Opportunities to improve livestock performance and reduce costs will be the focus of the next Borders monitor farm meeting on Wednesday 28 June.
Robert and Lesley Mitchell, along with son Stuart, farm at Whitriggs near Denholm. The family is constantly looking for ways to improve the performance of their suckler herd and their Lleyn flock. However, they are aware that everything they do must be cost effective.
The Mitchells have 140 suckler cows which are a combination of Beef Shorthorn cross and Aberdeen Angus cross. At the meeting next week, the family, along with Catherine Gayle from Hawick vets, will lead a discussion on fertility and synchronisation.
“We have a spring calving herd and are keen to tighten up our calving period if we can. We think there is a potential benefit in synchronising our cows, especially our heifers, to ensure that they get into calf quickly and are looking forward to hearing what other local farmers think,” said Robert Mitchell.
The Mitchells also run 1,000 Lleyn ewes and have routinely bolused their lambs each year with a trace element and mineral supplement.
At the meeting next week, Lesley Mitchell will give an update on the farms activities since their last meeting. The family will then introduce a trial that is running at Whitriggs this summer to look at options for mineral trace element supplementation.
The farm is splitting some of this year’s lambs into three groups – one group will receive a mineral and trace element bolus, another group will receive a mineral and trace element injection and the third group won’t receive any supplementation. The weights of the three groups will be monitored throughout the summer to see there is any different in growth rates between the groups. Alongside this, faecal egg counts will be taken to monitor worm burden.
Stuart Mitchell commented: “Our aim at Whitriggs is for our lambs to finish quickly off grass, at minimal cost. We believe that giving lambs a bolus boosts their growth rates and helps them reach their finished weight quicker. However, this trial will allow us to properly assess the extent of any boost in financial returns as a result of using the boluses.”
Whitriggs has 442 hectares of mainly semi-permanent and permanent grassland. At the last meeting in May, the community group discussed ways in which the Mitchell family could improve their grassland management. They have since established eight hectares of paddock grazing for their cattle and will share their initial thoughts on the system with the group at the meeting.
Whitriggs farm is one of nine new monitor farms established in Scotland as part of a joint initiative by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds and is being funded by £1.25million secured from the Scottish Government and European Union’s Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund.
The aim of the programme 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.
A management group of local farmers and others involved in agriculture has now been established to work with the community group and facilitators to drive the project over the next three years.
The meeting on 28 June will start at Whitriggs Farm, Denholm, TD9 8QR at 10am. Scotch Beef burgers will be on the lunch menu and the meeting is expected to finish by 2.30pm. All are welcome and the event is free.
For catering purposes, those interested in coming along on 28 June should contact Stephen Young, one of the project facilitators, on 07502 339613 or email stephen.young@saos.coop.
The opportunity to improve suckler herd margins on the west coast of Scotland will be the focus of the next meeting of the Lochaber Monitor Farm on June 29th.
Strone Farm, a 1,200-hectare hill farm located in the Great Glen, one of Scotland’s most scenic locations, is run by Chris Cameron in partnership with his father Malcolm and mother Eileen.
At the meeting, which will begin at 11am and includes lunch, the profitability of west coast suckler systems will be carefully considered.
The merits of two different systems used in the area will be considered – high input and output compared with low input and output.
The strengths and weaknesses of the different systems, including in-wintering versus out-wintering, will be considered along with what aspects of each system work best in terms of financial return.
Another objective of the meeting will be to identify a realistic set of key performance indicators for west coast suckler herds, which will be a useful tool for the monitor farm community group going forward.
The meeting will also involve a close look at the cattle system in place at Strone. “The initial part of the meeting will involve attendees being out on the farm, looking at the cattle and being given a detailed update on the current cattle policy and management system at Strone,” said Paolo Berardelli, Chairman of the Monitor Farm Management Group.
“We will then return carry out a comparison of the system with other farms in the local area. This will be done by management group members explaining their farming policies.”
Among the aspects of the Strone cattle enterprise which will be considered are: calving policy; wintering policy and marketing policy.
The Lochaber Monitor Farm is one of nine monitor farms that have been established around Scotland in a joint initiative by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds. The aim of the programme, which is funded by Scottish Government, is to help improve the productivity, profitability and sustainability of Scottish farm businesses.
The meetings are open and free for all farmers to attend. Attendees will also have an input into topics covered, speakers invited to meetings and visits to other enterprises and businesses.
To book your attendance (and lunch!) please contact Niall Campbell or Morven MacArthur on 01631 563093 or email fbsoban@sac.co.uk.
The potential to improve grass management and optimise lamb growth rates will be the main points of discussion at the next Shetland Monitor Farm meeting on Saturday 17 June.
At the meeting, which starts at Bigton Hall at 11am, host farmers Kirsty and Aimee Budge from Bigton farm will give an update on their activities since April, including a report on their lambing and calving this year.
Bigton has also, for the first time, introduced rotational grazing for their 70 spring suckler cows and have divided a 4.8 hectare field into four paddocks using electric fencing. The benefits of managing grassland in this way will be discussed at the next meeting and those who attend will be able to see the paddock grazing in action.
Options to improve lamb growth rates will also be discussed at the meeting. For the first time this year feed blocks with a high level of digestible undegradable protein (DUP), have been placed on St Ninian’s Isle, where the ewes and lambs graze throughout the summer. It is hoped that the additional supply of protein, which is not degraded as it passes through their rumen, will help boost milk production in the ewes, and subsequent lamb growth.
While the ewes on the Isle have access to the blocks, a second group of ewes and lambs have been moved to similar grazing on the family’s other farm, Toab, and will not have access to these blocks. The weights of the lambs from both groups of ewes will be recorded regularly throughout the summer to see if the there is a difference in the lambs’ growth rates.
The Budges are keen to try and improve the control of weeds on their grassland and barley at Bigton and at the meeting the group will be joined by Colin Bowers from Dow Agrosciences Ltd who will explain the various weed control options.
Those who attend will have an opportunity to put forward their ideas about the monitor farm’s future weed control, silage and rotational grazing plans.
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, with funding from the Scottish Government. The aim of the programme is to help improve the productivity, profitability and sustainability of Scottish farm businesses.
Bigton farm will be hosting regular meetings over the next three years and focus on the technical and financial challenges faced by their business, and many other local farmers and crofters in Shetland.
The Shetland Monitor Farm meetings are open and free for all farmers and crofters to attend. Attendees will also have an input into topics covered, speakers invited to meetings and visits to other enterprises and businesses. Lunch will be provided and the meeting will finish at 3pm.
To book your attendance (and lunch!) please contact the project facilitator Graham Fraser, SAC Consulting Lerwick on 01595 693520 by Monday 12 June, or email frbslerwick@sac.co.uk
Livestock handling systems and the control of parasitic worms will be the main topics for discussion at the next meeting of the North Ayrshire Monitor farm on Wednesday 31st May.
The main enterprise at the 140-hectare Girtridge Farm, which is run by John Howie with help from his mother Margaret, is buying in store cattle and finishing them for sale direct to local abattoirs.
The Howies are keen to look at opportunities to improve their cattle handling systems with the dual aim of increasing their cattle management efficiency and ensuring they are handling animals safely.
“We are currently finishing 200 cattle as well as our own suckler herd, so we need handling facilities that are fit for purpose, keep the cows calm and keep us safe,” said Mr Howie.
At the meeting Dr Simon Turner, a senior researcher from Scotland’s Rural College, will talk about cattle behaviour and suggest how livestock handling systems can be designed to minimise stress in cattle and therefore reduce the risk of those working with them from becoming injured.
Dr Turner will then lead a discussion, with input from the farmers present, about how the design of the existing handling facilities at Girtridge could be improved.
The family also have a flock of 140 breeding ewes and there will be a demonstration of a mobile sheep handling system at the meeting.
Another key focus area at the meeting will be the control of parasitic worms which can seriously affect the productivity of both sheep and cattle. At the meeting Dr Heather Stevenson, a veterinary investigation officer from SAC Dumfries, will advise farmers how they can control parasitic worms in their livestock and discuss any other livestock health issues that may be a concern for local farmers.
The North Ayrshire 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.
Girtridge Farm will be hosting regular meetings over the next three years as the North Ayrshire Monitor Farm. The focus will be on the technical and financial challenges that their business, and many other farming businesses in the area, face.
The next North Ayrshire Monitor Farm meeting will begin at 10.30am on Wednesday 31 May and will be held at Girtridge Farm, Dundonald, KA2 9BX. Lunch will be included and the meeting is due to end at 3pm.
To book your lunch and confirm your attendance please contact facilitators Raymond Crerar and Carol-Anne Warnock, SAC Consulting Ayr on 01292 525252, or email FBSAyr@sac.co.uk
Farming in dry conditions will be a key theme for the coming Morayshire Monitor Farm meeting on Tuesday 30 May. Discussions on the day will range from barley varieties to grass mixtures and pelvic measuring of heifers.
Corskie Farm is one of nine recently selected to host the three year Monitor Farm Scotland programme, a joint initiative between Quality Meat Scotland and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds and funded by the Scottish Government.
Monitor Farmer Iain Green says that finding crops which can thrive in dry conditions in Morayshire is vital.
“Up here, whether you are a livestock or arable farmer, you need to tailor your decision making to the potential for drought conditions for much of the year. At the moment we have a number of spring and winter barleys being trialled on farm including Laureate, Fairing and Bazooka, none of which have been irrigated, so I’m sure seeing how they are faring will be of great interest to those attending on the day.
“We are also looking at grass mixtures which should do better in drier soils with Paddy Jack from DLF Seeds, he’ll be able to discuss options with the livestock farmers on what will be of most benefit both in terms of making silage and grazing.”
Andrew Linscott from Alltech will tell attendees more about the UK-wide biostimulants trial which Corskie farm is taking part in, while Brian Mathieson and Mark McCallum from the Black Isle Monitor Farm will be on hand to talk about their experience of business groups and benchmarking.
Iain himself will take on the topic of pelvic measuring of heifers, a process he has just been through to help him decide which heifers should stay in the herd. As well as 380 commercial Simmental crosses, the farm has 200 pedigree Simmental cows.
“Basically we have tried to keep on more heifers with larger pelvises, as that should make calving less risky for the calves and stress free for both. On the day I will talk about how the procedure works and then next spring we will be able to judge how successful it has been.” Iain says.
The Monitor Farm meeting will take place on Corskie Farm, Garmouth, IV32 7NN, on Tuesday 30 May from 1.30pm until 5pm. 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).
The Lothians Monitor Farm’s next meeting on Thursday 25 May will drill into both farms’ financial figures with a focus on business performance and benchmarking. The group will also find out more about the arable and livestock enterprises of Prestonhall Farms and Saughland Farm.
Both farms are now 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.
Monitor Farmer Bill Gray, who manages Prestonhall Farms, explains: “We have spent time sifting through our physical and financial data to start looking at the performance of our farms using benchmarking tools and hope to share some of this with the group. “We also have significant arable and livestock expertise in our management group and wider community group. We would like to tap into this expertise as we drive round and look at the soils, livestock and crops. Hopefully we can get some good interactive discussion as we focus on each sector.”
The event will kick off at 10.30am with a morning session devoted the farms’ current financial performance, data generated using the new AHDB Farmbench programme. This meeting will set the benchmark, providing a base which the group can use to decide where savings and or changes need to be made.
The afternoon session will offer the attendees the choice of joining smaller arable or livestock focused groups, so they can focus on the areas most relevant to them.
Facilitator Colin MacPhail explains: “Having two farms hosting the Lothians Monitor Farm gives us a lot to look at; from agronomy policy to sheep genetics and herd fertility. We want to make sure those farmers attending are learning about those topics most relevant to their business while still appreciating how those sectors and topics come to together to form the whole business enterprise.”
The host farmers and members of the management group will lead discussions detailing the arable at Prestonhall and the livestock at Saughland. This session will give the group a better understanding of the current farming techniques and systems in place which will form the foundation of future business improvements.
Monitor Farmer Pete Eccles will discuss how Saughland is faring with lambing outside and using a new paddock grazing system. He says: “We are almost finished lambing and calving and so far, with the exception of a day of snow, the weather has been on our side. We are just starting out on our journey with outdoor lambing and rotational grazing and are therefore learning as we go. We are keen to engage with the group, share with the group and learn from experience within the group to ensure we can maximise the success of our new system.”
On the arable side, Bill Gray hopes to look in more depth at recent soil scanning and analysis results and compare them to technical data from aerial scanning using a drone. He says: “We’ve been using GPS variable data for some time now but perhaps we should be looking to establish its true value and whether what we are doing currently is relevant and cost effective. We might even try to organise a drone demonstration. In addition, we will focus on topical crop issues as we take a farm tour.”
Over 90 farmers attended the first meeting and a management group of local farmers and others involved in agriculture has now been established to work with the community group and facilitators to drive the project over the next three years.
The meeting will be held at Saughland Farm, Pathhead, Midlothian, EH37 5XP, with teas and coffees available from 10am. The meeting will run from 10.30am to 2.30pm with lunch provided. The event is free of charge but to assist with catering it would be appreciated if you can book a place by contacting Colin MacPhail on 07747 046461 or at colin@macphailconsulting.co.uk.
Farmers and crofters are invited to the next meeting at the Lochaber monitor farm on Tuesday 23 May, where the focus will be on grassland management for west coast farms.
Strone Farm, a 1,200-hectare hill farm, located in the Great Glen, one of Scotland’s most scenic locations, is run by Chris Cameron in partnership with his father Malcolm and mother Eileen.
At the meeting next Tuesday, which begins at 11am and includes lunch, Chris Cameron will outline the current grassland policy at Strone.
“We are keen to try and improve our grassland and are looking for suggestions as to how we can do this at Strone. We have limited quality grazing land here and want to learn how we can manage it better in order to reduce feed costs for our livestock,” said Chris Cameron.
Since the last monitor farm meeting in March, the Camerons have oversown one of the fields at Strone with three different seed mixes with the intention of increasing the quality of the grass. At the forthcoming meeting, Jonny Watson from Watson Seeds will talk about this trial and review the impact so far.
With input from the community group, recommendations will be made about how the Camerons should manage the oversow going forward in terms of weed control, fertiliser and grazing management.
David Lawson, SRUC grassland specialist, will also be attending to add his expertise to issue found at Strone such as the effect of nitrogen applications on pH, how to avoid lodging in silage crops, the latest advice on phosphate and potash in soil and the impact of an aerator on soil structure.
Strone’s location is unique in that it is split by the Caledonian Canal. Access to fields on the other side of the canal is via a 6ft high tunnel, restricting access to by foot or quad bike only. Alternatively, the fields can be accessed by road via a ten mile round trip.
There are 16 hectares of land on the other side of the canal that is mainly used for silage at the moment. The Camerons are keen to receive guidance from those who attend the meeting next week about how this land could be managed in the future and whether the fields should be oversown between cuts this year. The group will have an opportunity to visit the land before breaking into groups to develop a revised grassland policy for Strone.
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, with funding from the Scottish Government. The aim of the programme is to help improve the productivity, profitability and sustainability of Scottish farm businesses.
Strone farm will be hosting regular meetings over the next three years as the Lochaber Monitor Farm, which will focus on technical and financial challenges that their business, and many other local farming businesses, face.
The Lochaber Monitor Farm meetings are open and free for all farmers to attend. Attendees will also have an input into topics covered, speakers invited to meetings and visits to other enterprises and businesses.
To book your attendance (and lunch!) please contact Niall Campbell or Morven MacArthur on 01631 563093 or email fbsoban@sac.co.uk.
The next meeting at the Nithsdale monitor farm (on Thursday 25 May) will focus on the summer plans for managing soils, grassland, the breeding flock and suckler herd at Clonhie Farm.
Chaired by local farmer Colin Forsyth, chair of the management group at Clonhie, the meeting on 25 May runs between 1.30pm and 4.30pm and will have a packed programme covering a range of subjects of interest to livestock farmers.
Host farmer Andrew Marchant said: “Lambing has gone well, and with only a handful of our Luing cattle left to calve, we are beginning to make plans for the year ahead.”
As well as a tractor and trailer tour of Clonhie and Glengar Farms, which are run as one unit by the family, there will be an update from the Marchants on the monitor farm’s activities since the last meeting and their plans going forward.
Improving the quality of their soil and grassland is a real focus for the farm. The Marchants have already limed some fields and plan to rake out a couple of fields this spring. They are also considering moving towards a winter paddock grazing system and have been measuring grass around the farm every three weeks.
Mr Marchant said: “We want to manage our grass better in order to reduce costs and increase output per hectare on the farm.”
Andrew Best from Watsons Seeds will lead a discussion about how farms can improve their soil quality and share the results of the soil analysis from Clonhie.
Andrew Marchant believes that monitoring lamb growth weights using EID technology will be a useful tool to measure performance of the Clonhie flock in the future. With almost 1,000 ewes, the need for a decent sheep handling unit is paramount and at the meeting there will be a demonstration of a Te-pari Racewell sheep handler and auto-drafter, along with the new cattle handling system the Marchants have just invested in.
The meeting will also give a progress report on a small trial they are running looking to see if there is a difference in growth rates in castrated lambs compared to those left entire, and to lambs offered a creep feed compared to those without access to creep.
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. Attendees will also have an input into topics covered, speakers invited to meetings and visits to other enterprises and businesses.
To book your place please contact Judith Hutchison, by 12 noon on Monday 22 May, on 07718 919055 or email judith.agridigm@icloud.com .
The Angus Monitor Farm’s next meeting on 23 May will look at key issues affecting herd health as well as grass seed trials which aim to identify a mix which can be sown under spring barley.
Monitor Farmer Rory Stodart explains: “We’re really keen to find a mix which won’t decrease our spring barley yield, but at the same time produces good quality grass for overwintering sheep. It is all about making the most of our resources, we are a classic mixed farm, we have livestock and arable and only so much land, and I don’t want to see it sitting unproductive for half the year.”
Seed merchant Charlie Murray will talk through the trial which consists of eight plots where four different grass mixes have been sown, using three different sowing rates. The spring barley variety Concerto has also gone in, and the harvested yield will indicate which of the mixes is best grown under the barley.
The Stodarts’ 200 hectare arable enterprise, growing winter wheat, winter barley, winter oilseed rape and spring barley, will also be the focus for agronomist Sam Ruddell, who will review the farm’s agronomy policy with an emphasis on managing weeds and crop spraying.
The livestock enterprises at Mill of Inverarity comprise of 200 suckler cows, 440 breeding ewes, 300 bought in store lambs and finishing cattle. Vet Tim Geraghty, who is advising the Stodarts on moving to a closed herd, will focus on the beef enterprise as he leads a discussion on cattle health and fertility.
Finally, the group will discuss the farm’s current financial figures which have been assessed using AHDB’s new benchmarking programme Farmbench.
The 358 hectare mixed unit farmed by the Stodart family is now 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.
Over 100 farmers attended the first meeting and a management group of local farmers and others involved in agriculture has now been established to work with the community group and facilitators to drive the project over the next three years.
The meeting will be held at Mill of Inverarity Farm, Forfar, Angus, DD8 2JN from 10.30am to 2pm, with lunch will provided on farm.
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).