SKIPTON Auction Mart’s annual pre-Christmas sale of oven ready poultry saw the main ring again packed with 244 lots of turkeys, geese, chickens and capons, with regional agricultural communities and the general public flocking out in force to bid for this year’s Christmas dinners.

Meanwhile, the mart’s latest Farming County podcast, shining a spotlight on food, farming and life in Skipton, Craven and the Yorkshire Dales, has now gone live, with input from both internal and external contributors covering current issues facing farmers.

Richard Wordsworth, Senior BPS Advisor with the NFU, shines the spotlight on the BPS Retirement Lump Sum Scheme and other BPS payments, and issues a stark warming to farmers to beware of potential fraudsters.

Richard Paul, from farming supplies company ACT, has some wise words about maximising soil health to achieve better grass growth and produce better lambs.

With new Farming Rules for Water having a major impact on slurry usage, John Tydeman, of slurry handling equipment manufacturer Transpread, spreads the word about the latest solutions required to store it, cover it, stir it, separate it, pump it or spread it.

The deadline is fast approaching for grant applications under the Farming Investment Fund. Molly Dakin, of the mart-based WBW Chartered Surveyors, guides farmers through the application process, while on-site vet Andy Barrett, of Craven Farm Vets, has some sound advice on liver fluke and lugworm.

The new Mart Chaplain, the Rev James Theodosius, Rector of Skipton’s Holy Trinity Parish Church, who recently met his farming flock for the first time, praises our hard-working agricultural communities and offers a helping hand on any issues farmers may face.

Finally, CCM’s sales manager and auctioneer Ted Ogden, who presents the latest episode, looks at both recent and upcoming New Year activity.

The Farming Country Podcast can be accessed via the home page link at www.ccmauctions.com and recognised social media channels.