At the next meeting of the Borders Monitor farm on Wednesday 16 May, the host farmers will share their thoughts on a plant growth enhancer which they have been trying out on their farm.
After one of the most challenging periods of weather Scottish farmers have faced in decades, the Mitchell family at Whitriggs Farm, near Denholm, decided to try out Smart Grass, to help boost grass growth on their farm.
SmartGrass is a sprayable plant growth enhancer designed to increase dry matter production during cool weather.
“After the awful weather we had at the start of the spring we wanted to see if we could boost grass growth on the farm to help bring our lambs on, and save us having to buy in extra feed,” said Stuart Mitchell. “However, although we wanted more grass, it was also important that we didn’t compromise on its quality.”
The Mitchells heard about SmartGrass from their monitor farm facilitator and after doing some research sourced a small amount of the NuFarm Uk product from local distributor MSP. They sprayed 20 hectares of their grass with SmartGrass in the middle of April and have been very impressed with the results so far.
“We could see a visible difference in the grass almost straight away,” said Mr Mitchell.
“The first two weeks after we applied SmartGrass, the grass really shot up but was yellow in colour. Over the next two weeks the grass gradually turned green. Now you can notice a mile away the difference in height between the treated and untreated grass. What we will look to do now is quantify that benefit, so we need to know how much more grass there is and just as importantly, has the quality of this extra grass been affected?”
The Mitchells are very aware that grass quality is also important and will continue to measure and analyse both the treated and untreated grass over the coming months to see if the investment they have made, both in time taken to apply, and the product itself, has been worthwhile.
The Mitchells will also give an update on how the lambing went this year, at the meeting. After discovering that some of their 1,000 lleyn ewes tested positive for Maedi Visna (MV) last year, the family lambed their 300 gimmers in two seperate locations in an attempt to keep the disease from spreading.
They therefore lambed the 154 gimmers and all of the ewes which tested negative at Whitriggs and lambed the 146 gimmers which tested positive for MV at their neightbouring farm, Denholm Mill.
“Running two different lambing flocks was definitely a challenge,” said Lesley Mitchell. “We basically had to keep separate tractors and trailors, equipment and tags at each farm to avoid cross-contamination and anyone who needed to work with either flock had to change clothes and disinfect themselves thoroughly.”
The family believe, though, that the precauctions they took have been worth it to re-establish a flock which is flock clear of the disease.
At the end of March the family sent 63 of their store bullocks to United Auctions in Stirling. At a previous monitor farm meeting the community group thought that the bullocks would average £885 at sale. However on the day they averaged £930, much to the delight of the Mitchell family.
Finally, at the meeting on 16 May, the family will give an update on their decision to compliment their current beef and sheep enterprises with a deer enterprise. With the new deer sheds nearly up, and fencing beginning in May, the 120 hinds should arrive at Whitriggs in September.
After lunch there will be a talk from Mags Granger from RSABI on the importance of identifying and managing stress and mental health issues, with advice on what to do if you, or someone you know is having problems.
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 16 May, which will be held at Whitriggs Farm, near Denholm, 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 16 May should confirm attendance with Stephen Young, one of the project facilitators, on 07502 339613 or email stephen.young@saos.coop.
Maintaining feed levels after a difficult spring will be on many farmers’ minds right now, and this challenging topic will be tackled at the coming meeting of the Angus Monitor on 17 May.
Rotational grazing will be covered by Poppy Frater, a sheep and grassland specialist with SAC Consulting. While the Stodarts have been trying out rotational grazing this year they are keen to take a more systematic approach and the group will be exploring how to get the most out of the grass through managing key areas such as stocking densities and shift patterns.
Monitor Farmer Rob Stodart says: “Getting the most out of grass is critical for us, especially as we have been building our sheep numbers and we need to feed them efficiently throughout the year. Grass growth has been very slow so far this season, I would normally look to rent grass parks for ewes, but it’s an expensive option so I want to find other solutions.”
Another avenue the family is exploring with consultant Kirsten Williams is using fodder beet. 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. Kirstin will explain more about the crop and also introduce the group to other alternatives such as chicory and plantain.
“We’re putting in five acres of fodder beet this year,” Rory Stodart explains. “I’m told that it has the potential to feed a lot of livestock over a fairly small area, and we need to give the grass a break over the winter and encourage early spring growth. Putting the ewes on the fodder beet should allow us to do that.”
Of course, the family has also been looking into other areas to improve animal feed management, and they will reveal the results of one such pilot at the meeting. Last autumn some of their spring barley was under sown with grass for winter grazing for the sheep. Having tried this previously and found that the grass growth led to a decreased spring barley yield the Stodarts are hoping to see better results this year.
Finally, Robert McCoul, an agronomist from the Glenside Group, will discuss how to improve yields in poorly performing arable fields. One such field at the Mill has long been a mystery, with the usual tests unable to solve why its yields are low. Robert has been digging deeper into the field’s soil biology to find an explanation, and he will share his results at the meeting.
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 be held at Mill of Inverarity Farm, Forfar, Angus, DD8 2JN, starting at 11am and 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).
The message that livestock farming in Scotland’s hills and mountains can create productive larders for quality beef and lamb as well as delivering environmental benefits, was highlighted at an event near Fort William.
Speaking at the “Vision for Scotland’s Hills and Mountains” event at Benavie, organised jointly by the Lochaber Monitor Farm and NFU Scotland, Claudia Rowse, Head of Rural Resources Unit, Scottish Natural Heritage, said the role of farmers and crofters in delivering environmental benefits needs to be properly recognised.
“We at SNH strongly believe that the role farmers take in managing their land to benefit nature and wildlife should be recognised,” she told the packed-out event near Fort William attended by more than 70 farmers and crofters.
Ms Rowse, who took a series of questions from farmers attending, said that in her view it is vital that farmers and environmentalists work together to inform those who might doubt the value hill farming delivers to nature in Scotland’s hills and mountains.
“We’ll accomplish so much more by working together to benefit both farming and nature. We share many of the same goals, and we’re committed to supporting farmers to be as environmentally friendly as possible and encourage wildlife on their farms.,” she added.
Attendees heard from a range of expert speakers who explored different views on the future use of Scotland’s hills and mountains – from the environmental perspective to the market opportunities.
Among the other key speakers were Donald Cameron MSP, Laurent Vernet of Quality Meat Scotland and Jonnie Hall of NFU Scotland.
Angus MacFadyen, of Bragleenmore Farm, Oban set the scene for the day by posing some challenging questions to farmers and crofters attending.
“We need to consider our stock, our support and our product. Are our stock as good as we can get them? Should we be making more of technology like EBVs? Do we need to change? Are we properly qualified?” he asked.
In other countries farmers are, he said, really taking on EBVs and performance recording.
“In Norway, for example, no tup gets used unless it has a good set of figures behind it, and this has definitely taken them forward. Sheep there are very much considered environmental animals and there are payments for sheep going up to graze in the mountains in the summer,” said Mr MacFadyen.
He said Scottish hill farmers were also doing an excellent environmental job but the challenge was how to translate that public good into income.
“I am very optimistic about the future. We can turn these hills into productive larders for sheep and cattle – it’s a highly skilled job and opportunities definitely exist because I am confident there will be demand for our products going forward,” he said.
Laurent Vernet, Director of Strategic Engagement with Quality Meat Scotland, shared this view.
“Hill lamb is a product which is very different and there will be opportunities for it going forward but it needs to be from a properly finished animal, not just a store animal,” said Mr Vernet.
The size of hill lamb from Scotland could met the requirements of some markets in the UK and overseas, he said.
A good example can be seen in Iceland, he said, which has the biggest head of sheep to population ratio and highest consumption of lamb per capita in Western Europe.
“In Iceland they have a small lamb which they have succeeded in aggressively marketing and is now much sought after around the word,” added Mr Vernet.
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 next meeting of the Lochaber Monitor Farm is on March 15th. For more
info please contact Niall Campbell or Morven MacArthur on 01631 563093 or email fbsoban@sac.co.uk.
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