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Farming in one of the wettest parts of the UK brings with it a few challenges but a herd of pedigree Limousin cattle have adapted to the climate and are helping to improve margins at the Cameron family’s Strone Farm near Fort William.

Strone is part of Lochiel and Achnacarry Estate. It runs to 1,200 hectares and rises to 2,800 feet above sea level, while a few fields border the picturesque Caledonian Canal.

In 2016 it was selected as the Lochaber Monitor Farm, 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.

Malcolm Cameron has worked for the estate since 1969 and got the chance of the tenancy in 1990 with wife, Eileen. Son Chris came home in 1996 following three years at agricultural college and in 2002 set up his own farming business. He now works full-time on the farm and has largely taken over the day to day running of the business.

Chris and Malcolm were keen to take part in the Monitor Farm process having been active in previous groups in Argyll and Chris believes it has made him question everything he does and given him a better understanding of where improvements can be made.

Chris Cameron said: “We were on a development journey with the farm anyway, but this has opened my eyes to new techniques and I feel my personal development has been one of the biggest benefits of the process so far.”

The farm, which gets a massive 3-3.5 metres of rain a year, is stocked with 50 pure Limousin cows and 520 North Country Cheviot ewes. Malcolm bought his first cow in 1993 from the Anside herd and a second a few years later from the Greenwell herd and the whole herd can be traced back to these two foundation females.

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The family have deliberately avoided any extremes in the breed and carefully select bulls on their maternal traits such as ease of calving and milk; although Chris Cameron is quick to point out that they must be pleasing to the eye too. He has 12 of his own Camerons prefixed females mixed in with the Stronefield herd.

A plus point for the Limousin, according to Malcolm and Chris, is that the cast cows are worth good money at the end of their useful lives. They also sell a few bulls naturally from home, with the best going for £3,500. They family may sell a few breeding heifers in the future, but as Malcolm and Chris have been keen to expand the herd at Strone, all the heifers are currently retained. The rest of the calves are sold store at Dingwall at around ten months of age when they average 350kg liveweight.

Chris Cameron said: “The price was seriously back in October at 228p/kg, compared to January when they were 280p/kg.”

He puts this down to the price of straw which has jumped from £26 to £40 per big bale and said: “We get hit twice when a commodity like straw goes up in price. We have to spend more to manage our herd and buyers are reluctant to spend as much on their calves. I calculated it costs me 70 pence in straw for every kg in calf weight.”

However, despite these challenges, he firmly believes the Limousin is the right breed for their farm. He said: “Our philosophy is that if we are going to the expense of housing cattle, then we have to make sure we can meet the market specification. Our calves have the genetics to grow and are efficient at converting feed.”

Despite advice from the Monitor Farm Group, the Camerons continue to calve all year round, which they believe best suits their system and they are still able to keep individual cows’ calving index under 370 days.

An advantage the of operating a year-round calving system is that the Camerons need less bulls, so can afford to spend more when they do invest in a bull. Apart from that, they have to be careful with their grass utilisation and do not have the grass available to turn out a batch of 50 cows and calves in the spring.

Less than 50 hectares of the farm is suitable for cutting silage, so the family have to manage it carefully. The dry cows can make use of a further 50 hectares or so of marginal land but none of the cows go to the hill, which barely supports the sheep flock. All cattle are housed from October through to May.

Following advice that has come from the Monitor farm meetings, the Camerons now bull heifers four months earlier at 15 months. They are also weaning spring-born calves and managing them separately to allow cows more time to recover before calving again.

In recent years the family have managed to rent some improved grassland near Inverness, where they can graze a batch of cows and this has made a big difference to the farm’s bottom line.

Chris Cameron said: “Sheep and cattle were vying for the same small area of good grass at home. So we used to put the sheep to the hill after lambing; however we were losing over 60% of our lambs to foxes and eagles. Since we’ve moved the ewes and lambs to a rented lowland farm at Fort William, we have weaned 97% of lambs, instead of 37%.”

This year, for the first time, the Camerons finished the lambs at Fort William by weaning early, housing in a shed which came with the farm, and feeding. The results have been very positive.

“This year, we sold 220 lambs averaging at £70 per head. We calculated feeding costs at £25 per head, but the store price was £35 per head, so we made an additional £10 profit per lamb and we had the benefit of freeing up grass for flushing ewes so we can expect an improved scanning next year,” said Chris Cameron.

As part of the programme, the Camerons and other local farmers have established a business group to share key performance indicators (KPI’s), using AHDB programme Farmbench to compare and contrast farm efficiency figures. Chris Cameron finds this particularly useful, not only comparing with other farms but using his figures for his own farm as a benchmark to improve. He is currently exceeding the suggested KPI for gross margin for a west coast suckler herd by £85 per head at £335 per head.

The Camerons regularly host Monitor Farm meetings at Strone which attract lots of other farmers, some of whom travel over an hour to attend. The family find it encouraging that so many people are interested in improving their farms in an extremely challenging environment.

Chris Cameron said: “Farmers in Lochaber are genuinely scared that they won’t be able to continue to farm. Their businesses are unbelievably fragile and they are constantly being told to cut costs which leads to them not investing in their farms and the utilisable land shrinking, therefore compounding their issues. Farmers like us have limited options so it is great having help in finding ways to improve our systems.

He added: “Being part of the Monitor Farm group has given farmers here access to the energy and technology that QMS and AHDB bring, alongside the knowledge of our facilitator Niall Campbell from SAC Consulting in Oban. We have been able to lift our heads and see the bigger picture.”

Succession planning will be the focus of the next Angus Monitor Farm meeting on Thursday 10^th January.

Heather Wildman from Saviour Associates will emphasize the importance of dreams and goals, having a vision for your future and solving succession issues early.

“Succession planning is seen by many as a sensitive subject and many farmers are reluctant to start the process in case it causes conflict amongst their family members,” said Heather. “But in reality the sooner families start the conversation the more options become available.

“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 to help secure the success of your business for the next generation.”

Heather, 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.

The meeting will focus on helping people identify what it is they want to achieve, or even what they would like to avoid. There will also be a discussion on some of the reasons why farmers often postpone planning for succession and suggestions for questions farmers should ask themselves at the start of the process.

Heather said: “By the end of the meeting I hope that attendees will understand how the process works and be able to create an action plan for the succession of their own businesses as well as feeling more confident in starting the conversation with their families.”

Mill of Inverarity is part of the Monitor Farm Scotland initiative, managed 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 will be held at Northern Hotel, Brechin, DD9 6AE, and will begin at midday and end at 3pm. The event is free to attend but to lunch will be provided so to assist with catering attendees should book a place by contacting Stacey Hamilton by phone (01569 762305) or email (frbsstonehaven@sac.co.uk)

Succession is a sensitive but often-ignored subject for many farming families. Farmers were warned last week at the Morayshire Monitor Farm meeting that ignoring the topic could put their life’s work at risk.

The Monitor Farm group met on Tuesday 4th December 2018 to tackle the issue together, helped by expert Heather Wildman of Saviour Associates.

Iain Green farms in partnership with his mother and father at Corskie Farm near Elgin and hosts the Morayshire Monitor Farm.

He said: “We wanted to look at succession planning because I think it’s something quite important that possibly a lot of farming families tend to ignore, perhaps sadly until it’s too late or they haven’t done anything early enough.”

Iain counts himself lucky that his own father and grandfather involved him in the business from a young age, and he wants to do the same for his daughters.

At the meeting, Heather Wildman gave her challenging, down-to-earth advice for farming families wanting to start tackling their succession.

“We only live once,” Heather reminded the group. “What are your dreams? What is the legacy you want to leave?”

She encouraged everyone to have personal and business goals in writing, shared with the rest of the family. Farmers should then calculate finances needed for retirement; and make sure that legal documentation like power of attorney is in place.

“Power of attorney is vital for every partner in the business, not just the older generations,” Heather said.

For Iain, Corskie’s business goals are now clear and everybody in the partnership knows them.

“We want to carry on with the family farming partnership, to maintain it profitably and look for any opportunities for expansion or diversification. Also, any partners in the business should be active within the partnership.”

The final step for Iain and his family is to tie down the legal details, with the help of qualified legal advisors.

For further support on succession farmers should contact a legal professional or advice group such as RSABI.

The Morayshire Monitor 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.

Developing effective winter feed plans to maximise performance will be the focus of the next Sutherland Monitor Farm meeting on Wednesday 12 December.

Nick Canning, Technical lead at Harbro, will be the key speaker at the free meeting, which is being held at Brora Golf Club.

As well as highlighting how to do simple forage calculations, Mr Canning will suggest how livestock farmers can, when forage availability is low, prioritise rations to ensure that the nutritional requirements of all stock on the unit are met over the winter months.

“Knowing the different nutritional requirements of pregnant ewes and cows throughout pregnancy is really important. However, it becomes vital as they approach lambing and calving, to ensure that the requirements are met in order to boost colostrum quality and the growth of the newborn lamb or calf,” said Mr Canning.

Mr Canning is keen to show the benefits of measuring and recording performance against costs. He said: “Farmers can sometimes shy away from using ‘Key Performance Indicators’ or KPI’s in their business but I hope to demonstrate at the meeting that setting targets and KPIs can help improve the efficiency and profitability of a business, whilst being easily measurable”

He added: “Lots of farmers can tell you how many lambs or calves they wean each year, but unless they compare the weaning weight against the costs to produce that animal, the figure is of limited value.

“Measuring kg of liveweight weaned per animal against the cost of production for that animal, and it’s mother, throughout the year will give a real figure that can be compared with other businesses.”

Jason and Vic Ballantyne took over the day-to-day running of the 125-hectare tenanted Clynelish, Sutherland’s monitor farm, in 2012, and currently run 900 breeding ewes and 80 suckler cows. Their May born calves are usually weaned at five and a half months and are sold at nine and a half months at Thainstone. The calves are overwintered inside on silage, draff from the distillery and a little beet pulp and soya which Victoria describes as “a pretty affordable diet.”

The Ballantynes, who have always had a firm grasp of their costs of production, will share their recent weaning and scan results at the meeting. Keen not to get caught out trying to source feed this year, like they and many farmers did last year, they have already started planning for the second half of the winter and next spring.

“We have done some basic feed budgeting based on what we know we have in sheds and in the ground. We also know what stock we expect to carry so this gives us somewhere to start from,” said Jason Ballantyne.

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 12 December 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.

Maximising your use of machinery and technology will be the focus of the next Angus Monitor Meeting on Thursday 13 December.

Mary Munro from Strutt and Parker will share the findings of the recent machinery review carried out at Mill of Inverarity and compare their findings to those found across AHDB’s monitor farm network. The machinery review looks at costs including machinery, labour and cost per operation, for example the cost per hectare of ploughing, rolling or combining.

Morayshire Monitor Farmer Iain Green will also be at the event to discuss Corskie Farm’s new Beef Monitor system which weighs cattle each time they take a drink.

The group will find out more about how the 50 cross bred finishing bulls using the system have been getting on. It’s already proving to be good value with Iain able to monitor the performance of his stock using an app on his phone.

Iain uses the Beef Monitor to keep an eye on his bulls’ growth without having to handle them or put them through races which is he feels is less stressful for the livestock as well as saving time and labour costs.

The Angus Management Team have also been trialling different fodder beet varieties over three different farms (including the Mill) and at the meeting Kirsten Williams from SAC Consulting will reveal how the varieties have performed in terms of volume produced, crude protein and metabolisable energy (ME).

“There is a lot of choice for farmers growing forage for stock and we wanted to look at which offered the best value for money.” Monitor Farmer Rob Stodart explains. “However it’s not as simple as looking at which was cheapest to grow and produced the best yield. We will also be discussing how to match stock to the correct fodder to get the best results.”

The meeting will be held at Forfar Auction Mart, starting at 11am and closing at 3pm. The event is free to attend but to lunch will be provided so to assist with catering attendees should book a place by contacting Stacey Hamilton by phone (01569 762305) or email (frbsstonehaven@sac.co.uk).

Innovation through collaboration with researchers will be the main focus at the upcoming Lothians Monitor Farm meeting on Wednesday 12 December.

Having initially partnered with the Moredun Research Institute to bring new livestock research findings on to farm, the team at Lothians Monitor Farm is now looking to link up with the James Hutton Institute to take their arable operations up a gear.

Monitor Farmer Bill Gray, who manages the fully arable Prestonhall Farms, explains: “We partnered with Moredun after a really engaging technology meeting they came along to next year.

“There is so much valuable research going on at places like the Moredun Research Institute and the James Hutton Institute and we really want to trial some of their work on farm and share with other farmers what might work for them in a commercial environment.”

The Management Team at Lothians have already visited the Institute to find out more about ongoing work and are particularly interested in projects like the Centre for Sustainable Cropping which aim to test cropping systems which optimise both yield and environmental sustainability.

At the meeting a scientist from the James Hutton Institute will share some of the most commercially practical projects which could then be trialled at the Lothians, with the group deciding which would be best to take forward in 2019.

The approach mirrors the work ongoing with the Moredun Research Institute which has seen Lothians Monitor Farmer Peter Eccles, who is a mainly livestock farmer based at Saughland Farm, successfully implementing targeted selective treatment for worming lambs, as well as pen side testing for sheep scab.

On the day the group will also be joined by Niall Jeffrey, who farms at Bielgrange in East Lothian, recently named as AgriScot Scotch Beef Farm of the Year.

Niall will discuss how the farm is currently working with UK Agritech Centre Agri-EPI on improving the efficiency of his beef enterprise through better use of technology. The farm currently uses a beef monitor system to weigh the livestock every time they take a drink and they also wear collars which provide early warnings of any health and fertility issues.

Gavin Dick, Commercial Farms Manager for Agri-EPI, says their work can help farmers make better use of available technologies to improve production.

“Imaging and sensor technologies give livestock and arable farmers the opportunity to detect and solve problems earlier, for example identifying potential livestock health issues before any clinical signs appear.” Gavin says. “They can then make informed management decisions earlier which should improve production efficiency.”

At the end of the meeting Niall will be joined by the JHI scientist and QMS Chair Kate Rowell, for an open Q&A session with the community group. Any questions will be welcomed for what will no doubt be a lively discussion.

The Lothians Monitor farm – a partnership between neighbouring farms Saughland and Prestonhall – 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 12 December will be held at the Juniperlea Inn, Pathhead, all are welcome and the event is free. Lunch will be provided at 12pm and for catering purposes those interested in coming along should confirm attendance with Colin MacPhail on 07747 046461 or at colin@macphailconsulting.co.uk. The meeting is expected to finish by 4pm.

The sometimes thorny subject of succession planning will be the focus of the next Morayshire Monitor Farm meeting on Tuesday 4 December.

As well as tackling his own farm’s succession, Monitor Farmer Iain Green will take the group through how he plans to manage feedstocks over the winter.

He says: “At the last meeting we calculated that we had a 410 tonnes dry matter shortfall, however I’m happy to say that we have now gone some way to making that up.

“At the meeting I’ll discuss changes we’ve made to improve the situation, such as keeping cattle outside for longer, and I’ve also sown more forage crops. It’s still likely to be a challenging winter but I think we should be able to manage.”

The rest of the meeting will be run by Heather Wildman from Saviour Associates who will cover future planning. She will emphasize the importance of dreams and goals, having a vision for your future and solving succession issues early.

The meeting will focus on helping people identify what it is they want to achieve, or even what they would like to avoid. There will also be discussion on some of the reasons why farmers often postpone planning for succession and suggest some questions farmers should ask themselves at that start of the process.

The Morayshire Monitor 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 Monitor Farm meeting will take place at Fochabers Public Institute, High Street, Fochabers, IV32 7EP, on Tuesday 4 December from 12pm – 4.30pm and lunch will be provided. 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 548 787 / 07788 568 691) or email (samantha.stewart@sac.co.uk).

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE DATE OF THIS MEETING IS NOW SUNDAY 2ND DECEMBER

The next Shetland monitor farm meeting on Sunday 2nd December will encourage farmers and crofters to plan for the future.

Margi Campbell from Saffery Champness Chartered Accountants will outline the mechanics of the succession planning process, along with some of the tax efficient options available to farmers and crofters, to help ensure assets and the farming business are passed to next generations with minimal stress and minimal tax.

She said: “Every farm business is unique, and so any succession planning must consider the legal and tax implications alongside the family dynamic. The right answer for one family is often the wrong answer for others.”

She will be joined by Paul Rutherford and Andrea Ross, solicitors from Harper Macleod LLP in Lerwick, who will highlight the importance of making a will and the implications of passing on croft land.

Also at the meeting, vet Karis Stevenson will give a presentation about the research study she recently completed on the management of footrot in sheep. The project, which was conducted whilst Ms Stevenson was in her final year at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in Edinburgh, involved surveying farmers and crofters on Shetland.

Ms Stevenson, who grew up on a small croft in South Nesting and now works in practice in Aberdeen, is keen to share her research findings with the group.

She said: “This project would not have been successful without the participation of the crofters and farmers from Shetland, so I am really looking forward to discussing the results with them.”

After lunch, Kirsty and Aimee Budge from Bigton Farm, Shetland’s monitor farm, will update the group on developments at Bigton since the last meeting and Ms Stevenson will lead a practical session examining sheep’s feet.

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. 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 Sunday 2nd December, which is free to attend, will begin at Bigton Hall at 11.00. Lunch will be provided and the meeting will finish at approximately 3.00pm.

To book your attendance (and lunch) please contact Graham Fraser, SAC Consulting Lerwick on 01595 693520 or email frbslerwick@sac.co.uk

The next Nithsdale Monitor Farm meeting on Thursday 29 November will focus on how to get the most from suckler beef production and will be held at Glenkiln Estate, Crocketford by kind permission of Sir Henry Keswick.

The meeting will be held at Nethertown Farm, Shawhead, DG2 9SS one of the units on the 2,400-hectare estate, where John Wildman, farm manager at Glenkiln, will explain how he and his team manage the 600 breeding cows and 3,000 ewes.

The cows at Glenkiln are a mixture of Shorthorns, Simmentals and Aberdeen Angus crosses, which are put to either an Angus, Salers or Charolais bull. Two thirds calve in the spring with the remainder calving in late summer and cows are housed from late October.

“Operating a closed herd policy, retaining heifers for replacements, we sell all cattle as stores,” said Mr Wildman, “and, like every beef farmer, we are constantly trying to improve our genetics to breed a more sustainable suckler cow.”

The estate, which is split by the A75, has recently and continues to undergo some modernisation of infrastructure. This investment has improved the facilities both for the cattle and those working with them and there will be an opportunity to view them on the 29 November.

Orkney beef farmer Steven Sandison will also attend the meeting and explain what he sees as the important opportunities to deliver profits in beef production. He will also share the findings of the Nuffield scholarship he completed in 2015 which looked at benchmarking targets for suckler herds.

Finally, in preparation for spring calving, Alistair Padkin from Nithsdale Veterinary Surgeons will outline how farmers can reduce the incidence of three major health challenges – pneumonia, coccidiosis and cryptosporidiosis in their young stock next year.

Andrew and Aileen Marchant who farm at nearby Clonhie, the Nithsdale Monitor farm, have a small herd of Luing cattle and are keen to hear if they can learn anything from the speakers at the next meeting.

“It doesn’t matter if you have six or 600 cows, I think there is a real opportunity to improve your beef herd, whether that be the genetics, the management or the health status of the animals,” said Mr Marchant.

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 at Glenkiln Farms on Thursday 29 November will begin at 10am, end at 3pm and will include lunch.

To book your place please contact facilitator Judith Hutchison on 07718 919055 or email judith.agridigm@icloud.com.

The next North Ayrshire Monitor farm meeting on Friday 16 November will focus on livestock health and nutrition.

At the meeting, which will be held at Girtridge Farm, Dundonald, a line-up of animal health and nutrition experts will lead discussions about the control of a range of diseases often seen at this time of the year, including pneumonia and lung worm in cattle and liver fluke in sheep.

Vet Megan Wilson from SAC Consulting’s Veterinary Investigation Centre at Auchincruive, will highlight quarantine guidelines for farmers bringing new stock onto their farms. These are essential to reduce or prevent the introduction of new diseases onto their farm from other farms.

John Howie runs the 140-hectare Girtridge farm and currently finishes around 300 cattle all year round, some housed and others from grass.

As he sources store cattle between 15-24 months of age from both Ayr market and privately, he is aware of the risks of bringing new stock onto his farm and understands the importance of quarantining new stock on arrival to minimise the risk of introducing disease to his herd.

He said: “We source store cattle throughout the year and try to keep them separate from the main herd for as long as we practically can in case they begin to show any signs of disease.”

He added: “At this time of year we also treat them for worms, especially lung worm, and vaccinate them for IBR before we mix them with the other stock.”

As Mr Howie houses all his cattle over the winter months he is keen to ensure his buildings have adequate ventilation and is currently adapting them to increase ventilation and minimise the risk of pneumonia developing in this stock.

Girtridge also has 350 ewes and gimmers going to the tup this year. While pointing out that he hasn’t had a significant problem with liver fluke in his own flock in the past, Mr Howie is aware some of the land at Girtridge is low-lying which is the perfect environment for mud snails, which support the life cycle of the fluke parasite.

Autumn and early winter are when acute liver fluke cases are most commonly seen, so SAC vet Marion McMillan, also from Auchencruive, will explain the signs of liver fluke in sheep during the meeting and advise farmers how they can detect, treat and prevent the problem in their flocks.

Finally, SAC nutritionist Karen Stewart will share her knowledge on beef nutrition and how farmers can efficiently maximise the growth of their cattle while indoors.

Mr Howie has been working with Ms Stewart to develop a ration for the finishing cattle at Girtridge which includes home grown silage, hay and winter and spring barley, with straw being kept for bedding.

“To help minimise costs, we are trying to make the most of what we have and reduce the need to buy feed in,” said Mr Howie.

He added: “Although the results of the second cut silage analysis was disappointing this year, we were really pleased with the performance of our winter barley. As a result we have sown an extra 15 acres of it this autumn, taking the total to 35 acres to help boost winter feed supplies in the future.”

The North Ayrshire Monitor Farm is one of nine monitor farms that have been established across Scotland in a joint initiative by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds, with funding from the Scottish Government. The aim of the programme is to help improve the productivity, profitability and sustainability of Scottish farm businesses.

The meeting at Girtridge Farm on 16 November will begin at 10.30am and finish at around 2.30pm. Lunch will be provided. All are welcome and the event is free.

For catering purposes, those interested in coming along on 16 November should confirm attendance by calling 01292 525252 or emailing FBSAyr@sac.co.uk