Issue 139 farmingscotland.com October 2020

Farming Country

Cotton

BOOK –200 Farmers of Scotland –NOW £20 when ordering direct

Every farmer has a story to tell. This book covers the diverse range of Scottish farmers and crofters from those farming the rugged hills of the Highlands to the sandy loams of the Lowlands. From owner occupiers, tenant farmers, share farmers, crofters, farm managers, starter farmers, to new entrants, farming from 10 acres to 31 000 acres – the people are as diverse as the landscapes and environment in which they work.

Scotland covers 7.8 million hectares, of that 5.7 million or 73% is farmland, or 79% if common grazing is included.

This book has photographs of 200 farmers and interviews with 109 from across the country from Orkney to Berwick and Durness to Stranraer within its 288 pages. It is available from the outlets listed opposite or direct from the author. To order direct: drop an e-mail to Eilidh MacPherson at editor@farmingscotland.com or private message on facebook –farmingscotland.com for details.

Editor

TEilidh MacPherson

his month we incidentally feature four past students (one returning) from SRUC, who have all gone on to excel in their field. Young Claire Strathern (22) who studied an HNC in Poultry is starting the Masters by distance learning,while running her eggspanding egg empire –page 40.

Due to afforestation, sheep farmer James Rock Oatridge OND and his family are moving south of the Border for a new challenge at Heftpool.

Its all about energy at Peacehill, Fife where Aberdeen degree graduate, Ross Forster, runs a most impressive outfit.

And last but not least Alex Brewster of Rotmell, Dunkeld, who gained an HND at Edinburgh is electifying the

Perthshire hills - p42.

As a past Edinburgh SRUC student myself, I currently feel for those attending universities and stuck in the universities and stuck in the halls of residence.

On a brighter note, sheep and beef trade is presently unbelievable, long may it continue. may it continue.

Plenty of interesting articles to read now that there may be some more spare time, with the ‘nights fair drawing in:’ time, with the fair in:’ diaries from Lake Heron Station, NZ and Glenkiln Estate, Castle Douglas and beef features from Cromlix, Dunblane to Sebay on Orkney.

Tup sales just around the corner for us and planning the next issue of the magazine..... plenty to do! magazine..... to do!

Eilidh MacPherson Editor/publisher farmingscotland.com

Magazine

Marbrack Farm

Carsphairn

Castle Douglas DG7 3TE

016444 60644

0797 7897867

www.farmingscotland.com farmingscotland.com on facebook

Adaptability of Bird Flu Poses Threat to Poultry

Commercial poultry should be protected from the risk of contracting harmful bird flu from migrating flocks, research suggests.

New insights from a study of the 2016/17 bird flu outbreak show how highly pathogenic bird flu viruses –which are likely to cause deadly disease in chickens – can be transmitted from wild migrating bird populations to domestic flocks and back again.

These viruses can readily exchange genetic material with other low pathogenic viruses – which are less harmful – during migration, raising the likelihood of serious outbreaks in domestic poultry and wild birds, scientists have found.

Research led by a team including the Roslin Institute, representing the Global Consortium for H5N8 and Related Influenza Viruses, studied the genetic makeup of the 2016/17 bird flu virus in various birds at key stages during the flu season.

Their study offers insights into the outbreak strains, which originated in

domestic birds in Asia before spreading via wild migratory flocks to create the largest bird flu epidemic in Europe to date.

The team interpreted genetic sequence data from virus samples collected during the outbreak together with details of where, when and in which bird species they originated.

Researchers used a computational technique, known as phylogenetic inference, to estimate when and where the virus exchanged genetic material with other viruses in wild or domestic birds.

The virus could easily exchange genetic material with other, less harmful viruses, at times and locations corresponding to bird migratory cycles, results showed. These included viruses carried by wild birds on intersecting migratory routes and by farmed ducks in China and central Europe.

Migrating birds harbouring weaker viruses are more likely to survive their journey and potentially pass disease to domestic birds.

The research, in Proceedings of the

National Academy of Sciences, was carried out in collaboration with the Friedrich Loeffler Institut, Germany, the Erasmus University Medical Center, Netherlands, and the University of Edinburgh’s Usher Institute and Roslin Institute.

It was supported by funding from EU Horizon 2020, EPIC and BBSRC.

Dr Sam Lycett, Roslin Institute: “Bird flu viruses can readily exchange genetic material with other influenza viruses and this, in combination with repeated transmission of viruses between domestic and wild birds, means that a viral strain can emerge and persist in wild bird populations, which carries a high risk of disease for poultry. This aids our understanding of how a pathogenic avian flu virus could become established in wild bird populations."

** The Roslin Institute receives strategic investment funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and it is part of the University of Edinburgh’s Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies. **

Equine Grass Sickness Fellowship is Funded

The Moredun Foundation (TMF) and The Equine Grass Sickness Fund (EGSF) have joined forces to launch an innovative three year Fellowship to breathe fresh thinking and multi-disciplinary approaches into Equine Grass Sickness (EGS) research. Recruitment for this post, which will suit an outstanding early research scientist, will begin shortly.

EGS is a devastating disease of horses and research started in the 1920s when the disease was causing the deaths of many working horses on farms. One hundred years later and the cause(s) remains elusive, but the consensus is that it is likely to be multi-factorial. There are no treatments or vaccines to prevent disease and around 80% of horses do not survive the disease.

The new research Fellow will be based at Moredun's International Research Institute and a main objective of the Fellowship will be to set up a national database and sample biobank with the assistance of a UK wide

network of vet ambassadors and horse owners. This will assist greatly in research going forward and will be a crucial resource available to all EGS researchers. An important aspect of the Fellowship will be to investigate novel strands of research using the latest technologies, with the assistance of a support network of senior researchers and fellows.

Dr Beth Wells from Moredun said, "This is a really exciting project bringing together a truly multi-disciplinary team working in collaboration to provide new approaches to this awful disease. We are very grateful to TMF and the EGSF for their foresight in funding this post which, as well as taking forward new ideas and research strands, will involve extensive engagement with vets and horse owners to establish the database and biobank."

Kate Thomson, EGSF stated, "The EGS Fellowship marks a step change in the way we approach this enigmatic disease. We plan to engage the

considerable expertise amongst horse owners and other equine charities as 'EGS detectives' in submitting case reports and samples to the biobank. We are very grateful to the British Horse Society and World Horse Welfare for helping us produce the EGS Research update which helped pave the way for this project.

Sylvia Ormiston, stud manager at Balmoral Estate added, "I am so excited to hear of the new angles that the Moredun are approaching EGS research with. As a Stud manager and pony owner I know only too well of the damage this dreadful disease can do and I am happy to support the research in any way I can. Together we will hopefully make some progress to try and beat this baffling disease."

Exciting times are indeed ahead for EGS research, by opening up channels and forming an inter-disciplinary, collaborative network, it is hoped to provide answers and solutions to this difficult and devastating disease.

New Lab will advance fight against ‘cattle plague’

Nigeria has a new weapon in its campaign against livestock diseases that have crippled livelihoods nationwide. The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Ilorin University opened its new Mycoplasma diagnostics laboratory sponsored by Supporting Evidence Based Interventions (SEBI) at the University of Edinburgh. The new facility will allow improved surveillance of a range of harmful diseases caused by Mycoplasma bacteria, including Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP), one of the three great cattle plagues, according to the OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health).

In SEBI’s recent survey of livestock disease in Nigeria, CBPP (which affects cattle and water buffalo) and Contagious Caprine Pleuropneumonia (CCPP) (affecting sheep and goats) were highlighted by farmers and vets as high priority diseases for control. Both cause severe respiratory disease in cattle and small ruminants, resulting in reduced productivity and often death. These diseases have led to severe economic losses for livestock-keepers already facing disturbances due to civil strife, climate change and COVID-19.

CBPP is of particular concern due to

its widespread presence in the northern part of the country – a recent study by Dr. Isaac Olorunshola and colleagues recorded a prevalence rate of just over 56%. Until now, accurate monitoring for CPBB has been a challenge due to the disease’s long incubation period of 1-4 months. Routine testing done at the new Mycoplasma diagnostics laboratory will support better identification and tracing of carriers and epidemiological groups. It will also improve knowledge of disease prevalence and provide preliminary data on the choice of possible control methods.

SEBI is working with Dr Olorunshola and the University of Ilorin to set up and to carry out surveillance for CBPP in Kwara State by serology and by isolation of this difficult to work with organism.

“The Ilorin laboratory enables scientists to track diseases within a region so that targeted treatments and control can be applied,” explained SEBI Director Professor Andy Peters of the University of Edinburgh’s Royal (Dick) School for Veterinary Studies. “We’re now aiming to commercialise a CBPP vaccine in Nigeria,” he explained.

In spite of coronavirus pandemic

restrictions, the laboratory has now set up the diagnostic procedures and protocols. The lab has already cultured a number of different Mycoplasma including the causative organisms for CBPP (Mycoplasma mycoides), CCPP (Mycoplasma spp) and the OIE listed avian mycoplasmosis.

In addition to diagnostics, the laboratory will be useful for new collaborations in animal and human mycoplasmology. The University hopes the lab will be designated as an OIE Reference Laboratory, giving official recognition to the specific advanced work taking place.

“The laboratory will also be very useful in training, teaching and empowering our undergraduate and post-graduate students,” said Professor Mikhail Olayinka Buhar, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, (Research, Technology & Innovation), University of Ilorin.

“On behalf of the Vice Chancellor, I appreciate funding of this project. The University support for this collaboration agreement is absolute and we shall continue to provide the necessary infrastructure for the laboratory as our counterpart support,” he said.

New Vaccine Vehicle for Sheep and Goats Using Trypanosomes

Roslin Technologies, the UK's specialist AgTech venture builder, is delighted to announce that it is developing a unique vehicle to deliver vaccines to sheep and goats, using technology generated from a harmless single cell parasite found on a remote island in the North Atlantic. This vaccine vehicle forms part of the company's growing portfolio of innovative tools to combat livestock infectious disease.

The vaccine vehicle under development can be manipulated by scientists to host proteins for a wide range of maladies, whether transmitted via a virus, bacterium or parasite. Initially, the team are investigating creating a vaccine to tackle peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV), a highly infectious disease that threatens 80% of the global population of sheep and goats and is a significant problem in Asia and Africa — a recent outbreak of the disease has been witnessed in China.

The non-pathogenic Trypanosoma melophagium parasite, the basis of the vehicle, was isolated by University of Edinburgh scientists on St Kilda, a Scottish island 40 miles from the outer Hebrides that was evacuated of its inhabitants in 1930 and is now home to wild Soay sheep, wildlife and researchers. The parasite is spread by sheep keds – a wingless insect — and is usually absent in the UK's 16 million farmed sheep, which tend to be dipped to eliminate such infestations.

"Our major advance is that we will be able to immunise sheep against a wide range of pathogens using a harmless organism that they naturally harbour"

said Prof. Keith Matthews, FRS, principal investigator for the project at the School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, who is partnering with Roslin Technologies on the project.

It is estimated that there are around 2 billion small ruminants farmed globally; all of these are subject to challenge from a wide range of infectious diseases. Such diseases remain endemic in many regions and have devastating outcomes on animal health and productivity that impact national and international trade. Threats from old and new infectious diseases continue to emerge, fuelled by changes in the environment, in farming practices and in the demography and connectivity of today's 'global' village.

The vehicle is engineered to express candidate vaccine proteins. The efficiency with which the parasite spreads throughout the body aids the delivery of these proteins to the host immune system and its potential persistency can help reduce the number of interventions — follow-on boosters for example — inherent in other vaccine delivery methods.

The vehicle will be exploited to provide a novel platform for expressing target proteins for vaccines, which need improvement or for evaluating new candidates for diseases for which vaccines have proved challenging to develop or for emerging diseases. As the vehicle is quick and easy to reengineer, it will also be straight forward to target new antigen expression where strain variations in pathogens emerge.

"With such huge potential, we are

eager to gather together partners who can deploy this technology to improve vaccine performance and increase the number of pathogens that can be targeted,'' said Dr Karen Fairlie-Clarke, Innovation and Engagement Manager for Roslin Technologies.

The project is part of Roslin Technologies' mission to develop the science of sustainable protein, helping to make the food chain more efficient and to increase animal health and welfare. Commercially, the vaccine market for the world's 1 billion sheep and 900 million goats is considerable — the total global animal vaccine market was worth $8.2 billion in 2018, according to estimates from Grand View Research. The potency of the vehicle and its ability to sustain immunity long-term will be particularly useful to farmers in remote areas or in developing countries where multiple vaccine interventions are not practical and too costly.

"We are excited to see this pioneering technology developed from fundamental research by Prof Matthews at the University of Edinburgh progress towards commercialisation with Roslin Technologies,'' said Dr Axel Thomson, Business Development Executive at Edinburgh Innovations, the University of Edinburgh's body for industry engagement and business development.

"This is a great example of University and company collaboration to create new technology for improved animal welfare and output in farming."

The technology is being developed with funding from the BBSRC Impact Accelerator Account.

QMS Chair Finalist in Major Industry Award

Chair of Quality Meat Scotland, Kate Rowell, has been selected as a finalist in a major award in recognition of her contribution to the red meat industry. Mrs Rowell, who took on the role as the first female chair at QMS in 2018, is a finalist in the trade section of the Meat Businesswoman Award at the annual Women in Meat Industry Awards.

The awards are driven by Meat Management reader nominations and votes, with the category’s overall winner chosen by a public vote which will be open until 28 August 2020 via the Women in Meat Award’s website.

“It’s a real honour to be shortlisted for this award and it’s great recognition for the work of the wider QMS team, which is committed to supporting and promoting the Scottish red meat

Five members of staff at United Auctions have each been recognised for more than 30 years' working at the Company –a cumulative 160 years of service to the agricultural industry.

The five, who each started at the Company straight from school, are: Yard Foreman John McCormack; Yard Manager John Stirton; Steven Pearson, Cashier; Maurice Gibb, Yardsman; and Clark Kerr, Office Manager.

Over the years they have been involved with 25 auction markets including all four markets in Stirling as well as Thurso and Smithfield.

industry at every opportunity,” she said.

“I am very proud of the excellent work the team at QMS continue to deliver. In recent months they have played an important role in keeping the supply chain open and moving during the pandemic –a major achievement for which everyone involved in the red meat industry must take enormous credit for. Shelves have been kept full due to the hard work of Scottish farmers and I am proud that QMS has played its part in this success.

“I wish all the women shortlisted the best of luck and look forward to the awards ceremony in November.”

Mrs Rowell who started her career as vet, is a fifth-generation farmer running 750 hectares at Hundleshope farm on the Haystoun Estate, where the family have been tenants for 150 years. She

runs the hill unit with her husband Ed and their four children but still finds time to be fully involved and committed with QMS and the promotion of the red meat industry in Scotland.

The Women in Meat Industry Awards are designed to recognise the vitally important contributions that women make to the meat sector. This unique awards initiative is driven by reader nominations and votes, with an expert judging panel gathering to select the overall Meat Businesswoman of the Year recipient, which is presented to one of the category winners.

All winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on 13th November at the Royal Garden Hotel, London.

For more information or to vote for Ms Rowell, visit: www.womeninmeatawards.com/vote

Scotland's leading livestock auctioneers presented the long service achievement awards at a special, socially distanced ceremony at Stirling Agricultural Centre.

George Purves, UAs' Managing Director, said: "The dedication these five members of staff have given UA is unprecedented. On behalf of the Directors, I want to thank them for all their help and the many years of loyal service they have given not only to the Company, but also to Scotland's farming communities over the years, during which time they have amassed between them thousands of friends and stories."

UA staff Awarded for 160 Years of Service

Novel Study of Poultry Red Mites Awarded Key Funding

Agrant worth almost half a million pounds has been awarded to the Moredun Research Institute near Edinburgh to develop a novel way ofstudying poultry red mites which greatly reduces the number of hens required.

Poultry red mites are parasites which need to feed on the blood of a bird to survive, develop and reproduce. Infestation of hen houses with poultry red mites is a major animal welfare and economic problem for the egg producing industry internationally and multiple groups worldwide are working to develop new control methods.

To supply mites for any research programme, donor hens must be infested with the parasite to provide sufficient numbers of mites for subsequent laboratory or field studies. The aim of the research funded by the £483 000 grant from the National Centre Replacement, Refinement & Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs)is to establish a laboratory colony of red mites and develop a novel feeding

method which removes the need to use infested hens.

Through a series of preliminary experiments, researchers have established that poultry red mites will feed on goose blood through a disposable synthetic skin-like membrane. Live geese are particularly suited to be blood donors for this task as they can supply approximately 30 times more blood than hens in a single donation. The donor geese are looked after and cared for under very high welfare standards in a dedicated blood-donor flock.

By using this system, it has been deduced that the number of hens used for the maintenance of poultry red mites could be reduced by 90% per year. In addition, welfare standards will be increased by removing the need for hens to be continuously infested with the parasites for prolonged periods.

This feeding method, designed by Moredun researchers in conjunction with Biomathematics & Statistics Scotland (BioSS), is both sustainable for the routine culturing of mites and can be

Winner of the Fence Alarm from the June issue is –Mr James Webster, Kilnpothall Farm Carnwath Lanark

A Swedish invention, FenceAlram, monitors your fences and immediately sends a message to your phone should the voltage drop. That way, you can feel confident knowing that your fences are always stockproof. Worth £178.

scaled-up for the production of the large numbers of mites required for trials when required.

Dr Francesca Nunn, who this year received the prestigious International 3Rs Prize fromthe NC3Rs for work related to this study, says: "This is an exciting project that not only has the potential to seriously reduce the numbers of experimental hens use in poultry red mite colony maintenance, but also increase our understanding of the feeding behaviour and population dynamics that will be greatly useful in future control strategies against this important parasite. I am thrilled to be working with the NC3Rs once more."

Dr Alasdair Nisbet, Head of Vaccine and Diagnostic development and Principal Investigator of the study says: "I'm delighted to be able to continue our work on reducing the numbers of hens used for poultry red mite research and refining our approaches in this area in partnership with the NC3Rs. We look forward to another 3 years of a high level of impact in these areas."

Scots Love Local Produce

New research has revealed Scots’ love of local produce grew during lockdown, with over three quarters (79%) of respondents agreeing that it is important to continue to support local suppliers as restrictions ease.

Carried out by Censuswide on behalf of Scotch Lamb PGI, the research also highlighted that nearly two thirds (60%) of people in Scotland intend to buy more from local suppliers as the nation emerges from lockdown, with over a third (36%) increasing their consumption from local suppliers since lockdown began.

The pandemic has also made Scottish consumers more switched-on as to where their food is coming from, with 62 per cent of those surveyed agreeing they are more conscious of the traceability of their food.

The research coincides with Quality Meat Scotland’s, ‘Make It Scotch Lamb’ campaign, which aims to share the positive health, nutrition and sustainability messages surrounding one of Scotland’s most prised products.

Lesley Cameron, Director of Marketing and Communications from Quality Meat Scotland said: “We’re thrilled that the majority of Scots intend to buy more locally produced products and continue their support as we adjust to a new era for the food and drink industry post-lockdown.

“The past few months have seen

many members of the red meat supply chain – from farmers and butchers, to auctioneers and processors – pivot their operations to meet new and different, demand, and many consumers have relied heavily on local suppliers.

“As the nation moves into its recovery period, this momentum must continue and we’d urge shoppers to look for the Scotch Lamb PGI label when next visiting a supermarket or butchers. This will directly support a Scottish farm and the wider supply chain while also providing reassurance that the lamb takes its quality and characteristics from a natural life grazing on the Scottish hills.”

With many households adjusting to spending more time indoors, the research revealed a shakeup in the kitchen observed over the past few months. More than a third of respondents (35%) have been more experimental with their meals and almost a quarter (24%) tried their hand at learning how to cook new dishes during lockdown.

Of the people surveyed who live with family members, over half (55%) are eating more together and those with kids have been benefiting from an extra pair of helping hands in the kitchen, with 30 per cent indicating that their wee ones got more involved in meal prep and cooking.

To help beat mealtime boredom and provide inspiration for summer, a suite

of new recipes using Scotch Lamb PGI are now available on the Scotch Kitchen website, www.scotchkitchen.com, suited to a variety of skillsets and including kid-friendly cookalongs.

The ‘Make It Scotch Lamb’ campaign forms part of wider £1.2m British beef and lamb campaign supported by partners AHDB in England and Hybu Cig Cymru (HCC) in Wales.

For more Scotch Lamb recipe videos and inspiration visit www.scotchkitchen.com or follow The Scotch Kitchen on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

In my last article 4 or 5 months ago I finished by saying “see you on the other side,” well we are still in the tunnel and it has over the last few days got a little longer but there is light!

Lockdown came at time for us (like many of you) that was quite timely, lambing and calving meaning we go into isolation anyway. What a time it was this year, the weather was beautiful, you have to say the previous wet season was soon forgotten, I’ll take a spring like 2020 every year. Everything, lambs, calves and even grass got off to a tremendous start. That said it hasn’t been (for us anyhow) a record-breaking year for lamb numbers, lowland lamb numbers are better than average but we suffered with mastitis and the usual other “sheep” issues, however we did see good results from our hill flocks and the spring herd.

A changeable weather pattern over the summer saw continual sunshine for April, May and early June followed by a change in July and Aug. With 1st cut silage yields reduced (due to drought stress) we increased 2nd cut acreage and then duly struggled to find a window but perseverance achieved in the end.

I appreciate we have not been alone and across the country harvest of grass and cereals has been a challenge. I feel quite fortunate to have full pits of crop and fields full of lambs and calves while my arable friends talk of enduring one of the worst harvests both in terms of yield and conditions.

Rightly or wrongly I made the decision to secure straw relatively early on, hopefully to some cost advantage but certainly increased on last year by some 10 - 15%. We can only hope that the present weather conditions have aided everyone to finish the harvest and let us see a reasonable autumn where we can

avoid housing cows too early. Grazing cattle have mostly been housed, some weeks ago during the wetter weather, one reason for this is to increase the area available to the autumn calving cows. I aim to keep these out as long as practically possible allowing the cows a couple of turns of the bull before housing. A proportion of the cows are now receiving roughage, normally straw but with it like the proverbial ‘rocking horse ….’ I am feeding hay we were fortunate enough to make in 2019.

So what light is there at the end of that long tunnel, well its shining a little brighter than it has been, prices in the livestock sector are certainly encouraging, a beef trade riding higher after fluctuating like a roller coaster and the sheep trade can only be described as exciting, with trade at record levels of £4.50/kg dw in the 2nd week of September. I remain very positive in the medium term, frankly though its where it needs to be and the knock on positivity cannot be underestimated.

John Wildman Glenkiln Estate Castle Douglas

For once all sheep farmers from the hill gate to the lowland finisher are getting a turn –we just need the store buyers to make a pound now to further boost their confidence!

Meanwhile we have the continued uncertainty of Brexit negotiations and the unknown “Deal or No Deal,” outcome. I for one remain at a complete loss as to what the outcome will be! Nothing though is guaranteed and there is little we as individuals can influence out with our own businesses. With that in mind I have moved some lambs in the store that would have been around in early ’21, I will though be keeping some longer keep lambs but not all!

With Southern hemisphere countries focussing on closer markets in the Far East and Europe’s continued demand for sheep meat along with an exchange rate that is presently beneficial to European buyers the outlook is positive but like all things in life there are no guarantees and I guess that’s what makes this farming game so exciting!

Its been a while since I last wrote and since then we have done our Autumn muster, which might interest some of you.

We run Merino wethers which are put out on the High Country early January for the summer. There are no fences as such and the sheep seem to just stick pretty much to their own country. There are natural boundaries, which can be spotted in some of the photos, though they are in some pretty inhospitable places –in some cases steeper than a normal person would venture if not used to the terrain.

We muster up too 6400 ft all walking, with no helicopters. They are bought down in mid April before it snows. There were 7 of us mustering , which included both Todhunter boys, their Mum and Dad and sister helped as well –a real family effort and tradition.

We stayed in a hut for 4 days –well its not really a hut its quite comfortable.

There use to be a lot of Merino wethers run along the Southern Alps of the South Island but numbers have decreased about 20% over the past 20 years. This is mostly through Tenure Review and the retirement of the High Country, which is a voluntary process, where the Crown offers Freehold title for the farmers to relinquish the High

Country back to Conservation (apparently). This might be confusing, but most of the High Stations are only Leasehold with right of perpetual renewal with 33 year reveiws. Originally there were over 300 Leases ranging up to 160 000 acres and in early 1900s they were twice as big and bigger, when some of our Scottish ancestors arrived and took up land.

Covid has taken its toll in NZ mostly because of our high tourism focus. But now farmers are in the good books again, well sort of there is more appreciation anyway. Prices for product have eased and wool has plummeted –the first time since World War 2 we are paying the shearers more than we earn for wool from the traditional meat breeds.

Merino wool also has taken a hit, but there are contracts, which a lot of fine wool farmers have in place.

The country is divided in several directions at the stance our Government took on Covid and now we still are battling with 5 or 6 cases a day, in Auckland, due to poor policing when we were in lockdown. Poor to say the least as with everyone we lost billions in income, where we thought we were going great when a lot of the countries around the world were slower to react,

Johnny Templeton Lake Heron Station

Ashburton South Island New Zealand

the proof will be in the pudding

Also our Government has spent the last 3yrs (apparently with a lot of consultation) on our new water policy. It has been a bombshell without or little consultation with people on the ground, farmers and experts alike. A couple of the more absurd rules are you can't cross stock across a stream, creek or river more than once a month. All waterways over a 1m wide are to be fenced by 2025. If any of you have been or know NZ it is ridiculous! This property would not be able to withstand the cost or physically do it let alone maintain it. The cost is to the farmer, who receives no subsides.

Enough of all that. Spring is slowly arriving and lambing starts in 6 weeks all unassisted and on pretty tough country. Cows start calving in three weeks. We still have hoggets to shear and the wethers in early November

FARM FACTS

Owner: Todhunter Family

Manager: Johnny Templeton

Farm: Lake Heron Station

Location: Ashburton, South Island, NZ

Area: 19 000ha

Height:620

Sheep: 5000Merino ewes (20mic)

2300 Wether Flock 0

1250 Ewe replacements

750 Wether replacements 65 rams

Cattle: 450 Angus cows

118 R2 heifers

115 R1 heifers

14 bulls

Tourism: Cottage - sleeps 6 Hut –sleeps 13

Heli-skiing Flights

4WD Adventures Mountain Biking Farm Tours

Boating & Kayaking

With more and more landowners applying for forestry grants and decimating the Scottish countryside forever with trees, some farming families are getting pushed out.

David and Alison Rock, Knock O’ Ronald, Gargunnock and their son James and his partner Isla King, are one family who are accepting a new challenge and changing alliances in more ways than one! Not only are they crossing the Scottish/ English Border into Northumberland, they are swapping over from Scottish Blackfaces to North Country Cheviot Sheep.

“Although we are very much looking forward to the new challenge south of the Border, it is sad that some really good ground, which in days gone by grew oats and barley is being put under trees,” commented David Rock, who with his wife Alison and family have spent the last thirty years farming at Knock O’ Ronald. It is a hill farm –on Leckie Estate at Gargunnock on the edge of the Carse of Stirling and part of the Gargunnock Hills and the Campsie Fells.

The family of politician, the late George Younger owned Leckie until three years ago. The Estate was sold to a developer who is a keen shooter. He plans to blanket plant 150 acres of the 200 in-bye and sow a game cover crop for shooting.

The Rocks had originally been on a 10 year Farming Partnership, followed latterly with Short Limited Duration Tenancy finishing May 2019. “We had eighteen months left when it was sold and have just been on a grazing let since, for the landlords tax purposes. We learnt a year ago that we were to lose ground for planting. It was hard to make it viable with what was left. We need the in-bye below to supplement the hill.”

In June last year David spotted, on his Facebook feed, that Heftpool and Fleehope in the College Valley, Northumberland, which marches, in places, with the Scottish Border, were open for applications for new tenants, on a long term, 10 year Farm Business Tenancy –a rarity these days.

Rock on Heftpool

by Eilidh MacPherson

“James has been contract farming 500 acres up at Ballinluig since December 2016, an hour and a half away. It was just too far away for him to help out regularly at Gargunnock. We thought it would be ideal to find somewhere big enough for both of us. The whole circumstances made it a clear cut decision to move.” explained David.

“There was a pre-application form and 17 prospective farmers were invited to an open day with fantastic hospitality. They came from as far as Aberdeenshire and Devon, with many from the Borders,” informed David.

The College Valley is one of five cuttings into the Cheviot Hills. The valley has been owned by College Valley Estates for the past sixty years, which in turn is funded by a trust created by the late Sir James Knott MP.

The Estate covers approximately 12 000 acres and is now managed by a Board of Directors whose duty is to run it in a way that increases its value as an environmental, social and economic place of excellence.

FARM FACTS

Farmer: David & Alison Rock

Farm: Knock O Ronald on Leckie Estates

Location: Gargunnock, Stirling

Area: 1300 acres tenanted 40 acres rented

Sheep: 1000 Blackface ewes 350 pure rest go to Bluefaced Leicester

Other: Knock O Ronald is being planted, so the Rocks are moving to Heftpool & Fleehope in College Valley Northumberland

There are two farmer Directors on the Board, John Baker-Cresswell and James Dobie, of Abbey St Bathans, a sheep farmer running 4150 ewes, (featured in 300 Farmers of Scotland book).

The Rocks will be taking on the 885 North Country Cheviots and 265 hoggs at Hethpool and the 450 Lanark type Blackface ewes and 145 hoggs at Fleehope at they run. The farms’ upland sheep regime is also suitable for some summer-only cattle grazing.

“We have big boots to fill as Bill and Fanny Elliot, the out going tenants produced some of the UK’s leading North Country Cheviots, selling ewe lambs privately direct from Hethpool and Fleehope. Most wether lambs were sold for slaughter, half of them direct off grass, with average weights of between 18.5 and 19.5 kilos. Their Cheviot tups sell at Lockerbie, Lairg and Dingwall, and the Blackface tups at Hexham.”

The Elliots farmed traditionally, with his attention to detail concentrating on the breeding side and improving productivity, conformation, carcass weight and breed type. The improvements in productivity are he believes a direct result of mineral supplementation.

“To begin with we will run it the way it has been running as it has been run well with impressive figures. The valley is much better ground than here with a green hill.”

“There is no LFAS south of the Border so we are planning to put cattle on. We are undecided on what breed, but they will be native and possibly on the endangered list as there is a stewardship scheme for native breeds,” commented David, who ran a closed herd of Simmental cross Shorthorn cattle with Charolais calves until 2018. When the cows came off, sheep numbers increased from 750 to 1000.

David, who came from a non-farming background started out as a shepherd on Daldorn at Doune for 14 years. He went on to manage the 8000-acre Banchor Mains hill farm at Newtonmore, which covered four Munros on the Monaliath Mountains.

“My father was a head forester, but uncles farmed in Australia,” added David, who took on the tenancy at Knock O’ Ronald in 1991.

“This really is the only thing that I have changed since we took over the tenancy and in getting the minerals right, scanning percentages have risen from 140 to 160% for the Cheviots and the Blackfaces from 150 to 170%.”

“The Fleehope draft ewes are sold at Hexham and usually secure the top price –getting a good trade for good commercial type of Blackfaces, scanning at 171%, so no pressure,” laughs David.

Although the farm was in good heart when he came in, there was only a flockof 350 ewes in situ at Knock O Ronald. David brought 40 pack ewes with him and then bought in Blackface ewe lambs from Elmscleugh and Connachan. He gradually built up numbers to 750 ewes and 45 cattle.

Tup-wise Dyke, which just lies over the Campsie Fells, has clicked well with the Rock’s flock, as have Auldhouseburn and Crossflatt sires. Top prices include one off an Allanfauld, which sold in 2006 to £8K to Holylee and Traquair Hill and another at £5K to Elmscleugh.

“My top price at Newtonmore, for one of my own tups was £3.5K and I held the record for a shepherd’s tup for a long time. It was purchased by Arnicle and Allanfauld and suitably named ‘Rocky’!”

More recently as the Rocks have been selling off stock, David secured another record, selling a Blackface gimmer for £2800 to John Murray, Crossflatt, at Stirling last week.

Highlights at Knock O Ronald include: winning the Cup for the Champion pen of Mules at UA in 2009 and judging the Highland Show in 2017, “ I was very honoured to have been asked to do that.”

Son James, completed an HNC at Oatridge before returning home in 2008. The Rocks also contract farmed Old Leckie, an extra 300 acres, from 2008-2012. In December 2016 James took on 500 acres of upland ground at Ballinluig. With 300 acres of decent grazing and 200 of rough, James has been running 700 ewes, half of them Blackfaces and the balance cross Texels.

“There was no stock on the property when I took it on and I restocked and bought in, going 50:50 with the owner, buying 520 ewes in the first year. Unfortunately as I had no holding number in my own name I couldn’t apply for any grants,” said James.

Back in the day around 19 shepherds tended the flocks in the College Valley, now only one other farming family at Elsdonburn and the Rocks will be based in the Valley. Sheep numbers were dramatically reduced from 6700 hill ewes to 2500 and 150 cows in the 1970’s. Cattle no longer winter in the Valley.

The highest area of the estate amounting to some 5500 acres is managed primarily to enhance and protect the very precious sub alpine botany to be found on the slopes of Cheviot.These rare plant communities are the reason that some 2500 acres around Cheviot has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and this gives them robust legal protection.

To this end, on certain parts of this area cattle and sheep are brought in to graze in the summer only, returning to less harsh conditions in the lowlands for the winter months. The grazing regime is designed to remove the competitive grasses, which would otherwise swamp the more delicate vascular alpines. Summer grazing was the way that the land was managed 200 years ago before the Victorian system of keeping sheep year-round in the Valley was introduced.

The Rocks will certainly meet large numbers of walkers and ramblers on their next lambing beat as both the Pennine Way and St Cuthberts Way cross the Cheviot Hills. The former is a 268 mile route, said to be the oldest, of England’s National Trails. Starting in the Peak District and stretching north to the Scottish Borders, it is one of the most challenging but rewarding long distance walking routes and is steeped in history. The latter links Melrose in the Scottish Borders, where St. Cuthbert started his religious life in 650AD, with Holy Island off the Northumberland Coast, his eventual resting place.

David and James will be selling off 850 stock ewes at UA, Stirling on Monday October 5th. They have certainly chosen a great year to sell and move on, with record prices at female sales.

We wish David, Alison, James and Isla every success in their new endeavour south of the Border.

Selling more lambs next year starts well before conception

Regardless what UK/EU trade talks bring, Dr Berry from Animax says preparing ewes for tupping in the weeks leading up to tupping could produce more lambs for sale next year. "At today's values in a 500-ewe lowland flock, for example, this could be worth £5000 or more," she suggests.

"For any crop of lambs, of course, the die is cast well before tupping by getting ewes into ideal condition for high conception rates and embryo retention, maximum twin-bearing pregnancies, and low barren rate."

By now, many flock owners will have checked body condition scores after weaning and segregated ewes into thin, just right and fat groups. Unless grazing is really sparse, Dr Berry suggests that managing their nutrition in readiness for tupping needn't involve buying much mineralised feed.

She says supplying the essential trace elements in which much of the country is deficient means that decent pasture may be relied on for getting ewes to optimum body condition score for tupping, 3.5 (lowland) or 2.5 (hill breeds).

Critical trace elements are usually selenium, iodine and cobalt, plus copper in some known localities. Without supplementation, Dr Berry advises that the full nutrient value of pasture cannot be utilised and concentrates may be needed, especially for under-weight ewes.

"Among available methods –drenching, in-feed minerals, free-access licks, etc - one offering 180-days' duration, single handling of ewes, and constant trickle-charge of trace elements is Tracesure Sheep & Lamb," she says.

"Giving this leaching bolus is easy, with a short video demonstration and telephone advice available for first-timers."

Leaching bolus technology was developed by and is unique to Animax.

Why now?

Stronger ovulation then higher embryo viability and survival

Higher lambing % and fewer barreners

Minimal handling of ewes

'Give and forget' trace elements for 180 days until pre-lambing repeat

Easy copper option if required (prevention of swayback in lambs, of course)

'Flushing' caution: A short term repair when pre-tupping preparation is left too late. It may increase triplets in older ewes and prolific breeds Easy to give, no risk (to ewe or you)

Rock-solid breeding performance supported by essential trace element supplementation

A 96% reduction in empty ewes when Tracesure boluses were first used has convinced David Rock to use them in the 20 years since. He says the culprit on his land in Stirlingshire was iodine deficiency.

From 700 Scottish Blackface ewes bred to Blueface Leicesters, ewe lambs are sold as breeding Mules and wether lambs fattened. Nowadays, these too are given Tracesure boluses to ensure adequate supplies of selenium, cobalt and iodine for optimum grass-fed liveweight gain.

GET READY FOR TUPPING

with the essential trace elements for fertility and conception rates

Contact Matty: matthew.gray@animax-vet.com 07584 486229 | animax-vet.com animaxvet animax_vet animaxvet

Fencing not

Tennis @ Cromlix

While some farmers pump feed into cattle housed in courts, Iain Malcolm, who farms Wester Coilechat and Cromlix, which surrounds Andy Murray’s hotel, operates a low input, low cost, outdoor system.

He is very much on the ball –no cattle or tennis courts involved!

by Eilidh MacPherson

Iain Malcolm and his wife Sarah took on Cromlix Estate, owned by the Eden family three decades ago this November. They still reside on the family farm, Wester Coilechat, Callendar while their son Angus and his partner live at Cromlix.

Gathering and handlings at Braes of Balquidder, Invermorlich, Glen Lyon, The Annie, Keilator, Glenfalloch, Glen Ample, Cononish and Ardvorlich, driving tractors at Invermorlich and then sheep shearing was the route a young Iain took into the agricultural industry.

“I shore for Dochie Gart (Stewart) who was the fore runner of shearing contractors in the 60’s and 70’s.

“By 1982 I was full time shearing and worked for Brian Perks, Lochearnhead.”

His first job for Brian was in Buckinghamshire, where he met Sarah, Art Editor for the Sun and the Mirror!

The next four years were spent on the shearing circuit: Ashburton and Waikato in New Zealand, Norway and Scotland.

“I found the first season in New Zealand hard. It was a steep learning curve –I only managed 80 the first day!”

FARM FACTS

Farmer: Iain Malcom farms in partnership with wife Sarah & son Angus

Farm: Wester Coilechat & Cromlix

Location: Callendar & Dunblane

Lambing for Moray Estates and working in the market (UA), punching lambs for subsidy fitted in well between shearing stints.

“I had lucky breaks at the Highland Show. I competed in the Intermediate and was third and was asked to shear in the Senior as they were short of competitors, so I filled a stand and went on to win!” He represented Scotland the following year as part of the Scottish Team at Edinburgh.

The young couple headed to the Falklands in 1985. “Goosegreen had 30 stands, but only one side was being used at that time. The wee Corriedale hill wethers would have sickened anyone,” commented, Iain who received news that his father was retiring on their return from their South Atlantic island adventure.

“We took over 3 bullocks and 100 ewes at Wester Coilechat,” informed Sarah, who was head chef, wool handler and laundry lady the following year when they started contract shearing in their own right.

“It took off very quickly with local farmers as we were the first in the area to have a shearing trailer, which Robin Gray built. We had up to four Kiwis at any one time,” added Iain.

Mule ewe production was the other string to their bow, selling their own at Stirling. Using contacts down south, the

Area: 300acres rented from Moray Estates

2400 acres rented at Cromlix

Cattle: 200 Highland cross Shorthorn cattle to the Charolais bull

Sheep: 1000 Blackface ewes

Other: Contract fencing employs 2 fencers and 1 full time man

SALE DATES 2020

Malcolm’s bought in other Scotch Mules and sold through Banbury market and privately with a “good mark up,” for a number of years.

“We were constantly looking for other farms at that juncture as Wester Coilechat is only 300 acres. A chance comment to Jimmy Weir at the market, that if we couldn’t find a farm locally we would move. He mentioned that Cromlix was coming up and the rest is history.”

Cromlix, which covers 2400 acres, all down to grass, had 300 ewes and 50 hoggs at take over. The Malcolm’s quickly upped the numbers, as quotas were imminent. “We bought a lot of cast ewes, mainly Swale cross, and tupped them with Leicesters for the first couple of years, but it was a huge workload with the ewe lambs, so quickly changed to using the Blackface over the Swales.”

We kept on producing Mule ewe lambs on Cholliechat, but found it hard to buy the kind of Blackie ewe lambs we wanted. The Taylors from Dall ‘s stock were so popular, we couldn’t afford to buy them –it became apparent that there was demand for this type of ewe lamb.

Blackface ewe lamb production was the Malcolm’s main sheep market from 2000.

• Protein concentrates for all systems For mixing with home-grown cereals Soya based for improved performance Fully mineralised

• High energy nuts, blends and rolls

Palatable, mineralised and high starch

• Alkagrain based feeds

Fully buffered feeds (reduces risk of

The Highlands premier auctioneers

Auctioneers :

Paul Spencer 07813893963

Daniel Urquhart 07788421231

Scott Chapman 07377624349

Sam Ferguson 07826527773

Yard Foreman : Stevie Stewart - 07377535141

Dingwall & Highland Marts Limited Humberston Bailechaul Road

Dingwall, Ross-shire IV15 9TP

t. 01349 863252 www.dingwallmart.co.uk

While many well kent Blackface breeders have decreased the numbers of tups they have forward for sale over the past few decades, Iain has gradually increased his! over the past few decades, Iain has increased his! He now sells fifty a year between Dalmally, Stirling and privately averaging £500-£600. “So it is well worth doing,” said Iain, who has sold into Argyll, Perthshire and Angus.

Almost with a ‘breed of his own,’ the Cromlix flock are renowned for being bare. So bare that this year only three bags of wool were packed from the 1000 strong flock. “The of wool were from the 1000 strong flock. “The majority now shed their fleece –it is very short wool and it is environmentally friendly as it returns protein to the soil. Various buyers are telling me that more of their sheep are peeling now. It saves the expense of shearing, there are no maggots, no couping and they don’t get balled up in the snow –so many obvious advantages.”

Amazingly the lambs have a good amount of cover when they are born, but also peel in the summer. The ewes start losing their wool at the end of May and by mid July start their wool at the end of May and mid very few have to be shorn.

Sires are bought in from Loch Tayside –Dall, Braes of Ardroneaig and Shenlarich. “They are hardier coming south from their breeding ground.”

Iain studies the market and likes to be ahead of the game. He speans all lambs by mid August, selling at the two main Blackie sales at the UA and the Callie.

Iain feels lucky to have avoided Jaagsiekte. “We genuinely don’t have it.” He attributes it to having no sheep inside, no feeding troughs or feed blocks. “We also sheep inside, no or feed blocks. “We also just buy tups from certain places. It is all about control of diseases and we run Blackfaces extensively –like Blackfaces should be!”

He knows his costs. “Benchmarking with SAC wakened us up to one or two realities,” commented Iain, who was an Agriscot Beef Farmer of the Year Finalist in 2015 and a Agriscot Beef Farmer of the Year Finalist in 2015 and a QMS Planning for Profit case study host.

Initially 14 Highland cross Shorthorn cows were purchased from the Ancaster Estates dispersal and since then Iain has Estates and since then Iain has bought replacements mainly from the West coast, out of Oban and Fort William marts and for the past five years from Dingwall & Highland Marts and the Isle of Skye. “I prefer to buy bulling heifers and buy some in-calf heifers from selected farms”.

After five years at Cromlix, the Malcolm’s changed tack on the cattle front and quit traditional silaging and feeding. Iain took inspiration for his cattle enterprise from Wilbert Girvan, who formerly rented Buckholm at Galashiels and now farms Berryfell Farm, Hawick. He practised New Zealand style, deferred grazing, which significantly reduces winter feed costs while also minimising the need for winter housing.

By maintaining a light-stocking rate on Cromlix, Iain now runs a low input, low cost, extensive system. Machinery low cost, extensive system.Machinery costs have been slashed and housing expenses are almost non-existent.

“For us to ensure we have an efficient,

sustainable business requires constant year-round management of the cattle and we need an extremely structured and focused approach to allow us to maintain a reasonable margin,” he said.

“The general conception from people of out-wintering cattle is that it is mucky and rough, with beasts standing round and with beasts round ring feeders. Our system is not at all like that. We feed high Magnesium cow rolls and about 100 bales of hay, when needed during calving time on a different patch each day.

The Highland cross Shorthorn cattle totally fit the bill: “They are a very hardy type of cow which is well-suited to type cow which is well-suited to out-wintering. They are good foragers, which are easily handled and they are good mothers with longevity, well able to rear a calf every year.”

The bulk of the cattle are covered by Charolais bulls, which are selected for calving ease, coupled with the visuals of length, height and a rangy frame to produce shapely calves that are fast growing. 95% calve in the first three weeks.

For the past three years a Saler bull

has been used on the heifers. The bulls, which only spend nine weeks in with the cows, are over-wintered in a birch wood, which is kept ungrazed over the summer.

“Our biggest challenge is ticks on young calves. It is a real problem on both farms. We treat all calves and bulls treat going out with Spot On.”

Calves are creep fed from mid August and weaned mid September as the logistics of weaning 200 for sale day in October is too much. They average 275kg for steers and 265kg for heifers. Many, mainly, Aberdeenshire finishers return year on year for the Cromlix calves.

The Malcolm’s have five sons, with only Angus keen to farm. Jack runs a contracting business, with diggers and tractors and employs his brother Ben. Joe is a rope access welder offshore, while Hamish is a self-employed hard landscaper –laying patios and decking.

With the prospect of subsidy removal once Brexit is done and dusted, the Cromlix team are very much on the Cromlix team are very much on the ball –Game, Set & Match!

Baillie –Beef Barron of the

“There are many more people involved in showing animals than the person holding the halter,” says Orkney farmer Balfour Baillie whose success in the show ring has earned him a reputation as one of the North’s leading exhibitors.

The Baillie family has been farming at Sebay, Tankerness since 1950 with Balfour representing the fourth generation to be involved in the running of the enterprise. It is currently operated by Balfour alongside father Jim and brother Hamish, with Mum Joyce, wife Sarah and even youngsters Harvey (4) and Ella (18 months) all lending a hand during busy times.

Sebay itself extends to some 360 acres

with a further 45 subsequently added on to supplement the acreage and another 300 rented in nearby locations on the Orkney Mainland. Some 60 acres are turned over to growing spring barley for feed at home.

The focus of the livestock side of the business is Balfour’s 80 British Blue cross Limousin cows, plus his Dad’s has 50 Holstein Friesian dairy cows and 40 beef cows, including the six pedigree Angus beef cows, which make up the “Sebay” herd. All selling takes place through Orkney Auction Mart and Aberdeen & Northern Marts at Thainstone Centre, Aberdeenshire.

In addition are 20 Suffolks, 30 Texels and 150 cross ewes. Whilst North

Country Cheviots have always been part of the mix, a recent emphasis on the breed has seen numbers swell to 100, bringing success in the ring. Notably, a Cheviot shearling by Harestone Wahoo fetched £4500 at Lockerbie recently –Balfour’s highest ever price at that location. The shearling was part of a trio, which all realised good prices driven, Balfour believes, by Cheviots getting bigger and stronger, with the attributes of these bright sheep – which have plenty of milk and good maternal instincts – all appealing to the commercial market.

In 2017, J. S. Baillie & Co, Sebay Farm, took the championship and the top price at the North Country Cheviot Sheep

by Lesley Eaton

North

Society's annual Caithness Ram Show and Sale, with shearling Sebay Vermount which sold for £5000, shared by D. N. Campbell and Sons, Bardnaclavan and J. & J. Smith, Upper Cornquoy, Holm, Orkney. They also that day were reserve champion. The reserve title went to the shearling, Sebay Vampire, by Oldfield Sunrise, which sold for £4000 to D. J. and M. Allan, Durran Mains, Castletown. Sebay has taken the top prize at the show in the past, but never both the champion and reserve titles.

The tradition of exhibiting livestock runs deep in the Ballie veins and Balfour’s earliest memories are of watching and learning from his grandfather James Baillie, who led out

many sheep, cattle and ponies not only on the Orkney circuit but also at the Royal and Highland Shows.

Baillie’s own career in the ring began with showing Shetland ponies and he took the Horse and Pony Championship at the Orkney County Show in 1994. It was to set him off on a path, which has been liberally and regularly sprinkled with success ever since.

Balfour takes up the story, saying: “I am very competitive in everything I do and I wanted to show animals right from a very young age. At the beginning, I was too little to show cattle so I started with Shetland ponies and worked my way up to cattle.”

Along the way, Balfour’s competitive spirit also saw him win the boys’ Ba’ at the famous street game, which is held in Kirkwall every Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. He’s never missed a year since he started playing at the age of eight, indicating the determination to win, which takes him back into the show ring time and again.

As well as exhibiting the champion at the Spectacular in 2007 and 2008, one highlight of a long and full track record of showing success came in 2015. This was when Stirling’s Stewart Bett and Lynsey McKay scooped the commercial

cattle championship at the prestigious Royal Yorkshire Show with one of Balfour’s heifers. The 18-month-old named Moonstone was a British Blue cross, sired by Valdes and out of a pure Limousin cow.

More recently, 2019 saw Balfour achieve a long-held ambition when he won the Orkney County Show –nudging ahead of his father to take the top prize. “Dad had beaten me to the championship in 2014 so there was a wee bit of unfinished business for me,” laughs Balfour.

Balfour’s champion last year was an unnamed 15-month-old Limousin cross heifer by Craigatoke Jamieson and out of one of his homebred British Blue cross cows. After taking the honours at the show, she travelled south to the Thainstone Centre for the annual Spectacular show and sale where she sold for £2500.

As with so many areas of life in 2020, the show calendar was decimated by the Covid-19 pandemic even although many preparations had already begun on farms all over the country. However, success was still forthcoming for Balfour in spite of unprecedented circumstances and he sold two heifers at the online Spectacular sale, which was held by

FARM FACTS

Farmer:Balfour Baillie, farms in conjunction with his father Jim and brother Hamish, his Mum Joyce and wife Sarah

Farm: Sebay

Location: Tankerness, Orkney

Area: Sebay 360 acres

another 45 acres owned 300 acres rented on Mainland Orkney

Cattle: 80 British Blue cross Limousin cows (Balfour’s) 50 Holstein Friesian dairy cows (his father’s) 40 beef cows (his father’s) 6 pedigree Angus cattle

Sheep: 20 Suffolks

30 Texels

100 North Country Cheviots 150 cross ewes

Crops: 60 acres Spring Barley

Aberdeen & Northern Marts on Sept. 4th, one of which made £2050.

Balfour reflects: “We are really grateful to all the event organisers who have worked so hard to try and keep things going as best they can. I think that it’s under abnormal conditions such as these that the reputation we’ve worked so hard to build up over the years comes into play, giving buyers confidence in the kind of animal they can expect from us.

“It is really hard for beasts to realise their full potential with the change of format and I don’t blame buyers for parting with less money just now because everything is so uncertain.”

Undaunted, Balfour is now looking ahead to 2021 and is hoping that the Royal Northern Spring Show, again at Thainstone Centre, will get the year off to a good start. He adds: “Because we didn’t sell so many at the Spectacular, I have some cattle, which will now head for the Spring Show so we will cross everything that the situation regarding the Covid-19 pandemic will be sufficiently improved by that time.”

Balfour also believes that the outstanding quality of Orkney cattle will stand local breeders in good stead moving forward, adding: “The quality

of cattle up here is very high and it always has been. There are differences in how things are done farm to farm, but there is a great reputation for Orkney producing good, traditional cattle – seeing 16 or 17 Aberdeenshire buyers round the ring in Kirkwall the other day speaks for itself!

“That’s why it’s important to get out there and show people Orkney cattle, and I’m looking forward to getting back into the ring to showcase not only what I do but what the Orkney Islands do in terms of producing some of the best cattle around.

“But I wouldn’t be able to do any of that without the support of my family – it really is a team effort and there is so much that goes on behind the scene to make it all possible. Taking the rein of a good-looking beast on the day of a show is the culmination of a lot of hard work by a lot of people and I’m incredibly lucky to be part of such a great team.”

Ele tr y n g Te ch n ol o gy at R t ell

by Eilidh MacPherson

Perthshire Farmer, Alex Brewster, who also runs Powered Pasture, practices what he preaches –by hot-wiring his cattle on the hill to combat bracken.

Using the combined force ofa solar powered electric fence and the pounding feet of 300 head of Angus cattle, including offspring, Alex Brewster is romping down the bracken on his 2450-acre regenerative hill farm at Dowally.

Positioned just off the A9, half way between Dunkeld and Ballinluig, this property, which is all LFA, with around 345 acres of improved pasture and 300 acres of rough grazing, is reaping the rewards. Grass and clover swards are rejuvenating a few weeks after the cattle have demolished the invasive weed, which in places was up to four feet tall.

“The whole farm, had been fully organic from 2002 till 2012, but we were running into cross compliance issues with bracken. So we opted to spray 400ha of bracken by helicopter,” informed Alex (43). “The results were

great for a couple of years, but it came back with a vengeance.”

An evolving policy of fencing off 2ha blocks with geared reels and electrified polybraid, simlifies daily movement of the mob onto fresh hill pasture and is working wonders. So much so, that the owners of neighbouring Lude Estate, who have a couple of planes, have been noticing the difference from the air. Alex was approached and he now contract farms the 6170 acre Estate.

Normally Alex moves the cattle at 8am, but to coincide with my visit, it was nearer 11am when we reached them via hill tracks, including a Wade road and part of the original A9, popular with the walking, hiking and fishing fraternity. Destinations include: Rotmell Loch, Mill Dam and Loch Ordie.

The Black Angus cattle were patiently waiting for their shift, as pictured. The

before and after grazing shot is at the bottom of the page. It only took Alex about 15 minutes to move the fence and let the cattle through. Then using a snacker behind the Polaris UTV, he fed out some rolls, distributing them in the thickest bit of bracken, for the desired effect. It is not a huge amount of time taken out of each day, considering the amazing results and increase in pasture quality. Alex is unaware of anyone else in Scotland blitzing bracken in this way, but can fully recommend it.

Historically the calving was split 60:40 spring:autumn but the cattle system is being modified to a spring system is modified to a spring only calving. All cattle are electronically recorded, with calving dates, fecundity, and fertility noted. A cow has to calve in the first three weeks of the calving cycle to keep her heifer calf in the herd.

All offspring are fattened at Robert Fleming’s Castle Sinis farm at Glenluce in SW Scotland, then head straight to John Scott’s at Paisley for slaughter. The fattening operation is reciprocal with Alex grazing 50 of Robert’s breeding cows in exchange for him fattening Rotmell’s finishing stock.

“The majority go to our local MacDonald Bros butcher in Pitlochry

and Aberfeldy. Rory MacDonald wants them to weigh about 600- 650 kgs live weight, 350kgs on the hook at 20-24 months.”

Alex has another joint venture –this time on the poultry side. He works with David Stoddart of Croft Organics at Penicuik. “We do produce surplus eggs and David takes them to back up his deliveries in Edinburgh,” commented Alex, who runs 4000 laying hens housed in two mobile hen houses, Newquip and APS.

“At the start of Covid we lost a lot of customers –restaurants and cafes –as

Pitlochry and surrounding area is very touristy. We quickly changed tack with social media and picked up a lot of customers and extended our egg run.”

Alex and his father Alasdair, visited Glenrath in the early days with a view to supplying organic eggs. “After a to eggs. “After a comfortable start things got a little bumpy when the financial crash happened. We have found that you have to be on top of the cash flow management and very precise with the enterprise or it doesn’t work,” says Alex who runs the egg enterprise with help from a young Polish guy who is very

dilligent and enjoys a routine. After a number of years supplying Glenrath and then Noble Foods, the Brewster’s decided to market their own eggs, branded as The Egg Shed, Rotmell Farm.

The cash flow from the egg enterprise, allowed them to set up Powered Pasture –“a farmer focused business specializing in providing electric fencing solutions and advice to maximise profit from pasture optimisation. We offer reliable kit and practical advice. This initial foray into electric fencing was for our own livestock business development and we then quickly started supplying other farmers wanting to improve grazing efficiency and liveweight gain. Powered Pasture has continued to grow, serving the whole of the UK and Ireland now, “ says their website

The B listed farm steading built, about 1790 and finished in 1806, around aquadrangle was an Ayrshire dairy show

farm for the Duchess Anne. Part of the steading now houses the offices and egg packing shed.

In 2014 Rotmell became one of the QMS Grazing Groups –the aim of which is to increase kg of live weight produced per hectare through better utilisation of grass.

“Trevor Cook –a consultant and Kiwi vet to the group, ‘destroyed’ our whole business, but was fundamentally right. business, but was Our cows were too big (850kgs) and sheep not productive enough.”

Since then Alex has subdivided the farm into a paddock grazing system and is utilizing the grass better with smaller is the grass better with smaller native Angus cattle.

Blackface sheep are being crossed with Aberfield tups and their composite offspring mated with Cheviot tups.

“The first cross saw lambs on the ground weighing 2kgs heavier than the Blackfaces,” commented Alex, who has commented who has a ruthless culling policy, on feet, health and fertility. Scanning figures have increased from 120% to 155% and he operates an easy care lambing with a 10% loss from scanning to marking.

Alex had been dabbling in rotational grazing prior to the QMS programme, but it piqued his interest in grassland but it his interest in management and he successfully obtained a Nuffield Scholarship enabling him to travel to New Zealand, France, Uruguay and Chile.

More recently Alex and the Rotmell team recorded a video for the Farm Carbon Toolkit competition and were awarded 2020 Livestock Soil Farmer of the year. The videos can be viewed on the Powered Pasture Facebook page. They are informative and give an insight

FARM FACTS

Farmer: Alex Brewster & wife Jane

Farm: Rotmell - 2450 acres

Lude Estates - 6170 acres Meikle Findowie -990acres

Location: Dunkeld

Area: Rotmell rented from Atholl Estates

Lude Estates contract farm Meikle Findowie hourly rate

Sheep: Rotmell

750 Blackface ewes changing from Blackies using Aberfield tups then Cheviot tups

Lude Estates

into his passion, which has brought about improvements in the soil structure and rooting depth of plants, nutrient availability, pasture utilisation, stock health and growth rates and the length of time that the stock are able to graze.

Alex is seeing his soils adapt and change and is now focussed on building more resilience into his system. He is running a farm walk on Zoom on 20th October, 1.30-3pm. Attendees will get a chance to understand more about the farming system at Rotmell and the transition to a regenerative approach. There will also be a chance to hear about a new project evaluating the potential for rock dust to improve soil carbon sequestration levels on-farm.

With the ethos ‘a field of weeds, a symphony of needs’Alex is now practicing a more holistic nature of practicing a more holistic nature of farming, with no added fertilisers and getting away from the addiction of chemicals used on both livestock and the ground. He feels that insectisides used on sheep have an adverse biological effect on the grassland and he is now reaping the rewards.

The ultimate aim at Rotmell is to convert solar energy and water into red meat. Join Alex online, on farm meat. Alex online, on farm www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/farm-walkwith-2020-soil-farmer-of-the-year-alexbrewster-tickets-121370932727

850 Cheviot ewes

350 Cheviot cross ewes

Cattle: Rotmell

190 Aberdeen Angus commercial suckler cows Operates joint fattening venture with Robert Fleming, Castle Sinis, Glenluce

Lude Estates

100 Highland x White Shorthorn cattle

Poultry: Rotmell

4000 organic free range laying hens

The Egg Shed, Rotmell market own eggs

Deer: Meikle Findowie

100 hd

Jane: Architect

Staff: 8 full time

Other: Run Powered Pasture - an electric fencing company www.poweredpasture.co.uk

Sell beef through MacDonald Butchers, Pitlochry

Fatten cattle in SW Scotland

Listen Up!

The QMS technical podcast focuses on initiatives which can help Scottish Farmers improve the productivity, pro tability and sustainability of their business.

To listen to the podcast visit www.qmscotland.co.uk or search ‘Quality Meat Scotland Podcast’ on Buzzsprout, Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

by Eilidh MacPherson

Luings & Luxury Log Cabins

Diversifying into luxury log cabins with hot tubs, to compliment their beef and sheep enterprises on their upland Perthshire property has paid off for Murray and Lyn Scimgeour, Strathgarry Farm, Killiecrankie.

The fourth log cabin, which was imported, in log formation, from Slovenia in February, opened on July 3rd and is well booked up and receiving great reviews.

“Buying the farmhouse, steading and 80 acres in the ‘80’s has given us the opportunity to develop and diversify as we wish,” commented Murray, whose grandfather, a blacksmith from Bankfoot took on the farm tenancy from Killiecrankie Estates in 1908.

The farm, which lies on the far side of the River Garry from the A9 and runs

from the lime quarry at Blair Atholl to Killiecrankie, covers some 1200 acres, rising from 480 feet at the house to 1200 feet.

“We had a few scary moments when lockdown was announced and bookings for the three cabins had to be cancelled. to But building the fourth one was kept on track, Covid rules adhered to”.

With a great eye for interior design, Lyn furnished the latest lodge –The Farmer’s Den –to perfection. Stunning Highlander artwork above the beds is the handiwork of their daughter-in-law Rachel Hall (fb.me/rachelhallart). Sheepy cushions and kitchen blinds, a classy antler chandelier and Highland sculptures follow the farming theme and tone in with the mustard and grey colour palette.

“Shopping for the furniture, kitchen

items and soft furnishings was certainly different as it all had to be sourced online,” added Lyn, who had enjoyed the shopping experience for staging and dressing the earlier cabins.

“The major headache was the hot tub. I had ordered it well before lockdown, to arrive once the decking was complete. to arrive once the was The company, where I bought the other three had sold it and every other one in their showroom as there had been a rush to buy when people were stuck within the confines of home and garden.” She managed to lease one locally from another supplier and has now ordered with them.

Following a day interviewing near Stirling and then Fife, it was a pleasure to drive a couple of miles off the A9, to drive a of miles off the A9, onto country tree-lined roads and to relax in sumptuous surroundings in The

FARM FACTS

Farmer: Murray & Lyn Scrimgeour

Farm: Strathgarry Farm

Location: Killiecrankie, Perthshire

Area: 1200 acres leased from Killiecrankie Estates 80 acres owned

Cattle: 50 hill Luing cattle put Simmental over 35 10 followers

Sheep: 1000 Blackface ewes of which, 700 to Bluefaced Leicesters and 300 to Swales

Crops: 6 acres rape/ turnips

Diversification: River Garry Lodges –4 luxury log cabins with hot tubs www.facebook.com/luxury logcabinsinkilliecrankie/

Other: SSSI

Farmer’s Den. The hot tub under the stars was just bliss.

Twenty years ago the Scrimgeours sold off the Hereford cross cows. “I’d been helping Rory Cameron at Monzie and was taken with his Luing cattle so we attended the calf sale at Oban and bought ten tail-end calves, ten the following year –then five and then six.”

Luing cattle now number fifty, with ten followers and a Craigdarroch bull, which covers fifteen cows, to breed which covers fifteen cows, to breed replacements. The other thirty-five are covered with a Simmental sire, with any females being sold direct to a Limousin breeder in Carlisle. “He uses them as recipients for embryos,” said Murray.

The Luings have the ability to make use of the hill ground and graze there till Christmas, without poaching. “We till Christmas, without “We don’t feed till late December and they calf mid March to April in bye.”

Bluefaced Leicesters are used over

700 of the Blackfaces at this River Garry Valley property. The resultant Mule ewe lambs sold to a top of £118, averaging at £110 this year.

Murray buys in foundation Blackface ewe lambs from; Tullochan (above), from Monzie and also from Dall this year. They will be lambed on the hill to a Swale. “The Swale gives a bit of length, keeps them fresh,” says Murray, who reckons, with the hybrid vigour he gets an extra year out of the Swale cross Blackface ewes, of which he keeps 150 each year, which are covered by the Leicester. He buys his Blackie tups privately and his nephew buys his Swales. With the hill green to the top, lambs are fattened at home. “The nearer the limestone quarry, the better the lambs do,” says Murray.

A grade one Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) with floral attributes and conservation payments brings in added conservation payments in added

income to Strathgarry Farm.

Situated in a beautiful rural setting, with the popular tourist spots of Blair Atholl, Pitlochry and Dunkeld on the Atholl, and Dunkeld on the doorstep, the Scimgeours have hit the jackpot, teaming luxury log cabins with their Luings and sheep enterprises. They have already hosted several Luing breeders including the Graham’s of Craigdarroch.

With all bookings taken through Airbnb and on their Facebook page, the couple are finding that 80% of their are that 80% of their visitors are Scots. “We are only an hour and a quarter from Glasgow and Edinburgh and an hour and a half from Inverness,” said Lyn.

“Sad but true, once all the expenses are taken off the agricultural side, in a normal year, we make more money on our River Garry Lodges,” says Murray, who informs that the Scrimgeours were the standard bearers of Scotland.

With a clutch of awards already in her basket, Claire Strathern (22) is cracking on in the egg world.

What comes first the chicken or the egg? Well in Claire Strathern’s case it was the chicken –fifteen for her 15th Birthday!

“That’s what I wanted, but my Dad wasn’t keen. He called them ‘rats with wings’ as he thought poultry would as he would attract vermin. So my mother, who is a midwife, went out and bought them.”

Friends and family were inundated with eggs initially, until an honesty box was erected in the farmyard. was erected in the

Her father began to warm to the hens and agreed to raising numbers to 150, then 1000. From then on it has snowballed with 15 500 at full capacity during my visit last month and two new sheds being erected. By the end of 2020 27 500 laying hens will call this Stirlingshire property home.

Foot O Green Farm, which has views over three iconic Natural Trust Sites; Stirling Castle, the Wallace Monument Castle, the Wallace Monument and the 1314 Bannockburn Heritage Site, lies about a mile from the Stirling suburbs and covers some 200 acres

“We originally farmed beef cattle but Dad was diagnosed with Farmer’s Lung and Aspergillums. The doctor told him he had to stop rolling out bales of hay and straw or he would be on oxygen and in a wheelchair,” explained Claire, who now runs 200 Herdwick sheep alongside her poultry. The sheep graze in with the free-range hens periodically to keep on top of the grass.

The honesty box, which could hold 9 dozen eggs and 4 trays of 30 and the moneybox, was in situ until the end of 2018, as the main point of sale for the

Eggilicious cracks it

FARM FACTS

Farmer: Claire Strathern (22) in partnership with her Dad

Farm: Foot O Green Farm

Location: Whins O Milton, Stirling

Business: Eggilicious

Area: 200 acres owned

Poultry: 15 500 laying hens will have 27 500 by end 2020

Sheep: 200 Herdwick sheep

Other: Farm shop, direct retail sales and doorstep egg deliveries

by Eilidh MacPherson

general public. “We repurposed the hay shed, as a packing station, putting on sides and doors and put in a shop type honesty box in a corner of the shed.”

The shop shelves were filled with steak pies, pork, buffalo, milk, jams and locally produced fruit and vegetables. It fruit and It was manned most of the day but was open 24 hours until very recently when they had four thefts in four weeks.

Prior to Covid the Stratherns, who operate as Eggilicious, were selling ninety per cent of the eggs delivered direct to shops, cafes and restaurants.

“When the government shut down

SW Scotland –A&S Shankland

01465831368 –Mob: 0783398 3055 shankland_langdale@yahoo.co.uk NE Scotland –Trevor Reid 01569740310 - Mob: 078 9626 2419

the shops and restaurants we panicked. No matter what, we still had to feed and water the birds and pay for electricity as well as market eggs,” exclaimed Claire.

“I started promoting on Facebook with paid for adverts and we got busier and busier. A lot of people didn’t know and busier. A lot of didn’t know we were here and discovered us on their walks out of Stirling. It started to go crazy with 60-70 people queued right down the farm road for the shop all day. We could hardly keep up with stocking the shelves. The farmyard was like a car park!”

With such a surge of new customers

and cafes, hotels and restaurants reopening, Claire is investing in two new sheds –solid structures this time. Up till now the hens have been housed in mobile units, which do not require planning.

“You have to have a constant supply or you lose your customers as is quite a competitive industry. Some eateries competitive Some eateries have closed altogether, but I have a waiting list of customers and have just secured a deal with a major hotel. ”

Lohmann Browns are her preferred breed. “They provide a good quantity of eggs, fantastic shell quality and lay of eggs, fantastic shell and

quicker and longer. The downside is that they like to eat each others feathers so can look scabby by 10 months, although they are perfectly healthy,” commented Claire, who studied and gained HNC in Poultry through SRUC by distance learning. She is highlighted on video on their website.

Claire applied to do a Masters in Applied Poultry Science this year, but during my visit had not heard if she had been accepted. She has since had the green light and is studying part time over a six-year period.

The HNC course covered avian physiology, feed, animal health and well being, environmental, biosecurity and business. “I found it great as I really knew nothing about poultry when I started and learnt by my mistakes.”

One steep learning curve was the sudden death of about 1000 birds. “Our local vet wanted to shut us down saying it was Avian Flu, but we now work with specialised poultry vets –St David’s Poultry –based outside Edinburgh.

“They diagnosed Spotty Liver, which is caught from drinking from muddy puddles. Indicators of SLD include an acute drop in egg production of up to

35%, together with increased mortality of up to 15%. I watched the post mortem and it looked like snowflakes on the liver. It was remedied by antibiotics being added to the water system.”

“Vermin can be a big issue and initially Dad and I tried baiting ourselves, which wasn’t great. We now get a pest controller in twice a week and rarely see any now. We also use fly traps.”

Claire is constantly dealing with the red tape and paperwork. Every egg has to be accounted for, including; cracked, bloody and misshapen eggs. “We have a category 2 waste disposal bin, for the waste eggs and dead birds, which is collected by Grayshill. Of course we have to pay for it. We fill in a spread sheet for government inspection for proof where every egg has gone, even from the honesty box and those gifted to friends or family.”

“People want large or extra large eggs and the Lohmanns produce a good mix.” She aims to get at least 20p for every egg produced –charging £9 for a tray of Xlarge, £6 for a tray of large and £4 for medium and £1.60 for a box of six large eggs.

Claire has found For Farmers feed company fantastic to work with. Iain Campbell the Poultry Specialist visits once a quarter is very knowledgeable and positive about the industry. “Our feed bill is our largest expense and is usually around £10 000 at the end of each month.”

This young lady will be an inspiration to many with her ‘can do ‘ attitude. “It is hard work letting the hens out at sun up at 5am and not finishing some nights to 10pm, but is very rewarding.” Her advice to any other youngsters out there: “Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it. Set yourself boundaries. Yes it is stressful and can be daunting, but go for it!”

With two Scotland Business Awards, two commendations at the Scottish Egg Quality Awards, John Cessford Young Person of the Year Winner 2019, NFU Mutual & Scottish Food & Drink Awards Inspirational Young Person and many others Claire has already made her mark in the egg industry and wider agricultural and business circles.

Claire has just been awarded SRUC Student of the Year 2020!

www.eggliciouseggs.com

Covid-19 Prompts Return to Study

The Covid-19 lockdown has led many people to reconsider their lifestyles and prompted a return to study at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC). More than 50 people applied for ‘Change Your Path’ bursaries offered by SRUC to new students, aged 25 and over.

The 20 successful applicants are starting an HNC, HND, degree or postgraduate degree course at SRUC’s campuses across Scotland. These include Aberdeen, Ayr, Barony in Dumfries and Galloway, Edinburgh, Elmwood in Fife and Oatridge in West Lothian, as well as the Glasgow Botanic Gardens, which runs Horticulture courses in partnership with SRUC.

The bursaries, worth £1000 for f ull-time students or £500 for part-time students, aim to ease the transition for those returning to study as mature students.

Hannah D'Mellow, Marketing and

Student Recruitment Manager, said: “So many of SRUC’s students have brilliant stories of career change and I’m delighted that we are able to support some of them with financial assistance.

“I found that many of the applications this year had a Covid-19 theme –not so much that the crisis had prompted a change of employment sector, but more that those moments of pause in lockdown had allowed many people to re-evaluate what they really wanted to be doing in life and that the applicants had reconnected with the natural world and the passion it inspires in them.

“It was lovely to read so many positive stories of hope and optimism; of future plans intent on making a positive difference to themselves and the world around them. I sincerely wish all those taking a new direction the best of success.”

For more information: www.sruc.ac.uk

New 2021 Yamaha

ATV Line U p Announced

The Yamaha Kodiak 450 ATV has been updated for 2021 with diff lock as standard on all electric power steering (EPS) models and includes a safer, utility focussed rear braking system throughout the range.

“This machine is nimble, easy to handle and now offers greater off-road traction, stability and safety,” explains Yamaha ATV manager William Kay.

The addition of diff lock to the Kodiak will enable the operator to lock in power to all four wheels for better off road traction. “This is especially advantageous in wet and muddy conditions. The locking differential forces all wheels to spin at the same speed, regardless of traction, helping the ATV to maintain drive momentum,” explains Mr Kay.

All Kodiak models will be specified with Ultramatic® transmission, which maintains tension on the drive belt to provide a consistent throttle response.

“The constantly variable transmission

(CVT) provides the correct gear ratio as the ATV speeds up and also acts to provide engine breaking when the ATV is going downhill,” he explains. The rider is also able to automatically switch between 2WD, 4WD and diff lock settings with the push of a button.

Yamaha has also announced the release of a new Kodiak 700 EPS, which will be available before the end of 2020. The 700 and the 450 Kodiak models will both benefit from a wet braking system.

“Our multi-disc wet rear brake is designed for farm work. The sealed, oil cooled brake cannot be inhibited by dirt and debris that can get stuck in conventional disc brakes. This makes the ATV better suited to year round farm use, more predictable in braking and will reduce the need for costly brake repairs,” says Mr Kay.

The range topping Grizzly 700 ATV is being relaunched in a range of new colours and will be supplied with alloy wheels as standard for the first time.

Yamaha has committed to fitting Warn VRX 25 winches as standard on all Kodiak and Grizzly models. The 15-metre winch has a 1134 kilo pulling capacity and a rocker switch mounted to the handlebar. “ Modern winches are used by farmers on such a regular basis, for jobs like pulling cut trees, fencing, or recovering vehicles. It is a vital piece of equipment for farmers and should therefore not come at an additional cost,” says Mr Kay.

Yamaha has kept the unique compact design of its ATVs in the new models to offer farmers machines that are easier to manoeuvre in, and through, tight spaces.

“We understand farmers need a stable ATV, but we don’t believe this should come at the cost of versatility. It is important that an ATV can go anywhere and our streamlined design enables riders to pass through tight gates and operate in small spaces,” says Mr Kay.

Polaris Confirms ATVTrac as Standard

Polaris Britain is delighted to confirm an increased partnership with the leading security experts, ATVTrac, with the news that all new adult machines from Polaris will be equipped with the proven tracker as standard.

With theft an ever-increasing threat for owners of off-road vehicles, Polaris was quick to embrace tracking technology in 2016, endorsing ATVTrac for fitment on its machines via its authorised dealer network. With such positive feedback from both dealers and customers, Polaris Britain was confident enough to make sure that the comprehensive and proven security

system now comes standard on all its adult machines.

Polaris Britain's Richard Coleby explained, "As we all know, theft is a big challenge for everyone connected with off-road vehicles. Everyone has either experienced it themselves or knows someone who has and so we feel a responsibility as a manufacturer to help with the fight.

"We've worked with many systems and products over the years, but in our experience, tracking is really the only truly effective way of making sure that if you are a victim, you stand a good chance of getting your machine back. The ATVTrac system for us, is the best available, with well-developed dedicated technology as well as support and back-up, hence our initial endorsement and now this move to make it standard across the adult range."

ATVTrac's technology and rich feature-set comes from over a decade's worth of experience, having protected two-wheel products for many years alongside its dedicated off-road vehicle offering too. In this period, the group has managed a 94% recovery rate and

recovered over £10m worth of stolen machines in the process, with updates and new features added along the way.

ATVTrac's small and discreet unit boasts GPS, GPRS, GSM and RF technology, enabling recovery of stolen machines in some of the most difficult locations. Owners have the benefit of logging into the dedicated app (or via web browser) to see the live location of their vehicle, as well as checking battery level and even checking journey history. On top of the security functions that will text, email and call should the vehicle be unlawfully moved, ATVTrac even notifies users when a service is due and can monitor lone workers for added peace of mind too.

As well as working with all major police forces and having a dedicated 24/7 team, ATVTrac is also partnered with global security services provider, Securitas, working to secure stolen machines in circumstances where police resources are stretched.

To find out more about Polaris working with ATVTrac, please visit your local Polaris ORV dealer or visit www.polarisbasecamp.co.uk

Interesting Farming Stories from Home and Abroad

Send cheque for £20 to:SUBS, farmingscotland.com, Marbrack Farm, Carsphairn, Castle Douglas, DG7 3TE

NAME: ADDRESS:

by Eilidh MacPherson

The Road and the Miles to Dundee

Energy plays a key role at one significant farming company in North Fife.

Positioned on the banks of the Firth of Tay, overlooking the rail bridge and the city of Dundee, Peacehill, run by the Forster family since 1926, is now in the capable hands of the fourth generation –Ross Forster.

The past three decades, since the purchase of the original tenanted Peacehill Farm in 1989, have seen this family farming company expand rapidly. Newton Farm followed in 1992 and then Balmullo and Hayston Farms in 2004. Last month saw the acquisition of Wester Kilmany, taking the arable acreage up to 2020 acres, all within seven miles of the home farm.

The Forsters have been rearing broiler chickens at Peacehill for 35 years. Eleven sheds containing a total of

360 000 birds operates on a thinning at 38 days and all out at 42 days system, with a weeks turnaround.

“We produce seven batches a year, with all going to 2 Sisters Food Group. It was a bit of a worry when they were shut down due to Covid a few weeks back. It would have devastating consequences if we were to be shut down, with 60 seasonal Europeanworkers from Poland, Bulgaria and Romania and crops of broccoli and cauliflower all ready to harvest,”exclaimed Ross, who admits to having had sleepless nights with a camp full of staff.

“We were very fortunate as we built a new campsite this year and used the old one to quarantine a batch of twenty five workers at a time. It has been tough, a

constant worry, having seen the problems at the chicken factory. It will come back to bite us as growers, 2p/kg is a huge loss to our business, but I would question if the housewife would even notice it, that’s where the frustrations lie.”

Heating the broiler houses was costing up to £120 000 on one site. “We were using oil fired heating in the sheds, which was not ideal as it burned oxygen and produced CO2 and H2O and was very inefficient,” explained Ross.

“We initially bought a Mega watt biomass boilers for the poultry sheds in 2012 and now have five, which also heat the offices, farmhouse and six cottages. We buy in whole logs and chip once a month. For the first five years prices

Reliable returns need strong foundations

didn’t change, but wood prices have increased dramatically in the last 18 months.

“I think it has been ideal taking fossil fuels out and replacing the poultry sheds, which are used all the time, with a greener energy system. Exactly what rhe RHI scheme was designed for.”

Solar energy –370kW –powers fans for the poultry enterprises and cold stores for vegetables.

Looking at other energy options, Ross realised that a wind turbine was out of the question, being so close to the Forth of Tay. An AD plant was his next on his agenda, but Scottish Power scuppered his plans by saying there was no chance of a grid connection.

Following a trip to Germany, viewing a gas to grid option, Ross had a light bulb moment, knowing there was a gas pipeline through the farm.

“Scotia Gas Networks was very proactive. keen for us to produce as much green gas as possible into the grid. They needed to find a way to make gas greener, so customers would stay with gas long term and use their network –a win, win situation.”

Initially Ross had a 10% share, with investors from London, but more recently (during lockdown) he has a

new deal and is now a 51% shareholder, with new investors. “I now have a bit of skin in the game! It would be very uncommon for a gas to grid plant to be owned outright by farmers themselves,” added Ross. “It is relatively new and cost prohibitive, the risks being too great for an individual business, ours was only the second plant in Scotland,” informed Ross, who came home to the farm in 2002 after qualifying with a BTech Ag from SRUC, Aberdeen.

The 2.4MW plant at Peacehill, feeds into 5000 homes from Tayport, Wormit, Newport on Tay and Gauldry and as far as Perth in the summer months.

Some arable crops including rye and 300 acres of beets are grown on farm for the AD plants. Ross has fourteen other local farmers growing rye for the plant, totalling 1400 acres in all. The chicken muck and any waste potatoes or vegetables are also processed.

Incoming lorry loads of rejected malting barley, which hadn’t made the grade at the maltsters and chaff from Quaker oats, were queuing up and being dumped, during my visit.

Another plus point with the AD plants is the digestate is spread on the beet and rye, virtually eliminating artificial fertiliser on those crops.

On the vegetable front, Ross works with East of Scotland Growers, a farmer owned cooperative based in Cupar, Fife, that focuses on providing the maximum return to the grower. ESG supplies all the major supermarkets and sends Ross an e-mail order sheet for the following day so he knows what to cut, pack and deliver. All broccoli and cauliflower is bagged and packed, on farm, into branded Tesco, Aldi, Sainsburys or M&S packs or bags depending on each supermarket’s requirements.

Ross grows 450 acres of broccoli, which is harvested June - October and 210 acres of over wintered cauliflower, which starts late March through to the end of November, is all cut by hand.

ESG is currently trialling a robotic broccoli harvester prototype, which will analyse the head. “It has potential and will probably come, but I worry that the downside would be that it could open up broccoli growing to the masses. Without a shadow of a doubt many farmers won’t grow vegetables as they would have to employ 20-30 minimum extra staff and all that entails.”

A cold store with ‘towering walls’ of boxed veg, ready for delivery is situated next to the packing shed. “Some stores have moved back to wrapping veg in

FARM FACTS

Farmer: Ross Forster in partnership with father

Farm: Peacehill - 1600 acres includes Newton, Haston & Balmullo Wester Kilmany - 420 ac

Location: Wormit, Fife

Area: 2020 acres owned

Arable: Broccoli - 450 acres

Cauliflower - 210 acres

Potatoes - 200 acres Barley Rye Beets –300 acres

Poultry: 360 000 broilers in 11 sheds

Energy: AD plants heats 5000 homes 5 biomass boilers solar panels

Livery: 21 horses

Staff: 22 full time 60 seasonal from: Poland, Bulgaria & Romania

plastic, which helped sales during Covid. From a personal point I would take the plastic wrapped all day long as it stays fresher longer.”

A couple of years ago, ESG, approached their broccoli-growing members with an idea to make crisps.

“Everyone of the growers thought it was a great opportunity and invested.” Growers Garden was born –a subsidiary of ESG. The bright green crisp bags can be spotted in many a deli and farm shop across the country.

With so much on his plate, Ross has tried to structure the business with a poultry manager, an AD manager, an arable manager and an accounts manager. “Good staff are key to our business, you can't look for the next opportunity without them in place.”

Ross’s wife Emma, a trained PE teacher, built a gym on farm and runs a fitness business –Peace Fit –as a

personal trainer, when she isn’t tending to their four children, aged 13 - 6.

She has been taking Zoom classes over lockdown and as restrictions eased she was running outdoor classes for four households at a time.

And to the future? Having just bought another 420 acres at Wester Kilmany during lockdown, “The advantage is its proximity to home and the fact we know it has been well farmed over the years. We have previously rented land at the farm for potatoes, beet and veg. But the purchase allows us the opportunity of business expansion with excellent cold storage facilities already on site as well as added grain storage”

“We expect to expand. Standing still is not an option,” smiled Ross.

As I was leaving, he added, “I forgot we also do livery for 21 horses!” www.peacehill.co.uk

Page 5 – Petra Jacob (editor)

Page 8 – Provided

Page 9 – Provided

Page 10 – Provided

Page 13 – John Wildman

Page 14/15 –Johnny Tempelton

Page 26/28 –Balfour Baillie

Page 37– Lyn Scrimgeour top mid Page 38 – Lyn Scrimgeour btm mid Page 38– Lyn Scrimgeour top right Page 44 – Yamaha

Page 56/59 –Petra Jacob

otland’s Farmers

An Egyptian who lived in Austria for twenty years turned a piece of desert in his homeland into a paradise. Today Sekem is a large company. Vegetables, fruit, tea, herbs and cotton are organically grown on 2000ha, the products are exported all over the world.

by Petra Jacob

“Vitality from the sun”

After 65 kilometres of sand, dust and dirt roads northeast of the Egyptian capital Cairo the Sekem farm appears like a small miracle. It's just before eight in the morning and hundreds of people pour through the great gate on their way to work. They climb out of minibuses and from the back of the trucks. Behind the gate it is green and blooming – like a paradise. There are meadows, fields, avenues of casuarina; tall date palms provide shade

for lush green guava trees. "The guava leaves are used in our medicinal teas and help against coughs and colds," explains Rafik Costandi (57), who guides through the courtyard. He has been working for SEKEM for the last 32 years, many years as a teacher.

A dream comes true

It was the cultivation of herbs and spices that started it all here and made Sekem known in Egypt and around the world. To transform a piece of desert into blooming farmland, that was the dream of Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish. At the age of 18 he came to Austria, studied medicine and chemistry, before he worked in pharmaceutical research.

During his stay he came into contact with Rudolf Steiner's teaching and the principles of biodynamic farming. After twenty years in Europe, Abouleish went with his Austrian wife on vacation to his homeland. He was shocked by the state of his country and went on a mission to help.

Abouleish bought 70 ha of desert land from the Egyptian state, drilled wells and planted fields. That was in 1977. Today Sekem has 2000 ha on which vegetables, fruit, tea, herbs and cotton grow. The Sekem Group consists of several companies: ATOS Pharma produces and sells herbal medicines, ISIS Organic sells foods and teas, and NatureTex is all about organic cotton. There are 2000 people in employment and they cooperate with around 500

farmers. Around 30 000 people in the neighboring villages benefit from its schools, kindergartens and hospitals. Sekem means “vitality of the sun” and is Ibrahim Abouleish's life's work. He died in 2017, his son Helmy has been running the business ever since.

Success with organic cotton

Herbal teas were the first success, organic cotton next in the 1990s. “The German natural textiles mail order company Hessnatur approached us to ask if we could grow cotton organically,” recalls Costandi. Conventional cultivation causes great problems for people and nature due to the high use of pesticides. “We had absolutely no idea how to grow organic cotton – and we are still experimenting,” Costandi laughs.

They were the first in Egypt and set a trend for the rest of Egypt. They were successful. Despite not using pesticides, yields rose by around 10 %. They worked with scientists, farmers and consultants and proved that they could get rid of pests with biological means. They caught whiteflies with yellow boards and glue, they used funnel traps with scent to attract butterflies, which otherwise would have bred the voracious caterpillars. Special tubes with intensive smells were placed to put the infamous corn earworms off.

Sekem's organic cotton is grown in crop rotation, which inludes onions and garlic. Only organic fertilizer is added to the soil. The project was so successful that it prompted the Egyptian government to change the law and abandon the common practice of spraying chemical pesticides on cotton fields by plane. This reduced the total use of pesticides in Egypt by almost 90 %!

Today Sekem is the leader in cultivating organic cotton in Egypt. There are now 80 farmers from the districts of Damietta, Kafr El-Sheikh, Behera and Fayoum, which grow organic cotton for Sekem, all together 450 ha with a yield of around 2000t. Cotton of highest quality

For Sekem it is very important that farmers can rely on a stable prices. “We sign contracts in advance and pay 10 % above the market price for organically grown goods,” says Rafik Costandi. He leads through the three-story NatureTex building, where the organic cotton is processed. It is the workplace of 200 people. Here, T-shirts are printed, duvet covers are ironed and carpets are woven – all by hand. The sewing room on the second floor has 65 sewing machines. Upstairs is an “archive,” as Costandi calls it. Hundreds of different dolls lie in glass showcases and there are t-shirts, sweatshirts, sports jackets and yoga clothing in many colors and styles on hangers. “Our customers come here with their ideas and we realize them,” says Costandi. Their specialty is baby clothing.

A new project is currently underway with a Danish company, they asked for knitting and crocheting yarn made from organic cotton. “We bought a machine from Italy especially for this purpose,” Costandi points to a device where three men in uniform blue jackets remove balls of yellow wool. The machine – an investment of 130 000 Euros – steams the threads to make them softer, then winds them into balls. Business is going pretty well at the moment, says Costandi. 95 % of the textiles are for export, the majority to Europe (65%),

mainly to Germany. But also to the USA (20%) and Asia. The goods are marketed under the label of “NatureTex.”, “Cotton People Organic”, “Organic Baby” or private labels such as “People Wear Organic” and the US-label “Under The Nile.”

Soft, but tough

“Egyptian cotton is special,” says Costandi. Egypt's warm and dry subtropical climate offers the best conditions for growing particularly long-fibered cotton. The length of the cotton fibers determines how finely a yarn can later be spun without losing strength. The particularly high strength of the Egyptian yarn makes it possible to produce very strong and resilient fabrics that are still very fine. "The textiles keep their shape, even when they are hard-worn." Textiles made from Egyptian cotton are therefore very soft and still robust.

Harvest time for cotton is from late summer to early October. Then, bushes are full of white cotton balls. Men in long robes, with cotton shawls wrapped around their heads and women with scarves and in long dresses comb through the rows of bushes and pluck the fluffy tufts from their seed pods. They pluck them into their apron pockets, later stuff them into sacks.

Back on the main farm near the village of Bilbeis, cotton is no longer grown. “Our land here is not good enough,” says Costandi. Besides herbs and spices, wheat and fodder beet is grown on 140 ha and forage grass on 60 % of the land.

The farm has 500 fat-tailed sheep for meat production and 280 dairy cows. Milking takes place two to three times a

day, it depends on the feed available. Milk and meat are sold. Sheep and cattle also provide valuable fertilizer for the fields.

“Dairy farming on Sekem started with a delivery of forty brown cattle from the Bavarian mountains,” says Costandi. The cowshed is an open building with a

roof made of palm fronds. The summers here can get very hot, an average of 38 ºC. “The animals get along very well with the climate here,” says Costandi. Cow showers and fans are set up for their comfort.

Walking through Sekem one easily forgets, that all this was once desert. The fields are irrigated with drip irrigation or sprinklers. Surrounded by palm trees, a lush green field of forage grass. In the middle of it are impressive mud houses, up to twenty meters high. These are pigeon houses,” explains Costandi, “they have space for 1600 pigeons.”

Pigeon meat is a traditional Egyptian specialty. They also produce valuable fertilizer, he explains. And there is never enough of it in the desert. “Without it, nothing would work in organic farming.”

Polycrub