Stories for 2 November 2005

Pembrokeshire Farming

Helping hand from council

The county council farm tenancy scheme gave Michael James the chance to set up his own beef rearing business, and he is now climbing that ladder of opportunity by expanding his enterprise.  more...

Schemes `are flawed'

A Pembrokeshire farmer is criticising the effectiveness of environmental schemes linked to farming because they offer no continuity.  more...

`We can solve fuel crisis'

The solution to the latest fuel crisis could be found in the fields of Pembrokeshire. Grower members of the co-operative Pembrokeshire Bio Energy are on the verge of signing contracts to plant energy crops. But while there is keen interest, farmers are faced with a 'chicken and egg' dilemma. The Welsh Assembly Government is not prepared to match the £920 a hectare grant paid to English energy crop growers because it says more work needs to be done to stimulate demand. Through its sustainable development fund, the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority is offering grants totalling £11,700 to match this but, as the grant suggests, it is limited to a total of ten hectares throughout the county. Pembrokeshire Bio Energy reckons Pembrokeshire farmers are capable of supplying a quarter of all the county's energy needs. But the challenge is to generate demand with support from Pembrokeshire County Council and the Welsh Assembly. Pembrokeshire Bio Energy chairman, Paul Ratcliffe, said commitment was needed. "We need the end users so that farmers can grow it. It is a chicken and egg situation.'' He is growing a crop of miscanthus, which can grow up to 12 feet high, and is also called elephant grass because it is big. It can be burned in a boiler to produce heat instead of oil. The price of burning energy crops was about a third that of oil, said Mr Ratcliffe, of New House Farm, Canaston Bridge. "I think it is very viable with energy prices where they are at the moment,'' he added. But the cost of establishing a crop is quite high, about £1,800 a hectare, as it is grown from rhizomes and not seed, but the crop does have a useful life of 20 years. A hectare can produce up to 15 tonnes a year of dry biomass with minimum fertilizer requirements once it has established. Farmers are now looking for support from the Welsh Assembly to take the project forward.   more...

Youth can make a difference

Rural Youth Europe and MIJARC Europe, two European rural youth organisations have received support from the aEuropean Commission, for a two-year project called Change the Village, Challenge Yourself! You(th) can make a difference!.  more...

Show lives up to expectations

The 16th annual Welsh Dairy Show at Carmarthen lived up to its hard-earned reputation as a major attraction for everyone involved in breeding top quality dairy cattle.  more...

The newspaper you asked for

Welcome to the first edition of your new farming newspaper, Pembrokeshire Farmer.  more...

Be vigilant over bird flu

Avian influenza would have potentially disastrous consequences for the British poultry industry, warns the NFU as the Department of Environment Fisheries and Rural Affairs (Defra) urges poultry farmers to up their biosecurity measures as the best way to combat the disease.  more...

Pembrokeshire Obituaries

Obituaries published October 26th, 2005

Here are the obituaries published in the Western Telegraph on October 26th, 2005.  more...