Air Ambulance - campaigners threaten legal action over plans to close air ambulances bases in Wales We visit a heronry in Carmarthenshire to hear how their fairing after the British Trust for Ornithology reveals the latest findings from its long-running Heronries Census. Mystery beans - volunteers at the Seed Library in the Hive Community Space in Llandrindod investigate a donation of some seeds. “Glenys’ Runner Beans" have been passed down through a number of generations - but how old...

River Restoration - why the Church in Wales is involving itself in tackling the crisis facing Wales’ rivers and waterways To celebrate World Curlew Day (21st April) we meet a visual artist in Montgomeryshire who compares the plight of the Curlew to that of the now extinct Great Auk and fears for the eventual extinction of both the curlew and the village hall! Birds of Conservation Concern in Wales - the Curlew is on the Red List of Species as is our bird of the month this April - the...

The right tree in the right place and how it could save lives in the city. We speak to an Urban Green Infrastructure Advisor for Natural Resources Wales on the need to plant more trees in in our towns and cities for people and the planet. Tiny forests - the Welsh Government is offering grants of between ten and forty thousand pounds to plant trees in a small space under a concept of forest creation developed by a Japanese ecologist. We hear how it works at a tiny forest in Cardiff Bay. We...

From falcons and hawks to eagles and owls - Falconry Experience Wales is home to around 30 different birds of prey. It's a popular Powys wildlife tourist attraction but for owners Barry MacDonald and Luce Green their endeavours are with the conservation work and raising public awareness of the plight of raptors in the UK and abroad.

The White Hart Inn in St Dogmaels has been part of the village for 250 years, so when last orders was called for the final time, villagers refused to accept the closure of their local. They joined forces to raise nearly £250,000 to buy it and nearly 5 years on it's become a thriving community owned pub... or should that be hub?!

Spreading out through the heart of Wales, the Cambrian Mountains contain some of our darkest skies. It's a perfect location for stargazers but also for remote rural communities to embrace astro-tourism. Dark Sky Wales run regular astronomy weekends, a chance for guests to come and discover the glories of the night sky. Pauline Smith joins them for an evening of stargazing at the Meddins' family farm near Staylittle, in Montgomeryshire.

Scientists at Aberystwyth University have produced four new varieties of oats which have been approved for growing in the UK. We speak to the team leader about growing oats for the future. Time for a spring clean - we talk to a wildlife officer with RSPCA Cymru about the dangers and distress caused by litter on wild animals like hedgehogs, deer and foxes Our bird of conservation concern for this month is a bird of prey - the Kestrel And Cow Companions - the cow-hugging therapy service at a...

A cross-party investigation into the Welsh rural economy calls for the re-establishment of a Rural Development Board and greater flexibility on the Sustainable Farming Scheme. Those were just two of a raft of recommendations made in the publication this week of a blueprint for rural growth in the Welsh countryside. We speak to the Director of the Country Land and Business Association about the findings. We hear how an ambitious conservation project on the river Dee gives local children the...

Farmers and suppliers gathered in Carmarthen Mart this week amid growing uncertainty and concerns over the future farming policy for Wales, cuts to rural budgets and what they see as an attack on their way of life. Country Focus presenter, Caroline Evans attends the meeting. Meanwhile, the rural affairs minister Leslie Griffiths has rejected calls to pause the consultation into the Sustainable Farming Scheme and urges everyone to reply with their views by 7th March 2024. And the circle of...

Upland hill farmers fear for the future existence of their farm businesses in light of Welsh government’s scheme proposals. We visit Blas Farm - an organic vegetable farm on the Gwent Levels aiming to produce food in a sustainable way for the local community and to encourage young people into the industry. We hear how one of the world’s rarest and most endangered species of fir tree ‘coned’ for the first time in decades at Hergest Croft Gardens on the Powys-Herefordshire border and how about...

Forget trees, perhaps the answer lies in the soil? Could fields be farmed to store more carbon? We speak to Dr Non Williams of the Welsh Soil project. Campaigners fear the closure of visitor centres at three beauty spots. Natural Resources Wales say Ynyslas visitor centre near Borth, Bwlch Nant yr Arian, near Ponterwyd, and Coed y Brenin, near Dolgellau are under review due to financial pressures. Birds of Conservation concern - we continue our monthly look at birds at risk in the...

It's the Farmer's Union of Wales' Farmhouse breakfast week! Up and down the country, rural communities this week have been joining together around the farmhouse kitchen table, for what can perhaps be described as the most important meal of the day - Breakfast! Caroline Evans visits the village of Capel Gwynfe in Carmarthenshire where the farming and rural community have gathered to eat and chat, all in support of a rural charity - this year the Air Ambulance.

From dairy to mixed farming - we visit Bremenda Isaf Farm in Llanarthne, a Carmarthenshire Council owned holding. where they'll be growing fruit and veg for schools and care homes. We visit the village of Hermon in Pembrokeshire where they're breathing new life back into empty buildings for community use. Wales is blessed with an extensive coastline but we ask how ocean literate as a nation are we? and snowdrops, catkins and frogspawn - we're spotting the first signs of spring!

Where the land meets the sea there is a rich, but fragile habitat - but what can it tell us about the health of our shores? The Shore Search Intertidal Surveys project monitors that sea life to better understand the effects of pollution, climate change and invasive alien species. Pauline Smith joins the marine team of the North Wales Wildlife Trust and volunteers at Criccieth beach on the Llŷn peninsula to discover more.

Before the introduction of steam engines and tractors to work the land Shire horses were once essential for the farm. Today, however, these heavy horses are considered to be a rare and endangered breed. Caroline Evans visits a tourist attraction in Pembrokeshire, where the family have increased the number of breeding shires they keep in order to try and sustain the breed. Indeed, on the day Country Focus visits a new arrival has just been born! The Dyfed Shire Horse Farm in Eglwyswrw...

With its white berries and rounded drooping leaves, mistletoe is often used in our Christmas decorations - but where do those traditions come from? Caroline Evans visits the mistletoe auctions in Tenbury Wells in Worcestershire and an orchard in Gwent to hear how this distinctive plant is good for wildlife and how it has become steeped in our folklore and festive traditions. And the Country Focus team would like to wish all our listeners a joyous and healthy Christmas!

Rebranding Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty to National Landscapes to reflect their natural beauty and important role in climate change, conservation and wellbeing. We head to the rocky shores of Anglesey for our bird of the month. The purple sandpiper is a wader that likes our winters! Are you away for Christmas? Who's looking after the hens? We hear from the Cosy Hen Co in Monmouthshire providing Hennels, or hotels for poultry! And earthy paints - we meet an artist from Powys who has...

For many it's the start of the festive season in the agricultural calendar of rural Wales as livestock, producers, exhibitors and vistors all gather at the Royal Welsh showground for this year's.... Winter Fair! Caroline Evans visited the event in Llanelwedd to discover more about the issues facing agriculture and the Welsh food industry.

Ahead of the Royal Welsh Winter Fair we catch up with the Welsh Government's Rural Affairs Minister, Lesley Griffiths, amid challenging times for the agricultural industry. The restoration of a rare heathland habitat in Hensol Forest, in the Vale of Glamorgan. Sheep farming in Wales as you've never seen it before - "A Hardy Breed: Sheep Farming in Wales" a photography book by Bruce Cardwell And a thoroughbred census to establish what happens to the horses when their racing days are over.

The national call to plant trees to fight climate change requires a good stock supply! This week we're at the largest commercial tree nursery in the UK – selling approximately 35 million trees a year from it's base just outside Wrexham. We've all heard the mantra "the right tree in the right place", well behind that is a lot of research and science. Caroline Evans visits Maelor Forest Nurseries at Bronington, close to the Welsh border, where they are sowing the seeds to success...

At a crossroads - the family farming organically in Pembrokeshire, trying to make sense of the Habitat Wales scheme and uncertainty around future funding. Renowned as the ‘voice of Welsh shearing’ Tom Evans from Beulah, Radnorshire recounts his memories from over nearly 40 years of commentating on Welsh shearing. The community woodland in Knighton encouraging more people to visit and get involved with the conservation. Our bird of the month is the somewhat elusive Woodcock. And Sycharth...

Plastic plates, cutlery, polystyrene takeaway food containers... just some of the items newly banned from being sold across Wales. Welcome news perhaps for Yr Wyddfa's ambition to be the world's first plastic-free mountain? We hear graziers concerns about the future of farming on the tops of Bannau Brycheiniog National Park. Why there are fears that the habitat Wales scheme could lead to a significant contraction in organic farming. And for this November's bird of the month we're off to...

The Wales Real Food and Farming Conference that gets underway this week at Llysfasi in Ruthin - sure to cause a buzz is a discussion on the Welsh Dark Honeybee and its role in sustainable food production. We hear how the historic ban on use of snares and glue traps which came into force this week will be policed in rural Wales. We meet the lichenologist transplanting rare lichen back into the countryside to save some of our most endangered species of the complex lifeform And the...

Thanks to our somewhat damp climate, Wales is home to a staggering 850 different species of Bryophytes, representing three quarters of the total number (which is 1100) found in the UK as a whole. Bryophyte is the collective name for a group of plants that include mosses, liverworts and hornworts. This year the British Bryological Society is celebrates its hundreth birthday and has a variety of activities to mark the centenary, including designing a number of moss trails at Treborth Gardens...