Farmers in Morayshire are invited to attend the final meeting of the Morayshire monitor farm programme on February 11, at Fochabers Public Institute.
At the meeting, monitor farmer Iain Green, from Corksie Farm, will talk about what he has learned over the three-year programme and share what he plans to do in the future.
The session will take place from noon to 4pm and is open to everyone with an interest in farming and rural businesses. It will report on what has been achieved through the implementation of key initiatives, including benchmarking and on-farm trials.
Chris Leslie, Knowledge Exchange Manager (Arable) for AHDB in Scotland, said: “During the three-year project the arable side of the farm has expanded considerably with more land taken on a contract farming basis to increase the area farmed. This has helped lower the costs of production and using AHDB’s online benchmarking tool, Farmbench, Iain has been able to identify the strengths and weaknesses that lie within his farm business.”
Funded by Scottish Government and managed as a joint initiative by QMS and AHDB Cereals and Oilseeds, the aim of the monitor farm programme is to help improve the productivity, profitability and sustainability of Scottish farm businesses.
Iain Green said: “Being a monitor farmer has been a valuable process with tangible benefits across both livestock and arable enterprises on the farm. My farm business is more efficient and cost-effective as a result of many of the ideas that have been suggested at the group meetings and I am confident that the farm, and most importantly, the soils will be in better condition and better placed for whatever the future holds.
“Our management group has been very focussed on improving soil health, which is our biggest asset. The tyre pressure trial we conducted in 2017 was definitely one of the most useful projects we did in the three years of the programme as we analysed tyre pressure and the effect it has on soil compaction. As a result, the Corskie team now alters the tyre pressures in many of our tractors, particularly when completing arable work in wetter ground conditions.”
Facilitator Laura Henderson, from SAC Consulting, said: “The final meeting will be a great opportunity to reflect on the impact of the project and share key learnings. We will be looking at the results from our lamb feeding trial followed by an update on the Ritchie beef monitor system, a soil health review, review and reflections on the programme from Iain Green and the management group. Finally, there will be an opportunity to visit the bulls at Corksie that will be sold at the Stirling Bull Sales. Speakers include Ross Robertson, from Ritchies, Stewart Rothnie from Agrovista and Kate Rowell, Chair of Quality Meat Scotland.”
The Monitor Farm meeting will take place on Tuesday 11 February from noon to 4pm at the Fochabers Public Institute, 15 High Street, Fochabers, IV32 7EP
It is free of charge, but please book a place by contacting Laura Henderson 07788 568 691 or 01343 548787 or email laura.henderson@sac.co.uk
The Morayshire monitor farm is one of nine monitor farms that have been established around Scotland in a joint initiative by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds. It is 100 per cent funded by Scottish Government through the Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund.
For more information about the monitor farm programme, visit www.monitorfarms.co.uk.
Farmers in Lochaber are invited to attend the final monitor farm meeting at Strone Farm on 20th February to hear first-hand about the changes that have resulted in an increase in profitability and efficiency on the 1200-hectare livestock farm.
Run by Chris Cameron in partnership with his father Malcolm, the family run 520 North Country Cheviot Ewes and a herd of 50 breeding Limousin cows at their farm near the Great Glen, one of Scotland’s highest rainfall areas.
Chris and Malcolm signed up as a monitor farm in 2016 and throughout the three years, they have made a wide range of improvements to their farming business including changing their grassland management, how they finish their lambs, and their approach to reseeding.
Chris Cameron said: “Our main aim at Strone has always been to maximise value of stock leaving the farm, and the best way to do this was to grow more grass. During the project we continued to move our ewes and lambs to summer in Inverness and took on a new tenancy locally, which lead to more summer grazing”
“This has resulted in year on year improvements, with lamb weaning percentage peaking at over 100% in 2019 for the first time. The extra grass has allowed us to increase the size of our pedigree Limousin herd by 20%”.
“The Monitor Farm project has allowed me to learn new techniques, find new grass seed mixes and discover different technologies to help drive the business forward” he added.
Attendees at the final meeting will also have the chance to hear from Jamie Blackett author of “Red Rag to a Bull: Rural Life in an Urban Age” who will discuss setting a vision for the future.
Niall Campbell, Lochaber Monitor Farm Facilitator from SAC Consulting, said: “The Monitor Farm programme has brought the local farming community together and provided access to experts and knowledge that will prove useful in driving their farming businesses forward.
“I would encourage everyone with an interest in improving their farm business to attend the final meeting which will cover the highlights and lessons learned throughout the three-year project.”
The Lochaber Monitor Farm is one of nine monitor farms that have been established around Scotland in a joint initiative by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds. The aim of the programme, which is funded by Scottish Government, is to help improve the productivity, profitability and sustainability of Scottish farm businesses.
The meeting on Thursday 20 February will be held at Strone Farm near Banavie, Fort William PH33 7PB and will begin at 12.00 noon. Lunch will be provided. The meeting is expected to finish by 4.30pm. All are welcome and the event is free.
For further information and to book your place (and lunch) please contact SAC Consulting on 01631 563093 or frbsoban@sac.co.uk
The many changes made by the Marchant family over the three-year Monitor Farm programme at Clonhie will be the focus of the final Nithsdale Monitor Farm meeting on Thursday 27th February.
Farmers in the area are encouraged to attend the meeting later this month, where monitor farmers Andrew and Aileen Marchant will look back at the impact the project has had on their farm and the lessons that they have learned.
Since opening the gates to Clonhie for the first monitor farm meeting back in January 2017, the Marchant family have made improvements throughout the business, particularly in regard to soil management, animal health and forage utilsation.
Clonhie is a 300 hectare beef and sheep farm based in the south west of Scotland. They have a herd of 30 Luing cows, an expanding herd of red deer and over 1000 breeding ewes.
The couple have been incredibly enthusiastic hosts and have welcomed large numbers of farmers and expert speakers onto their farm to share their ideas and follow the farm trials over three extremely busy years.
Andrew Marchant commented: “Being part of the Monitor Farm project has been a fantastic opportunity which has provided us with the confidence to make changes to our business based on facts and figures.
“At the start of the project our whole farm review revealed our fixed costs were high and there was significant scope for us to increase our output per hectare to help spread these costs.
“Through the Monitor Farm project we have been able to improve our livestock production, soil and pasture management and financial performance and as a result our business is in a much better position to cope with future challenges.”
One of Nithsdale Monitor Farm project facilitators, Judith Hutchison, is keen to encourage local farmers to attend the final meeting.
“We are very much looking forward to sharing all the key changes implemented at Clonhie during this very successful Monitor Farm Project,” said Mrs Huchison.
“The most powerful learning for farmers comes from other farmers. Seeing things actually happen on farm, following the results of changes made throughout the three-year project and having the opportunity to discuss and learn from both successes and failures has been the crux of this project.”
The final Nithsdale Monitor Farm meeting will begin at 10.30am on Thursday 27th February and will be held at Durisdeer Village Hall DG3 5BQ, where the Marchants will give an overview of the highlights of the projects.
Guest speaker Justin McCarthy, Editor of Farmer’s Journal, will discuss the opportunities and challenges for livestock producers over the next five years. He will be joined by QMS Chair, Kate Rowell who will talk about her time as a monitor farmer, her experience since finishing the programme and the positive effect it has had on her farming business.
The Nithsdale monitor farm is one of nine monitor farms that have been established around Scotland in a joint initiative by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds. The aim of the programme, which is funded by Scottish Government, is to help improve the productivity, profitability and sustainability of Scottish farm businesses.
To book your place please contact facilitator Judith Hutchison on 07718 919055 or email judith.agridigm@icloud.com.
Being involved in the Monitor Farm Scotland programme has given the Mitchell family the confidence to make major changes to their farm business and help build the resilience needed to meet future challenges head on.
“As a result of approaching our business in a different way, we’re a lot more resilient and a lot more flexible,” commented Stuart Mitchell at the recent final meeting of their three-year Monitor Farm programme.
Whitriggs is one of nine Monitor Farms established in Scotland as part of a joint initiative by QMS and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds, with funding from the Scottish Government. The aim of the Monitor Farm programme is to help improve the productivity, profitability and sustainability of Scottish farm businesses.
Over the course of the three-year programme, by making better use of inputs, reducing wastage and improving output, the Mitchells have reduced the carbon emissions associated with their cattle enterprise by 30%, and at the same time, their profitability has also increased to 38% of gross output.
The family run 170 Beef Shorthorn cross and Aberdeen Angus cross suckler cows and 300 deer across 442ha just outside Denholm in the Scottish Borders.
In 2018, Stuart took over the day-to-day management of the business, working alongside parents Robert and Lesley. Having the support of fellow farmers and industry experts as part of the Monitor Farm network has been instrumental in supporting Stuart during this succession phase.
“The meetings have been helpful in challenging my thoughts and giving me confidence in my decisions,” he said.
He explained to the 50 farmers and members of the local agricultural community attending the final meeting, that the family had made three main changes to the business over the course of the programme.
Firstly, the calving block has been condensed from ten to six weeks. In the first year this involved using synchronisation and artificial insemination to get late calvers calving at the start of the following block. Since then, stock bulls have been used. This has led to an increase in calving percentage, from 85% to 94% in the three-year period.
Stuart said: “Calves are a lot more uniform throughout the year, which makes routine work a lot easier as they’re roughly the same weight.”
Secondly, rather than finishing every animal, the Mitchells now decide whether to sell stock as stores or finished animals, depending on the market, therefore maximising returns, and output from the farm. Output from the beef enterprise has risen by 25% over the course of the Monitor Farm programme.
Finally, benchmarking the technical performance of the sheep flock at the start of the programme highlighted that sheep performance in the 1000-ewe flock was below average compared to similar systems. Working with vet Andrew Robinson, they screened the flock for Maedi Visna (MV) and discovered that some of the ewes were infected.
The flock was initially split into MV positive and negative groups, but when a high proportion in the negative group tested positive, they made the hard decision to cull all the ewes from the farm. Having already started a small deer herd, the Mitchells costed out business options with the Monitor Farms facilitators, and as a result the business is now increasing the numbers in the deer herd, rather than re-stocking with sheep.
The Borders Monitor Farm facilitator, Colin MacPhail from 5AgriGroup believes the Mitchells time as monitor farmers has been “a huge success”. He says the informal discussions and breakout sessions led by local farmers have been instrumental in ensuring everyone attending the events have left with practical, take home messages. Having a support network has also helped the Mitchells make significant changes.
“The business is more profitable than at the start. There are a few factors; they’re probably more conscious of cost, they’ve diversified into deer and their output has increased. Overall the business is just efficient, more profitable, and more sustainable,” commented Colin.
As the three year Monitor Farm programme at Clynelish Farm near Brora in Sutherland comes to an end, it is time for farmers Jason and Victoria Ballantyne to look back at what they have learned and also to look forward to where they want to take their business in the future.
The Sutherland monitor farm is one of nine monitor farms that have been established around Scotland in a joint initiative by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds. The aim of the programme, which is funded by Scottish Government, is to help improve the productivity, profitability and sustainability of Scottish farm businesses.
The Ballantynes believe that, as a result of knowledge gained through the Monitor Farm experience, their farming business is in a much better position now than when they started. “We have learned a lot about our costs of production through benchmarking and feel we really have our heads round the key profit driver of increasing the kilograms of liveweight produced per hectare,” said Mrs Ballantyne.
“The expertise we have been able to tap into has given us the confidence to go ahead and try new things,” she added.
This change in mindset has not only had a positive impact on the host farm, but also the wider farming and rural community, and at the final meeting three local farmers shared their journey with the audience.
Caithness crofter, Graeme Bethune, said that at first, he had been anxious about attending the meetings but over the three years he felt confident enough to introduce rotational grazing on his own croft which has enabled him to increase his stock numbers by twenty five percent . Mr Bethune also changed his mind-set and diversified his business to create a yarn business from his sheep called Caithness Yarns.
The 125 hectare Clynelish Farm is rented from Diageo, who own the neighbouring Clynelish Distillery. The couple farm in partnership with Jason’s dad Murdo and make use of other local seasonal grazing when available. They also contract farm 230 North Country Cheviot ewes at a sheep stock club two miles away which graze on 34 hectares of in-bye and hill.
The family have 670 ewes of their own and 80 native cross suckler cows and both enterprises operate on low cost forage systems.
Mr Ballantyne said: “One of the trials we undertook in 2019 through the Monitor Farm programme was monitoring the daily liveweight gains of our lambs.
“We used innovative weighing equipment to weigh lambs every week and monitor their daily liveweight gains. This has shown us that rotational grazing is effective as lambs were growing up to 400g per day and averaging around 250g per day up until the end of October.
“Using the weighing data to inform management decisions will be a big driver for the business going forward,” added Mrs Ballantyne.
As part of the Monitor Farm Programme, an Integrated Land Management Plan was undertaken by local facilitators Willie Budge and Cat McGregor from SAC Consulting Thurso. This identified early on that the business had an issue with fertility in their suckler cows and through consultation between their local Vet and SAC Consulting, the Ballantynes started a vaccination programme.
This has resulted in a decrease in their variable costs per cow to £273, 20 per cent lower than the QMS benchmark for the top third of producers, and increase their gross margin per cow to £520, again, sitting above the benchmark for the top third of producers from the QMS 2019 Enterprise Costings.
A key aim of the Monitor Farm programme is to look at how farming businesses can minimise their environmental impact.
A carbon audit undertaken at the start of the programme identified several ways the Ballantynes could improve their efficiency of production. One area the Ballantynes are especially excited about is moving to grass leys with a greater diversity by reseeding old pastures with herbal mixtures.
The Ballantynes are very appreciative of the help they have had during the three years of the Monitor Farm programme from both QMS and the Sutherland Monitor Farm facilitators from SAC Consulting Thurso.
Mrs Ballantyne explains: “Being a Monitor Farm has pushed us to do things we probably would not have done otherwise and has moved our business forward 10 years in just three. It has been fantastic to focus on some of the solutions that are available to us as farmers, and we feel that the programme has left a positive legacy for the farming and crofting community of Sutherland as a result.”
The final meeting of the Borders monitor farm will take place at the end of this month (29 January, 2020)
The Mitchell family from Whitriggs Farm in Denholm, have embraced their role as monitor farmers wholeheartedly and the upcoming meeting will highlight the significant changes they have made over the three-year project to their farm enterprises to improve profitability and efficiency.
Starting with tea and coffee at 10.30am, the meeting at Whitriggs Farm near Denholm, will also discuss the achievements and benefits of the programme to the Monitor Farm as well as the local community.
Robert and Lesley Mitchell farm in partnership with their son Stuart. They run a herd of 170 suckler cows at their 442-hectare farm as well as a breeding herd of 300 red deer. Stuart took on the responsibility of the day to day decision making at Whitriggs in 2018 and is keen to ensure that Whitriggs continues to develop.
At the start of the programme the full community group decided on the vision to “Maintain a profit in a challenging environment”. Throughout the three years they have made many changes towards this, including introducing a new enterprise, and diversifying their production system to organic.
Stuart Mitchell said: “We have thoroughly enjoyed being part of the Monitor Farm Programme for the last three years. The input from specialists and support from the community group and facilitators has been vital in some of our decision making.
“The biggest developments we have implemented include moving to a six-week calving period, investigating our underperforming sheep flock, and the introduction of the new deer enterprise.
“Our business is now in a much better position for the future than when we started the Programme, and we are positive it will continue to move forward.”
As part of the programme the Mitchells have benchmarked both technical and financial data with their business group.
Stuart added: “I have enjoyed seeing the many benefits of sharing data over the past three years and I hope it continues beyond the monitor farm programme.”
At the final meeting, QMS Chair, Kate Rowell will talk about her time as a monitor farmer, her experience since finishing the programme and the positive effect it has had on her farming business.
Attendees will also have the chance to hear from Oliver McEntryre, Head of Agriculture at Barclays Bank, who will discuss setting a vision for the future. Dr Paul Thomas from Plantation Systems will speak on carbon sequestration and management.
Monitor Farm Facilitator, Fergus Younger from SAOS commented: “This final meeting is a fantastic opportunity to review the many changes the Mitchells have implemented over the last three years. It’s also a perfect time to look forward and focus on what they will achieve in the coming years.”
Whitriggs is one of nine monitor farms established in Scotland as part of a joint initiative by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds with funding from the Scottish Government. The aim of the monitor farm programme is to help improve the productivity, profitability and sustainability of Scottish farm businesses.
The meeting on Tuesday 29 January will be held at Whitriggs farm, near Denholm, TD9 8QR and will begin at 10.30am. Lunch will be provided at Cross Keys, Denholm. The meeting is expected to finish by 3pm. All are welcome and the event is free.
For further information and to book your place (and lunch) please contact facilitator Fergus Younger on 07771 966649 or email fergus.younger@saos.coop
Farmers and crofters in Shetland are being invited to attend the final monitor farm meeting at Bigton Hall on Saturday 8th February. They will learn first-hand how the 305 ha (750 acres) livestock enterprise has benefited from its involvement in the three-year Monitor Farm project.
At the upcoming meeting, monitor farmers Aimee and Kirsty Budge, will share key learnings, demonstrate the positive impact of the project on Bigton Farm and share what they plan to do in the future.
Attendees will also have a chance to hear about the changes the sisters have made to lamb finishing, forage crops and breeding their own replacements.
The final free-to-attend meeting will take place from 11am to 3.30pm and is open to everyone with an interest in farming, crofting and rural businesses. It will report on what has been achieved through the implementation of key initiatives including benchmarking and on-farm trials.
“During our three years as monitor farmers we’ve made significant improvements to our farm business and have benefited from expert speakers and a strong support network from local farmers and crofters,” said Kirsty.
“One of the biggest challenges we face on Shetland is arable production due to the rough ground. Through the Monitor Farm Project, we decided to grow 60 acres of spring barley. This has allowed us to keep feed costs down and supply some barley to local farmers. We now have the confidence to look at ways to increase crop yields for next year,” she added.
Funded by Scottish Government, the aim of the Monitor Farm Project is to help improve the productivity, profitability and sustainability of Scottish farm businesses.
At the final meeting, QMS Chair, Kate Rowell will talk about her time as a monitor farmer, her experiences since completing the programme and the positive effect it has had on her farming business.
Fasciliatior, Graham Fraser from SAC Consulting, said: “The upcoming meeting will be a great opportunity to reflect on the impact of the project and share key learnings.
“Community group members will share the benefits of attending a monitor farm meeting and the changes they have made to their business. John Abernethy, a local farmer in Shetland will explain how the project has gave him the confidence to introduce rotational grazing, wean his lambs earlier and change the breed of sheep.”
The final meeting will take place on 8th February starting at Bigton Hall at 11am till 3.30pm. To attend the meeting, please book by contacting SAC on 01595693520 or email frbslerwick @sac.co.uk.
The Shetland monitor farm is one of nine monitor farms that have been established around Scotland in a joint initiative by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds.
For more information about the monitor farm programme visit www.monitorfarms.co.uk.
The many improvements a Sutherland couple has made on their farm during their time as monitor farmers will be highlighted at their final meeting next week (10 December, 2019).
Since opening the gates to Clynelish for the first monitor farm meeting back in February 2017, Sutherland Monitor Farmers, Jason and Victoria Ballantyne, have made improvements throughout the business, particularly in regard to rotational grazing and growing fodder crops.
During the past three years one focus has been collaboration. Clynelish now works closely with local farmers, sharing transport costs and a portable Vet Marker. This has led to cost savings for not just the Monitor Farm but the wider community.
Mrs Ballantyne said: The monitor farm programme has been a great experience and it’s given us the opportunity to meet other farmers and industry experts which has been extremely beneficial to our business.
“Likewise, we hope those who have attended meetings have learnt something from the different trials and experiments we’ve carried out. Knowing what doesn’t work is sometimes as important as knowing what does,” she added.
At the final meeting, QMS Chair, Kate Rowell will talk about her time as a monitor farmer, her experience since finishing the programme and the positive effect it has had on her farming business.
Three regular attendees of the Sutherland Monitor Farm will also speak about the positive impact the project has had on them personally and on their own business.
Willie Budge, Sutherland Monitor Farm Facilitator from SAC Consulting, said: “There has been tremendous support from the community group whose enthusiasm and skill have made a potent recipe for success at Clynelish.”
“I would encourage all with an interest in improving their farm business to attend the final meeting which will cover the highlights and lessons learned during the three-year project.”
The final meeting will take place on 10th December at Brora Golf Course Clubhouse at 10:30am till 3.00pm. To attend the meeting, please book by contacting SAC Thurso on 01847 892602 or email fbsthurso@sac.co.uk.
The Sutherland monitor farm is one of nine monitor farms that have been established around Scotland in a joint initiative by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds. The aim of the programme, which is funded by Scottish Government, is to help improve the productivity, profitability and sustainability of Scottish farm businesses.
For more information about the monitor farm programme visit www.monitorfarms.co.uk.
Improved handling systems and electronic identification (EID) in cattle has helped Girtridge Farm in North Ayrshire to become safer and more efficient whilst helping to improve cattle performance.
With EID tagging in calves likely to be introduced in 2020, farmer John Howie has been taking part in an industry led pilot trial investigating how EID technology can enable him to keep accurate records and ensure traceability is maintained while cutting down on time spent visually reading tag numbers and recording data.
John Howie runs the 140-hectare Girtridge Farm, the North Ayrshire Monitor farm, in partnership with his mother and sister. They currently finish around 230 cattle all year round, some housed and others from grass.
At last week’s North Ayrshire Monitor Farm meeting, held on Wednesday 25 September, at Girtridge Farm, Dundonald, attendees heard about John’s work to utilise EID tags and Ultra High Frequency (UHF) readers to monitor cattle performance and make management changes based on the information to increase production and overall efficiency.
“We’ve gone from using pen and paper to record our data, to a new UHF reader fitted to the crush which is saving a lot of time. It has made data recording easier and a much more pleasurable experience,” said John. “Although we’ve only recently introduced the tags, the ability to have the readers fitted to the crush will improve overall productivity and will, over time, help us to better track weight gain and allows us to identify which cattle are performing for us.”
The Howies have also introduced an auto-drench gun to compliment the new EID technology which was demonstrated to attendees at the meeting. The auto-drench gun uses Wi-Fi and automatically adjusts the dosage according to the weight of the cattle.
“It’s important that all technology is integrated and the auto-drench gun will demonstrate possible savings to be made from reducing instances of over-drenching cattle, as well as decrease parasitic resistance caused by under-dosing,” said John.
The approach mirrors the ongoing work of the Moredun Research Institute. Gillian Mitchell and Fiona Kenyon from the Institute attended last week’s meeting and explained how this technology can be utilised in Targeted Selective Treatment to save time and money by only treating animals losing weight.
Girtridge Farm is one of nine monitor farms established in Scotland as part of a joint initiative by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds with funding from the Scottish Government. The aim of the monitor farm programme is to help improve the productivity, profitability and sustainability of Scottish farm businesses.
Increased profitability and reduced reliance on direct support payments, alongside increasing environmental sustainability are just a few of the key messages that are being highlighted in a new video as part of the Monitor Farm Scotland Programme.
The video, focusing on Saughland Farm, Pathhead, highlights the journey the farm’s management team, led by owner Richard Callander and farm manager Peter Eccles, have been on over the last three years as part of the programme.
Integrated Land Management Plans (ILMP), undertaken by Lothians Monitor Farm facilitator Colin MacPhail at Saughland and with joint Monitor Farm host Bill Gray at Prestonhall, have been integral to the success of the project.
The ILMPs allowed Saughland and Prestonhall Farms to set out their visions for the future and identify the strengths and weaknesses of the current farming enterprises. This helped the management team develop collaborative solutions and trial new ideas about how the businesses could become more sustainable and profitable. Environmental audits, carbon audits and specialist advice plans have also provided constructive reports to support decision making.
Saughland and Prestonhall farms make up one of nine monitor farms established in Scotland as part of a joint initiative by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds with funding from the Scottish Government through the Scottish Rural Development Programme. The aim of the monitor farm programme is to help improve the productivity, profitability and sustainability of Scottish farm businesses.
Following the ILMP process, and the trial of new ways of working, supported by the Monitor Farm community group, the farm business at Saughland has seen huge benefits over the course of the three-year project. These benefits include increasing cattle and sheep numbers, whilst at the same time increasing new areas of habitat for biodiversity, including 4,000 metres of hedgerows – all contributing to making the farm more sustainable and efficient.
The video is one of a series that are available showcasing the improvements seen on the nine monitor farms since the start of the project.
The Monitor Farm project worked to help the farms be less reliant on farm subsidies and more self-sufficient, something Saughland Farm is nearing ever closer to thanks to its work through the project.
Today, Wednesday 11 September, the video was launched at Prestonhall Farm, when Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy, Fergus Ewing MSP announced £1,000 funding for specialist support and advice on farm resilience planning through the Farm Advisory Service, delivered as part of the ILMP process.
Saughland Farm is a total of 320 hectares, 70 hectares of which is arable. Peter Eccles joined Saughland Farm as farm manager four years ago and since then has more than doubled the sheep numbers and has moved the flock from inside to outside lambing. The farm has suckler cows, mainly Angus, Hereford, and Limousin crosses, which complement the sheep enterprise and are integral to the grazing system.
The farm works closely with neighbouring arable farm Prestonhalls, run by Bill Gray. They have been working together to improve collaboration, sharing and land and resources to improve both the arable and livestock enterprises.
Commenting on the Monitor Farm project and the benefits the farm has reaped from being part of it, Peter said: “The project has not only allowed us to try new things, it has also allowed us to experiment with the livestock enterprises and collaborate further with Bill at Prestonhall.
“Our biggest challenge as part of the project was to move away from reliance of farm subsidies in order to support the farm financially. We have managed to increase our ewe numbers from 950 breeding ewes to 2,000 breeding ewes, and doubled our cow numbers from 40 to 80, with a vision to increase this further in the future.
“This has been done by reducing our arable acreage and through our use of paddock grazing, which we have developed over the last few years. We have created three to four hectare blocks that we can subdivide with temporary fencing down to two hectare blocks.
“This allows us to run groups of 300 ewes with twin lambs in these blocks for two days and then follow them with maybe 40 cows with calves for a couple of days.
“Over the last three years we’ve been able to increase our output from a little under 400 kilograms per hectare to over 700 kilograms of sales per hectare.
“Working with the management group and the facilitators as part of a monitor farm programme has been hugely enjoyable and beneficial. I think the people have made it. It’s been great fun having the confidence to try some new techniques.”
Sarah Millar, QMS Head of Industry Development commented: “As we near the end of the current Monitor Farm Scotland programme we are starting to see the impacts that small changes to farming systems can make to farm profitability.”
“The teams at Saughland and Prestonhall, supported by a fantastic facilitator in Colin MacPhail and by the wider community group, have relished in the challenge that was set to them at the start and have achieved increased business output aswell as increasing environmental sustainability- win wins that focus on business practice that is good for nature as well as bank balances.”
Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy Fergus Ewing MSP, said: “As we look to tackle the global climate emergency, the need to balance environmental sustainability with being a sustainable and profitable business has never been greater. That is why, we continue to support the key role of our Monitor Farm Programme in supporting innovation, collaboration and sharing best practice to enhance the viability and efficiency of Scottish agriculture.”
The full video can be viewed here: https://www.monitorfarms.co.uk/hub/lothians-monitor-farm