of that argument may be shifting decisively in one direction. The study, led by Dr Alan Law of the University of Stirling's Faculty of Natural Sciences, focuses not on sentiment but on measurable impact.

Rebecca Ruck Keene, Partner and Head of Rural Property Management at Fisher German, says that while this is welcome, the government needs to recognise what is realistic when it comes to rural properties. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has now issued a partial response to its Energy Performance of Buildings consultation, offering welcome but incomplete guidance.

A recent case study at Our Cow Molly, Eddie Andrew’s Sheffield dairy farm, highlights the real-world performance of hybrid tracking. In late 2024, the farm installed Corrie Energy’s Latitude40 hybrid tracking system whose panels follow the sun throughout the day. Typically they delivered 30% more energy than fixed panels, and on 29 April 2025 the bifacial units generated 47% more energy per panel than the adjacent fixed array.

The Monk Ing Farm duo set the sale ring alight with the first prize British Blue-x bull, by the Cogent sire, ‘Odds On,’ also responsible for their reserve champion at the January opener. Show judge Jack Monk, Mellor, had little hesitation in tapping out the seven-week-old as title winner, backing his decision when going all out to claim it against solid opposition.

The opening young bull sale remains one of the most important feeding fixtures of the entire year, keenly anticipated by both vendors and buyers alike and launching a season which runs right through until June. It heralded the return of many regular buyers keen to fill pens at what represented the first real opportunity to buy good sized pens of 2024 Spring-born bulls in quantity.

At the core of this shift is satellite data, offering farmers a bird’s-eye view of their fields. From monitoring crop health to predicting weather and optimizing resources, satellites provide invaluable insights that drive smarter decisions and reduce waste. This isn't about fancy gadgets or complex formulas; this is about giving farmers the power of making better decisions, minimizing wastage, and growing more with less.

The Hebden Bridge Leach family, led by husband and wife, Adrian and Kathryn, notched up a notable hat-trick with their red rosette-winning 44kg Continental-x lambs and lowland champions, all out of home-bred ewes from their Owlers Farm Beltex flock.

The Champion heifer also realised the day’s top hammer price of £4565, or 799.5p per kg, falling to co-judge James Robertshaw, of Robertshaw’s Farm Shop, Thornton, Bradford. Their 19-month-old 571kg heifer, bred in Cumbria by K&A Brown, Asby Hall, and by Limousin sire, Cloughhead Napoleon, out of a British Blue-x cow, earned them their first ever Christmas haltered fatstock crown after first winning the under 580kg class, followed by the champion female rosette and then overall victory.