More than 90 people attended the Lothians Monitor Farm launch meeting on Thursday 9 February. It is one of nine new Monitor Farms being established in Scotland as part of a joint initiative by QMS and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds with funding from the Scottish Government.
The Lothians Monitor Farm is hosted by two farms: Prestonhall and Saughland, near Pathhead.
The farms used to be run as one mixed unit and although they are now separate businesses, with Prestonhall focussing on arable and Saughland on livestock, they still work together sharing resources across the arable and livestock enterprises.
Gavin Dick, AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds Knowledge Exchange Manager, said: “This arrangement will give the Monitor Farm project the opportunity to develop a collaborative structure with which farmers can evaluate the benefits of working together with neighbours in an effort to drive down costs and adopt best practice.”
Prestonhall
The meeting began with an introduction to the arable enterprises at Prestonhall, managed by Bill Gray.
Bill said: “I wanted to be involved because there are many challenges and uncertainties ahead. I wanted to take a fresh look at the business and benefit from the knowledge within the group. With the Monitor Farm we’ve got the opportunity to have a structured approach to business improvement. I want to know how well we are doing now and what we can do better.”
From the arable side, Bill and his team are interested in looking at:
- Re-evaluating the arable enterprise, including machinery, soil, straw, companion cropping in OSR and cover crops;
- Grain handling and storage: to reduce exposure to the grain market, and also to look at how storage could be improved, updated or renewed;
- Collaboration with Saughland: does it need more structure? Could grass at Prestonhall be utilised by Saughland? More sharing of resources;
- Succession planning: mentoring young people and training the next generation of land managers.
At Prestonhall, Bill can only store a third of his tonnage.
“I’d like to not be at the mercy of the harvest market,” he said. “It would be ideal to be able to dry and store everything we produce but that may not be possible.”
A further problem with the current grain handling area is that the storage was built to accommodate smaller machinery and less tonnage. The current building is not really fit for purpose, so Bill wants to provide a more efficient drying and handling system.
Storage and handling also limits Bill’s cropping options, as he doesn’t have the facilities to handle additional crops such as peas and beans.
Saughland
Saughland, where Peter Eccles runs the livestock enterprise, is situated a few miles away and is within easy travel distance to Prestonhall.
Peter said: “I want us to be the best we can be. We aim to build a sustainable business model we can be proud of. Enjoyment is a big factor of what we do too. I’m excited about the future, and feel confident we can overcome the challenges we face. The Monitor Farm process will help us all to find new ways to make our businesses succeed.”
One of Peter’s main aims for this year is to tag all lambs at marking with electronic identification (EID) and weigh them regularly to calculate and monitor growth rates and worm strategically based on their performance.
Improving shelter around the farm is another. “One of my fears is what the weather can bring at lambing time. At the end of April last year a 4-5 hour spell of high winds and heavy snow cost us 30 lambs,” Peter said.
Through the Monitor Farm programme, Peter hopes to look at whether he can sell stores or finishing, as he is now lambing later than the farm used to do. He also plans to investigate finishing lambs at Prestonhall.
One farmer who attended the meeting from South West Scotland and said: “It was the collaboration element of the Monitor Farm that interested me. I want to bring livestock into my own farm.”
Strengths and weaknesses
At the end of the meeting the group of farmers did a quick strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats assessment of the two farms. One of the key strengths that the group identified was the opportunity to develop business models around the two units and their managers working together to future proof their businesses. The group also felt that a strength of both farms was the people involved and the opportunity to use the project to mentor both them and the wider Community Group.
Both farms have ideas they would like to implement, but are looking to find the measurable benefits which they can use to make informed decisions, as well as making use of the skills and experience within the Monitor Farm community.
One of the project facilitators, Stephen Young, SAOS, said: “The owners, managers and staff are all open and forward thinking, and have a hunger to drive the businesses forward in what are going to be challenging times.
“The Monitor Farm project is all about sharing knowledge. The people who know about farming in the Lothians are these people in the group. We are going to have a fantastic three years learning from each other.”
Those interested in being involved in the project should Colin MacPhail, one of the project facilitators, on 07747 046 461 or at colin@macphailconsulting.co.uk
The Mitchell family, hosts of Border’s new monitor farm, are looking forward to welcoming local farmers to their first open meeting next week.
Robert Mitchell, along with his wife Lesley and son Stuart are currently preparing to host their launch event, which is being held on Wednesday 22nd February. The meeting will start at Whitriggs Farm, Denholm, TD9 8QR at 10am, before moving to the Auld Cross Keys Inn for lunch. The event should finish by 2.30pm. All are welcome and the event is free.
Whitriggs farm is one of nine new monitor farms established in Scotland as part of a joint initiative by Quality Meat Scotland and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds. 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.
The Mitchell family currently farm 442 hectares of mainly semi-permanent and permanent grassland. They also grow approximately 40 hectares of winter wheat and oats for feeding their stock. They have 140 suckler cows which are a combination of Beef Shorthorn cross and Aberdeen Angus cross, and 1,000 Lleyn ewes.
The family are keen to both develop their farm business and safeguard it for future generations. One aspect of their business the Mitchells are keen to look at initially, is their calving and lambing percentages.
Lesley Mitchell commented: “Although we are fairly happy with our current percentages, we think there is still room for improvement, so are looking forward to the input of the community group to suggest improvements we can make here at Whitriggs.”
This farmer led learning is an important part of the monitor farm programme. Farmers who attend the meetings at Whitriggs can share ideas and suggest changes that the farm can make to improve its efficiency and then monitor the results on the farm over the three-year period of the monitor farm programme. Those who attend can also suggest topics and speakers for future meetings and discuss issues that are important to those who farm in the Borders.
Robert Mitchell is excited about being part of the three-year monitor farm programme. He said: “I believe that if you are not going forwards, you are going backwards. Standing still isn’t an option for us.”
The event on 22nd February will begin with the Mitchell family sharing their cattle, sheep and general farming policies during a guided tour of both Whitriggs Farm and nearby Denholm Hill Farm. The group will then move to the Auld Cross Keys pub in Denholm for lunch. After which, Doug Bell from QMS will give an overview of the new monitor farm programme and the opportunities for local farmers to get involved in the management groups and local business groups that will also be established.
Also at the meeting Jonny Williams, beef and lamb procurement officer from Farmstock Scotland, will provide an overview of current market trends in the red meat sector and the importance of producers meeting market spec. The group will then discuss the relative strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for Whitriggs Farm and highlight some potential ideas for future monitor farm meetings.
For catering purposes, those interested in coming along to the launch should contact Stephen Young, one of the project facilitators on 07502 339613 or email stephen.young@saos.coop.
Farmers and crofters throughout Shetland came together at the weekend to show their support for the new Shetland Monitor Farm.
Over 80 people attended the first meeting at Bigton Farm, which is run by sisters Kirsty and Aimee Budge with support from their family.
During their first meeting of the project, the Budge sisters gave an overview of the current farm business and highlighted their aim was to make the farm more efficient, productive and sustainable in the future. They were joined by project facilitator Graham Fraser of SAC Consulting Lerwick and Doug Bell from Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) who gave an overview of the programme and encouraged local farmers and crofters to get involved.
Bigton is one of nine new monitor farms being established in Scotland as part of a joint initiative by QMS and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds with funding from the Scottish Government. The farm extends to 300 hectares, most which is permanent pasture and intensive grassland. It carries 240 ewes and 70 suckler cows, plus some barley is grown.
The ewes are Shetland cross Cheviot, put to a Suffolk tup. The ewes lamb outside in May with most lambs sold as stores at Thainstone in December, but some retained and finished. Replacement females are bought from Oxna, one of the Scalloway Islands, off Shetland.
The 72 spring calving Salers cross Shorthorn suckler cows and are put to a Charolais or Shorthorn bull, with the heifers put to a Salers. Charolais store calves are sold at Lerwick at 12 months while Salers and Shorthorn store calves are sent to Thainstone at the same age. Later calves are retained, finished off grass and supplied to local butchers on the island.
Following the farm tour, which featured talks from Kirsty, Aimee and their grandfather Jim, a number of areas of potential improvement were highlighted. These included looking at the performance and management of the ewe flock and whether grass on the farm could be better utilised. The group also identified a variety of other potential topics to be addressed by the monitor farm programme that would benefit both farmers and crofters on Shetland.
Aimee Budge commented: “It was great for us to see farmers beginning to discuss issues they have on their farms, after we shared some of the problems we have identified on Bigton Farm.”
Forth monitor farmer Duncan McEwan outlined the many improvements he had made to his farm business while he was a monitor farmer. Although he admitted to being a little daunted initially about sharing the details of his farm business “warts and all”, he said he would do it all again “in a heartbeat” if he were given the opportunity.
One of Duncan’s key pieces of advice to “measure, measure and measure some more” struck a cord with the Budge sisters as this is something they are particularly keen to improve on.
“We know that we need to improve how we record the business’ performance, especially in our sheep and arable enterprises,” said Kirsty Budge.
“We weigh calves regularly throughout the winter and then split the calves and adapt their feed rations accordingly to reflect their daily live weight gains. This example of good practice could easily be adapted and used to monitor the live weight gains of our store lambs.”
Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, attended the meeting and was excited about the benefits that the monitor farm programme would bring to Shetland. He said: “There has been a fantastic turnout from across Shetland today, which shows the interest and support both for the monitor farm programme and for the Budge family.”
If you would like more information about the Shetland monitor farm please contact the project facilitator Graham Fraser, SAC Consulting Lerwick on 01595 693520, or email frbslerwick@sac.co.uk
The enthusiasm of farmers to get involved in the new North Ayrshire Monitor Farm shone through at this week’s first meeting.
A great turnout of around 80 people were welcomed to Girtridge Farm, near Dundonald in Ayrshire, where host farmer 27-year-old John Howie laid out his hopes and aspirations for the project.
During the farm visit suggestions, questions and ideas flowed freely from the farmers who attended, setting very strong foundations for the project to deliver benefits for both the host family and the other farmers involved in the three years ahead.
Girtridge is one of nine new monitor farms being established in Scotland as part of a joint initiative by Quality Meat Scotland and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds with funding from the Scottish Government.
The 140-hectare farm is run as a partnership involving John, his mother Margaret and his sister Mary. The farm sits in an elevated position just outside Dundonald, and the family also own a further 35 hectares of grazing land nearby.
The main farm enterprise is buying in around 200 store cattle each year and finishing them for sale direct to local abattoirs but the family also have a herd of 10 suckler cows. The potential to expand this small breeding herd (currently not giving the resident Limousin bull much work!) was one area which generated early discussion at the meeting.
The farm also runs 140 cross ewes producing Suffolk and Texel prime lambs that are mainly sold through nearby Ayr market. The opportunity to improve grassland management and increase ewe numbers and productivity was also contemplated. This year the ewes have scanned at 196%, with five empty.
Another key area which generated much interest was the layout of the steading which houses the cattle for finishing and the potential for much better handling facilities and a weigh crate. The ventilation in one of the two main cattle sheds also came under scrutiny, with some suggestions of potential improvements from farmers attending.
Everything grown on the unit is used on-farm, including 56 hectares of silage and hay and 28 hectares of spring barley. Facilitator Carol-Anne Warnock, of SAC Consulting, talked through the results of a whole farm soil analysis and base fertility review which proved very revealing and highlighted a number of areas for improvement, including the need for lime application to many fields.
John Howie said he was really looking forward to seeing his business improve its efficiency during the three year monitor farm project and to sharing what he learns along the way with other farmers and bench-marking his farm with others to identify areas for improvement.
“I’m not in favour of the ‘aye done’ approach – I like to be open to new ideas and I’m looking forward to hearing the thoughts of others about what we might look at doing differently,” he said.
Former Clyde monitor farmer Andrew Baillie gave an inspirational talk highlighting the many benefits his farm business had experienced following the changes made during his term as a monitor farmer.
Among his top tips for being an effective monitor farmer were the need to be open-minded and open to suggestions and a willingness to carry out trials. He added that it was important not to take criticism to heart and to ignore the “tyre-kickers.”
Facilitator Raymond Crerar said he was delighted with the level of support for the first meeting and how interactive the meeting had been – with plenty ideas and enthusiasm from the farmers attending.
And QMS Head of Industry Development, Doug Bell, added: “This is a really exciting time for the industry with, including the North East pig monitor Farm, ten new monitor farms set up in Scotland. This is very much a farmer-led initiative which will create a very powerful network of farmers sharing information. It is a fantastic opportunity and I would urge as many farmers as possible to get involved.”
Those interested in getting involved should contact the project facilitators, Raymond Crerar and Carol-Anne Warnock, SAC Consulting Ayr on 01292 525148, or email FBSAyr@sac.co.uk
The hosts of Sutherland’s new monitor farm, Jason Ballantyne and his wife Vic from Clynelish Farm, are busy preparing to welcome farmers and crofters to their first open meeting next week.
Clynelish Farm was recently announced as the Sutherland Monitor Farm and will be holding the first in a series of free meetings on Thursday 9 February. The meeting will start at Brora Scout Hall at 11am and after lunch the group will move to the farm for a tour, with the event finishing by 2.30pm. All are welcome and the event is free.
The Sutherland 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 three-year programme is to help improve the productivity, profitability and sustainability of Scottish farm businesses.
Farmers and crofters who attend the meetings at Clynelish will be able to suggest possible changes to the business that may improve productivity and efficiency, and can also play an active role in selecting topics and speakers for future meetings to cover issues which are relevant to the region.
The 125-hectare farm is run by Jason and Vic, in partnership with Jason’s dad Murdo. They also contract farm 48 hectares nearby and rent a further 50 hectares of rough grazing.
The family runs 900 breeding ewes, of which about half are Lairg-type Cheviots and the other half Lleyn cross. They also have 80 suckler cows which are a mostly a mixture of Simmental cross native cows which are all outwintered.
Jason Ballantyne, who admits to being a little “grass obsessed”, has focused considerable attention on improvements to the grass and soil of the farm but feels there is still scope to further improve grass utilisation and increase overall outputs.
As well as being the new monitor farm for Sutherland, Clynelish is also an SRUC climate change focus farm. At the meeting on 9 February, Jason will give an overview of this project and highlight the changes the farm has made over the last three years to improve efficiency and reduce its carbon footprint.
Vic and Jason are excited about being involved in the new monitor farm programme and are looking forward to seeing how their farm, and other farms in Sutherland and the far North, will benefit from the initiative.
“It’s going to be great to have specialists coming to the area and sharing their knowledge and expertise on how to step up efficiency with us and other local farmers,” said Vic Ballantyne.
The first Sutherland Monitor Farm meeting will begin at 11am on Thursday 9 February at Brora Scout Hall (KW9 6PU).
At the event, Jason and Vic Ballanytne will give an overview of the farming system of Clynelish and representatives from QMS and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds will give an overview of the monitor farm programme.
Willie Budge from SAC Consulting, a division of SRUC, Scotland’s Rural College and one of the Sutherland Monitor Farm project facilitators, will detail how local farmers can benefit from being part of the three-year project and from the management and benchmarking groups that will be established.
After lunch, the group will relocate to Clynelish where Jason and Vic will give a brief tour of the farm and the group can look around the buildings and housed cattle. The meeting is due to finish at 2.30pm.
To book your lunch please contact facilitators Cat MacGregor or Willie Budge at SAC Thurso 01847 892602 or email fbsthurso@sac.co.uk.
The enthusiasm, honesty and willingness of the new Lochaber Monitor farm hosts to make changes to improve their business was welcomed by local farmers at an open meeting last week.
Strone Farm, near Fort William, is run by Chris Cameron in partnership with his parents Malcolm and Eileen. During the first meeting the family shared the details of their farm management and performance with over 50 farmers and representatives from the farming industry.
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 is to help improve the productivity, profitability and sustainability of Scottish farm businesses.
Malcolm and Chris Cameron outlined how their cattle and sheep enterprises had evolved and highlighted the challenges they faced.
The farm’s 40 strong herd of Limousin cows are currently calved throughout the year and, due to weather and limited grass, are housed from mid-October to mid-May.
Heifers are generally calved at two-and-a-half years old with calves sold at Dingwall auction mart at around 10 months old, weighing around 375kg. The registered pedigree herd is in the Hi Health scheme and the Camerons have operated a closed herd (except for bulls) for 20 years.
The sheep side of the business sees 500North Country Cheviots which are either put to a Lleyn, Cheviot, Suffolk cross Beltex tup, depending on the ewe replacement strategy. A scanning percentage of 120% is achieved for the ewes and a lambing percentage of 95%.
The ewes lamb outside in April and, due to a serious predation issue, the ewes and lambs at foot are then moved to grazing land in Inverness over the summer. Lambs are sold at Dingwall auction mart as store at the end of August or kept for replacements.
All nine of the monitor farms in the programme, which is funded by the Scottish Government and European Union’s Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund, will conduct an environmental audit in order to explore opportunities for habitat improvement through environmental schemes.
Morven MacArthur from SAC Consulting Oban, one of the monitor farm facilitators, shared the results of Strone Farm’s recent environmental audit.
This showed that some of the land farmed by Strone, which already receives support through agri-environment and woodland schemes, provides a habitat for black grouse and several species of butterflies and plants, as well as some ancient woodland.
The audit also highlighted areas of environmental concern for the business which included the presence of bracken and rhododendron on some parts of the land, as well as the threat of a growing population of feral pigs.
Continuing in their spirit of openness and transparency, Chris and Malcolm Cameron opened their farm accounts at this first meeting and Niall Campbell, also from SAC Consulting Oban and a project facilitator for Strone, presented a breakdown of the businesses current income and expenditure. He highlighted that, although the farm was profitable, its high fixed costs were something the Camerons were keen to address.
“There is no doubt that things will change with regard to farm support payments and that there is a degree of uncertainty ahead for the industry. Farmers should, like the Camerons, prepare for change to safeguard their businesses for the future,” said Mr Campbell.
The gathering also considered the strengths and weaknesses of the current Lochaber monitor farm business as well as the future opportunities and threats for the farm.
“Dad and I believe that it is important that we should be completely open about both the management and the financial situation of our business from the start,” said Chris Cameron.
“We know there is plenty of scope for the farm business to benefit from fresh ideas which could improve our efficiency and that is why we were happy to become monitor farmers.”
He added: “We hope that other farmers will get involved and benefit from following not just what we will be doing over the next three years, but from the wider monitor farm programme too.”
The Lochaber Monitor Farm will be hosting a series of regular meetings over the next three years focusing on the technical and financial challenges that the business, and many other farming businesses in the area, face.
The next Lochaber monitor farm meeting will be held on Strone Farm on Thursday 9 March. If you are interested in attending the next meeting, or wish to join either the management group or business group that accompanies the monitor farm project, please contact Niall Campbell or Morven MacArthur on 01631 563093 or email fbsoban@sac.co.uk.
A huge turnout of around 100 people were welcomed to the lively first meeting of the new Nithsdale monitor farm.
Beef and sheep farmers Andrew and Aileen Marchant of Clonhie, Penpont, near Thornhill will be opening their gates regularly during the three years of the programme as one of nine monitor farms which have been set-up in Scotland.
The initiative, being run jointly by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds, aims to help improve the productivity, profitability and sustainability of Scottish farm businesses.
The Marchants run 900 ewes and a small herd of 12 Luing cattle on their 300 hectares (750 acres) which lies between 450 and 950 feet above sea level.
Andrew Marchant sees huge potential benefit from getting involved in the project, both for his business and for the other farmers who get involved and share the benefits.
“One area we’re sure we could do better is our grazing management. We reckon with careful management our grass could increase our cow numbers to about 35 and, by introducing rotational grazing, we could significantly increase our flock size,” said Mr Marchant.
Among the speakers at the first meeting was independent sheep specialist Dr John Vipond who said the new monitor farm project, funded by the Scottish Government, had started at a crucial time for farmers.
“The clock is ticking. I reckon you have about two to three years to really look closely at your efficiency, bring your costs down and get your house in order,” Dr Vipond told farmers attending.
“The six most expensive words in farming are ‘we’ve always done it that way’. This project will give you a great chance to see the results of introducing changes which will give you the confidence to do the same,” he added.
One example where he said there was serious scope for improvement was worming regimes. “You wouldn’t treat a field for thistles without checking first that there are thistles there and yet hardly any of you are doing faecal egg counts before you worm your sheep,” Dr Vipond observed.
Former Forth monitor farmer Duncan McEwen gave an inspirational insight into how his Arnprior business had benefitted from being involved in the project.
“For us it was a fantastic opportunity which really gives you the confidence to make changes based on hard facts and figures. Our whole farm review revealed our fixed costs were killing us and there was significant scope for us to increase our output per hectare to help spread these costs.
“Our business was simply too complex and it made me face up to being an ‘iron addict’ and tackle my obsession with machinery and also our soil compaction problems. We are now in a much stronger position to move forward and cope with reduced farm support,” said Mr McEwen.
One key success story at Arnprior was the introduction of rotational grazing. “The switch to splitting fields into smaller paddocks and moving sheep on when our grass reaches a certain height has been hugely beneficial. We can achieve 25% to 30% more grass, decrease our fertiliser usage and increase our liveweight gain.”
The monitor farm experience also played a part in opening the McEwens’ minds to new opportunities. They now grow 3000 pumpkins offered on a pick-your-own basis to the public at Halloween and offer four days of paid for lambing experience to the public in spring.
They are also looking at the potential of installing some glamping pods on the farm, along with other ambitious diversification ideas.
If you would like to be involved in the Nithsdale monitor farm project you can find out more from facilitator Judith Hutchison on 07718 919055 or email judith.agridigm@icloud.com.
For more information about the monitor farm programme click here or visit www.cereals.ahdb.org.uk.
Two Lothians farming businesses are preparing to kick start their journey as joint hosts of a new monitor farm project.
Bill Gray, farm manager at Prestonhall Farms and Peter Eccles at Saughland Farm, both of Pathhead Midlothian, will hold the first of a series of meetings on Thursday 9 February.
The Lothians Monitor Farm is one of nine Monitor Farms recently established across Scotland in a joint initiative by AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds and Quality Meat Scotland (QMS). The aim of the programme is to help improve the productivity, profitability and sustainability of Scottish farm businesses.
Bill Gray at Prestonhall Farms will provide the arable focus with 660 hectares of cereals and oilseeds on a five year rotation while the livestock will be covered by Peter Eccles at Saughland, where they have 1,900 breeding ewes and 55 suckler cows. The two neighbouring farms were once part of the same large estate and the hosts have similar philosophies which has allowed them to collaborate successfully while remaining separate businesses.
Over the next three years there will be eighteen meetings at Prestonhall and Saughhead where local farmers will be able to input into the future financial and technical management of the two businesses. There will also be the opportunity to investigate innovative new technologies in both the arable and livestock sectors.
Prestonhall Farms Manager Bill Gray, says: “I’m looking forward to getting a better handle on how we are currently performing, listening to the ideas of others in the community group and making changes to ensure we have a robust and sustainable business for the future. I believe that this is imperative given the challenges that the agriculture sector faces.”
Lothians Monitor Farm project facilitator, Colin MacPhail, hopes many local farmers will attend and get involved in the project. He said: “This new Monitor Farm programme is different as it approaches the farm as a whole business rather than focusing on separate enterprises. It will be very much driven by the desires of the farmers in the group, who should get as much out of the process as the hosts. The collaborative working relationship between Bill and Peter has already stirred significant interest in the project”.
The event will begin at Prestonhall with an outline of their arable enterprises before moving over to Saughland for an update on the livestock enterprises. Representatives from QMS and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds will also give an overview of the Monitor Farm programme and how local farmers can get involved.
Peter Eccles, Farm Manager at Saughland, says: “I want to ensure Saughland is moving in the right direction in creating a financially and environmentally sustainable business for the future. I am focused on analysing our performance to make better informed decisions. Working with Bill will allow us to develop our current collaboration into something more structured, drawing on each other’s experience and sharing resources efficiently”.
The first Lothians Monitor Farm meeting will begin with tea and coffee at 9.30am on Thursday 9 February at Rosemains Farm, Pathhead, EH37 5UQ (just off the B6367). The meeting will finish at 2.30pm. 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.
Livestock farmer John Howie of Girtridge Farm, Dundonald is busy preparing to open his gates to the local farming community as part of a new Scotland wide-programme.
Girtridge Farm was recently announced as the North Ayrshire Monitor Farm and on Wednesday 1 February will be holding the first in a series of free meetings.
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 is to help improve the productivity, profitability and sustainability of Scottish farm businesses.
Girtridge Farm will be hosting a series of 18 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 140-hectare farm sits in an elevated position just outside Dundonald, and the family also own a further 35 hectares of grazing land nearby.
The main farm enterprise is buying in store cattle and finishing them for sale direct to local abattoirs but the family also have a herd of 10 suckler cows. The farm also runs 140 cross ewes producing Suffolk and Texel prime lambs that are mainly sold through nearby Ayr market. Everything grown on the farm is used on-farm including 56 hectares of silage and hay and 28 hectares of spring barley.
The Howies feel fortunate that Girtridge is very versatile. This means they are not restricted to one type of farming policy and they are happy to consider a future change in direction as a result of the monitor farm process.
John Howie commented: “I am really looking forward to learning from other farmers and looking at what we could do at Girtridge to strengthen our business. I think it will be a huge learning curve, but one that I will benefit from, as well as the local farmers who get involved.”
Raymond Crerar from SAC Consulting, a division of SRUC, Scotland’s Rural College and one of North Ayrshire Monitor Farm project facilitators, encouraged other farmers in the area to get involved with the monitor farm programme.
He said: “The Monitor Farm Programme is an excellent opportunity for producers to ultimately improve the profitability of their business and not just that of the host farmers.”
He added: “Over the course of the three year programme we will look at in detail many different aspects of beef and sheep production, share expertise and best practise, innovation and new technologies through hands on learning. I encourage farmers to engage with the programme and come along to the meetings. “
The first North Ayrshire Monitor Farm meeting will begin at 10.30am on Wednesday 1 February and will be held at Girtridge, Dundonald, KA2 9BX, where John Howie will give a brief tour of the farm and share information about their farm business.
The meeting will then move to nearby Montgomerie Hall in Dundonald for lunch after which, after which, Andrew Baillie from Carstairs Mains near Lanark, will speak about his experiences as a past Clyde Monitor Farm host. He will be joined by Willie Harper, a farmer from Bridge of Weir and past chairman of the Clyde Monitor Farm management group, who will urge attendees to get involved in the management group for the monitor farm. This group are the driving force behind the monitor farm programme and help shape the direction of all future farm meetings.
Gavin Hill from SAC Consulting, a division of SRUC, Scotland’s Rural college will attend and give an industry outlook for beef and representatives from QMS and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds will give an overview of the monitor farm programme. The meeting will finish at 3pm.
To book your lunch please contact facilitators Raymond Crerar and Carol-Anne Warnock, SAC Consulting Ayr on 01292 525252, or email FBSAyr@sac.co.uk
For more information about the monitor farm programme visit www.qmscotland.co.uk or cereals.ahdb.org.uk.