05/07/2011

Anna Hill hears the price of wool has reached a 25 year high. British fleece is providing carpets for the Chinese and even supplying the global cosmetics industry. Wool buyer Martin Curtis tells Farming Today that fleece grease is now used in lipstick, soap and even fish food.

The Royal Horticultural Society is calling on shoppers and gardeners to help save rare apples. It says more than half of England's orchards have been lost in the last 25 years, with many of the less common varieties falling out of favour. Anna Hill hears from fruit specialist Jim Arbury who says old fashioned apples can be crunchy, delicious and easy to grow.

And as the warm weather continues growers of broccoli, cabbage and cauliflowers are suffering. One Lincolnshire grower tells Farming Today that as people reach for the salad tongs and neglect cooked veg, profits for brassica growers are being halved.

Presenter: Anna Hill Producer: Melvin Rickarby.