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In week ended 5th January, the deadweight prime cattle average price levelled on the week at 365.0p/kg. read more

As domestic lamb continues to compete with increased volumes of cheaper imports and demand remains subdued, DW lamb prices eased in week ended 5th January. read more

World prices eased back towards the end of 2012 although remained at levels comparable to the same period in 2011. read more

Having shot to record levels during September and October, GB finished pig prices continued to rise in November and early December, albeit more slowly. read more

The GB weekly average price rose by £4.63/t to £227.93/t and the free-buy average fell by £4.45/t to £330.74/t. read more

Mid-January saw the release of much-anticipated information from the USDA in the form of world supply and demand estimates, US winter wheat plantings, final 2012 production estimates and quarterly stocks. read more

The USDA data set a bearish tone for oilseed markets with upward revisions to US and Brazilian crops. read more

UK malting barley export prices are at €245/t FOB (spring, South Coast) w/e 11th April. read more

The latest National Statistics produced by Defra on the activity of UK hatcheries and poultry slaughterhouses. read more

USDA’s latest quarterly stocks report, released on 28th September, estimated US maize stocks (at 1st September) at 25.1m t, down 12% on the same point in 2011 and the lowest since 2004. read more

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PAPERS

Hollywood actor Matthew Rhys is to launch a £1m National Trust appeal to buy a farm in Snowdonia. Llyndy Isaf, a 600-acre holding in the Nant Gwynant valley near Beddgelert, Gwynedd, will be sold by Ken Owen when he retires. The Trust says it needs to be protected because it is "an unspoilt gem". The trust’s Richard Neale said: "I can’t think of a more deserving location for National Trust protection." In 1998, in another appeal, Sir Anthony Hopkins held saved a farm on Snowdon. A part of Llyn Dinas would also be secured with the holding provided the trust reaches its target by 31 December. Mr Owen, who has no son to follow in his footsteps, said he would like to see his 35-year effort on the farm managed sensitively in future. "The decision to retire and leave Llyndy Isaf was not an easy one," he said. "It’s a beautiful place and we’ve spent 35 very happy years here. We’ve worked hard and over that time we’ve realised more and more the importance of farming in harmony with the environment. It’s amazing to see the wildlife returning to places where it hadn’t been for years. I’d like that to continue and that is why we have offered the farm to the National Trust as I know they will continue to farm it in the same way that I have." According to the National Trust the farm’s purchase would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity because of its importance environmentally.

Scientists at Aberystwyth University are developing new varieties of a traditional crop which could cut heart disease. Oats contain a chemical called beta glucan which traps cholesterol and stops it from entering the bloodstream. Now experts at the University’s Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) are striving to breed varieties of oats with higher beta glucan contents. One of the attractions of the study is that oats can cope with the poorer farmland and wetter climates that are typical of Wales. “There are clear benefits to human health,” said Dr Athole Marshall. "Lowering cholesterol is the most obvious of these. This will make oats more attractive as a crop in Wales and other parts of the UK where it has traditionally been grown. Our research will offer new opportunities for farmers.” Trials are being carried out on the different oat varieties at Aberystwyth, and also in other areas like Scotland, so that they can be tested under different weather and soil conditions. The hope is that the new varieties of winter and spring oats will be on the market for farmers within the next few years.