Prince performs first UK festival at Hop Farm

Prince has played his first UK festival, with a two-and-a-quarter-hour set at the Hop Farm Festival.

Playing to 30,000 fans in rural Kent, he stormed through hits like Purple Rain, U Got The Look, 1999 and Kiss.

The 53-year-old star came back for three encores in what was his first open air gig in England since 1993, despite years of Glastonbury rumours.

"I wish there wasn't no such thing as a curfew. Parties are supposed to go on 'til everyone's asleep," he announced.
Instrumental jams

The Minneapolis musician does not have a strong association with agricultural life - unless you count the time he took a girl in a raspberry beret "down by Old Man Johnson's Farm".

Appropriately, Raspberry Beret got a brief airing on Sunday night, in one of several medleys that took their cue from his Vegas-style shows at the O2 four years ago.

But other aspects of the gig felt more like his infamous "aftershow" parties, with extended instrumental jams featuring an athletic seven-piece band.

The show even opened with a five-minute funk workout - a lightly-borne necessity, as Prince and his band endeavoured to set their sound levels after previous acts, including Tinie Tempah and Larry Graham, suffered from distorted bass and indistinct mixing.

It was a fascinating insight to how the fastidious musician organises his live band - calling on instruments to drop in and out, while issuing instructions to off-stage technicians and sound engineers.
Freakishly nimble

All the while, he was mindful of the audience - extolling them to chant "soundcheck" as the work continued.

With the formalities finally out of the way, a clap of thunder echoed around the park and Prince launched into Let's Go Crazy, swiftly followed by Delirious, setting the tone for an upbeat, hit-fuelled set.

Highlights included a steamy, blues-infused run-through of Little Red Corvette, and the coda of Kiss, during which the musician turned his back to the audience and performed a cheeky, rump-shaking dance.

Unlike many of his contemporaries, Prince seems untouched by age.

His falsetto still soars to the high-notes - in stark contrast to Bono and Paul Simon's fractured vocals at Glastonbury last week.

And he remains freakishly nimble, sprinting from one side of the stage to the other, dressed all the while in towering designer heels.

Indeed, his only concession to advancing years was the absence of his once-trademark splits.
Piano dance

His sense of humour is undiminished, however...

A glitzy rendition of Nothing Compares 2U elicited huge cheers - until Prince slyly announced, "I didn't write that song. That's Sinead O'Connor's song [O'Connor made the song famous, after Prince donated it to one of his ill-fated 1980s side projects, The Family]."

As applause turned to boos, a grin spread across the artist's face.

"Aww, come on," he protested. "I bought me a house with that song."

The night ended with Prince dancing on top of his purple baby grand piano to 1987's If I Was Your Girlfriend, which segued into a triumphant, accelerated version of Baby, I'm A Star.

"It was amazing," said David Moore, from Oxford, who had just seen his first ever Prince concert.

"The guitar solo in Purple Rain took my breath away."

"I cried. It was life-changing," said Sophie Colbert from Brighton.

"A beautiful performance from a seasoned professional."

Prince now goes on to play a number of festivals across Europe, including Belgium's Sint-Puetersplein on Tuesday and Ireland's Malahide Castle on 30 July.

This article was taken from the BBC News website

Bluetongue free status is secured by Britain

GREAT BRITAIN is to change from a Bluetongue Lower Risk Area to a Bluetongue Free Area on Tuesday, July 5. However, Agriculture Minister Michelle O’Neill MLA has confirmed her intention to maintain the Fortress Ireland strategy to protect both the local agriculture industry and wider economy.

“This is encouraging news and I am conscious that this will ease some of the burden on local industry,” she explained.

“I would like to thank the industry for their partnership and co-operation in maintaining our Bluetongue freedom. Indeed the Fortress Ireland strategy was successful in keeping the island of Ireland free from Bluetongue during the outbreaks in Britain and mainland Europe.”

Emphasising the need to remain vigilant, the minister continued: “However there remains a risk of introducing Bluetongue here by importing susceptible animals from areas in continental Europe that are still subject to Bluetongue controls.

Therefore my message to farmers is to think carefully before importing from any Bluetongue restricted zone. An outbreak of Bluetongue, or for that matter any epizootic disease, would have a significant impact on the local economy. I would therefore ask all livestock keepers to continue to source livestock responsibly and remain vigilant for signs of disease.”

A representative of the Ulster Farmers’ Union told Farming Life that local farmers and meat processors had worked very hard to keep the island of Ireland a Bluetongue Free area.

“But there is no room for complacency,” he added “I would strongly urge local livestock farmers to follow the veterinary advice they receive in relation to all future imports of livestock.

“Union representatives have seen at first hand the hardship and loss endured by livestock producers in Europe, who have had to deal directly with the scourge of Bluetongue. It is in everyone’s interest to have the disease eradicated throughout Europe within the foreseeable future.”

Meanwhile the British Veterinary Association (BVA) has welcomed the announcement that Great Britain is to be declared bluetongue free.

However, the current EU Bluetongue Directive only allows bluetongue vaccination within a protection zone. From 5th July vaccination will no longer be permitted in GB. The BVA is supporting Defra to lobby for these rules to be changed to allow vaccination in bluetongue areas.

Commenting, Harvey Locke, BVA president, said: “The move to bluetongue freedom is thanks to the excellent partnership between government, farmers and vets across Great Britain. It is a tremendous achievement to turn the situation around from the outbreak in 2007 to freedom in 2011.

“We are disappointed that changes to the EU Directive to allow vaccination to continue could not be made before the deadline and we will continue to work with Defra to try to secure this change as soon as possible to allow vets and farmers to make the right choice to protect their herds.

“Those farmers and vets that wish to vaccinate must do so before the 5th July.

“The BVA would reiterate the message to farmers to source stock responsibly to help avoid a future outbreak.”

This article has been taken from the farminglife.com website.

Spotting a Scam

One of the many great things about the farming industry is that transactions have traditionally been carried out on the basis of mutual trust rather than lots of contracts and paperwork. That much hasn't changed. However, even farming can't completely escape scams, and that extends to a rise in dodgy machinery-for-sale ads in magazines and on websites.

The huge bulk of ads remain as honest and upfront as they have been in the past - it's just that you need to be able to spot the odd rogue item.
Top tips on how to spot a potentially dodgy deal

1. If a deal looks too good to be true it probably is. Check other ads to see what a machine of that type and age is fetching elsewhere.

2. Has the ad got a landline number? A landline at least tells you where in the seller is based. Make sure they're happy to receive calls at any time too so you know they're not using a public telephone.

3. If there's a landline number or address, tap it into Google. This will often yield some initial information.

4. Also when you do speak to the seller, ask some technical questions about the intended purchase - if they can't answer them, smell a rat.

5. Go and see the machine or at least ask if this is a possibility. Difficult if you're in Dorset and the tractor is in Dumfries, but you're trusting in fate if you don't.

6. Most multi-machine ads will show that they are all photographed in the same place. If they all show different backgrounds (or look like they were taken at 7. different seasons of the year) be extra cautious. It's probably fine, but just as well to check.

7. Be extra careful if buying from a seller's website, as this is where many scams take place. Make sure you have a telephone conversation with the seller and don't just rely on email.

8. Above all, don't send any money until you have seen it and tried it. This may not always possible, so at least be 100% sure that you're happy to make the transaction.

9. Beware of intermediaries, too. The transaction should be between you and the seller. Neither Farmers Weekly nor FWi offers any security or insurance for buyers or sellers.

10. Beware fake security claims. Online ads will sometimes say things like this: "Ebay will hold your money for five days", etc. This is fictitious.

11. Be extra wary about buying machines from abroad and transferring money to a foreign bank account. Go and see the machine in the flesh if you can.

12. Beware of intermediaries, too. The transaction should be between you and the seller. Neither Farmers Weekly nor FWi offers any security or insurance for buyers or sellers.

13. Be sceptical about all claims, even if it's your nature (as it is for most people in farming) to trust people.

This article was taken from the FWI website

Solid Built Potato Buckets with FREE Brackets

The potato bucket supplied, is very long in the floor, so the operator does not have to drive too far into a pile of potatoes to obtain a full bucket. This helps minimise crop damage. It's also made with smooth edges which again helps to reduce damage.

As always with the attachments I supply, free brackets included with every bucket bought.

Contact me for details!

New Toe Tip Bucket - FREE Brackets

The main purpose of the toe tip bucket is to gain extra height when tipping. The Toe Tip bucket I supply is a heavy duty bucket that sits on a frame and pivots just behind the leading edge.

This is then operated by a large capacity single centre ram, which intrudes into the bucket via a boxed section/stepped floor design.

Call or email me for more details.

New Heavy Duty Digging Buckets from UK Manufacturer

The heavy duty digging buckets I supply, matches the profile and shape of the re-handling bucket but it is built to a much higher specification.
Where the standard buckets are made from 5mm plate, this digging bucket is made from 6mm, has full length side gussets, heavy duty side stiffeners and extra wear plates. Digging teeth, or a bolt on leading edge are available as optional extras.

For more details please contact me.

Brand New Silage Forks With FREE Brackets

This range of manure/silage fork comes in various sizes to suit a versatile spread of farm equipment, brackets are included FREE with every set of forks bought.
Sizes range from 4'6'' to 8'and are manufactured in the UK.

The manure/silage fork frame is manufactured from tough box section denture to take one of the three tine types we offer.

Starting from as little as £605!

What is AppleRed Agricultural all about?

I am a sole trader, a one man band some might even say!
I can supply all manner of agricultrual equipment whether you need new or used. I like the freedom of working for myself and with the advent of the internet I can now do most of my jobs from anywhere over the internet.

What do I offer you, my discerning customer?

I offer you a rapid service, a business built around speed and economy, my sole aim is to find what you are looking for faster and for less than you can get it elsewhere! End of story!