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Wendy Johnson

Early birds will catch the dawn chorus...

IF you sleep with the bedroom windows open, you’ll already be well aware that the dawn chorus is in full swing. By the time the sun rises each morning – currently just before 6am – little feathered alarm clocks in gardens and parks all around the UK have already begun singing. Read

Jonathan Evans MEP

Leth them do what they do best

LET farmers produce food. That’s what my Conservative colleagues and I have called for in the European Parliament, in Strasbourg, last week. Read

Moc Morgan

Take a leaf out of Dai’s book

ONE always derives a certain amount of pleasure after succeeding in doing something in the correct way. The old adage “practice makes master” is often quoted and doing something in the right way does bring its benefits. Read

Anwen Francis

Horse show gets ready to a take a leap

ONE of Wales’s largest show jumping events will take place on the outskirts of Cardigan next weekend – at the same time as the Barley Saturday Stallion Show and Parade in the town centre. Read

Moc Morgan

More youngsters are reeled in by the lure of fishing taster days

THE numbers of young people taking up fishing had declined in the last few decades but thankfully this seems to have been arrested and the graph line is once again pointing upwards. Read

Maureen Lloyd

Early race meeting blessed with sun

WALES & Borders are the only race promoters holding harness racing meetings in Britain so early in the season, and they were rewarded on Sunday at the Tairgwaith all-weather track with a glorious day of sunshine, with good competitive racing and some exceedingly close finishes. Read

Brian Lee

Brilliant Rhys wins Grand National on Little Ed

EDDIE FORD’S Little Ed, brilliantly ridden by Rhys Hughes, landed the Welsh Point-To-Point Grand National Volkswagen Touareg Men’s Open Race at the rainsoaked Pentyrch Hunt Steeplechases. Read

Gareth Vaughan

A little joined-up thinking may provide solutions to today’s problems

THE merger of two of Wales’ leading research institutions into a new centre to help tackle major 21st century challenges such as sustainable land use, climate change and the security of food and water supplies must surely have a positive knock-on effect for Welsh agriculture. Read

Gwyn Howells

Raising awareness is vital to Wales’ red meat ‘Knowledge House’

GETTING the message across about the range of resources available to farmers and conveying to all producers in Wales the technical advancements and the practical gains made by others is a very important part of Hybu Cig Cymru’s activities. Read

Liz Shankland

Roxy rebel lamb in deep water

Playing mum to a rejected lamb is a tougher job than some people might think Read

Paddy Rooney

Eurocrats need to grasp GM realities

LAST year the area used for GM crops worldwide was about 114 million hectares. Read

Moc Morgan

Cast your net wider to pursue angling dreams

DESPITE the problems associated with foreign travel these days, it is surprising how many Welsh anglers opt to go abroad for their fishing holidays. Read

Dai Davies

NFU launches Farm Employee Award

THIS year’s NFU Cymru/Nat- West Farm Employee Award has just been launched. Read

Locally grown food set to flourish

THIS is an important time in the Welsh fruit and vegetable industry. After a period of decline, all the indicators now point to the potential for growth. This is very welcome news given the many benefits of locally grown produce, particularly organic food. Read

Liz Shankland

Boris is a male chauvinist pig

Lambs are being born, birds are nesting...and there’s quite a bit of activity down in the pig field, too Read

Keep eye out during blue tits’ key first weeks

IT’S always difficult to pinpoint the moment spring begins. Is it when the first daffodils open? Or, when the clocks go forward? Perhaps it starts with the call of the first cuckoo. Read

Jane Davidson

Help to fight climate change

CLIMATE change is one of the greatest challenges we face today. I’m sure you are aware of the steps we can all take as individuals to play our part in reducing our carbon footprint, such as using energy more efficiently and by recycling and composting household waste. Read

Anwen Francis

Talent spotter Heather’s jumping for joy

DRESSAGE rider Heather Howell, from the Starlight Riding Centre in Newcastle Emlyn, has recently returned from the David Broome Event Centre near Chepstow with huge success. Read

Brian Lee

Racing mourns bookmaker’s death

MEMBERS of the late John Lovell’s family made the long journey from Cardiff to Cilwendig on Sunday to see his horse, Sams Lad, land the restricted race. Read

Gareth Vaughan

Farm fines damage Wales

RESPONSIBILITY for virtually all Welsh farming issues has been devolved to the National Assembly but I still felt compelled to write to the Prime Minister recently to express the union’s “extreme concerns” about the impact this side of Offa’s Dyke of cuts amounting to hundreds of millions of pounds to Defra’s budget. Read

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