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Farming Today: Mobile phone masts, insect feed, elephant grass as fuel, record wheat yield

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04/04/2017

Mobile phone masts, insect feed, elephant grass as fuel, record wheat yield

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, Mobile phone masts, insect feed, elephant grass as fuel, record wheat yield

Huge masts could be needed for full phone coverage in the countryside.

Very tall masts will be needed for 4G mobile coverage in rural areas. Laws covering what can be fed to farm animals could be relaxed to allow insect protein to be used in feed.

Anna Hill hears from an engineering expert that people living in rural areas may have to put up with large numbers of very tall masts if they want to receive 4G mobile network coverage. Laws covering what can be fed to farm animals could be relaxed to allow insect protein to be used in feed. The restrictions were brought in to prevent any possibility of BSE or Mad Cow Disease re-appearing, BSE struck after infected animal protein was fed to cattle and sheep. Elephant grass is being grown by some farmers as an alternative to using maize for biomass fuel. Some scientists say the crop which can grow several metres high is a more efficient use of resources. And a UK farmer has lost his world record for the highest average yield of wheat to a New Zealander - but he vows to win it back. 

Presented by Anna Hill

Produced by Alun Beach.

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