The Marchant family, who run Clonhie Farm, the Nithsdale Monitor farm, near Thornhill, are looking forward to welcoming visitors to their farm for LEAF Open Farm Sunday on 9 June.
This will be the first time the family have taken part in LEAF Open Farm Sunday and they are excited about inspiring the next generation through their passion for their business and way of life.
Andrew, Aileen and their two young children, William (9) and Anna (6), have been farming in their own right since 2012 when they took on the tenancy of the 93 hectares at Clonhie from the Buccleuch Estate. Keen to expand their business, they took on a further 210 hectares in 2016.
The Marchants have built their business steadily by improving the upland grazing and increasing ewe numbers to 1,000. They have also established a small herd of 20 Luing suckler cows and, most recently, diversified into venison production with a herd of 150 red deer hinds in partnership with the Buccleuch Estate.
Passionate about the welfare and quality of livestock they produce, the family are keen to educate the general public about livestock farming and are looking forward to supporting farming’s annual open day by opening their farm gates on 9 June.
Aileen Marchant, who is a teacher at Wallace Hall Academy and leads the school’s successful Rural Skills programme, said: “I know through my work at school that visiting a farm is a totally different experience from classroom learning and we are keen to give as many people as possible the opportunity to come on farm and see for themselves what we are doing here.”
LEAF Open Farm Sunday continues to grow in Scotland, developing stronger links between farmers, smallholders and consumers. In the last five years, more than 80,800 people have visited events in Scotland, with between 15 and 30 farmers opening their gates each year.
Scottish LEAF Open Farm Sunday Co-ordinator Rebecca Dawes encouraged anyone interested in knowing more about farming to get involved. She said: “LEAF Open farm Sunday is a fantastic opportunity for everyone, young and old, to discover at first-hand what it means to be a farmer and the fabulous work they do producing our food, enhancing the countryside and all the goods and services farmers provide.”
The Marchant family have devised a packed programme of activities for the day, which runs at Clonhie from 11am to 2pm, and Aileen Marchant thinks that they can will be able to accommodate around 200 visitors during the day.
She said: “The main focus is education, but it will be a fun day as well. Farming is not always a career considered for children but days like this may light a spark of interest in the young people and also let the parents see that farming and the wider food and drink industry can be a good career choice offering an excellent variety of career opportunities.”
Those who visit Clonhie on 9 June will have the opportunity to visit the deer as part of a tractor and trailer ride, the chance to get up close with sheep and cattle in the sheds, see a clipping demonstration and have a lesson on handling wool and discovering its different uses.
Farmers are also passionate about the vital role they play in safeguarding the environment. Clonhie farm has a network of ponds and wildlife areas, so guided walks will be available with a science-based experiment half-way round looking into habitats and water quality. There will also be fun activities including face painting, wellie-flinging and a quiz.
Mrs Marchant commented: “I don’t have a farming background, so not only was I thinking what my young children would like to see and do on a visit, I was thinking about the sort of questions I would ask!
“As the Nithsdale Monitor Farm, we are used to hosting regular meetings at Clonhie, including an annual open meeting which attracts around 100 people. The monitor farm meetings are all farm focussed though, so this is very different; we hope to attract the wider non-farming community from Thornhill and Dumfries who may never have set foot on a farm before or given much thought as to where their food comes from.”
As new entrants to farming, Andrew and Aileen have had to work hard to build up their farming business. The couple are determined to succeed and drive their business forward and care passionately about the welfare of their animals and looking after the countryside. They appreciate the chance that the Buccleuch Estate have given them by awarding the tenancy in the first place, but also for the support they have had from organisations such as Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and local people.
Mrs Marchant said: “This is an amazing industry to be part of, everyone has been so helpful and supportive. We are exceptionally proud to be part of the farming community now and would love to encourage more people into farming through initiatives such as LEAF Open Farm Sunday.”
To find the details of the farms opening near you visit www.farmsunday.org or for more information on how to host an event for LEAF Open Farm Sunday this year or next, contact Rebecca Dawes 07792 467730 or ofsrc.scotland@gmail.com.
Two upcoming monitor farm meetings will dig deeper into soil health for the arable sector. The subject will be scrutinised at an arable-focused meeting at Lothians monitor farm on Thursday 23 May, as well as an Angus monitor farm meeting the following day.
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“But we’ll also be challenging the speakers. There are certain things that may be simpler to establish down south, in different rotations, climate and environment; that’s not to say they can’t work here, but we’ll be exploring how we can make a success of certain things – like zero till – in Scotland.”
Both meetings will host innovative farmer Clive Bailye from Staffordshire, who will discuss how he made zero till farming work for his system.
Clive, who also founded The Farming Forum and Direct Driller magazine, moved to a zero tillage system nearly a decade ago with the aim of reducing costs while improving yields. He focuses on increasing soil organic matter levels, water infiltration and capturing sunlight through cover cropping, rotational diversity and has recently reintroduced livestock onto the farm.
Also speaking at the meeting will be Christina Clarke from ADAS who will cover plant health and pathogens, wheat varieties and breeding while Andy Newbold from Farm Smart will discuss soil remediation, machinery settings, tine design and impact on soils.
AHDB’s Harry Henderson will share the results of the machinery review carried out across the monitor farm network and apprise the group on AHDB projects on straw and soils.
AHDB Knowledge Exchange Manager Chris Leslie explained: “We wanted to bring in some really exciting speakers on soil health and by getting them along to two of our monitor farms we are spreading that knowledge as wide as we can.
“This is the ideal time of year to be considering your soils, whether that is health, pathogens or the machinery you are using to work it, and this meeting will give us a chance to discuss all the tools we have to make the most of this vital resource.”
The Lothians and Angus Monitor farms were 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 Lothians meeting will be held at Rosemains Farm on Thursday 23 May, tea and coffee will be available from 10am and the event will close at 3pm. The Angus meeting will be held at Mill of Inverarity Farm on Friday 24 May with tea and coffee available from 10.30am, again closing at 3pm.
More information on soils can be found online at https://ahdb.org.uk/greatsoils
Those interested in attending the Lothians event should contact Colin MacPhail on 07747 046461 or at colin@macphailconsulting.co.uk. Those interested in attending the Angus event should contact SAC Consulting’s Stonehaven office on 01569 762305 or email zach.reilly@sac.co.uk.
Technograzing will the focus of a livestock-centred meeting of the Lothians monitor farm on Tuesday 21 May.
The concept of technograzing was developed by farmer Harry Wier in New Zealand more than 35 years ago. Similar to paddock grazing the system allows large numbers of livestock to be moved regularly with minimal labour. Animals are moved two or three times a week, into ‘lanes’ which are divided using temporary electric fencing.
Cumbrian farmer Thomas Stobart will discuss how he and his brother introduced technograzing onto 12.5 hectares of their farm, where it is grazed by 100 Wagyu heifers and steers.
Lothians monitor farmer Peter Eccles explained: “We are really keen to utilise grass as effectively as possible so we want to find out more about the technograzing system to see if it can help us better manage our summer surplus, which will in turn will help ensure we have good forage stocks going into the winter. Our current system is working well but we know we can always improve.”
The meeting will also cover Smartgrass, the away wintering of cattle, Saughland’s lambing and calving performance, Agri-Environment Schemes and the farm’s fodder beet trial.
Inspired by former monitor farmer, John Scott, who had established a fodder beet crop on Fearn farm in Tain, Pete grew 6.5 ha of fodder beet at Saughland last year and has increased this to 10.5 ha this year.
At the meeting next week Pete will discuss the cost benefit of the crop, which despite being expensive to establish, is considerable.
If he had fed homegrown silage in place of fodder beet on the same area of land, Peter calculated that, on a dry mater basis, he would have to needed to produce approximately 71 bales per hectare of 35 per cent DM silage, something that would be challenging for any farm to produce.
This year has seen fantastic lambing performance at Saughland, with early grass growth contributing to good ewe condition and improved lamb survival rates. Calving has been disappointing when compared to an excellent year last year where 70 calves were reared from 68 cows, however Pete is comfortable with both the sheep and cattle results, which he will share at the event.
The group will also discuss Agri-Environment Schemes and the challenges and opportunities they pose. Peter has been offered funding to install new hedges and fencing on farm with the aim of improving wildlife habitats and increasing biodiversity. He also hopes improved shelter belts will enhance animal welfare at Saughland. However, setting aside land for this purpose will reduce output and Peter is keen to get the balance right.
“It’s all about doing the right thing for the environment,” he said, “which is something we really are focused but our primary objective is to produce food to the highest possible standards and make a profit, so I want to discuss how we can use this scheme to achieve this.”
The Lothians Monitor farm – a partnership between neighbouring farms Saughland and Prestonhall – is one of nine new 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 21 May will begin at Saughland Farm, Pathhead, Midlothian, EH37 5XP, all are welcome, and the event is free. Tea and coffee will be available from 10am and lunch will be provided, however for catering purposes those interested in coming along on 21 May should confirm attendance with Colin MacPhail on 07747 046461 or at colin@macphailconsulting.co.uk. The meeting is expected to finish by 3pm.
Lothians monitor farm is also holding an arable-focused meeting on 23 May which will focus on soils, for more details please contact Colin, or click here
The opportunities of using technology and data to support farming businesses, as well as career opportunities for the next generation of farmers, will be discussed at the next Borders Monitor farm meeting on Wednesday 22 May.
Starting with tea and coffee at 10am, the meeting at Whitriggs Farm near Denholm, will offer a strong line up of speakers including David Owen from Owen Farm Services, who will highlight the potential uses of data and technology in agriculture. If weather permits he will also demonstrate the practical uses for drones in farming.
He said: “The use of drones has increased in popularity in agriculture in recent years. The devices can be fitted with cameras and sensors to help farmers assess their fields from above for poor yielding areas or to spot problems such as soil compaction. They can also be used to monitor livestock and survey farmland.”
Robert and Lesley Mitchell farm in partnership with their son Stuart. The run a herd of 170 suckler cows at their 442 hectare farm as well as a breeding herd of 125 red deer. Stuart took on the responsibility of the day to day decision making at Whitriggs last year and is keen to ensure that Whitriggs continues to develop.
He said: “I am very keen to future proof the business here at Whitriggs. The use of more advanced technology in today’s agriculture is becoming more easily accessible and I feel we must use this to our benefit to make our farm more efficient and productive.”
Following the previous Borders Monitor meeting in March, Sion Williams from Buccleuch Estates will share his experiences of employing young people, highlighting the benefits and a checklist of what needs to be considered. He will be joined by one of the apprentices from Buccleuch who will talk about how they have benefited from the opportunity to work as an apprentice.
This session will be run jointly with the Borders Machinery Ring, who will highlight the opportunities for farmers in the area to get involved in a new pre-apprenticeship programme. This supports both young people and mentors farmers to encourage more young people to join the industry and develop the skills needed.
Finally, cumbrian Farmer Thomas Stobart will discuss his farming methods, in particular how he farms for the benefit of the environment, including grazing management. Mr Stobart runs 800 breeding ewes and 280 cattle on 780- hectare Croglin High Hall Farm in Armathwaite. At the meeting on 22 May Mr Stobart will explain how he has made substantial changes to his farm over the last five years in order to reduce input costs. He has established a successful rotational grazing system which has significantly increased livestock growth rates and decreased feed and fertiliser costs.
He said: “We realised that if we focused on soil health and improving our grazing management, would not only increase out profitability but would have a positive effect on the environment.”
After a BBQ lunch there will be a farm tour and the Mitchells will report on their calving at Whitriggs this year and their plans for the third year of the monitor farm programme.
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 Wednesday 22 May will be held at Whitriggs farm, near Denholm, TD9 8QR and will begin at 10am. The meeting is expected to finish by 3pm. All are welcome and the event is free.
To reserve your place (and lunch!) please contact Stephen Young, one of the project facilitators, on 07502 339613 or email stephen.young@saos.coop.
The next Nithsdale Monitor farm meeting will look at options for grassland and forage to help feed grazing livestock throughout the year.
At the meeting, which will be held at Clonhie farm, the Nithsdale Monitor Farm, near Penpont on Thursday 16 May, Michael Shannon, a livestock farmer from Lanarkshire, will share his knowledge and experience of all thing’s grassland and forage.
Michael Shannon farms 100 hectares at Thankerton Camp Farm near Biggar, where he runs a sheep and finishing cattle system with no housing, making use of high-quality grass and winter forage crops. He currently finishes approximately 150 Aberdeen cross cattle a year, two thirds of which he sells through “Damn Delicious”, his successful farm butchery and farm shop business.
Mr Shannon believes that ‘’Grass is King’’ and encourages other farmers not to over complicate their grazing systems, but to keep things simple and relevant to their own farms in order to increase production and save costs.
He said: “The key is to follow the grass growth curve: graze it hard in the spring, which will improve the quality in the autumn, but you have to be careful not to overgraze it late in the year as it will not recover.”
Over the winter the cattle at Thankerton Camp are strip grazed on a kale rape hybrid called Swift, with access to silage. He also uses fodder beet and is impressed with the positive results he has seen with it.
Andrew Marchant, who farms with his wife Aileen at Clonhie, Nithsdale’s Monitor farm, has already taken big strides in his grazing management in the first three years of the Monitor farm programme, but is keen to continue improving the utilisation of their grass.
The couple run 900 breeding ewes and a small herd of 20 Luing cattle all of which are outwintered, as well as 100 deer hinds on their 300-hectare upland farm.
He said: “We started to monitor and measure grass growth which has helped us really understand its value and we now use rotational and paddock grazing. Deferred grazing has also made a big difference; we shut off an area in early September which we can then graze in January and February, a time when we would previously have had little grass left.”
“We really need to make some decisions now to set us up for the next twelve months. At the meeting later this week, we will look at last year’s grass to grass reseed and discuss whether to spray the weeds, at the expense of the clover and then overseed, or to just spray the whole sward off and start again.”
The Marchants are also very keen to grow another forage crop at Clonhie this year. They grew kale and swedes in their first year as a monitor farm to feed their flock over the winter and to set up the field for a new reseed and are looking at doing this again this year.
The farm has decided to refine their grass and feed budgeting by using “FARMAX” – a farm planning software system – to manage the supply of grass and demand from the livestock based on their own grass curve data. At the meeting on 16 May, Emily Grant from Forrit consultancy will highlight the benefits of the programme and how it can be used to improve performance and profitability of grass-based systems.
Mr Marchant said: “We have already started to input Clonhie data into FARMAX and plan to monitor grass growth and livestock performance through the season. I am really looking forward to seeing how the system can be used as a tool to investigate different scenarios and aid decision making in the future.”
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.
The meeting on Thursday 16 May will begin at Clonhie farm at 11am, end at 3.30pm and will include lunch.
To book your place please contact facilitator Judith Hutchison on 07718 919055 or email judith.agridigm@icloud.com.
The upcoming meeting at Morayshire Monitor Farm will focus on how best to manage your grass in dry conditions.
Paddy Jack from DLF Seeds will be the main speaker at the event, which will be held at Corskie Farm near Garmouth on Tuesday 7 May. He will highlight grass varieties which cope best with low rainfall, and the group will tour fields which host farmer Iain Green reseeded last year with this aim in mind.
Project facilitator, Sam Stewart from SAC Consulting, explained: “A field was reseeded using three different grass mixtures, contained cocksfoot so we will be taking a look to see how that is doing. We haven’t had much rain here over winter or spring, and after last year’s drought we are keen to make sure we do what we can to cope in dry conditions.”
As well as covering how best to manage grass and grass varieties, Paddy will also discuss weed control on silage and grazing pastures and over seeding.
Monitor farmer Iain Green will give his usual farm update, and he will have a lot to cover after a very busy period.
Mr Green said: “I’ll be talking about how we coped over winter which lower silage stocks than usual. We’ve been fortunate the grass came in early this year, but we also worked hard to ration the silage over the winter months. I’ll also cover how lambing and calving has been going, as well as how things are looking on the cereals side, which is pretty good at the moment.”
The final part of the meeting will focus on the best methods for recycling plastic after the recent burning ban came into force. Mrs Stewart will discuss how farmers can organise for this waste to be either picked up on farm, or dropped off, as well as highlighting the costs involved.
“I think there are some farmers who are simply storing a lot of the waste on farm at the moment,” said Mrs Stewart, “but that just isn’t sustainable. You are not allowed to store it for more than two years and waiting too long will just make it harder to dispose of, it’s best that farmers start doing it sooner rather than later.”
Corskie 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 Monitor Farm meeting will take place on Corskie Farm, Garmouth, IV32 7NN, on Tuesday 7 May from 1.30pm – 4.30pm. The event is free of charge but to assist with catering it would be appreciated if you can book a place by contacting Samantha Stewart by phone (01343 548787) or email (samantha.stewart@sac.co.uk).
As well as a series of farm management improvements, some of the biggest changes made by a Borders family in their role as monitor farmers, have emerged from a personality profiling exercise.
This, coupled with some very honest and open future planning discussions, has, according to the Mitchell family, made them a stronger and more focused team, working together to drive the business forward.
Stuart Mitchell and his parents Robert and Lesley run Whitriggs Farm near Denholm, which is entering its third year as the Borders Monitor Farm.
It 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.
One of the most significant drivers for positive change is that Robert, Lesley and their two sons, Stuart (26) and Alistair (24), have openly discussed how they plan to hand over the running of the farm business.
Both Stuart and Alistair got married last year which has changed the family dynamics and made succession planning even more vital. One outcome of the family discussions on succession is that Stuart is now leading on the day-to-day decision making.
That is not to say that Robert or Lesley have retired and Alistair, who works in a local veterinary laboratory, will continue to help out at busy times. Robert Mitchell believes the clarity on the future has made their already strong team even stronger.
He said: “It is good that Stuart is now in charge of running the business. Lesley and I are of an age where we possibly do not have the same urge to move forward so fast, but we are right behind him in all that he does and help him every way we can.”
One of the most interesting parts of the monitor farm programme for the Mitchells has been analysing their individual personalities. This showed Stuart and Robert Mitchell have very similar attitudes to decision making, investment, risk and several key aspects affecting the business.
Lesley Mitchell said: “I am the one who steadies the ship. I am less of a risk taker but together we make a strong team. We discuss everything openly and come to joint decisions for the benefit of the business.”
Arguably, it is personal development which has been the biggest gain from being part of the monitor farm programme for the Mitchell family. The input from specialists, support of the management group and the benchmarking undertaken by the Mitchells has also been vital to some of the decisions the family has made.
Whitriggs covers 442 hectares and although the farm is all LFA and runs from 500 feet to 1,400 feet, it is nearly all ploughable. At the start of the monitor farm process the family ran 140 suckler cows and 1,000 Lleyn ewes on the unit. They also grew around 40 hectares of winter wheat and oats.
The family had to make the difficult decision to sell their sheep last year due to Maedi Visna (MV) so from the start of 2019 the farm enterprises consist of 170 cows, 200 red deer and just over 60 hectares of cereals.
The plan now is to increase cow numbers to 200 by retaining the best of their own heifers for breeding.
Stuart Mitchell believes that one of the biggest business achievements as a result of the monitor farm programme has been through the changes to the management of the cattle enterprise. The spring-calving herd is Beef Shorthorn cross and Aberdeen-Angus cross and both breeds of bull are used, along with a Simmental.
In spring 2018 the family achieved their first six-week calving which Mr Mitchell said made the management of the cattle, both at calving and throughout the year, so much easier. They did this by synchronising all the cows which calved out-with the six-week period and inseminating them with ‘’native plus’’ semen. They were synchronised and AI’d to calve in the first week of the six-week period so that if they did not get in-calf, then they could still run with the bull and calve in the fifth week.
The family also now use AI on the heifers and calve them at two years old instead of three, and the other significant change is that they have sold calves store instead of finishing them.
Stuart Mitchell said: “It is good to be flexible. We have the option now to sell calves store in February and March but, depending on the price and how much grass we have, we can turn them out and sell them store later in the year, or we can finish them, but at 14 to 15 months and not 18 to 22 months as before.”
As the family approach the end of their time as monitor farmers, they are keen to establish a legacy to the programme in the area and hold a few follow-up meetings in years to come to update the group on the long-term progression of the changes made from the programme.
The Mitchell family are convinced that their farm is in a better place now than when it started the monitor farm programme and that the business will continue to move in the right direction.
A key aspect of the Monitor Farm programme is finding ways to improve efficiency and reduce costs and Peter Eccles at Saughland Farm in Midlothian is delighted that establishing a fodder beet crop to feed his 2,000 ewe flock has done just that.
The Lothians Monitor farm is a partnership between neighbouring farms; the 330-hectare livestock unit of Saughland, managed by Mr Eccles and the arable farm, Prestonhall, managed by Bill Gray.
It 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.
Now into his final year of the programme, Mr Eccles has already made significant improvements at Saughland. The rotational grazing system he introduced has resulted in an increase in stocking numbers and ewe productivity has been improved in an outdoor lambing system by using Aberfield and Romney genetics.
Always open to new ideas, he was intrigued to see if fodder beet could be used to keep the nutrition right in his ewes over the winter. Inspired by former monitor farmer, John Scott, who had established a fodder beet crop on Fearn farm in Tain, and with the support of the monitor farm community group and facilitators, Mr Eccles decided to grow 6.5 hectares of fodder beet at Saughland last year.
The cost benefits have been considerable. He said: “Fodder beet was expensive to establish at over £650 per hectare, but the yield of over 100 tonnes per hectare fresh weight and 20 tonnes dry matter meant it cost 3.25p per kg dry matter to produce compared to feed barley at 20p per kg DM.”
If he had fed homegrown silage in place of fodder beet on the same area of land, Mr Eccles calculated that, on a dry mater basis, he would have to needed to produce approximately 71 bales per hectare of 35 per cent DM silage, something that would be challenging for any farm to produce.
Mr Eccles accepts that the weather has been on his side, as the dry winter made it relatively easy to lift half the crop while the ewes grazed the rest in great conditions. However, he believes that as long as he sows it on fairly free draining land and offers the sheep a run back, there should not be too many problems with mud in a wetter year.
He said: “We lifted about a third of the crop before Christmas and stacked it outdoors surrounded by straw bales. It kept very well for seven weeks and we used it to feed batches of ewes in fields.
Around 1,000 ewes strip-grazed the remainder from the second week in January with an allocation of one kg of dry matter per day and with continual access to good silage. Mr Eccles kept 300 twin ewes grazing the fodder beet in March but put the rest of the flock onto rotational grass to make use of the early growth this year.
He commented: “We have found the fodder beet a great, inexpensive source of energy, ideal for filling the nutrition gap in January and February. It has really put condition on the ewes with little waste; utilisation of the crop has been 90 per cent.”
Fodder beet has a very deep tap root; about twice the size of a turnip, with twice as much dry matter. The sheep ate down to the last third to quarter of the tuber then a grubber was used to pull the remainder to the surface for the ewes to polish off. Mr Eccles said: “They seem to absolutely love it and so far we have had no broken mouth problems although it is something we will keep an eye on.”
Mr Eccles is aware that fodder beet requires careful management when being fed to pregnant ewes. He said: “Although a great source of energy, fodder beet alone is too low in protein to meet the ewes’ requirements in the final month of pregnancy. I have arranged for the twin bearing ewes to be blood sampled to check their energy and protein levels and have a couple of options to top up their nutrition if required.
“Ewes requiring extra nutrition can either be fed high quality grass silage (11.3ME and 14.8 per cent Crude Protein) and some soya ewe rolls. Or we could rotate the ewes through the lambing paddocks and utilise the flush of grass we have this year. We don’t start lambing until mid-April so by then I hope feed demand is matched entirely by grass growth.”
Last year, two varieties of beet, were grown at Saughland; ‘’Blaze’’, which has a bigger root and sits higher in the ground making it ideal for grazing, while ‘’Blizzard’’ was deeper rooting with about 70% of the tuber underground and therefore better for harvesting.
Mr Eccles found that there were advantages to both and would definitely grow two varieties again. He said: “Having had problems establishing turnips in the past due to weed and pest control problems, fodder beet was easier to manage and the yield was outstanding.”
The other advantage of fodder beet is that, sown in the rotation after a forage crop such as kale, it provides a good entry for a five-year grass ley.
Mr Eccles is delighted with the way the ewes have performed through the winter on the fodder beet and plans to increase the area to about nine hectares this year split across two fields to make access easier. He is also considering feeding it to some of his cattle youngstock. Although he acknowledges that the true test will come in a wet year but, for the moment, Mr Eccles cannot see anything better for winter fodder at Saughland.
The benefits of developing a succession plan for your business will be discussed at the next Lochaber Monitor Farm meeting on Monday 18 March.
The free evening meeting, which will be held at the Nevis Centre in Fort William between 7pm and 9.30pm, will try and encourage farming families to begin discussing this sometimes-sensitive topic and prepare their businesses for the future.
At the meeting, Heather Wildman from Saviour Associates will emphasise the importance of having a vision for the future of businesses and will highlight the positives of developing a succession plan. She will also share some practical tips and advice to those yet to develop a succession plan for their own business.
“It is never too early to think about succession planning,” said Mrs Wildman. “Openness, recognising family members differences and listening to each other’s aspirations are all key foundation blocks to a successful transition.”
Mrs Wildman, who has published a guide to succession aimed at farmers, acknowledges that every farm business and situation is different, and it’s important that each business develops a succession plan which works for them.
At the event on 18 March, Mrs Wildman will address some of the reasons why those involved in farming often avoid planning for succession and suggest some questions that farmers and their families should ask themselves at the start of the planning process.
Strone farm, Lochaber’s monitor farm in Banavie near Fort William, is run by father and son team Malcolm and Chris Cameron. The family developed a succession plan some time ago and although Chris has been an active partner in the family business for some years, Malcolm is now supporting Chris as he gains confidence in running the business. This is ideal preparation for when Malcolm decides to retire.
Malcolm Cameron said: “Farmers are also incredibly busy people so it can be difficult to find the time to consider long term succession planning. However, it makes sense to have a plan in place well in advance as we have done at Strone to help secure the future of your business.”
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 18 March will be held at the Nevis Centre, in Fort William and will begin 7pm and finish at 9.30pm. To book your attendance please contact facilitators Niall Campbell or George Gauley on 01631 563093 or email fbsoban@sac.co.uk.
The benefits of collaboration and partnership working will be the subject of the next Sutherland monitor farm meeting on Wednesday 13 March.
At the meeting, which is being held at Brora Golf Club and begins at 11am, Bob Simpson from Castlemains Farm near North Berwick will speak about how his business has benefited from working collaboratively with others.
Castlemains is a 235-hectare arable enterprise growing a mix of winter wheat, spring barley, oilseed rape and winter barley as well as combining peas and Brussel sprouts.
Mr Simpson is a keen advocate of co-operative working and has seen both his own, and other rural businesses in his area flourish as a result of working together and establishing farmers’ co-operatives.
At the meeting Mr Simpson will highlight three ventures that he has been involved in over the last twenty years. The first, ‘’Law Farmers’’, was established in the early 1990’s and involves six arable businesses. Together the businesses benefit from economy of scale as they buy fuel and fertiliser together. The group have also invested jointly in two large combines that are shared between the businesses as well as being available to several other local farms on a contract basis.
Mr Simpson also profited from being part of ‘’East Lothian Potatoes Group’’ for 15 growing seasons where he, along with a dozen other potato growers, produced a combined 7,500 tonnes of potatoes each year, with the group negotiating the price with major crisp manufacturers collectively.
The pea growing enterprise at Castlemains is also part of an active co-operative – the ‘’Scottish Borders Produce’’ which has over 50 members in the north of England and south of Scotland. Together they negotiate the price of the peas they grow (a total of 1,556 hectares in 2017) and, with the support of a central co-ordinator, ensure the peas are supplied to the freezing plant in Eyemouth throughout the year within an hour and half of them being harvested.
Mr Simpson is adamant that being part of the co-op has been good for his business. “Unity is strength,” he said.
“Being part of co-operatives has allowed me to increase the efficiency and profitability of my business in so many ways; sharing labour and machinery costs, cost savings when buying fuel and fertiliser collectively and bigger bargaining power when selling my product.”
Collaboration is something that Jason and Victoria Ballantyne from Clynelish Farm, Sutherland’s monitor farm, are very keen to try and establish in their own area.
“Bob has a great take on how farmers working collaboratively can achieve more and we’re really looking forward to hearing from him. We feel there is a huge amount of potential for arable and livestock farmers in our region to work better together to benefit all businesses and it will be interesting to see what comes out of this meeting,” said Vic Ballantyne.
At the monitor Farm meeting in December the community group were asked to come up with some ideas for scenarios for change for Clynelish to help them improve the farm business. Following this the Ballantynes have chosen six of these options for further consideration and budgeting.
Kev Bevan, a senior consultant from SAC Consulting, has done some forward budget costs for each of the six scenarios and will present his findings for each at the meeting, explaining the different impact each option could have on the profitability of the current business.
“We have been talking about making some pretty radical changes for a while, but a big leap of faith needs some good numbers behind it,” said Jason Ballantyne.
He added: “Everything is on the table, including total restructure of both the cattle and sheep enterprises. Kev knows our business well having benchmarked it for over 10 years, so we are very interested in hearing what options are viable and what those in the community group think of them.”
Clynelish 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.
The meeting at the Brora Golf Club on Wednesday 13 March is free to attend and open to all. It will begin at 11am, with coffee and registration from 10.30am. Lunch is included.
Farmers interested in attending the next Sutherland monitor farm meeting should confirm attendance with the facilitators Willie Budge or Cat MacGregor by phoning SAC Thurso on 01847 892602 or emailing fbsthurso@sac.co.uk.