Scotland's Farm Advisory Service Podcast

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.

Ask any farmer about ‘the cloud’ and very often the response is that they don’t really understand it, nor do they use it. However the reality is very different – lots of information about you and your business is already on the cloud, and it’s increasing daily. In this podcast we’re talking to two people from agriculture-specialist cloud software companies – their working lives effectively exist in the cloud and they talk to us about the benefits of the cloud, and the things farmers should consider.

This is the second of a 2 part series podcast, which is brought to you from Argyll & Lochaber, in the west coast of Scotland. The focus of this series, is Biodiversity and farming. In the first episode, we heard from conservation consultant Helen Bibby, who explained, not only the principles of Biodiversity, but also highlighted the role that conventional farming can play in enhancing biodiversity and the habitats in which it exists. She also provided some advice and useful tips on how farmers can understand more about the habitats which might be in place on their own farms, which they might already be managing but not realise. In this episode, as a follow up to episode 1, we’ve been out on the ground, talking to some Lochaber farmers, to learn more about, the real work which is being carried out to manage and enhance biodiversity, but also to learn about some of the challenges faced, when managing for biodiversity. We are joined by local farmers, Paolo Berardelli and James Coalston. Both farm in extreme conditions, with a mixture of hill ground and grazed woodland. We also explore the importance of support payments in ensuring that this type of management continues. You can listen to the first episode in this Farming & Biodiversity podcast series here. We have more information about biodiversity on our webpage.

This is the first of a 2 part series podcast, which is brought to you from Argyll & Lochaber, in the west coast of Scotland. The focus of this series is 'Biodiversity and Farming'. There is no doubt that Agriculture has attracted a lot of attention recently, particularly centred on greenhouse gas emissions and new ideas that conventional food production will eventually be replaced by laboratories. What is often forgotten about, is the role that agriculture plays in maintaining landscapes and a high level of biodiversity. This output is often under emphasised by both farmers and consumers. During this episode, we will be investigating • What is biodiversity, what do we mean when we talk about it? • Why is Biodiversity important? • What types of biodiversity exist on farms in Argyll & the west coast? • What about farming & woodlands? What are the merits in terms of biodiversity? • Why is it important, to understand the types of habitats which are present on our farms? And how can farmers go about assessing the value of their own farms from a biodiversity perspective? To find our more about biodiversity and farming, visit our webpage at https://www.fas.scot/environment/biodiversity/

Mark Tripney from iSoils and Gavin Elrick from SAC Consulting were the guest speakers during the first meeting of the Inverness Soil & Nutrient Network. In this podcast we hear their key recommendations about how farmers can go back to basics with soil management to improve productivity and increase their sustainability. Find out more about the Soil & Nutrient Network and our host farms on our website at https://www.fas.scot/soil-nutrient-network-host-farms/

In this podcast, the first of four from our North East Organic Discussion Group, Malcolm MacDonald chats to Murray Cooper who farms at Mains of Thornton, and SRUC Research Agronomist Dr Robin Walker. Robin discusses some of the research he has done on intercropping and crop mixtures and how they can be used in organic systems. Murray outlines his farming system and also discusses the practicalities and challenges of using inter-cropping and crop mixtures on a commercial scale.

Maintaining a balanced life is becoming increasingly more important for your personal health and well-being in a fast-paced, modern world. Ross Mackenzie of SAC consulting speaks to partners Ian MacLean and Robbie Pancic who made the bold step to move from their hectic working life in the City, to a balanced lifestyle on their croft on the Isle of Skye. He also chatted to Sandra Mackenzie from Drumnadrochit who changed her working life to suit running her small farm, and building for the future.

As part of our work on Women in Agriculture, we went to meet Primrose Beaton of Lawrie & Symington at Lanark Auction Mart. Primrose is head of cattle sales and Lawrie & Symington, and gave us a colourful and entertaining insight into her work and life in farming. Mary-Jane Lawrie of SAC Consulting chatted to Primrose about her early career, educating the public about where their meat comes from and choosing local produce, with some interesting anecdotes thrown in along the way.

In our latest podcasts, join Beef Consultant Sarah Balfour as she discusses the merits of various alternative bedding products. The main focus of this podcast is Woodfines.

In this episode of the podcast we talk to Alex Pirie, an Agricultural Consultant about people he spoke to at AgriScot 2019 covering the state of farming and how attendees thought Brexit would affect the future of their businesses.

We've been running events looking at digital security for your agricultural business. After one of the events, Seamus Murphy sat down with Chloe McCulloch and Alex Pirie who were running the event to go over topics covered and how you can take simple steps to protect your business online

Many producers know and understand where their output goes downstream in the supply chain but what about upstream and the suppliers there? In this episode, Chloe McCulloch speaks to Matthew Everett of Origin Fertilisers about where our fertiliser comes from and how Brexit will affect supply.

In order to make the most of the 30 minutes of free advice offered by Scotland's Farm Advisory Service, this podcast has been created to help give a better understanding of woodland creation and management. We've recorded the answers to ten of the most frequently asked questions that are put to Forestry Consultants and Scottish Forestry. This podcast aims to better inform anyone who may be interested in investing in woodlands about the benefits, and pitfalls surrounding woodland creation and management. If you would like any further advice, visit https://www.fas.scot/crops-soils/farm-woodlands/ or call the FAS Advice Line on 0300 323 0161.

In this episode, Agricultural Consultant Malcolm MacDonald chats to Harry Henderson, AHDB's Knowledge Transfer Manager, and later with Gavin Elrick, SAC Consulting's soils, drainage and nutrient management expert. Ahead of the Changing Practices for a Changing Climate FAS Event held near Inverness, Harry and Malcolm discussed how arable farmers can adapt to cope with the changes that we are experiencing in our weather patterns. Options include moving towards min-till and no-till systems and changing the cropping seasons from autumn to spring-sown crops where possible to avoid tillage during the wetter autumn seasons. Harry has travelled to Finland and was able to share some of the management practices that he's observed from there. Gavin explains how the use of cover crops can not only help prevent soil erosion, incorporate organic matter into the soil, but with the correct seed mix, can help reduce the impacts of soil compaction while providing a break in the cropping rotation. Cover crops have been trialled by Gavin on his home farm where he incorporates various mixes as part of his arable rotation. We hear his experiences of various seed mixes, what works best, and what can cause problems. There is more information about soil management and cover crops on our webpage: https://www.fas.scot/crops-soils/soils/

Kirkton Farm near Thainstone is one of the Soil & Nutrient Network host farms for 2019-2020. In this podcast, we hear from our host farmer, Scott Campbell, who is the 2019 Farmer’s Weekly Arable Farmer of the Year. Scott gives us an introduction to the farm and how he manages it. We also hear from Gavin Elrick, soil and drainage expert, and David Ross, agricultural consultant and soil specialist both from SAC Consulting. Gavin and David were guest speakers during the first event at Kirkton Farm and discuss some of the topics that they covered during their presentation sessions. Gavin gives us an insight into soil structure and compaction and some of the reasons for the differences that were seen between the fields managed in a min-till system versus the fields conventionally managed. David highlights the importance of soil analysis and the benefits of using GPS sampling. Scott explains how moving to GPS sampling saved him approximately £58/ha when applying lime to manage soil pH. For more information about Kirkton Farm, or any of the other Soil & Nutrient Farms across Scotland, visit www.fas.scot/soil-nutrient-network-host-farms

Arable Scotland was a brand-new event for Scotland where the industry could view, share and explore the new innovations that will drive the markets and the future sustainability of Scottish arable production. With winter setting in, we're looking back at the day to see what could be learned as you start to make choices for the year ahead. This podcast was hosted by Zach Reilly of SAC Consulting in Forfar and he took us on a tour of the four stations and spoke to each presenter

2017 Tweed Forum River Champion, Jim Sinclair farms approximately 800 ha near Galashiels. The farm is prone to flooding which impacts further downstream to the local town of Galashiels. Working alongside Hugh Chalmers from the Tweed Forum, Jim has invested on his farm to improve the river management on the water that runs through is farm to reduce the impact of flooding on the farm with measures such as retention ponds and planting 50 ha of woodland. In this podcast, we hear directly from Jim about what he's done and the benefits he's seen. Agricultural consultant Chris McDonald and Hugh Chalmers from the Tweed Forum join Jim to discuss natural flood management options and the wider benefits that they can bring. Photo credit of works completed at Crookston Farm to Keith Robeson

As part of our work for Women in Agriculture, we visited Lynbreck Croft near Grantown-on-Spey to interview Lynn Cassells. Lynn farms with her partner Sandra Baer, and together they have created a successful crofting business focussed on working with nature and providing sustainable food for their local community. Mary-Jane Lawrie, of SAC Consulting, chatted to Lynn about being a new entrant, tree hay, rotational grazing, their “ladies who lay” and their time on This Farming Life.

How can growing trees benefit the rest of the farm? What grant funding is available to help you plant a new woodland? How can you access woodland creation grants? Virginia Harden-Scott, Woodland Creation Officer at Scottish Forestry spoke to SAC Consulting's forester Leona Baillie about how the Forestry Grant Scheme (FGS) works. They discussed what the funding can pay for and how to find out what kind of woodlands could work for your land and benefit your farm business. Further information Scottish Forestry – more information on woodland creation. Rural Payments and Services – details of specific grant options, payment rates, application scoring criteria. Scotland's Farm Advisory Service webpage has many more resources about farm woodlands.

‘The Principles of Soil & Metal Interactions’ was the theme for a soil & tillage event on the Mertoun Estate, near St Boswells. After the meeting finished, event organiser Donald Dunbar, sat down with speaker Philip Wright, from Wright Resolutions, to talk all things soils and tillage and to recap where the meeting had taken attendees. Philip is a chartered engineer and has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the understanding of soil structure and the impacts of cultivation methods. He has been involved with many equipment manufacturers in the development and design of reduced tillage cultivators and drills. During the podcast, we talked about drainage and if you want to know more, read one of our latest technical notes on the subject here: Technical Note (TN720): Assessment for Land Drainage Technical Note (TN721): Soil Biodiversity and Soil Health Technical Note (TN718): Phosphate and potash recommendations for crops grown in Fife, Lothian and Scottish Borders Visual Evaluation of Soil Structure - VESS

As part of our work on Women in Agriculture, we visited Baddinsgill Farm in West Linton in the Scottish Borders to interview three of the women who run this fantastic upland sheep farm. Elaine Marshall, her daughter-in-law Anna Marshall, and shepherdess Josephine Holbrook chatted to Mary-Jane Lawrie, of SAC Consulting, about sheep, meat boxes, childcare, and everything in between! These three women are very passionate about their business and their farm community and are inspiring to listen to. Find out more about our Women in Agriculture activities at https://www.fas.scot/discussion-groups/women-in-agriculture/

Earlier in the year we held a series of Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZ) awareness events. In this podcast we join Agricultural Consultants Mary-Jane Lawrie and Craig Bothwell who work within the Lothians areas. They facilitated the NVZ event in Haddington and reflect on the rules and regulations that need to be adhered to to ensure compliance. For more information and links to some of the documents discussed within this podcast visit our Soils webpage at https://www.fas.scot/crops-soils/soils/

In this podcast, Ross Mackenzie talks to Ian Tolmie, Managing Director of Dingwall and Highland Marts who gives valuable advice for those new to livestock marts, and what they should do to get confidence and experience. That is followed up by local crofter John Mackinnon who thinks back to his first experience, and how much he still gets excited even today. Local visit to Glendale Market where local stall holders and customers discuss their thoughts of local farmers markets. Also Calum Johnson of SAC Food and Drinks team discusses the popularity of local markets.

In this podcast we hear from Dr Simon Turner of SRUC Dr Turner did a roadshow on cattle handling systems on Common Grazings in Lewis, Uist and Skye. Listen to Janette Sutherland interview him about his experiences and give top tips. Dr Turner mentions a paper on cow hair whorls and temperament here is more information We measured temperament on 76 steers and heifers using restlessness in the crush and flight speed from the crush and we recorded hair whorl position in terms of high, middle, low and absent with respect to their location between the crown and nostrils. Olmos, G. and Turner, S. (2008). The relationships between temperament during routine handling tasks, weight gain and facial hair whorl position in frequently handled beef cattle. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 115(1-2), pp.25-36.. Those with high whorl positions (closer to the crown) were more restless in the crush than other cattle. No difference in flight speed was seen between cattle with different whorl positions and they also didn’t differ in weight gain. Several other studies have looked into this issue and also found that a higher whorl position is associated with greater flightiness. Hair patterning can be influenced by cranial development, but, apart from this, we do not know the biological reasons underlying why there might be this link between temperament and whorl position.

Farmers should look carefully at their farm to find small areas where they can engage with agri-environment management to provide a greater benefit to the wildlife and fauna in their area is the message from Professor Davy McCracken, Head of Hill & Mountain Research Centre as he chats with Upland Ecologist, Dr John Holland, at SRUC’s Kirkton and Auchtertyre research farms. The farm has engaged with SGRPID agri-environmental schemes, and the resulting increases in biodiversity prompted a slight shift in focus for the farming businesses. Previous scheme managements have brought changes in water margin management, the planting of and mountain forest area for use as silvo-pasture and more recently the farm has engaged with moorland management and wader scrapes in order to benefit a range of farmland birds within the area. Species such as golden plover, Black grouse, Barn owls, otters, highland voles and even beavers are making returns to the area as a result of the changes in management. Previous production on the farm had seen higher outputs, but at the expense of considerably higher inputs which was unsustainable in the longer term and had gradually reduced the diverse wildlife within the farmed area. Moving forwards, incorporating more agri-environment management strategies has produced a healthier habitat for wildlife and is working towards helping the farm become more resilient to extreme weather conditions.

The Aberdeenshire Soil & Nutrient Network farm for 2018-19 is Kincraigie Farm at Lumphanan, which is farmed by the Marshall Family. The business is run by father and son partnership, Robert and Robert Jnr. Kincragie is a mixed arable and grassland unit focusing on a herd of 550 suckler cows. All progeny from the suckler herd is kept and finished on the farm. All the farmyard manure (FYM) and slurry from the cattle is spread back on to the land to increase soil organic matter and reduce the use of inorganic bagged fertilisers. In this podcast we chat with Robert Marshall from Kincraigie and Stacey Hamilton from SAC Consulting.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) – and more particularly, antibiotic resistance – is one of the greatest threats to human health globally. Food producing animals account for 37% of antibiotic use in the UK so farmers have a big role to play in reducing their use. In this podcast, we talk to vet Heather Stevenson of SAC Consulting Veterinary Services about this and what steps can be taken to cut the use of antibiotics. Links Colostrum is Gold | Farm Antibiotics

In this podcast, we hear from Agricultural Consultant Seamus Donnelly. Seamus chats with Seamus Murphy about what exactly is involved in the planning and construction of slurry lagoons. The Scottish Government's SRDP Agri-Environment Climate Scheme programme offers funding to farmers who need to improve or increase their slurry storage. Funding is limited to targeted areas, but further information is available from there Rural Payments website. Join us at one of our Slurry Lagoon Storage & Construction events being held in the south-west of Scotland between 21 February and 5 March to hear more about the rules and regulations required when considering installing a slurry lagoon. Full event details available at www.fas.scot/news/slurry-lagoons/

With lambing approaching, we spoke to Vet Heather Stevenson, who is based in Dumfries with SAC Consulting Veterinary Services. Here she talks about the importance of thinking about strategy when it comes to worming and how you can use certain tactics to reduce your use of wormers. This can not only help to reduce the chance of the worms developing resistance but also will save you money in the long term. If you're looking for more information on worm control, then visit www.scops.org.uk/

Agricultural Consultant, Chris McDonald, and Tweed Forum's Collaborative Action Co-ordinator, Hugh Chalmers discuss Natural Flood Management with particular reference to the Eddleston Water Catchment. Hear more about a range of management options that farmers can undertake which can benefit the farm business whilst also reducing the flooding risk for areas further downstream. Hugh puts the actions into context by referring back to work done within the Eddleston catchment and how they have helped with flooding problems in Peebles.

The popularity of fodder beet is growing across Scotland for those wintering ewes in a cost-effective manner while also meeting their nutritional needs. In this podcast, Sheep and Beef specialist, Kirsten Williams and Sheep specialist, Poppy Frater, both of SAC Consulting, talk to John Scott of Fearn Farm about his experience using fodder beet.