Bright and efficient ideas from far-flung farmers

One of the great bonuses of my job is exploring the farming corners of the UK and Ireland for inventive, innovative farmers.

Inventive farmers exist everywhere, in fact the far-flung corners can be the most fruitful of places. These places have farmers with less cash to splash on new kit, and farmers who have a tradition of problem solving.

The Orkney Isles off the north coast of Scotland are a case in point. A cattle farmer send a brilliant set of pictures of a tip-up cattle crush he had designed and made in 2008. He uses it to look after bulls’ feet. The crush fixes on a tractor loader, and the animal is put on its side by tipping the crush back. The crush has been used to do many of the 50 bulls which are on his small island of Westray.