UK - AHDB consults on strategic plan

The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) has today(TUES) launched an eight week consultation with levy payers, other industry stakeholders and trade associations on its Corporate Plan 2012-15.

The consultation runs from 22 November 2011 to 17 January 2012 and includes an AHDB Board recommendation to increase the AHDB levy rate for potatoes in Great Britain. In 2010, AHDB introduced a three year programme of small incremental potato levy increases and this is the final 3% increase to allow growth in potato levy-payer-facing activities. The levy rates for the other five AHDB sectors are recommended to remain unchanged from the existing 2011/12 rates.

The AHDB Purpose is ’to make our industries more competitive and sustainable’. It delivers against this through a series of strategies encompassing research and development and farm-level knowledge transfer/exchange; the provision of essential market information to improve supply chain transparency and business decision making; marketing and trade market programmes to help stimulate demand and to maintain and develop export markets.

The work in the Plan is funded by statutory levies paid by farmers and growers and others in the supply chain. These levy rates must be approved annually by Defra and Devolved Administration ministers.

Read full article: FarmingUK.com

Cuddy's rare gift to college a botanical wonder

In 2007, a year after Cuddy's death, his widow Pat donated the garden lands and the family home to Fanshawe College, where Pascoe now heads the horticultural program. The site received formal status in March as a botanical garden -- meaning it meets rigorous standards for education, research and conservation. Read more>

UK: Tatton Park flower show

The last of the Big Three summer flower shows, Tatton Park in Cheshire, gets under way today. Tatton Park is the place to spot up-and-coming garden designers and innovative new ideas - it's a bit less stuffy than Chelsea, and often a bit less crowded, too. The show runs from today until Sunday; visit the RHS website for more details.

UK Tourism Hampton Court Palace flower show set to bloom again - eTurboNews.com

Hampton Court Palace Flower Show – a high point in the UK summer calendar – has been rated a huge success by the organizers. Regular visitors will have noticed a whole new look this year. There was a major change of layout as the four floral marquees were revamped to create one large space for more nurseries to display their products. This also gave visitors the chance to take home an even wider range of plants and flowers.Read more:
UK Tourism Hampton Court Palace flower show set to bloom again - eTurboNews.com Source: eturbonews.com

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Vertical Farming, Enough to Feed a Zoo

When you go to the zoo, it can be fascinating to see the zookeeper feed the zoo’s many inhabitants. However, I doubt many have ever considered just how expensive it is to feed all the zoo’s residents on a daily basis. One zoo located in the UK has considered their £200,000/year food bill and have opted for a new economically and environmentally friendly solution.

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Grow veg, not flowers, widow told

http://news.bbc.co.uk/

Photo: Edith Avery says the allotment behind her kitchen is like a garden.

An 89-year-old widow fears she may lose the allotment she has had for 30 years because a council says plot holders must grow mostly vegetables.

Edith Avery grew veg for years on the allotment behind her cottage in Rogerstone, Newport, but has gone over to shrubs and flowers.

Rogerstone Community Council has sent letters telling holders to comply with policy.

It said it was trying to find a resolution to Mrs Avery's case.

Mrs Avery began renting the allotment with her late husband, Albert, a D-Day veteran, and the pair grew vegetables for many years.

The plot is a few paces from Mrs Avery's home, and can be seen from her kitchen window.

She said she was upset by a letter which she said told her to bring her plot into line with allotment policy.

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Growers' show for Devon will be a must

Monday 22nd June 2009
By Stephen Ivall »

The organisers behind one of the UK’s top commercial horticultural exhibitions are adopting a strategy to ensure that it develops into a ‘must visit’ show for anybody involved in commercial horticulture.

The South West Growers Show – which will take place on Wednesday October 7 at The Matford Centre in Exeter, Devon – has recently acquired a new management committee following its purchase from previous owners, The Haymarket Media Group.

Mark Taylor, chairman of the show said: “As both professional growers and businessmen, we have a thorough understanding of the horticulture industry, how best to build trading relationships and adopt new and emerging ideas into our vision for future shows.”

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German students look at British horticulture

5:36pm Monday 22nd June 2009

Twentythree students from State College of Agriculture, Furth, Germany have been in Cornwall as part of a Horticulture and Agriculture tour of the United Kingdom.

The students who all came from areas around Furth and Batvia are sons and daughters of farmers and growers much like the UK’s Young Farmers Club. They had a range of interests from glasshouse growing to vegetable production. The Students visited Cambridge before coming to Cornwall where they visited tourist’s attractions such as the Eden Project and then spent 2 days touring farms and visiting the College. The Students next stop will be Tresco before returning to Germany.

Bill Herring, curriculum manager for horticulture said: “Duchy College are very proud to host the German Young Farmers Club’s Cornish visit. It was great for us to share farming practises and build oversees relationships.”

Anyone interested in finding out about our Horticulture or Agriculture courses contact Duchy College on 01209 721321.

Capel Manor College

Tuesday, 23 June 2009

Age: 41

History: The college was established in 1968 and has been one of the fastest developing specialist colleges in the UK since then. London's specialist college for land-based studies, Capel Manor offers courses in Horticulture, Arboriculture (tree surgery), Floristry, Garden Design, Countryside Management and the Environment, as well as Animal Care and Saddlery.

Address: There are five centres across London. The main campus is at Bullsmoor Lane, Enfield, just off junction 25 of the M25. Other centres are at Gunnersbury Park, Regent's Park, Crystal Palace and Barking College’s Rush Green Campus.

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UK: New strawberry variety tastes supermarket success

A new variety of strawberry developed in Kent is going on sale in the South East as part of a supermarket’s plan to stock local produce on its shelves.

Peter Vinson, 65, has worked with soft fruits all his life and is widely regarded as one of the UK’s best breeders of new varieties.

His nephew Sean Figgis then grows them on 200 of the 600 acres they have spread across four farms in the Faversham area.

Now supermarket giant Tesco has agreed to put the new variety, called Sweet Eve, on its shelves until October.

It said the demand for locally grown strawberries and other produce means it has searched for the best suppliers around the UK.

Source: kentnews.co.uk