Welcome to Cropcast Conversations hosted by Mark Bowsher-Gibbs. On today’s episode Mark is joined by Julian South, Executive Director of The Maltsters’ Association of Great Britain (MAGB). MAGB are the trade association of the UK malting industry and represent over 98% of UK malt production, buying around 2 million tonnes of UK malting barley, to make about 1.6 million tonnes of malt. Mark and Julian discuss harvest 2025, barley varieties, tariffs and trade deals and opportunities for the industry. 

Episode Timestamps  

01.38 Background and structure of MAGB 

04.43 What is malt? 

06.59 Distilling malts and brewing malts 

07.50 Harvest 2025 round up  

16.12 Evaluating and approving new barley varieties for malting  

23.31 International Barley Hub 

26.00 Biggest challenges for the malting barley industry  

29.47 International trade 

33.25 Tariffs and trade deals 

35.04 Peat as a flavouring for malt  

37.10 Finding out more: www.ukmalt.com 

38.25 The malt industry in 10 years time  

Resources    

The Maltsters’ Association of Great Britain 

Malting Barley Committee - The Maltsters’ Association of Great Britain 

Contact: Julian South: 07967452838, [email protected] 

SRUC - Soils & plants - Recommended lists  

SAC Recommended Lists for Cereals 2025-26 

International Barley Hub - The James Hutton Institute  

Mycotoxins - The Maltsters’ Association of Great Britain 

For more information, visit  www.FAS.scot 

Facebook: @FASScot 

National Advice Hub 

Phone: 0300 323 0161 

Email: [email protected] 

In this episode George Chalmers is joined by SAC Senior Consultant and Chartered Accountant Andrew Coalter to discuss Arable Farm Finances, particularly cash flow challenges, investment and capital allowances for arable farms.  

Welcome to Cropcast, your go to podcast for all the latest information on arable crops. Each month, SAC advisor, George Chalmers 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  

Cash Flow Forecasting: https://www.fas.scot/article/building-good-financial-habits-with-cash-flow-forecasting/  

Budgeting & Financial Planning https://www.fas.scot/rural-business/business-tools/budgeting-and-financial-planning/ 

Finance & Funding https://www.fas.scot/whats-stopping-you-finance-funding/ 

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. 

Bats are a defining—if often unseen—part of Scotland’s working landscapes. From the edges of upland pasture to lowland hedgerows, shelterbelts and farm ponds, these nocturnal insect-eaters weave through dusk and darkness, helping to regulate moths, midges and beetles while signalling the health of our wider environment.  Species like the common and soprano pipistrelle, brown long-eared bat and Daubenton’s bat use farms for roosting, commuting and feeding, linking woodlands, water and field margins into living networks. Yet changes in building use, loss of hedgerows, brighter yard lighting and reduced insect abundance can make life harder for these protected mammals and the benefits they bring. 

In this episode, ecologist and environmental consultant Harry Fisher from SAC Consulting Ltd walks us through practical, farm-ready actions: keeping and restoring hedgerows as flight corridors; creating or managing ponds and wetlands; planning yard lighting to reduce glare and skyglow; timing roofing and renovation work to protect roosts; and planning activities through the calendar year. We’ll also look at simple additions like bat boxes, how to spot signs of bat activity, where to find advice, and how agri-environment options and local projects can help with costs and guidance. 

Want to get in touch with Harry? Contact him via telephone at 01292 525090 for advice on surveys, roost considerations during building works, and habitat improvements suited to your farm.

Related FAS Resources

Bats and Biodiversity | Helping farmers in Scotland

Other Related Resources

Home - Bat Conservation Trust

Welcome back to the Rural Roundup. On today’s episode George Chalmers and Mary-Jane Lawrie discuss the aftermath of storm Amy, speak to Gilmour Lawrie ahead of the much-anticipated AgriScot 2025 and talk about upcoming deadlines including EFA green cover, PSF, SSBSS and SUSS. 

FAS Resources 

AgriScot 2025: https://agriscot.co.uk/ 

FAS Events: https://www.fas.scot/events/ 

Rural Payments, all scheme guidance https://www.ruralpayments.org/topics/all-schemes/ 

For more information, visit  www.FAS.scot 

Twitter: @FASScot 

Facebook: @FASScot 

National Advice Hub 

Phone: 0300 323 0161 

Email: [email protected]

You are listening to Agri Culture, a podcast that aims to explore the stories of the people that make up our agricultural industry and culture of farming, in Scotland and beyond. 

On today’s episode Mary-Jane Lawrie is joined by Wallace Currie.  Wallace may be familiar to you as he runs his own podcast R2Kast as part of his brand Rural 2 Kitchen, which started during lockdown as a way to share his farming life.  Later he became a lecturer at SRUC and has since gone on to do a Nuffield Scholarship on pathways into agriculture through education, youth groups and consumer engagement.  He talks to us about his farming background, his thoughts on how agriculture should be woven into our education system, and his work with the Young Farmers and Farmstrong Scotland. 

Thanks for joining us for this episode of Agri Culture. If you’d like to get in touch or find out more about R2Kast, Young Farmers, Nuffield Scholarships, or Farmstrong Scotland 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: 

Rural2Kitchen - YouTube 

R2Kast - People in Food and Farming/All In - Hosted by Wallace Currie 

Rural2Kitchen | Facebook 

Wallace Currie MSc (@rural2kitchen) • Instagram photos and videos 

The Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs | SAYFC 

Agricultural Studies | Nuffield Farming Scholarships 

Farmstrong Scotland - Live Well, Farm & Croft Well 

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 farm-scale renewables.  

Show Notes  

00:32 News in Brief  

05:15 Policy Briefs – Scottish Upland Sheep Support Scheme, New rules for applying waste to land, Improving Biosecurity on Pig Farms, Compulsory Purchase Reform, Bluetongue BVT-3 - Changes to restrictions in Scotland, Muirburn Licence, Key dates 

15:21 Cereals – latest arable news and market update  

22:46 Beef – Finished beef prices, Store Cattle Trade, Dairy Beef calf numbers rising 

28:44 Sheep – September Trade Round-Up, New Zealand Outlook 2025-26, Australian Lamb, Global Prices 

32:56 Milk – Milk production data, Farm-gate prices, Dairy commodities and market indicators, UK sexed semen use, Global milk outlook   

39:32 Sector focus – Viability and profitability of farm-scale renewables  

45:06 Further articles – Renewable Energy, Sheep records and tagging, Benefits of whole milk for calves, New regulations for the application of waste to land, Talking Turkey, NFUS Policy Manager Lucy McGillvary   

Links and Resources: 

Newsletters - Business & Policy Edition - Farm Advisory Service  

Farming Profitability Review 

Cows painted with zebra-like striping can avoid biting fly attack  

PF22 - Scottish Upland Sheep Support Scheme claim form 

Scottish Upland Sheep Support Scheme full guidance 

Soil improvement using waste | Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) 

Compulsory Purchase Reform in Scotland - Scottish Government consultations - Citizen Space 

Bluetongue Movement checker 

DEFRA - General licence for the movement of animals from a bluetongue restricted zone - General licence EXD662 (E) 

Bluetongue movement restrictions for animals - Bluetongue: how to spot and report the disease - gov.scot 

The Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Bill 

Nature Scot - Muirburn licensing 

The GB Calf Strategy 2025–2030 

2020–2023 GB Dairy Calf Strategy  

Gas and electricity prices during the 'energy crisis' and beyond - House of Commons Library 

Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) - Generators | Ofgem 

Feed-in Tariffs (FIT) - Scheme Closure | Ofgem 

Renewable and low carbon energy - gov.scot 

FAS Renewable FAQ’s 

FAS Farm Scale Renewable Energy Guide 

Agribusiness News October 2024 – Sector Focus: Biomass 

Agribusiness News May 2023 – Becoming Energy Self-Sufficient 

FAS Video - Anaerobic Digestors 

FAS Video - Energy Management - Batteries 

FAS Video - Hydrogen 

FAS Publication - Renewables - Frequently Asked Questions 

FAS Publication - A practical introduction to small scale renewables 

Sheep Records & Tagging | Helping farmers in Scotland 

The Benefits of Whole Milk for Calves | Helping farmers in Scotland 

Rural Roundup - New Regulations for Applying Waste to Land 

Stock Talk - Bred to be Wild! | FAS 

FAS TV Series 5 Ep 13 - Talking Policy with NFUS's Lucy McGillivray 

For more information, visit www.FAS.scot 

Facebook: @FASScot 

National Advice Hub 

Phone: 0300 323 0161 

Email: [email protected] 

Welcome to Stock Talk hosted by Kirsten Williams.  On today’s episode Kirsten is joined by Jilly Duncan Grant, Founder & CEO of Herd Advance Ltd.  Jilly has a real love for agriculture and her varied career led to a focus on data driven decision making and developing Herd Advance with her husband to improve herd performance, profitability and wellbeing.   

Episode Timestamps  

00.42 Introducing Jilly Duncan Grant – a Jill of all trades! 

09.18 What is Herd Advance? 

23.49 The family farm – managing ‘boom and bust’ fluctuation in the marketplace 

27.55 QMS board member role 

31.03 What motivates Jilly to keep pushing forward  

FAS Resources 

Data Driven Decision Making for Finishing Cattle | Helping farmers in Scotland 

Data Driven Decision Making for Suckler Herds | Helping farmers in Scotland 

FFBC_Case_Study_Improving_weight_data_capture_Glenkilrie_ 

Other Resources    

Herd Advance   

For more information, visit www.FAS.scot 

Facebook: @FASScot 

National Advice Hub 

Phone: 0300 323 0161 

Email: [email protected] 

In this episode, we sit down with Angus Buchanan-Smith, Co-Founder and Director of The Free Company, an organic farm and restaurant guided by regenerative methods, at the foot of the Pentland Hills. We explore the history of the business, the transition to organic farming and the various complimentary enterprises they operate, from their onsite restaurant, to veg boxes, pigs and engaging with their local community.  

With a deep respect for the land and experimenting with what works for them to ensure a resilient future, they share their ethos, the practices they use and how they are producing food that feeds both their local community and their on-site restaurant. We explore how they create meaningful links between food and place, and the challenges and benefits of transitioning to organic.    

Whether you're a grower, eater, or someone curious about the future of food, this episode offers an honest, grounded look at how farming with nature can nourish people, planet, and community  

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

Timestamps: 

0:56 – 15:29 Intro to the Free Company, transitioning to organic farming and finding out what worked for them. 

15:30 – 27:06 Getting the most out of the land, a regenerative approach and benefits to biodiversity, soil and carbon.  

27:07 –40:24 Local food production, customer experiences and their various enterprises.  

40:25 – end. Challenges, recommendations for others and future plans. 

Related FAS resources:   

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

Organics: https://www.fas.scot/organics/  

Other Related Resources: 

The Free Company: https://www.the-free-company.com/  

Pasture for Life: https://www.pastureforlife.org/  

Welcome back to Crofting Matters. On today’s episode, Siobhan is joined by Graham Fraser (SAC Lerwick) to discuss an often asked question – how to start up a croft, smallholding or farming business.

The Farm Advisory Service has an Advice Line – free to call or email for advice.  Every year the team receives lots of questions about starting up a farming business.  It can be tricky to get a croft, but tenancies and purchases do come up so if you are looking for an opportunity, then this will help you understand the process when it happens.

Graham and Siobhan talk about setting up an agricultural business with particular emphasis on crofting and chat through some of the questions they have received through the advice line.

Timestamps:

01.07   Starting up in crofting – things to consider

03.09   Owner occupier, tenancy and assignation explained

05.14  Land that goes with a croft

08.39  Common grazing shares

10.05    The 3 duties of a crofter

12.39   Common grazing responsibilities

13.45   Subsidies and grants that a new crofter could be eligible for

18.13   Preparing for Sustainable Farming (PSF)

19.33  Applying for BPS (Basic payment Scheme) & LFASS (Less Favoured Area Support Scheme)

20.31  Getting a BRN (Business Refence Number)

27.36   Numbers of livestock on a common grazing

29.23  Keeping livestock for the first time

30.56  Getting your own flock/herd number

33.01   Getting registered and set up – the order of events

FAS Resources

FAS - New Entrants -Getting Started

FAS Introduction to crofting - Gaelic

FAS -Introduction to crofting - English

Other Resources

Highlands and Islands Enterprise(business support)

Scottish Enterprise(business support)  

CroftingRegister

Welcome| Crofting Commission

RuralPayments and Services

Animaland Plant Health Agency - GOV.UK

Preparingfor Sustainable Farming

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. 

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? He 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