Potential routes to optimise the use and management of grazing land in order to improve profitability, will be discussed at the next Lochaber Monitor farm meeting on Thursday 15 March.
Monitor farmers Chris and Malcolm Cameron, from Strone Farm near Banavie, have recently secured a five-year tenancy of around 42 hectares of additional grazing with a small shed at Fassfern, Locheil, 11 miles away from the home farm.
At the meeting on the 15 March, which will be held at the newly-rented land at Fassfern, the group will consider the best use of the new additional acreage within the current farm management system in order to improve the output of the business. The group will discuss how the grassland should be managed and what improvements will provide the best return on any investment made.
Due to a serious predation problem around Strone, the Camerons currently send their ewes to rented grazing land near Inverness to lamb outside. The lambs are then reared and sold as stores in August without returning to Strone.
Although lambing away from Strone has resulted in much higher lambing percentages, it means Chris needs to live away from the family farm for 3-4 weeks every year so that he can monitor his ewes during the lambing period, which isn’t ideal for the farming family.
Chris Cameron already has some ideas for using this extra grazing. “I’m keen to see if it would be feasible for us to lamb our ewes with twins inside and maybe even finish some lambs ourselves, rather than selling them as store, as we have done in the past.”
He added: “How hill and mountain farmers like ourselves improve the light lamb product they currently offer was one of the issues highlighted at last month’s Vision of the Hills and Mountains meeting and it has certainly given us food for thought as to how we can do this differently at Strone.”
The meeting on 15 March will therefore also explore the option for finishing lambs on the west coast – including input and outputs and how to best improve marginal land; through rush control, drainage, ditching and reseeding.
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.
Please note that the meeting, which will begin at 11am and end at 2.30pm will be held at the shed at Fassfern, NOT at Strone Farm. Please use postcode PH33 7NP for directions. A cold lunch will be provided, but as there is no electricity supply, those attending are encouraged to bring a flask of something warm to drink
To book your attendance (and lunch!) please contact Niall Campbell or Morven MacArthur on 01631 563093 or email fbsoban@sac.co.uk.
Health planning, the marketing of Shetland hill lamb and opportunities for young people working in agriculture are just some of the topics to be discussed at the next meeting of the Shetland Monitor Farm on Saturday 17th March.
Gary Mitchell, dairy farmer from Stranraer and Vice-Chairman of NFU Scotland, is known for his enthusiasm for encouraging young people into farming and identifying training and employment opportunities for them. At the meeting, which will begin at Bigton Hall at 11am, he will speak about how taking part in the Rural Leadership Programme ten years ago changed his way of thinking.
The Rural Leadership Programme is aimed at business managers and employees of rural businesses who have a desire to develop their leadership skills and grow their business. To date, over 450 people have completed the programme, including farmers from across Scotland.
“It’s been ten years since I completed the programme and I can honestly say that I grew so much, both personally and professionally, by taking part. It has changed the way I think, both about farming and politics, and I would thoroughly recommend others to consider the programme,” said Mr Mitchell.
Also at the meeting, Jim Tait of Shetland Vets will talk about the benefits of livestock health planning. Sisters Kirsty and Aimee Budge know that there are many advantages to being proactive about health planning, including an improvement in animal welfare, financial gain and increased farm efficiency.
“We know that the farmers and crofters on Shetland who have developed animal health plans are really seeing the benefits of doing it and this is another subject we’ll be looking at, at the meeting,” said Kirsty Budge.
As Bigton farm, Shetland’s Monitor farm, is a lowland farm and doesn’t produce purebred Shetland lamb, a Shetland Hill Lamb sub-group has been established to feed into the monitor farm community group and there will be an update from the sub-group members following their inaugural meeting in February.
Mr Eric Graham, chairman of the Shetland Lamb Group commented: “We hope that the members of the Group, which consists of hill farmers and crofters from across Shetland, will work together to identify opportunities to market Shetland hill lambs and ways to finish Shetland lambs on Shetland, before they are shipped to the mainland for processing.”
Aimee and Kirsty Budge are keen to share what has been happening at Bigton Farm since their last meeting in December. “Lots has been going on at the farm. We conducted a carbon audit recently which has highlighted some changes we could make to improve efficiencies on the farm, and we are also in the process of putting in an environmental grant application to AECS to help fund the management of our heaths and wetlands and other grasslands around the farm” said Kirsty Budge.
“We also bought a new Shorthorn bull that we are keen to show folk, and we also have scanning results for both our cows and our ewes that we plan to share and get feedback on from the group,” added Aimee Budge.
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 Saturday 17th March will begin at Bigton Hall at 11am and end at 3pm. Lunch will be provided.
To book your attendance (and lunch!) please contact Graham Fraser, SAC Consulting Lerwick on 01595 693520 or email frbslerwick@sac.co.uk
The importance of maximising soil health to boost grass production will be the focus of the next meeting of the Sutherland Monitor Farm on Tuesday 13th March.
At the meeting, which will be held at Clynelish Farm near Brora, Mark Hodkinson, a leading soil specialist, will explain the properties that make up good soil. He will also outline ways in which livestock farmers can improve their own soil management and nutrition in order to maximise grass production and animal health.
Clynelish Farm is a 125-hectare farm run by Jason Ballantyne and his wife Vic, in partnership with Jason’s dad Murdo. The family also have 32 hectares of seasonal grazing locally and 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 farm produces all its own hay and silage and all stock are almost entirely forage fed. The Ballantynes recognise that healthy, fertile soil is vital in order to maximise yields.
“We are really looking forward to hearing the insights of Mark Hodkinson from Soils4Life on our soil at Clynelish,” said Jason Ballantyne.
“We, like all livestock farmers, need our soil to be as healthy and fertile as possible in order to grow the best grass we can to get optimal stock performance. Hopefully Mark will provide an insight into how we can manage and improve our soil to help us achieve that.”
The family have 670 ewes of their own and 75 suckler cows, including 11 heifers, and both enterprises are operated on low-cost forage systems. The native cross cows are currently outwintered on straw and silage. All calves are weaned at five-and-a-half months and grow well despite not receiving any creep feed. They are sold at Thainstone at nine-and-a-half months averaging 343kg.
Although Jason and Vic Ballantyne are happy with the return they are currently seeing, they are keen to try and improve efficiencies where they can, so are open to suggestions from the monitor farm group. The couple will lead a breakout session at the meeting to discuss whether they should consider changing their current system. They will also share their recent scanning results and give an update on the farm since their last meeting in January.
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 Clynelish Farm on Tuesday 13th March, is free to attend and open to all, 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
Selecting the right breeding replacements for your suckler herd and choosing the correct feed to maximise the growth rates of finishing cattle are two of the key subjects being discussed at the next Borders Monitor farm meeting on 7 March at the Auld Cross Keys Inn at Denholm.
As well as 1,000 Lleyn sheep, Robert and Lesley Mitchell and their son Stuart run 140 suckler cows – a combination of Beef Shorthorn and Aberdeen-Angus crosses – on their two neighbouring farms, Whitriggs and Denholm Hill.
The Mitchells currently have a group of 60 young heifers and are looking to select 30 of them to join the main herd as replacements, with the others being sold on as breeding stock.
“Selecting replacement heifers is one of the most important decisions we will make, as their performance, and the performance of the calves they produce will have a major influence on the profitability of the herd in the future,” said Robert Mitchell.
To help advise them, and other farmers, about what to look for when choosing breeding replacements, independent beef specialist Basil Lowman will highlight the importance of selecting and managing heifers in order to maximise herd fertility and performance. He will then lead an interactive session where the group will help choose potential breeding replacements for Whitriggs.
Cattle finishing is another subject which has a major influence on herd profitability and Colin MacPhail, one of the project faciliators, will lead a discussion on the costs associated with intensive finishing.
The Mitchells are keen to see if intensive finishing could be a viable option for them.
“As we sold our steers in September as stores,we have had less mouths on the farm over winter and have surplus stocks of fodder and cereals as a result. We are therefore keen to see what growth rates we would need to achieve in our 2017 calf crop with the feed we have in order to make intensive finishing profitable for us,” said Mr Mitchell.
Following lunch, the Mitchells will give an update on what has been happening on their farm since their last meeting in January and will discuss their preparations for this year’s lambing and calving.
The financial performance and key performance indicators (KPIs) of Whitriggs Farm will also be analysed at this meeting. Using both industry standard figures and benchmarked performance data from the associated monitor farm business group, the farmers attending will be able to see which area of the family’s business needs attention going forward.
Whitriggs 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 on 7 March will be held at the Auld Cross Keys Hotel at Denholm, TD9 8NU. The meeting is due to begin at 10.30am and is expected to end at 2.30pm. Lunch will be provided. All are welcome and the event is free.
For catering purposes, those interested in coming along on 7 March should confirm attendance with Stephen Young, one of the project facilitators, on 07502 339613 or email stephen.young@saos.coop.
Collaboration and innovation are key to more efficient farming, particularly when it comes to machinery, something the Lothians Monitor Farm will demonstrate at their upcoming meeting on 8 March.
The event will focus on machinery, investigating how best to finance it, the benefits of sharing it and what the future holds for on farm technology.
Kit Franklin from Harper Adams University who leads the Hands Free Hectare project will describe how his team managed to successfully plant, tend and harvest a crop with only autonomous vehicles and drones. Their first hands free crop of spring barley achieved a yield of 4.5 tonners/ha and they hope to see that improved with their second attempt, this time with winter wheat.
Moving on to the future of livestock farming, Dr Stewart Burgess from the Moredun Research Institute will focus on the technology which could make the biggest impact on livestock profitability in the next 25 years, such as pen side blood testing which offers immediate results.
Stewart says: “New and emerging technologies, such as portable DNA sequencing, pen-side diagnostic tests and remote sensors have the potential to transform the way that we manage disease in our livestock; impacting on the detection, treatment and prevention of disease.
“In particular, the combination of these technologies and their successful integration into existing farming practices can significantly reduce the burden of disease, improving animal welfare and productivity”.
Willie Thomson, Chair of the Lothians Management Group, and Borders farmer Rob Forrest, will discuss their experience of machinery sharing which has allowed them to reduce their fixed costs without reducing their output, and Willie is particularly passionate about encouraging more farmers to work together.
He says: “Collaboration between farmers is something we will all have to do more of in the coming years, whether it is sharing labour, or machinery, or in some other way. I hope through this monitor farm we can show how collaboration can work well, and encourage others to replicate it.”
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 8 March will be held at the Juniperlea Inn, Pathhead, EH37 5TE, 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 8 March should confirm attendance with Colin MacPhail on 07747 046461 or at colin@macphailconsulting.co.uk. The meeting is expected to finish by 2.30pm.
The upcoming meeting at Angus Monitor Farm could inspire changes to the Stodart family’s approach to arable cropping and fodder grazing.
The event at Mill of Inverarity Farm on 1 March will review the previous season’s arable yields, as well as the outline plan for this season, but the Stodarts are open to ideas from the community group as to how they might do things differently.
Monitor Farmer Rob Stodart says: “Now the community group know the farm a bit better we want to ask them what they would do if they were managing the land. What treatments and timings would they use? What cultivation techniques would they recommend? How would they reduce inputs and maximise outputs?”
Agronomist Sam Riddell will be on hand to explain more about the farm’s current approach to fungicide and fertiliser management and there will also be a chance to look at the yield maps from the 2017 season.
One area of interest will no doubt be how the spring barley under sown with grass for winter grazing performed, previously the grass growth led to a decreased spring barley yield but the family tried some different techniques this year and they will reveal how successful they were at the meeting.
There will also be a discussion, facilitated by Kirstin Williams from SAC Consulting, on using cover crops and fodder beet as part of the EFA requirement. Fodder beet is of particular interest to the Stodarts as while it’s not yet a popular fodder crop locally they have heard positive reports of in terms of yield, nutrition and its potential to improve soil structure.
Mill of Inverarity is part of the Monitor Farm Scotland initiative, managed by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds.
The aim of the programme, which is funded by the Scottish Government, is to help improve the productivity, profitability and sustainability of Scottish farm businesses through practical demonstrations, the sharing of best practice and the discussion of up-to-date issues.
The meeting will begin at Mill of Inverarity Farm, Forfar, Angus, DD8 2JN at 10am, before moving to Forfar Auction Mart for lunch before closing at 2.30pm.
The event is free to attend but to assist with catering attendees should book a place by contacting Stacey Hamilton by phone (01569 762305) or email (frbsstonehaven@sac.co.uk).
Farmers are invited to the next meeting of the North Ayrshire Monitor Farm on Friday 9 March, which will focus on improving the profitability and efficiency of suckler cows.
At the meeting, which will be held at Auchans Restaurant in Dundonald, Gavin Hill, a Beef Specialist with SAC Consulting, will give an outlook for the beef industry and share ways in which farmers can increase margins on their own farms.
He will be joined by a local suckler beef producer, who will describe about how they manage their herd to maximise productivity and profitability.
John Howie, North Ayrshire’s monitor farm host, runs 250 breeding ewes and finishes over 200 cattle each year at Girtridge. The family also runs a small suckler herd of continental cross cows, which are put to a Limousin bull. All the calves are finished on-farm and sold deadweight at 20 months of age to either AK Stoddart Ltd or Highland Meats.
At the meeting, Mr Howie, who farms in partnership with his mother Margaret and sister Mary, will give an overview on how he currently manages his suckler herd. He is keen to receive feedback from local farmers about how his herd’s performance can be improved.
Last year Mr Howie conducted a full financial and performance review of Girtridge for the first time as part of the monitor farm programme which, he said, has helped him get to grips with how each of the different elements of the farm business is performing.
“We are keen to keep the suckler herd if we can but, with just ten cows, we aren’t sure whether we should expand the herd or concentrate on the finishing and sheep sides of the business,” said Mr Howie.
“Looking at the gross margins and analysing our figures in detail has really helped us get a clearer picture of what parts of the business are most profitable. This review and benchmarking with similar farms in the area will definitely help us make an informed decision about what we should do 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 on 9 March at the Auchans Restaurant, Dundonald, KA2 9HH will begin at 10.30am. Lunch will be provided, and the meeting is expected to finish by 3pm. All are welcome and the event is free.
For catering purposes, those interested in coming along on 9 March should confirm attendance by calling 01292 525252 or emailing FBSAyr@sac.co.uk
The future for those farming and crofting in Scotland’s hills and mountains will be under consideration at a horizon-scanning event in later this month.
The day-long event is being organised jointly by the Lochaber Monitor Farm management group and NFU Scotland. It is open to all and will take place at the Moorings Hotel, Banvie, near Fort William on February 23rd, starting at 10.45am.
The aim of the meeting is to hear from a range of expert speakers and explore different views on the future use of Scotland’s hills and mountains – from the environmental perspective to the market opportunities.
Among the key speakers at the event will be Donald Cameron MSP, Laurent Vernet of Quality Meat Scotland, Claudia Rouse of Scottish Natural Heritage and Johnnie Hall of NFU Scotland.
The idea to host the “vision” meeting came from the Lochaber Monitor Farm management group. Lochaber 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 aims to provide a strategic overview of how land in Scotland’s hills and mountains will be used in the future and to hear from a range of different viewpoints,” said John MacAulay local farmer and Chairman of Lochaber Monitor Farm management group.
“A key focus will be identifying the public benefits delivered by active hill and mountain farming and crofting and helping farmers and crofters explore the future of farming in this areas.”
John Dickson Argyll & the Islands Regional Board Chairman of NFU Scotland added: “We are hoping for a strong turnout at this event which will also aim to identify what, and how, future policies and support mechanisms can underpin a viable hill and mountain farming and crofting sector.”
The event is free to attend and open to farmers and crofters but places are limited and booking is essential. To find out more and book a place contact SAC Consulting Oban on 01631 563093 or email fbsoban@sac.co.uk.
The fundamentals of breeding and rearing top class livestock will be discussed at the coming Morayshire Monitor Farm meeting on 13 February. On the arable side there will also be a session on how best to manage new spring barley varieties this coming season.
The meeting will begin with a demonstration of the Moocall calving sensor which they have been trying out at Corskie Farm. This device, which was launched in 2014, uses the movement of the cow’s tail to predict when calving may be imminent to try and reduce calf mortality.
The demo will be followed by a discussion on getting ready for calving and lambing led by members of the management group and there will be a chance to have a look at the bulls Iain will soon be putting up for sale at Stirling Bull Sales.
After lunch the group will be joined by the Chief Executive of the British Simmental Society, Neil Shand, who will discuss estimated breeding values (EBVs) and how best to use them as a tool when buying cattle.
He says: “Buying a bull can have a significant financial impact on a commercial suckler herd, be it positive or negative, so farmers really have to think through their decisions. I will be advising them to judge firstly by sight, and then use the EBVs to help them select the right animal for their herd requirements.
“Farmers should use the EBVs to work out which bull will give you the traits you most need, for example fertility, milk or growth and remember that the breeding values are not about the bull its self but about its progeny.”
Ian Lindsay, an agronomist from Syngenta, will take the group through how best to manage some of the newer barley varieties. Many, such as Laureate, have characteristics which enable reduced fungicide inputs but growers tend to treat them as they would more established varieties such as Concerto.
Monitor farmer Iain Green says: “I’m really hoping these new varieties will give us the opportunity to reduce our inputs and save costs. It should be possible as they have different traits such as better disease resistance, and Ian will be able to guide us on how to make the most of them.”
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 on Corskie Farm, Garmouth, IV32 7NN, on Tuesday 13 February from 11am until 3pm. 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) or email (samantha.stewart@sac.co.uk).
Farmers attending the next meeting of the Nithsdale Monitor Farm on Thursday 1st February will hear first-hand how developing an effective grassland management and grazing strategy can help boost livestock performance and improve profit margins.
Alex Brewster, a livestock farmer from Dunkeld in Perthshire, will be the guest speaker this this event, which is free to attend and starts at Clonhie Farm, Penpont, DG3 4NB at 11am.
A Nuffield Scholar and past QMS Grazing Group host, Mr Brewster farms Rotmell in partnership with his parents Alastair and Morag.
A self-confessed ‘grass geek’ Mr Brewster has set himself the challenge of doubling his production by increasing livestock numbers through better utilisation of grass.
Although Rotmell is 1,000 hectares, a large area of that is hill, so Mr Brewster only considers 400 hectares of the land effective.
One of the ways that the family are making best use of the grazing land at Rotmell is to phase out the autumn calvers and increase the number of spring calving commercial Aberdeen-Angus cows. There are also plans to increase the flock of 800 Blackface ewes.
While Mr Brewster has become keenly interested in the science behind the improvements on his farm, especially soil health and quality, the business is also benefitting from a reduction of feed costs, and no bagged fertiliser use which has also reduced costs.
He is positive that every farm can benefit from maximising the potential of its grass. “There are no mistakes – just learning challenges! Every farm is different and you have to learn by experience,” said Mr Brewster.
Whilst at Clonhie, Mr Brewster will give a demonstration of electric fencing, and how it can be used in establishing rotational or paddock grazing systems.
Nithsdale monitor farmer Andrew Marchant currently runs a small suckler herd of 20 Luing cows and almost 1,000 breeding ewes over a total of 303 hectares. In previous years Andrew Marchant, like many farmers in the area, struggled to find enough grazing for his ewes over the winter, so has had to feed concentrates and silage to his sheep, at an additional cost. This year, the ewes at Clonhie have been wintered on deferred grass as well as a kale and swede crop, which was planted for the first time last year after discussion with the management group.
As part of the meeting next week, Mr Marchant will give an update from Clonhie and share with the group a comparison of costs between his previous and new ewe wintering system. He is keen to see if he can pick up any tips from Mr Brewster on how he, and other farmers in the area, can improve the utilisation of the grass they have and save on feed costs.
“We really struggle to find decent grass throughout the winter for our sheep to graze so I’m looking forward to hearing Alex’s views on what we have done this year and see if he can suggest further improvements to our grassland management system.’
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.
Monitor farm meetings are open and free for all farmers to attend. The meeting on Thursday 1st February will begin at 11am at Clonhie Farm before moving to nearby Tynron Hall for lunch. The meeting is expected to finish at 3.30pm.
To book your place please contact Judith Hutchison, by 12 noon on Monday 29 January on 07718 919055 or email judith.agridigm@icloud.com .