Toplines and Tales

I may have been quiet on the podcast front for a while as I have been very busy writing. We can now announce that we have just competed a 2 and half year project writing the History of Aberdeen-Angus in the US, UK and worldwide. In this episode, Dr Bob Hough and I discuss what you can expect in this coffee-table styled book, as well as how it came together and the challenges this 540 page tome presented. You can find more about it at www.angushistorybook.com

Welcome to our fourth Toplines and Tales Podquiz. 4 more rounds this week, which include sports people in livestock, a new special livestock Music round, plus a final round on the history of livestock. So go on, pitch in with your livestock knowledge, just for fun. Answers at the end. #quiz #quizzing #sheepquiz #cattlequiz

Another great guest in this series about characters in the livestock scene, again a man who needs no introduction, top stockman Jim McMillan. Having just had his 90th birthday, Jim tells of his start with showing fatstock and his great successes at Smithfield, as well as his days with Seawell charolais and the unrivaled show cow, Kilkenny Celia. We also hear about his highly successful stint at Moston Muir with Angus and Galloways. Photo courtesy TSF

Welcome to our second Toplines and Tales Podquiz. Only 4 rounds this week and a much more international flavour to suit some of our listeners around the world So go on, pitch in with your livestock knowledge, just for fun. Answers at the end. #quiz #quizzing #sheepquiz #cattlequiz

Embark on an enlightening journey through the diverse world of livestock with the "Top Lines and Tales Livestock Quiz". This intriguing trivia session will challenge your knowledge on a variety of subjects related to sheep, cattle breeds, sale locations, diseases, and much more! Decode the language of sheep, identify the origins of different breeds, and feed your curiosity with astounding facts about the sheer number of sheep in Australia and unravel the mysteries behind the infamous foot rot disease. Dive into the broad diversity of livestock across geographical boundaries and crack industry-specific acronyms as you enjoy these enthralling episodes. Extend your understanding with questions about cattle breeds, their origins, and their characteristics. Take a closer look at breeds such as the stabiliser, the Dexter, and many more. Conclude this farmyard voyage by shedding light on the myostatin gene and the origins of the Pinsgauer cattle. With this quiz, you won't just be testing your knowledge, but immersing yourself into an educational and intriguing exploration of the heart of the livestock world. Prepare for the ultimate challenge and brace yourself for a bountiful discovery. Tune in to "Toplines and Tales Livestock Quiz" now! This was written by a robot!

John Cameron CBE is a man that needs no introduction. From being Scotland’s largest sheep farmer, running 800 suckler cows, a beef cattle contract with Waitrose and a herd of pedigree Hereford cattle, we chat live at his farm in Fife about his incredible career in agriculture. We also have a fun a great chat about his other passion, trains, hearing some superb stories from the great man in this unmissable episode!

Neil Wattie from Aberdeenshire runs one of the top herds of Aberdeen-Angus in Britain. Talking us through the beginnings and the initial families in his Tonley herd, it is not hard to see why he and his son Mark are now consistently at the forefront of the breed in UK. We also hear about his ‘day job’ as head of a large agricultural machinery dealership and a few ventures into other breeds but is his passion for the Angus characteristics that definitely shine through in this informative chat.

Try your luck on the Toplines and Tales Livestock Quiz, hosted by Andy Frazier. Our very first quiz this week has 5 rounds, although one of those is visual. This quiz is mainly UK and Ireland based questions although future quizzes will include questions from the rest of the world. Round 3, Logos round can be found here https://andyfrazier.wixsite.com/ttquiz

Welcome to an engaging episode of 'Toplines and Tails' featuring Sally Crowe, a renowned and inspiring crofter from Caithness renowned for her efforts in wool wrapping and diversification in agriculture. Sally, a single mother inheriting a 25-acre croft, is a shining example of women empowerment in the field of agriculture. Follow along with her intriguing journey which spans from her cattle and sheep rearing, to remote working, global travels, wool handling show participation, and striving in the face of debilitating illness. With resilience unmatched, Sally, even after falling victim to Q fever, continued with the extensive farming tasks, working uphill towards recovery. In this episode, you learn how adversity fostered creativity and brought about sustainable farming practices. Delve into the insights of an energetic, single parent balancing work and family while also care-taking elderly parents. Gain a unique perspective on managing responsibilities while maintaining optimism. Learn about the intriguing parts of farm life, including rotational grazing, legislating regenerative agriculture, and being part of a fascinating Irish cow breed society. Based far north of Inverness, Sally successfully navigates these daily chores with a sense of humour and determination. Turn up the volume as we explore Sally's progressive journey, who emerged successful despite odds. Starting from a humble, small-scale farmer, she is now leveraging social media to broaden her farming business while establishing direct consumer connections. This episode also delves into the intricate relationship between environment-friendly farming practices, carbon audits, and sustainability. Dive into discussions as Sally discusses her success using social platforms extending from Facebook to TikTok. Disproving misconceptions about digital technology among farming communities, Sally's use of social platforms is indeed a journey not to be missed. In the last part of the episode, Sally shares her insights on the quintessence of farming, discussing financial aspects, environmental issues, crucial farm data and emergency planning from her wealth of experience. Revealing how emergency planners strengthen families and the farming community, she also touches upon challenges and learnings from her journey. Tune into this riveting dialogue to get an exceptional perspective into farming and the potential for innovative and worthwhile business opportunities within the industry, offered by the inspiring Sally Crowe. BTW, an AI machine wrote this text! Pretty good eh?

Often referred to as the Welsh Wizard, Esmor Evans needs no introduction, being one of the nations leading cattle breeders for a number of decades. As well as the successes of his top herd of Maerdy Charolais cattle, we chat about his other herds/flocks along with his business as a full-time vet in this highly interesting episode.

A great chat with communicator and social influencer Wallace Currie from Dumfries, originally from Arran. This young man is such a great orator it’s no wonder he has been assigned the lead of communications for Scotland Young Farmers, a lecturer in farm diversification, and a current Nuffield scholar as well as running a successful podcast.

This episode gets fascinating chat with angus breeder John Henning from Northern Ireland. As well as running the top Drumcorn herd with his wife, former banker John has a busy life throughout the agricultural industry with directorships and trustee roles in some highly prestigious organizations and has been awarded an OBE for his services to agriculture.

The second half of our trip to Argentina took us to Mendoza in the west where we stayed in a vineyard and visited a few more. I hope this has captured some of the culture of the vines, wines and country, as well as a chat with some of our tour guests, and even a sing-song.

A chance of a lifetime to accompany a trip of great folks to Argentina to look at some cows. The first of two special episodes, where I did my best to explain the trip as well as capturing snippets of conversations with some of the many huge farms that we visited.

Still at our Christmas Party, which just kept getting better. This time someone posed the question of the best beast that maybe should have won Smithfield but didn’t which set the minds of my highly knowable guests to work. As the drink flowed, Stuart Hunter recalled his last Smithfield kist party drinking out of a Pringles tube, Donald discussed the excessive size of modern show winners with some solid opinions added from some wise men, before eventually persuading Ian Anderson to sing us a ditty! This is an absolutely priceless listen!

In part 2 of our Christmas party, we reminisce about some of the nights ‘downtown’ in London before my fellow cattle steward, Julian, and I have more serious chat about the challenges of running the show. Then follows some stories about the frequent visits of the Royal family, and a few rather hilarious tales around that.

This week we hosted an online Christmas kist party for our listeners to celebrate 19 years since we were all last at Royal Smithfield Show together. Taking about legends in the fatstock world, to legends in the fatstock world, we start with a roll of honour for all those champion winners over 50+ years which morphs into more general chitchat and tales from the event with over 40 distinguished guests. As the party went on until 2am, this is the first hour, with more shenanigans and craic to follow as the drink flowed!

A familiar character about the show scene, Kenny Sutherland and his family run one of the largest livestock operations in the North of Scotland, with 2000 ewes and 400 suckler cows. A past champion winner at Smithfield and an involvement in the Highland show, Kenny discusses their more recent success with the Longhorn breed as a base for their cows, as well as Cheviots, Texels and Suffolk sires in the sheep. They have also diversified into tourism at Sibmister Mains in Caithness.

Started by Lord Nuffield in 1947, the Nuffield Farming Scholarship has been paramount to the success of many candidates who have applied and reaped the rewards. Now with over 1000 scholars being awarded I speak to Nuffield's Charlotte Mersen about the fascinating history of the Lord, the Award, and its current operations in UK and around the world.

Marteye has been an incredible success story since the start of Covid lockdown, a system now used by over 100 livestock markets across Ireland and UK to stream online sales and facilitate bidding. I speak with one of its founders, Jamie Nolan, about their journey and what the company now offers 2.5 million farmers who now tune into to sales, bringing local and national marts into their own homes.

Highly interesting chat with Frenchman Olivier Rambert, the manager of Interlim, the commercial arm of the Limousin cattle society in France, based at the Pole du Lanaud station. Holding 4 bull sales per year they market upwards of 500 bulls selected from the best in the country. With many going for export, the bulls have undergone strict tests, not just for weight and muscle but also genomics and temperament. We also hear the differences in beef consummation between France and its neighbouring countries, particularly around eating older animals

Robert Groom is rather unusual guest, being an Englishman in New York! Having dispersed his Angus herd in Scotland he has been breeding top Angus in USA for 25 years and is a regular exhibitor on the American show circuit. A great ambassador for the breed, he also reveals that he is behind the set-up of a nucleus herd of American type Angus back in Scotland.

A quite unusual special short episode live from the Young Handlers section of the Stars of the Future calf show at Stirling. This episode is backed up with photos and short video on our Toplines and Tales Facebook page.

Welshman Arwel Owen is not only a top Charolais cattle breeder and judge, but also a man who sees, assesses and buys a lot of bulls through his day job as Beef Supply Chain Manager for Genus, one of the world’s leading semen supply companies. This week we get a fascinating insight into the changing state of the industry both at home and worldwide as beef-from-dairy makes rapid inroads, while Arwel furnishes us with some excellent words of wisdom gained by 40 years in the business.

A man who has been on the UK cattle showing scene for a long while, large as life Jason Wareham chats about the family farm shop business, his and his wife Sarah's successful journey with Galloway cattle and their herd of British Blues. Add in some pedigree sheep, an abattoir, a haulage business, as well as a busy judging schedule and you can understand why it took me while to track Jason down to speak to me on Toplines and Tales!

It was my pleasure to sit down with The Late Jim Stobo, OBE, in his home 10 years ago and record some of his wisdom. Sadly no longer with us, Jim was one of the great men in the UK livestock business, holding a number of senior positions throughout the industry. His depth of knowledge both historical and recent on a whole range of subjects, particularly with Angus cattle, was just astounding.

One of the most successful Angus and Hereford breeders in Ireland, Mathew Goulding talks through his journey with both breeds. Mathew attributes his initial success by applying principles in female families that he learned through growing up on a dairy farm. With wise words such as ‘every cow has to be a machine in your factory’ and ‘idle cows are a drain on resources, adding to carbon footprint’, you soon get an understanding why Mathew has become one of the highest regarded cattle breeders in Europe.

From a top stockman to one of the most successful breed CEO’s, David Benson has been involved in Charolais cattle, both man and boy. We have a chat about his early years with the breed as well as his reflection on what he and the breed has achieved during his 29 years at the helm of such a great society.

Top auctioneer from North East England, Drew Patrick, speaks to me about the essential role of the livestock auction market in UK as well as the state of play with the industry, before delving into some more controversial subjects in current livestock business.

Gavin Douglas was a highly respected sheep breeder in the Scottish Borders who sadly died earlier this year. I chat to his neighbour and friend Derek Redpath about the prowess of Gavin and how his South Country Cheviot flock has been consistently at the top of the breed, as well as his depth of knowledge across the sheep industry.

Phil Stocker has been CEO for the National Sheep Association for 12 years and he gives us an insight into what the NSA provide for the UK sheep industry. We discuss animal welfare, general sheep statistics and the prospect of the live export trade re-opening for breeding animals, among a host of other interesting sheep facts including carbon responsibility and what NSA are doing to encourage youngsters into the industry.

An entertaining episode when I chat with fellow podcaster, Noel Clancy, based in southern Ireland who runs the highly successful ‘Out the Gap’ podcast. His monthly podcast speaks to folks in live rural locations and he compares the difference and tribulations with live recording versus studio. We also kick some conversation about the price of food, some ribbing about the rugby and few other interesting subjects.

Hill farmer and social influencer Gareth talks candidly through how we must work harder to try and resolve the disconnect between agriculture and the general public. Through his high-profile media presence, he also speaks about how we all need to pull together as well, as issues of mental health and protecting the environment.

Film producer Gareth Fielding divulges a fascinating look into what happens behind the scenes filming the popular series This Farming Life which airs on BBC TV shortly. From choosing the farmers, filming from the shadows and the hours of recording that need to be edited into 12 hours of viewing, this really is a fascinating insight into how mainstream media works from the programme’s producer.

This week one of UK’s leading breeders and stockmen, Ali Jackson, speaks to us about his many successes as well as an insight into some of his feeding regimes. We are also joined by Jordan Aitken, local representative from Harbro about how their feed helps customers such as Ali towards producing their stock in such top condition.

Another well known face around the cattle lines across Scotland, Bob McWalter shares some of his life and stories with Toplines and Tales from a long, fun-filled and able career in the business.

My great friend and real 'character' Jan Green has a birthday today, so it was fantastic to catch up with her to talk about the early days in the British Blues, hers and John’s leap of faith move to North Scotland and their successes ever since. Some great craic and reminisces on this one, even with John in the background!

This week a combination podcast, with my character in livestock being the well known George Harvey, and a recording live from the Royal Welsh Show in Builth Wells in this highly spontaneous if not somewhat challenging episode.

Bruce Mair of the Muiresk Suffolk and Texel flocks in Turriff needs little introduction as one of the greatest minds in the sheep world. He speaks of the early days when the flock continued to annually break records, before we discuss the more recent venture into Beltex in this fascinating interview.

This week we run a special episode which some of you may have seen at the Scottish beef event, when it was my privilege to speak to Professor John Gilliland, a man who really knows his stuff in the beef business and, more importantly, has an incredible foresight into the future of our industry and particularly Carbon measurement and Net Zero. A must listen for every beef farmer, worldwide.

One of the greatest characters in Scottish livestock, Ken Fletcher, long time editor of the Scottish Farmer magazine, shortly due to retire, talks through his times at the paper and the livestock industry in general, bringing along his usual wit and craic.

One of the most successful Angus breeders and showmen in Ireland, I speak to the well known and respected Albert De Cogan about his 60 yeas in showing cattle, and his links with the breed.

Not just any rancher, Jaclyn Wilson and her father from Nebraska have just won 2023 National Beef Quality Assurance Cow/Calf Producer of the Year out of over 700,000 beef cow operators in the United States. Running a large herd on the Nebraska Sandhills, an area she likens to ‘the Sahara Desert, only with vegetation,’ stock rate is 1 pair to 15-20 acres! As well as being on the board of the NCBA, Jaclyn has recently launched their own beef label marketing an Environmentally produced product at Flying Diamond Beef Ranch.

I speak about sheep shearing with possibly two of the funniest guys in agriculture, Dye Clark and Cammy Wilson, as we preview the Golden Shears world sheep shearing event due in Edinburgh next week. One is chief commentator and the other a competitor, both with a huge depth of knowledge of the sport.

Scotland doesn’t have many characters more ‘larger than life’ than my guest this week, Albert Howie from Aberdeenshire. Albert tells of his early days in continental sheep, his business dealings in Eastern Europe, before moving on to the Texel and Limousin flocks for which Knock is better known.

From a family background in pedigree sheep and learning his trade at 2 of the country's top Texel flocks, Jeff Aitken has spent 14 years building up the top flock at Procters Farms. Now with the added responsibility of being Chairman of the Texel sheep Society, we talk through his achievements as well as the planned celebrations for the breeds 50th birthday next year.

As a preview to the Scottish Beef Event I speak with Peter Langdale, owner of the 5000 acre Dalswinton Estate near Dumfries where it will be hosted. We discuss beef cattle, the future of the suckler cow and delve into issues such as sustainability, biodiversity and carbon responsibility. I also get a chat with Scott Henderson, chairman of the event, as to what will be on show at this bi-annual must-visit affair.

Top stockman and breeder Jimmy Wilson talks of his early days working for Gordon Blackstock which got him started in Suffolk sheep and his Bridgetown flock. Along with a few other select breeders from the Aberdeenshire area, they ruled the roost in the Suffolk sheep world for a good few decades. Jimmy went on to be a top Charolais cattle breeder also, and was chairman and president of both societies. With such depth of knowledge in the livestock world, he offers us all some invaluable advice.

I have a great chat with Yorkshire butcher, Slacky, a real character who not only offers fantastic products, but quirky over the counter advice on how to cook and prepare. A brilliant advocate of not only British products but locally sourced meat, it is the way that social media has massively increased his business that makes this a fascinating, informative and entertaining listen.

My guest this week, Mike Alford is certainly not a man who does things by halves. With 3 pedigree herds, 3 pedigree flocks, all at the top of their game, as well a successful wholesale meat business a butcher’s shop and fattening unit, he and his family certainly live life to the full. With a love of showing, he says: ‘You can’t beat livestock, it’s good for the mind!’