Welcome back to the Rural Round-up. This show is produced in association with the Scottish Government. On today’s episode, Farm Advisors Tiffany Stephenson from St Boswells, George Chalmers from Turriff and Robert Ramsay from Ayr, give us the latest agricultural updates from the Borders, N. East and S. West of Scotland, and are later joined by Iain Boyd, a senior Environmental Consultant to talk about Climate Week and what opportunities it brings to Crofters and Farmers in Scotland.  

FAS Resources 

Climate Change resources for farmers from Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)

Other Resources  

Climate Week | Net Zero Nation 

Take Action | Net Zero Nation  

For more information, visit www.FAS.scot 

Twitter: @FASScot 

Facebook: @FASScot 

National Advice Hub 

Phone: 0300 323 0161 

Email: [email protected]

Welcome to In Conversation With… hosted this month by Senior Sheep and Beef Consultant Kirsten Williams. On today’s episode Kirsten is joined by Lorna Shaw (Ruminant Nutritionist, SAC Consulting) and Jonny Williams (Joint Business Director, Farm Stock). They discuss marketing the 2024 lamb crop, preparing for mating and nutrition of purchased stock. This show is produced in association with the Scottish Government. 

Episode Timestamps  

00.41 - Introducing Lorna Shaw and Jonny Williams 

02.35 - What’s happening with the sheep market and why 

05.58 - Flexibility: farming what’s in front of you 

08.32 - Nutrition: protein and energy requirements for growing lambs 

11.20 - Prioritising grazing and assessing feed costs vs returns 

12.30 - Variations in feeding grain quality and the importance of grain analysis 

14.35 - Introducing lambs to supplementary feeding 

16.10 - Keeping current European buyers supplied 

20.58 - Marketing lambs of different spec  

23.38 - Diet transitioning for purchased rams 

27.10 - Urinary calculi in rams 

28.38 - Processing grain for sheep 

30.14 - Post tupping aftercare for rams 

32.16 - Lambs coming off forage crops 

34.26 - Jonny’s main message for marketing 

36.15 - Lorna’s main message for managing nutrition 

37.34 - Kirsten’s take home message   

FAS Resources 

Agribusiness News  

Management and selection of rams for efficiency  

Marketing lambs  

Other Resources  

farmstock.org.uk 

Lamb markets | AHDB  

QMS Scotland - market prices  

QMS Scotland - monthly market updates  

fas.scot - specialist advice  

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 briefs, arable, beef, sheep and milk, in this edition we are also bringing you sector overviews on pigs and Brazil’s agricultural sector. We will also be bringing you news on the Suckler Beef Support Scheme and grazing winter cereals.  

Show Notes  

00:43 News in Brief 

02:54 Policy Briefs – Scottish Kept Bird Register, Scottish Suckler Beef Support Scheme 2025, Nature Restoration Fund 

07:04 Arable- EU imports rise, exports fall, Harvest 2024 

11:45 Beef - Finished Price reaches £5/kg, US beef demand, Store cattle, Cull cow values, Straw price variations 

15:07 Sheep – Store lamb phenomenon, Vaccine shortage continues, Food security crisis preparedness  

18:45 Sector Focus – Pigs – Standard Pig Prices, Slaughter weights, Cull sows and weaners, Cost of production, African Swine Fever update  

23:20 Milk - Production data, Farm-gate prices, Dairy commodities and market indicators, Bluetongue update, Dairy herds in decline 

27:54 Sector focus – Brazil – flawed agri-powerhouse?  

33:25 Management Matters – Suckler Beef Support Scheme – New measures, Payment rates, Financial impacts, Management matters, Force Majeure 

39:30 Input Costs – Grazing winter cereals – Nutritional value to livestock, Effects on crops, Impacts on soil, Benefits to the arable farmer, Benefits for the livestock farmer   

FAS Resources 

Agribusiness News September 2024  

Other Links:  

UK food self-sufficiency (Scottish Farmer) 

Assessing Scotland’s self-sufficiency of major food commodities (SRUC and The Rowett Institute) 

Scotland Food and Drink Partnership - Regional Food Fund Application 

Green hydrogen production (Scottish Government)  

GB Poultry Register (gov.uk) 

Register your birds (scot.uk) 

Scottish Suckler Beef Support Scheme - FAQ 

Nature Scot email 

European Commission | Agri-food data portal | Monitoring food supply and security  

Calving Intervals in Scottish Cattle (SRUC report)  

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 Dr Steve Hoad, team leader in agronomy, physiology & genetics at SRUC, to provide an update on how Spring cereal varieties have been performing during the 2024 variety trials, along with his top variety picks.

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 Iain Boyd, Executive Producer Kerry Hammond, in association with the Scottish Government.

Linked FAS Resources

For the most recent Scottish Recommended list 24/25  

https://www.sruc.ac.uk/media/4qybv20b/sruc-cereals-recommended-list-2024-tables-winter-edition-w1.pdf 

Full variety data sets collected are available on the AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds website https://ahdb.org.uk/rl 

Lothian crop trials webinar 2024 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V74muZHiI9w 

In this episode, host Robert Ramsay speaks to Graham Lofthouse, beef and sheep farmer from Bankhouse Farm in the Scottish Borders, and winner of the AgriScot Scottish Sheep Farmer of the Year award 2016. Robert and Graham discuss the strategies and challenges of rotational grazing systems, lamb growth, flock efficiency, genetics and how Graham established his wool-shedding flock.

Related FAS Resources

Selecting the Right Ram for the Job | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)

Technical Note (TN767): Management and Selection of Rams for Efficiency

Tupping | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)

Lamb Performance | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)

Sustainable Sheep Systems | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)

The Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET) is a charitable organisation that looks to bring farming, the working countryside, and Scotland’s Natural Capital to life for young people. The trust aims to connect Scotland’s youth to the countryside, and give insight into food, farming and countryside management in Scotland. The trust achieves this through a number of key activities, such as farm visits and providing educational resource materials for schools, along with much more.  

Ensuring younger generations from both rural and urban communities are aware and understand where and how food is produced, and the countryside is managed, is vitally important in ensuring a thriving rural sector, and appreciation for Scotland’s Natural Capital and its conservation. 

Today we are joined by Katrina Barclay from RHET to hear about what their organisation does and why.  

Host Harry Fisher, Producer Iain Boyd, Executive Producer Kerry Hammond, Editor Ross Mackenzie.

Timestamps: 

1:30 – 5:30 What is RHET and the type work they do 

5:34 –7:05 The role that Natural Capital has 

7:05 – 33:29 Farming and learning outcomes, benefits for children and the sector.  

33:30 – 40:49 Incorporating land use change and sustainability issues.  

40:50 - 50:15 How can teachers and farmers get involved 

Related FAS Material: 

Environment resources for farmers from Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)

FAS Sounds | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service

Other Related Materials: 

The Royal Highland Education Trust | Royal Highland Education Trust (rhet.org.uk)

Food: The Facts | Royal Highland Education Trust (rhet.org.uk)

THE 17 GOALS | Sustainable Development (un.org)

Good Food Nation - Food and drink - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Disease risk in livestock, and biosecurity is something we perhaps don’t consider as much in crofting areas as farmers might in more intensive systems. Crofting tends to be more extensive, with lower densities of stock, but we often share bulls, and graze on common ground. In this episode I’m joined by Kythe MacKenzie, who is a vet with SRUC, and Kate Lamont, who is a researcher, to discuss the practicalities of managing disease risk.  

Linked FAS Resources

Crofting Discussion Groups | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)

Succession Planning – Crofting | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)

Crofting Legislation | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)

Loch Leven’s Larder is an enterprise with the farm to fork concept at its core, with the farm providing produce to the café and shop. Since 2005, the larder has put community and sustainability at the forefront of its operations, to provide the Loch Leven area a place to enjoy locally sourced healthy food in a relaxed atmosphere with views of the land that produced their food, and the Loch Leven landscape at large.

Loch Leven’s Larder looks to utilise the natural capital in their area in a way that enhances biodiversity, stimulates local economy, provide space for local community, while maintaining a healthy business that thrives through diversification. Today we are speaking with Robin Niven from Loch Leven’s Larder, to discuss their story and how understanding, utilising and enhancing natural capital has shaped there business and provides opportunities for the future.

Host Harry Fisher, Producer Iain Boyd, Executive Producer Kerry Hammond.

Timestamps:

1:25 – 4:09  The history and purpose of Loch Leven’s Larder

4:10 – 12:31 Local community importance and benefits

12:32 – 21:09 Why people visit, sustainable farming practices and looking after natural capital

21:10 – 29:09 Private sector funding and sustainability of food to plate

28:10 – 35:45 Advice for others looking to diversify and a thriving rural economy

Related FAS Material:

Rural Business resources for farmers from Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)

Biodiversity | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)

FAS Sounds | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service

Other Related Materials:

Loch Leven's Larder- award-winning Kinross-shire Café, farm shop & gifts (lochlevenslarder.com)

Mary-Jane Lawrie is joined by Fred Swift from South Clunes Farm and Highland Clip, and Stella Stewart from Anta.  

Fred Swift farms South Clunes Farm near Inverness in the Highlands with his wife Sofi and his father.  They run a traditional upland farm with cattle and sheep.  Fred and his family have transformed the farm over the last 40 years, increasing biodiversity and introducing mob grazing.  He was looking for an opportunity to add value to the wool from his sheep, and together with Scottish luxury brand Anta, they established the Highland Clip.  The Highland Clip is working to add value to wool, whilst also creating a fully traceable product, which is important to Anta.  Stella Stewart, a director of Anta, tells us why traceable wool and working with South Clunes is important to their business.   

Resources 

FAS TV: S2 E9 –South Clunes Farm Cluster (youtube.com) 

History of the farm | South Clunes Farm | Inverness 

Luxury Home Furnishings & Gifts Made in Scotland | ANTA 

Protecting Highland Wool – ANTA 

For more information, visit www.fas.scot

Twitter: @FASScot 

Facebook: @FASScot 

National Advice Hub 

Phone: 0300 323 0161 

Email: [email protected] 

Thrill of the Hill returns for season 5, with an exciting line-up on new and returning guest speakers and specialists in their fields and on their hills.

Life as a cow is difficult and complicated, on the one hand there is a general acceptance that their non-selective grazing, trampling and dunging can contribute to diverse grassland swards, ideal habitat for ground-nesting birds etc. and promote healthy soils. On the other hand, the production of methane and relatively high carbon footprints in comparison to other enterprises can leave cattle exposed to climate criticism. In this episode we talk with conservation consultant Helen Bibby and host of the Stock Talk podcast and returning guest Robert Ramsay for a broad discussion on cattle, cattle grazing and what makes them Scotland's preferred grazing animal. 

Want to get in touch with Helen, she can be contacted at SAC Consulting Oban on 01631 563 093 or via email at [email protected]. Alternatively, you can contact Robert at SAC Consulting Ayr on 01292 525 171 or via email at [email protected]. 

Related Materials

https://www.fas.scot/downloads/tn686-conservation-grazing-semi-natural-habitats/ 

https://www.fas.scot/downloads/grazing-for-profit-and-biodiversity-grazing-strategies/