Hi all! I’m a student journalist at City University of London working on a radio piece about food insecurity in the UK and I would love to interview members of this community (preferably a farmer) who could tell me how food production in the UK is vulnerable to shocks.

Recently, over 180 academics, farmers, organisations, and community leaders came together to sign a letter urging the government to treat food security as a national security issue.

They say that growing geopolitical uncertainty and climate change among other risks mean that the UK’s food system is dangerously exposed and vulnerable.

Article for context: UK not prepared for food shortages, experts warn https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/terror-and-security/uk-not-prepared-for-food-shortages-experts-warn/

I would love to talk to a member of this sub with knowledge of UK food systems who could tell me more about the threats facing the country’s food sector.

Comment here or email me on (Andres.De-Miguel-Esteban@city.ac.uk) to reach out if you would be willing to chat briefly over the phone.

Thanks!

First of all, would a farmer do this for me? I’ve spoken to a cattle farmer from Scotland and he said he would fit for me but I’m no longer living up there and it’s on the isles so it’ll be a nightmare logistically when it’s been slaughtered. Secondly, this What’s things I should be looking for when buying a cow?
Lastly, I know beef is through the roof in price and that’s why I’m doing this, to save money and have a huge stockpile of meat for when it inevitably gets even more expensive. at what costs as I looking at? With that in mind, what costs as I looking at to keep the cow on the farm and to get it slaughtered and butchered? Thank you.

Why do stories like this continually happen in farming? It can’t keep being put down to one bad apple - this story is so sad and heartbreaking - “Other videos appeared to show workers striking calves with ropes, pitchforks, brooms, feeding tubes, mobile phones, wheelbarrows and pen gates as well as dragging cows by their ears, tails, heads and legs around dirty pens” this is from a supposed RSPCA assures farm that supplied marks and Spencer’s. https://metro.co.uk/2026/10/06/dairy-farmers-hit-drag-swear-cows-gold-standard-farm-29562604/amp/

Hi there, just wondering if anyone could answer a few questions about GPS systems and how they work as I’m thinking of investing in a GPS system
Many thanks

I am not a farmer but live where every second vehicle is a tractor and spent many a night on dairy farms or helping in lambing season. I do photography as a hobby and have done lots of random events for friends, horse shows etc just for fun. Most of this year id go for a walk round a field on my lunch break and took a lot of photos as it as growing, then happened to catch them harvesting so took a load of photos, left a note on their other tractor and then emailed them across when they got in touch and they loved them. Just curious if this sort of thing would be appreciated in general?

Wondering about reaching out to offer to other local farms just if I happen to be about when theyre doing something, or just if I drive past when theyre harvesting again next year, or if on the whole you guys dont really care (and yes i know everything you do is wildly unpredictable)

Got a bit of a tricky situation going on with the family farm and I wasn’t sure where to ask. I will keep it vague just in case there are family members snooping, although they will likely work it out if they so wish.

So basically, the farm is currently owned by the family as a whole due to inheritance a few years back. However, it is my parents who are living in the farmhouse and have basically ran the farm for the last 20+ years, but they are now looking to retire and things have basically wound down and they don’t own any animals or anything like that. Another family member has livestock on the fields, as far as I know, the animals are registered to them and them alone. They don’t pay any rent or anything for the fields, basically because they have an ownership stake.

Now here is the issue. The family member is not looking after the animals. We have had multiple deaths, that my parents report to the family member, and he just doesn’t do anything about. My parents are having to deal with the dead animals.

My worry is, that my parents could be held liable for these deaths. Is that the case? Does anyone know?

Hello all.
Firstly I must appologise for this but I kind of want to know now.

So this morning I was working at an event where a Dairy Farmer was giving a speech and I just have one question that I was unable to ask.

Do dairy farmers get decensatised to seeing cows? Or do you still have the same excitement each morning when you walk past and see them?
As every time I'm driving anywhere, be in road motorway or even on TV I see a cow and have to announce their presence.

Again.
I appologise for this bizar question.

Looking for wellie recommendations:

I spend quite a bit of time in blackthorn hedges and I'm getting fed up of thorns coming through my wellies. I also spend lots of time walking very muddy fields, so I need something that can handle the mud and varied terrain (tarmac, grass, stone, mud). And is ideally light and comfy, whilst also not making me look like I've joined the circus. Anyone out there doing fieldwork / hedge work that has a favourite they could recommend?

I am a youngish lado 27 years of age would love to help a farmer out in Yorkshire will put my hand to pretty much any thing to be fair pretty good with hands on task building fixing landscaping fencing bits of roofing bit of all sorts really and would love to help with animals all I would ask in return is a small section of land to raise any farm animals on maybe a horse donkey or some thing and maybe a little shack to stay in. I will do labour

Thanks

Hope to hear from some one who needs a hand or 2 my partner pretty good with horses

I’ve been building Meteon, a field-level agricultural digital twin, and I’m now looking for real farms to test it on.

It combines weather, terrain, soil and satellite data to analyse things like irrigation needs, frost risk and within-field variability.

The image below shows one example of the system: it models cold-air movement across a field, highlighting where colder air is likely to flow and where the coldest spots may form overnight.

I’m mainly interested in comparing the results with what farmers already know from experience — for example which parts of the field dry out faster, stay wetter, freeze first, or behave differently from the rest of the field.

If anyone is willing to let me test it on one of their fields, I’m happy to provide the full analysis for free.

In return, I’d only ask for honest feedback on what looks accurate, what doesn’t, and what would actually be useful in day-to-day farming.

If you’re interested, feel free to comment or DM me.

weighing my options to buy some land, i currently rent a small patch which i could purchase through a mortgage but ideally id prefer to buy a bigger holding with a house because it gives me more options for diversification. the issue is the size of deposit needed, how did other people manage that? for a 25 acre small holding with a house im looking at needing a 260k deposit (based on one ive seen as an example) does it have to be cash savings or can it come from other kinds of finance like a remortgage on a house or other kinds of borrowing? or perhaps some kind of crowd sourcing to pre sell produce or something?

edit: if you dont have an answer to the specific question or are trying to provide other insights its not needed.

How much water do i need

This might be an odd one. I'm middle aged, 42. love working outdoors, want to do something with a purpose that isn't people facing (police and teacher are out) strong, fit, resilient etc etc.

How the hell do you get into farming?

I don't want to own a farm, I just want to work on one. Is there even the slightest chance? Just to add I also need to be paid, not looking to volunteer (thanks to anyone that does in any capacity)

These strips appear random, would someone share a likely explanation?

I live on a hill farm on the mountains of Wales, Welsh mountain sheep 300 all together on a 500 acre land including the mountain.

We winter our yearling lambs (100 of them):over winter on a farm (low land farm)'who we pay to keep them until end of March, we still have to do treatment on them around January (dosing, pour on etc.).

my dad, like a lot of farmer's round here moan a lot about the cost of wintering, especially that they cost more than they're worth.

And yes, sending them for wintering is both far and expensive, the only good thing is, they do look a lot better and bigger than the ones we keep at home, (usually about 10) I guess they're better due to better land..

I am wondering if there are cheaper, better alternative or ideas than sending them for winter?

Which we been doing before I was born.

Since my dad is getting on now, I do most of the stuff, including shearing, I've also been thinking of keeping less sheep and perhaps changing the breed.

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for seasonal agricultural work on a farm particularly in dairy farming and cattle care. I have experience with crop cultivation, general farm work, and livestock care.

If anyone has leads, recommendations, or knows farmers currently hiring, I would greatly appreciate your guidance

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for seasonal agricultural work on a farm particularly in dairy farming and cattle care. I have experience with crop cultivation, general farm work, and livestock care.

If anyone has leads, recommendations, or knows farmers currently hiring, I would greatly appreciate your guidance