Thrill of the Hill is back for season 6! Armed with a new team, new ideas and a range of new speakers, Alex takes on the hot topics impacting the farmed upland environment. 

The water environment is one of the defining features of the Scottish landscape, shaping both its character and its ecological richness. Rivers, lochs, wetlands and coastal waters weave through glens and straths, carving valleys, feeding fertile soils and sustaining a remarkable variety of wildlife. They provide vital habitats for species such as salmon, trout and eels, which have long been part of Scotland’s natural and cultural heritage, while also supporting birds, mammals and plants that thrive in and around freshwater. But historic practices meant to improve productive activity and improve our management of water has proven detrimental some species, obstructive them from travel up and downstream, meaning that overtime, our rivers have become less dynamic and alive. In this episode Struan Candlish from the Ayrshire Rivers Trust talks us through the actions needed to restore our rivers and the benefits and incentives for farmers, crofters and land managers. 

Want to get in touch with Struan? She can be contacted at Ayrshire Rivers Trust via email enquiries at [email protected].

Related FAS Resources

Scotland's Priority Catchments | Helping farmers in Scotland

Alternative watering for field grazed livestock | Helping farmers in Scotland

Water Margins | Helping farmers in Scotland

Welcome back to the Rural Roundup. On today’s episode George Chalmers and Mary-Jane Lawrie highlight what’s happening in Scottish agriculture and are then joined by Peter Lang from SEPA to discuss new regulations for the application of waste to land, which will come into effect on 1st November 2025. 

FAS Resources 

Preparing For The Future | Helping farmers in Scotland 

Other Resources  

Use of waste on land - changes to regulations | SEPA 

Contact us - SEPA (Scottish Environment Protection Agency) 

Scottish Suckler Beef Support Scheme (Mainland and Islands) full guidance 

Scottish Upland Sheep Support Scheme full guidance 

For more information, visit  www.FAS.scot 

Twitter: @FASScot 

Facebook: @FASScot 

National Advice Hub 

Phone: 0300 323 0161 

Email: [email protected]

In this episode Tiffany Stephenson is joined by Robert Meadley to discuss some of the considerations which should be made when deciding to replace or invest in a piece of machinery. 

Welcome to Cropcast, your go to podcast for all the latest information on arable crops. Each month, SAC advisor, Tiffany Stephenson will be joined by a range of industry experts, bringing you timely updates to help you make decisions in the field. 

Producer George Gauley, Editor Cameron Waugh, Executive Producer Kirstyn Blackwood, in association with the Scottish Government. 

Related FAS Resources

Getting Started In Arable Agriculture - Machinery Appraisal | Information helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service

Other Related Resources

Robert Meadley LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-meadley-85652223/?originalSubdomain=uk 

Machinery costing calculator | AHDB

Content Warning: The following episode mentions pregnancy loss.  

Mary-Jane Lawrie is joined by Eilidh Verstage from Arngask Home Farm. Eilidh and her husband Lloyd are new entrants, who purchased Arngask 4 years ago.  They have rare breed pigs and this year have just started growing chemical free vegetables to sell wholesale, at markets and locally in weekly veg boxes.  They have also branched out into running events with a neighbouring farm.  Community is at the heart of what they do, and this evident from the volunteers who support the veg enterprise, the local community, frequenting their honesty horse box, and the vibrant digital community that Arngask Home Farm have built on social media.  

Thanks for joining us for this episode of Agri Culture. If you’d like to get in touch or find out more about Arngask Home Farm, the Oxford sandy and black pig foundation, or the rare breed survival trust, you can find links in the show notes.  This episode was presented by Mary-Jane Lawrie, produced by Kerry Hammond and edited by Cameron Waugh, in association with the Scottish Government. 

Resources: 

ABOUT | Arngask Home Farm 

Arngask Home Farm (@arngaskhomefarm) • Instagram photos and videos 

Arngask Home Farm - Facebook 

Oxford Sandy and Black Pigs - Oxford Sandy and Black Pig Foundation Charity 

Ooooby | Ecommerce for small farms, veg boxes, food hubs, CSA's and craft food.  

For more information, visit  www.FAS.scot 

Twitter: @FASScot 

Facebook: @FASScot 

National Advice Hub 

Phone: 0300 323 0161 

Email: [email protected] 

Along with our regular monthly updates on policy, cereals, beef, sheep and milk, in this edition we also have a spotlight on the economic cost of infertile gimmers. 

Show Notes  

00:34 News in Brief 

04:05 Policy Briefs – Payment rates for BPS and Greening 2025, Sustainable and Regenerative Agricultural Practices amongst LFA Farmers and Crofters, Electronic Cattle Tagging Update, Building Climate Resilience, Organic Farming, Community Right to Buy, Key Dates. 

13:36 Cereals – latest arable news and market update  

19:41 Beef – Consumer demand, imported beef, finished prices, store cattle demand, Cull cow trade 

25:27 Sheep – August trade roundup, global position, EU outlook 

31:01 Milk – Milk production data, Farm-gate prices, Dairy commodities and market indicators, Great British Calf Week, Heat stress   

36:42 Sector focus – The economic cost of infertile gimmers  

41:16 Further articles – How are your cows coping in the warm weather? In the face of adversity, try diversity! Is organic farming in your future? Stock Talk - Livestock Health: Laying it All Out. FAS TV: Improving Efficiencies in Sheep Systems. FAS TV: Gaelic Culture, Tradition & Heritage on Uist.  

FAS Resources: 

Newsletters - Business & Policy Edition - Farm Advisory Service  

Other Links: 

LFA Farmers and Crofters - sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices - Report  

Nature30 Nomination Form - Nature Scot 

Email nomination form to: [email protected] 

Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016 

Community right to buy: review - Scottish Government consultations - Citizen Space 

Community right to buy consultation – Gaelic version: Leriche’s air Còir-cheannaich Coimhearsnachd co-chomhairle 

AHDB - GB calf week 

Heat stress on fertility traits in dairy cows - Journal of Dairy Science 

Dairy cows - warm weather  

Beef cows and heat stress  

Reducing Heat Stress in Calves | Helping farmers in Scotland 

Warning: Heat Stress, Beef Cows | Helping farmers in Scotland 

How To Select Plant Species For Diverse Forage | Helping farmers in Scotland 

Organic Farming - Farm Advisory Service 

Stock Talk - Livestock Health: Laying it All Out | FAS 

FAS TV S3 Ep3: Improving Efficiencies in Sheep Systems 

FAS TV Series 5 Ep 10 - Gaelic Culture, Tradition & Heritage on Uist 

For more information, visit www.FAS.scot 

Facebook: @FASScot 

National Advice Hub 

Phone: 0300 323 0161 

Email: [email protected] 

Please note: We recorded this episode while out at an event, therefore the audio quality varies throughout.

Interviewees:

Prof Sally Shorthall

Karis Beattie

Haley Shepherd

The Grass Ceiling is an EU-funded project that helps rural women become leaders in innovation—especially in farming and sustainable rural development. It runs from 2023 to 2025 and supports women across Europe through ‘Living Labs’ where they test ideas, get training, and connect with others. 

The aim is to help women to drive real change in rural communities—whether it's through eco-tourism, smart farming, or green energy projects. 

In short: it’s about lifting the “grass ceiling” so women in rural areas can grow, lead, and shape the future. 

The Scotland Living Lab is based in the Highlands and Islands, working with eight rural women innovators connected to crofting communities. It’s a partnership led by NICRE (National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise) and the Centre for Rural Economy (Newcastle University), in collaboration with the Scottish Crofting Federation. 

The Lab officially launched with a workshop in Ullapool in June 2023, bringing together women from across the Highlands & Islands.  Women share practical rural innovations, such as livestock rearing, croft diversification, wildflower seed sales, water sports ventures, and creative uses for wool.  

Related Resources

Women in Agriculture (FAS.scot)

https://www.fas.scot/rural-business/women-in-agriculture/

Glass Ceiling - The Living Lab

https://www.grassceiling.eu/living-labs/scotland/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Diversification on a Shoestring

https://www.fas.scot/article/diversification-on-a-shoestring/ 

Croftworks podcast

Croftwork Podcasts - Scottish Crofting Federation

Business support from https://www.hie.co.uk/  and https://www.scottish-enterprise.com/   

Welcome to Stock Talk hosted by Kirsten Williams.  On today’s episode Kirsten is joined by Turkey Farmer Paul Kelly. In 1971, Paul’s parents started the family business, known today as ‘Kelly Turkeys’ and ‘Farmgate Hatcheries’. The cycle starts with eggs going into incubators in April for 28 days. When they hatch, they go into brooding sheds, then by 5 weeks of age they are ready to go to the woodland where they roam freely. At Kelly Turkeys they have complete control over the whole production cycle, making them very unique in the industry and one of a kind in the UK. The business has developed resilience to deal with issues like Brexit, labour, marketing and work by the motto ‘change is the name of the game’.   

Episode Timestamps  

00.31 Introducing Paul and the turkey cycle 

02.41 Inseminating vs running with stags 

03.24 Genetics and breeding lines 

09.43 Hatchery business: 1.8 million chicks a year 

12.48 Kelly turkeys: 100,000 turkeys reared through to Christmas 

18.38 Split between whole turkeys, crowns and butterflies  

27.36 Bringing resilience into the business 

33.32 Avian influenza (bird flu)  

37.44 Markets, trends and online sales 

39.09 Weighing turkeys, sources of protein (acorns!) and organic  

44.36 Succession  

46.50 Marketing and celebrity chefs!   

FAS Resources 

Poultry | Helping farmers in Scotland 

Other Resources    

Kelly Bronze Turkeys   

Farmgate Hatcheries 

New GB avian influenza wildlife interactive map and data dashboard launched | SRUC 

Avian influenza (bird flu): how to spot and report the disease - gov.scot  

For more information, visit  www.FAS.scot 

Facebook: @FASScot 

National Advice Hub 

Phone: 0300 323 0161 

Email: [email protected] 

In this episode, we catch up with Amelia Heath (Co-Director, Forth Rivers Trust), Clara Schade-Poulsen (Leven LENs Project Officer), and Tom Brown (Senior Programme Manager, LENs Scotland) to explore how the Leven LENs is taking shape following its launch.  

We discuss what LENs really means on the ground: how farmers and businesses are partnering to fund environmental improvements, what actions are being supported, and what’s next for this innovative approach in Scotland and beyond. 

This episode offers practical insight into how collaborative, place-based solutions are helping unlock environmental outcomes at scale to the mutual benefit of those living and operating in a landscape.  

Host Harry Fisher, Producer Iain Boyd, Editor Kieron Sim, Executive Producers Kerry Hammond & Kirstyn Blackwood.

Timestamps: 

0:50 – 4:56 Intro to speakers, LENs and recent developments 

4:56 – 19:44 Leven LENs , who is involved, motives and drivers  

19:44 –  29:25 How to get involved and farmer perspective  

29:25 – 40:26 Consensus and feedback so far 

40:26 – end: LENs elsewhere, sharing benefits and more info 

Related FAS resources:   

Natural Capital: https://www.fas.scot/sounds/natural-capital/  

Landscape scale conservation: https://www.fas.scot/article/landscape-scale-conservation/  

Specialist advice: https://www.fas.scot/specialist-advice/  

Other Related Resources: 

Landscape Enterprise Networks LENs: https://landscapeenterprisenetworks.com/  

LENs Impact Report: https://landscapeenterprisenetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/LENs_impact_report_2024.pdf  

Leven Catchment Collective: https://catchmentcollective.scot/  

Leven LENs funding announcement: https://www.3keel.com/news-lens-leven-funding-july-2025/  

FIRNS: https://www.nature.scot/funding-and-projects/firns-facility-investment-ready-nature-scotland  

Welcome to CropCast Conversations hosted by Mark Bowsher-Gibbs. On today’s episode Mark is joined by two guests. Grant James (Business Development Manager at Sea2Soil) discusses an organic soil improver product from Sea2Soil. Grant provides an explanation of the biological mechanisms at play in the product, how it works on-farm and what to expect from applications. Steve Townsend brings a wealth of knowledge and experience of Regenerative Agriculture. Steve advises farmers all over the UK and Europe on how No-Till can improve their business. Steve is passionate about helping farmers reduce their fixed costs, increase their crop yields and weed control whilst repairing their soils. 

Episode Timestamps  

00.55 Harvest 2025 feedback 

03.03 Steve & Soil First Farming 

04.04 Grant & Sea2Soil 

06.01 What is fish hydrolysate? 

06.46 Feeding the soil biology 

11.04 Practices to build up soil biology 

20.20 Measuring soil biology 

27.47 How different crop sectors are responding to regenerative agriculture 

32.04 Nitrogen use efficiency  

34.56 Albrecht theory 

38.40 Getting the magnesium ratio right 

41.15 Grant’s take home message 

42.00 Steve’s take home message   

FAS Resources 

Regenerative Agriculture | Helping farmers in Scotland 

Other Resources    

Organic Soil Improver - Make soil healthier & more productive | Sea2Soil  

Grant James: [email protected], 07976 879646 

Soil First Farming 

Steve Townsend: [email protected], 07989 402112  

For more information, visit  www.FAS.scot 

Facebook: @FASScot 

National Advice Hub 

Phone: 0300 323 0161 

Email: [email protected] 

Thrill of the Hill is back for season 6! Armed with a new team, new ideas and a range of new speakers, Alex takes on the hot topics impacting the farmed upland environment. 

Scotland’s upland farms and crofts are home to hardy cattle and sheep breeds, producing high-quality meat and supporting rural communities in some of our most challenging environments. Yet, feeding and nutrition in these landscapes can be complex, with variable forage quality, harsh weather and limited grazing options influencing livestock health, fertility and productivity. Getting nutrition right is key to maintaining body condition, improving breeding success and ensuring the long-term sustainability of hill farming systems. In this episode Dr Cara Campbell from SAC Consulting Ltd discusses the fundamentals of upland nutrition for cattle and sheep, and offers practical advice on feeding strategies around bulling and tupping to help farmers achieve the best results for their herds and flocks. 

Want to get in touch with Cara? She can be contacted at SAC Consulting Ltd via email enquiries at [email protected].

Related FAS Resources

Beef Nutrition:

https://www.fas.scot/livestock/beef-cattle/beef-nutrition/

Sheep Nutrition:

https://www.fas.scot/livestock/sheep/nutrition/