Scotland's Farm Advisory Service Podcast

In this podcast Robert Ramsay of SAC Consulting speaks to Gordon Caldwell, an Ayrshire based veg farmer. Gordon describes himself as a veteran new entrant, having started his business over 10 years ago. This podcast focuses on Gordon's experiences in establishing his business while also touching on regenerative agriculture, dealing with the end consumer and the future.

The Managing People podcast is part of a toolkit of publications to assist farmers and managers in managing people within their business. In the final episode of the two part series, we will be chatting to Michael Bayne from Borders Machinery Ring to hear more about what the pre-apprenticeship scheme involves and how successful it has been in allowing farmers to introduce young, enthusiastic individuals into their farm teams. Following on from Michael will be Bill Smith from Byres Farm in Morayshire telling us about the hugely positive experience he had with a pre-apprentice.

The Managing People podcast is part of a toolkit of publications to assist farmers and managers in managing people within their business. In the first of this two part series we will speak to John Kerr, a Dairy Farmer from Newmilns in Ayrshire and John Sinclair from Craigie’s Farm Shop near Edinburgh to hear their experiences of employing and managing staff as well as their top tips for others.

In this podcast Jamie Boyle (centre in the photo) introduces us to the wonders of the Uist machair, an excellent example of High Nature Value farming. We learn about how integral crofting through growing crops and grazing cattle are essential for the habitats that host some of the highest densities of waders in western Europe.

In this podcast Derek Hanton of SAC Inverness gives advice to those thinking of growing crops on a small scale for the first time. Many types of crops are discussed from root crops and those that are combinable. Some key constraints of working in small fields in marginal areas are discussed.

Beef Specialist Robert Ramsay chats to Michael Shannon and Peter Eccles. Two farmers who both market there products directly to consumers. Michael sells his own beef and other products through his on farm butchery and Peter sells his through a box scheme. They share their experiences and opinions on how producers can add value to their beef.

A real success story, Laura Hinnekens took the bold decision to move to Scotland from Belgium to follow her dream of farming, starting with only a few hundred pounds in her pocket, her van and her dogs, she is now farming in Biggar with her partner Euan. @LawhillLamb

In this episode George Gauley is joined by Harriet Busby from Border berries. Border berries is a thriving farm business, located near St Boswells in the Scottish borders. Harriets’ family have been growing berries since the 1960s and started by supplying jam to a local factory. Since then Border berries has grown to become the largeset pick your own berry farm in the south of Scotland and one of the few remaining out door fruit farms. The business has a large Facebook & Twitter presence, so we wanted to find out more about how this business ticks and uses social media to its advantage. You can find out more about border berries by clicking on the following links below. There have also been numerous articles written about Border berries, including a recent appearance in the scots man food & drink section – Best places to pick your own fruit in Scotland https://foodanddrink.scotsman.com/producers/farming-producers/the-best-places-to-pick-fruit-in-scotland/ Visit Website - http://borderberries.co.uk/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/borderberries?lang=en Face book - https://www.facebook.com/borderberries/ Trip advisor - https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g315999-d3378286-r294765104-Rutherford_Farm-Kelso_Scottish_Borders_Scotland.html Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/borderberries/

Malcolm Macdonald spoke to nutritionists Karen Stewart and Mary Young along with beef specialist Robert Ramsay about planning feed supplies for the winter. Karen, Mary and Robert give us a run down of what farmers need to be thinking about as cows come in for the winter and start to be fed. How to produce a feed budget, what the options are if you are short of fodder, how to manage cow condition, how to use poor forage, these and other tips and insights are covered in the podcast.

This year, four farmers from across Scotland have been documenting their experience using rotational grazing methods on video. You can follow the whole series on our youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8DdHOvRK_JkCNZpkPiTqLRp8M4lqAyP- For this episode, SAC Consultant Lorna Galloway brings all four farmers together to discuss their experiences so far, and offer advice to anyone looking to try rotational grazing themselves.

Kerry Allison, Senior Marketing Consultant with SAC discusses PR (public relations) with a Food PR Agent, an Agricultural PR firm, and farm businesses who is rocking their PR opportunities. In the third and final podcast, Kerry catches up with Claire Pollock from Ardross Farm Shop. Claire tells a really engaging story of how the farm shop came to be, how the family found their feet with marketing and PR and how it felt to have Gordon Ramsay drinking tea in her kitchen! For more information, visit: https://www.ardrossfarm.co.uk/

Kerry Allison, Senior Marketing Consultant with SAC discusses PR (public relations) with a Food PR Agent, an Agricultural PR firm, and farm businesses who is rocking their PR opportunities. In this second podcast, join Kerry as she speaks to Jane Craigie owner of Jane Craigie Marketing. Jane is a communications and PR expert in agriculture and rural industries. Jane shares some industry overview, and gives us some insight into how a PR agency works. Kerry and Jane discuss when a business might look to work with an agency, and what kind of things people can start to work on themselves. https://www.janecraigie.com/

Kerry Allison, Senior Marketing Consultant with SAC discusses PR (public relations) with a Food PR Agent, an Agricultural PR firm, and farm businesses who is rocking their PR opportunities. In this first podcast, join Kerry as she speaks to Martha Bryce from Soundbite PR. Martha is a food and drink PR professional, and also has her own farm (venison) and has been at the sharp end of some of bad PR, learn her top tips, advice and some tricks of the trade in this podcast. For more information about Soundbite, go to: https://soundbitepr.co.uk/about/

Seamus Donnelly discusses the wider financial and environmental benefits and speaks to Simon Jones (Genap) about choosing Tensioned versus Floating Covers for Ringed Tanks ,Jason Smyth (Linton and Robinson) about fitting a Floating Cover on a Lagoon and Darragh Magee (AEG) about the novel use of LECA to reduce ammonia emissions on Lagoons and Ring Stores.Interest has increased with the opportunity to receive support under the SCOT Gov new pilot Sustainable Agriculture Capital Grant Scheme.

In this episode Hazel Laughton speaks with Andrew Baillie who farms at Carstairs Mains in Lanarkshire. Andrew shares his experience of suffering a substantial loss in productivity as a direct result of liver fluke in his flock, despite having a stringent management plan in place. He discusses his quarantine procedures, what extra measures he has put in place to minimise the risk of infestation and his top tips for other farmers. This episode is of benefit to all sheep farmers.

Patrick Laurie, Galloway based author of ‘Native’ speaks to Janette Sutherland in Skye about his book. They discuss his starting a farming business and Riggit Galloway herd. They discuss native breeds and new technology including GPS cattle collars. Patrick discusses the importance of High Nature Value farming for many of Scotland’s iconic species.

In this episode George Gauley is joined by Lucy Tile from Bairnkine Farm, Jedburgh. Lucy runs a busy 1100 acres farming approximately 2000 sheep. If this wasn’t enough, Lucy also manages two holiday cottages offering guests a unique taste of the countryside. Owl Cottage which sleeps six, and Wild Rose Cottage which sleeps five. Lucy also runs a caravan site offering electric hook ups and hard standing. Bairnkine boasts a fantastic website not only offering info and bookings for holidays, but also including regular updates on the working farm. The business also operates a successful Facebook, twitter and Instagram accounts, helping to promote the business. We find out more about what makes Bairnkine Farm tick and how Lucy effectively uses social media to effectively promote, the story of a working farm in conjunction with the holiday side of the business. Click on the links below to learn more about Bairnkine farm. Website - https://www.bairnkinecottages.co.uk/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/bairnkine/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/bairnkine Visit Scotland - https://www.visitscotland.com/info/accommodation/bairnkine-farm-caravan-site-p928461 The caravan club - https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/certificated-locations/scotland/scottish-borders/jedburgh/the-bairnkine/

Alex is joined by Iain Boyd to discuss the potential of renewables in farms across Scotland. The potential our landscape and geography have for different types of renewable energy, and what conditions are currently conducive to their addition to your business. Renewables have an important part to play in the fight against climate change, allowing Scotland to transition from fossil fuels to greener alternatives. Generally, the uplands present the greatest opportunity for uptake of large scale renewable technology in the agricultural sector. At the same time there are real concerns over balancing the needs for energy production and protecting the environment. In episode five of the Thrill of the Hill series the Farm Advisory Service (FAS) talks to environmental consultant, Iain Boyd (SAC) about a range of topics and issues, including the current state of play for the Scottish renewables sector, evaluating the potential of your farm for renewables, the footprint of turbines, up and coming technologies and the potential threats of climate change on new and existing projects.

In the fourth Thrill of The Hill episode, Alex is joined by SAC Consultant Malcolm Macdonald to discuss virtual fencing technology and it's potential applications in Scotland and across the world. The uptake of new and innovative technologies is an important factor when considering how to drive productivity in the hill environment. Virtual fencing is an up and coming technology that is gaining popularity, particularly in Australia and New Zealand and has great scope for use in Scotland. In episode three of the Thrill of the Hill series the Farm Advisory Service (FAS) talks to agricultural consultant, Malcolm Macdonald (SAC) who has been involved in a project investigating the potential uses of this technology, including cost and capability of equipment, the market for virtual fencing in Scotland, opportunities arising from the technology, things to watch out for and implications for traceability and policy.

For the third episode of the Thrill of The Hill podcast, Alex Pirie is joined by David Eadie, a woodlands consultant, to discuss the potential of woodland planting and management in the upland environment. Scotland has gone leaps and bounds to green the landscape with woodland to tackle the issue of climate change. With Scottish Government protecting and enhancing funding for woodland creation and the extension of the Forestry Grant Scheme (FGS) for habitat management a pathway is clear for farmers to increase their farmed woodland. In episode three of the Thrill of the Hill series the Farm Advisory Service (FAS) talks to woodland specialist, David Eadie (SAC) about assessing your farm’s planting potential, conflicts with peatland, carbon sequestration, habitat value, ecosystem services and the need to balance productive timber production with native broadleaf woodland. Visit our website to find out more about Farm Woodlands.

Consultant Alex Pirie speaks with Consultant Robert Ramsay from SAC Consulting's livestock team about the current state of the Beef Sector in Scotland, and how to create synergy between your farmed upland and your improved grassland.

Consultant Alex Pirie speaks with Daniel Stout about Sheep Upland Grazing strategies and the broader Sheep industry in Scotland.

In this podcast Malcolm Macdonald talked to SAC Nutritionist Mary Young and Norvite Technical Director David McClelland about minerals in ruminant rations. This included an overview of the major minerals which are supplemented in ruminant rations and these benefit anima health. David then outlines how minerals and vitamins are defined and can be used in an organic context. Mary and David both outline case studies on specific deficiencies and how they were rectified.

In this episode Mary-Jane Lawrie speaks with Colin Hunter who farms at Stonelaws Farm in East Lothian. Colin has been farming with min till and no till systems for the last 8 years and feels strongly that we should be doing all we can to protect our topsoil and organic matter, whilst still growing a good yielding crop.

Cammy Wilson is a new entrant sheep farming, having started out 5 years ago, Cammy has developed a simple grass based sheep system which allows him time away from the business to work as a contract shearer, social media influencer and part time policeman. This podcast focuses on Cammy’s system, mentoring and his experiences so far.

John Sinclair owns and runs Craigies Farm Shop just outside Edinburgh. It’s a family run business with pick your own fruit and veg as well as the shop and café. Due to Covid the shop and café initially had to close but John and his team quickly adapted to offer home delivery which has become an important new income. As things open up it has allowed them to find a new way of reaching customers.

A new approach to agri-environment schemes, based on payment by results, is being investigated in a pilot project by Scotland’s Nature agency, NatureScot. In this podcast, senior conservation consultant at SAC Consulting, Paul Chapman, speaks to NatureScot’s Kirsten Brewster and Kay Prichard to find out more about how this approach works and how it differs from the prescriptive agri-environment schemes that farmers are currently used to.

We're making some changes to the FAS Podcast! Weekly episodes, covering the width and breadth of the farming world in Scotland, with experts and leading consultants offering relevant, important information on a regular basis. Subscribe now to get every episode on your phone.

Andrew Prentice and his family, overcame the new entrant hurdle of sourcing land by moving to the Isle of Iona to continue their farming journey. Listen to this very inspiring podcast showing the determination of the Prentice family in moving to a remote area to build their business.

What’s Stopping You? Nina Clancy (@clancy_nina) speaks to Janette Sutherland, (@ConsultingSAC) about her career, media engagement, recognising opportunities and avoiding burnout. We also learn more about the excellent work of @RSABI.

Patrick Laurie, Galloway based author of ‘Native’ speaks to Janette Sutherland in Skye about his book. They discuss his starting a farming business and growing crops for the first time. A self-confessed Curlew obsessive, Patrick discusses the importance of High Nature Value farming for many of Scotland’s iconic species.

Interview with Beth Kendall, a successful crofter based in Strathpeffer. Beth has been crofting for over 20 years and in that time has developed a broad range of experience in different fields that include working with sheep, cattle, commercial poultry, grass work, business diversification and knowledge of the crofting grant system. In this podcast, Beth details how she became a mentor with FAS, what skills and advice she passed on to the new entrants she’s worked with, her thoughts on the mentoring process as a whole and what she’s got out of it personally.

Moths don’t just eat clothes is a podcast aimed at promoting the awareness and the image of Moths in Scotland. There are over 1300 species of moth present in Scotland compared to around 58 species of butterfly so why should butterflies have all the good press? Moths play a very important role in biodiversity, many are very pretty and they have the most fantastic names such as Beautiful Brocade and Elephant Hawk Moth. This discussion on moths helps to explain the role that moths have in enriching our biodiverse world while supporting many other species as well as being important and often forgotten pollinators. Listen to Dr Tom Prescott of Butterfly Conservation Scotland discuss why moths are important with Helen Bibby Conservation Consultant for SAC Consulting

In the first of our series of podcasts with Forward Thinking Farmers, Mary-Jane Lawrie spoke to Bill and Helen Smith of The Byres Farm, Fochabers. Bill and Helen talk about how they gained a new tenancy, their arable cropping enterprise, and their diversification. The interview was recorded during the middle of the Covid 19 lockdown, so they also talk about how it has impacted their business and their plans for the future.

Listen to our latest podcast interview with Andrew Jardine, who along with his family gained a tenancy at New Farm, Moffat in August 2019. Andrew speaks about their journey, including the application and interview process, their first 10 months in business and their plans for the future.

On this Farm Advisory Podcast, we speak to Sandy Murray a crofter from Strathhalladale, Sutherland who has with his family diversified the crofting business. As Sandy grew up he struggled with reading and writing, though excelled in practical projects. It was not until he was older that it was suggested that he was dyslexic, and it became clearer to him though he has not been formally diagnosed. Dyslexia has not stopped Sandy, especially with his ideas and gives him the drive to make them happen, and in his work with various organisations. As a member of the NUFS he has been an ardent supporter of the Union’s ‘Farming with Dyslexia’ campaign, addressing a Scottish Parliamentary reception on the subject in 2016. Sandy has not let Dyslexia hold him back and feels that you can have more ability in other areas. Play to your strengths and do not worry if forms are difficult, there are people and dyslexia friendly forms there for you. www.dyslexiascotland.org.uk https://www.nfus.org.uk/policy/campaigns/farming-with-dyslexia.aspx

Our latest podcast interview is with Ian Davidson OBE from the Scottish Land Matching Service. Ian explains the role of the service for both those seeking and offering opportunities as well as tips to make joint venture opportunities work, including trust, communication and relationships.

In this podcast, Agricultural Consultant Malcolm MacDonald chats to Alastair Wilson who farms at Upper Wheedlemont Farm near Rhynie, and Senior Consultant with SAC Consulting, Ewan Johnstone. Alistair talks about his farming system and his experiences of rotational grazing. Ewan outlines the key principals of grass management and some of the advantages of rotational grazing.

Listen to our latest podcast interview with Michelle Stephen, A new entrant farmer at Meikle Tillyeve, Ellon. Michelle speaks about how she got started with the farm, taking it from a mainly arable unit into a sheep farm with almost 500 breeding ewes in only 3 years, educating the public and organising sheep dog training events. You can subscribe to her Instagram @Insta_glamb

Listen to our latest podcast interview with new crofter, Catherine Mitchell, owner of Breacan-Beithe Croft. In this podcast, Catherine recalls how she got started in crofting and the help she received from her Farm Advisory Service supported mentor, Liz – including developing a business plan, help with growing, and practical advice on selling and pricing.

Just before the UK ‘lockdown’ SAC Consultant Chloe McCulloch spoke to Neil Wilson, formerly Head of Agriculture at HSBC and now an independent consultant and director of the Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers in Scotland. The discussion was scheduled to be about Brexit and its impact on farmers, however by the time the podcast was due to be recorded a new challenge was becoming clear – covid 19.

In this podcast, Malcolm MacDonald speaks to Food and Drink consultant Kerry Allison about marketing and the wider food and drink industry. Kerry outlines the scale of the Scottish food and drink industry and how important it is to the rural economy. Kerry then provides some top tips on marketing and building a brand for rural businesses, and new trends in consumer behaviour they should be aware of.

Mark Tripney, ISoils Ltd, returned as a guest speaker at the second meeting of the Inverness Soil & Nutrient Network. The topic for the meeting was 'Understanding Nutrient Interactions' and those who attended heard how nutrient balance is crucial for the economics of crop production but also ensuring the soil is not being depleted. After the event, we took some time with Mark to capture the topics which were discussed in most detail during the meeting and hear more about the importance of understanding the mineral interactions in soils. For more information about soil management, and the Soil & Nutrient Network, please visit https://www.fas.scot/crops-soils/soils/

Employing People in agriculture is becoming an increasingly complex situation. Many farms employ people on a self-employed basis to provide valuable extra resources at busy times – for example relief milking and tractor driving. In this podcast, Agricultural Consultant Mhairi Dalgleish looks at the actions you as an employer should be taking to ensure you stay the right side of HMRC when employing people.

We spoke to Becci Barr, a farmer in Midlothian about her experiences as a new entrant farmer, what she learned from her time on the Rural Leadership Programme and a spell of illness, and how she now focusses on what makes her happy and resilient.

Forestry consultant Stephen Adlard chats to Dr Fritha Langford, a researcher from SRUC. They discuss the wider benefits of integrating trees and agriculture, and Fritha explains how silvopastoral systems have the potential to allow Scottish farmers to produce sheep and beef to some of the highest possible welfare standards. Later in the podcast, we hear from Prof. Davy McCracken, Head of Hill & Mountain Research Centre at Kirkton & Auchtertyre. Davy chats to Environment consultant, Seamus Murphy, about a recent plantation of 100 trees on inbye ground and the benefits these will help bring. Our webpage has more information about Farm Woodlands at www.fas.scot/crops-soils/farm-woodlands/

The Farm Advisory Service has run a number of meetings on Personal Resilience with Kim Walker over the last few months, and we spoke to her about what it means to be resilient, and some of the topics we have been covering in our resilience campaign.

In this podcast, Eileen Wall, Head of Research at SRUC, provides an overview of the genomics work she is involved in – looking at genetics data and tissue samples recorded by farmers on the Beef Efficiency Scheme (BES). Through the genomics project, Eileen and her team hope to develop genetic and genomic evaluations that could be beneficial for farmers looking to develop specific traits within their livestock, to improve production and/or profitability.

In our latest podcast on alternative bedding, Beef Consultant Sarah Balfour discusses the merits of various alternative bedding products. In this episode she visits Keenan Recycling in Aberdeenshire to discuss the use of green compost. Our previous episode looking at woodfines as an alternative bedding can be found here.

In this episode of the podcast, Agricultural Consultant Malcolm MacDonald chats to Roger Polson who farms at Knock Farm near Huntly, and Dairy and Nutrition Consultant Lorna MacPherson. Roger outlines the farming system at Knock and Lorna discusses the different issues to be aware of when rationing cows over the winter and in the run-up to calving.