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/

In this episode Tiffany Stephenson is joined by Kristina Grenz, Senior Cereal Product Quality Scientist at AHDB, to discuss ergot, which proved to be a significant problem for many growers during harvest 2024. In this episode we discuss the ergot life cycle, symptoms as well as top management tips. 

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 Resources

AHDB – Ergot management guidance for cereals - https://ahdb.org.uk/news/ergot-management-guidance-for-cereals-strengthened-by-review 

AHDB – An introduction to Ergot & its management in cereals https://ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/an-introduction-to-ergot-and-its-management-in-cereals 

FAS – Ergot – What is it and how to prevent it? https://www.fas.scot/article/ergot-what-it-is-and-how-to-prevent-it/ 

AHDB- Ergot in harvest 2024 https://ahdb.org.uk/news/ergot-in-harvest-2024-cereals-a-pathologist-s-paradise-a-supply-chain-challenge 

AIC – Ergot in cereal crops https://www.agindustries.org.uk/resource/ergot-in-cereal-crops-contracts-legislation-and-effective-management-frequently-asked-questions-faqs.html 

Welcome back to the Rural Round-up. On today’s episode George Chalmers introduces Mary-Jane Lawrie, who will be sitting in for Tiffany Stephenson, while on maternity leave. Topics of discussion include, extreme weather, FFIS updates and cross compliance reminders, which includes useful tips on hedge management. 

FAS Resources 

FAS Website – Responding to changing weather https://www.fas.scot/responding-to-changing-weather/ 

FFIS Scheme Guidance - https://www.ruralpayments.org/topics/all-schemes/ffis/future-farm-investment-scheme/ 

Other Resources  

For more information, visit www.FAS.scot 

Twitter: @FASScot 

Facebook: @FASScot 

National Advice Hub 

Phone: 0300 323 0161 

Email: [email protected]

Mary-Jane Lawrie is joined by Liz Haines to talk about her lived experience of being neurodivergent and working in agriculture.  Liz tells us about her background in farming and how she and her husband became new entrants to agriculture.  Liz shares some of her systems and process that help her run their successful dairy farm since being diagnosed with ADHD in 2022.  This diagnosis led her to pursue a Nuffield scholarship.  She has travelled the world to study neurodiversity in agriculture, and she shares with us her learnings, and how we can help and support neurodiverse people in our agricultural industry.   

Thanks for joining us for this episode of Agri Culture. If you’d like to get in touch or find out more about the ‘Level The Field’ campaign, you can find more information in the show notes.  You may also want to listen to the two Agri Culture podcast episodes on dyslexia.  This episode was presented by me Mary-Jane Lawrie, produced by Kerry Hammond and edited by Cameron Waugh, in association with the Scottish Government.  

Resources 

Level the field - Farmers Weekly 

BBC Two - Inside Our Minds 

Agricultural Studies | Nuffield Farming Scholarships 

Agri Culture - Cathy Magee: Delving into Dyslexia | FAS 

Agri Culture - Pete Black: The Superpower of Dyslexia | FAS 

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 Selling Your Farm: what you need to have in place.

Show Notes

00:38 News in Brief

04:16 Policy Briefs – Future Farming Investment Scheme (FFIS), Community right to buy, Knowledge Transfer Innovation Fund (KTIF), Peatland Training Fund, Next Generation Practical Training Fund, Agricultural Household Survey, Key Dates.

13:56 Cereals – latest arable news and market update

22:37 Beef –Beef prices and supply, Store cattle demand and supply, Cull cow trade

27:13 Sheep – New season lamb trade, Imports and Exports

30:23 Milk – Milk production data, Farm-gate prices, Dairy commodities and market indicators, Grass growth and quality, How do you measure up? 

35:54 Sector focus –Selling Your Farm – the benefits of doing some ground work before looking to sell your farm.

41:16 Further articles – Tax and Succession Planning, Challenges and opportunities facing the beef industry, Dairy – How do you measure up?, Rural Roundup – Inheritance Tax and Succession planning.

FAS Resources:

Newsletters- Business & Policy Edition - Farm Advisory Service

Other Links:

AHDB  - predicting beef demand as retail prices rise

Future Farm Investment Scheme full guidance

Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003

Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015

Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016

Community right tobuy: review - Scottish Government consultations - Citizen Space

Leriche’s air Còir-cheannaich Coimhearsnachd co-chomhairle

Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund - Rural Payments and Services

Peatland Training Fund- Skills Hub Scotland

Peatland Training Fund | Lantra - Scotland

Next Generation Practical Training Fund - Skills Hub Scotland

Kingshay - Dairy Costings Focus Report 2025

Scotland's Land Information Service

Additional Dwelling Supplement (ADS)

Home Report

Energy Performance Certificate

Inheritance Tax & Succession | Helping farmers in Scotland

FAS TV - developing a more resilient beef finishing enterprise

Kingshay - Dairy Costings Focus Report 2025

FAS - FMH October 2024 - Dairying

FAS podcast - Rural Roundup - Autumn budget 2024

FAS TV - FFIS - Farmers

FAS TV - FFIS - Crofters

For more information, visit www.FAS.scot

Facebook: @FASScot

National Advice Hub

Phone: 0300 323 0161

Email: [email protected]

Thinking of diversification projects on the croft?  Hear from two entrepreneurs who have set up shops, campsites and tours in Uist, and are managing to bring in tourists and have a healthy footfall.  They discuss the issues with funding on croftland, ferries, finishing animals, abattoirs, Instagram posts, Scottish Agritourism, and Enterprise agency support. 

Anne MacLellan runs Balranald Campsite, the Dunes Cabin, a catering business, a new self-service vending machine with fresh veg and fish, and a self-catering cottage and a pod.  Lyndsay Robertson and DJ run Long Island Retreats, with a shop of local and islands produce and offer immersive tours of the croft and machair to UK and international travellers.  

Related FAS Resources

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

FAS TV Series 5 Episode 9 - Supporting Crofting with Diversification - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrYYHOqkQbI

Other Related Resources

Business support from:

https://www.hie.co.uk/

https://www.scottish-enterprise.com/

Welcome to Stock Talk hosted by Principal Consultant Kirsten Williams.  On today’s episode Kirsten is joined by Colin Mason (Veterinary Centre Manager, SRUC). This episode focuses on livestock health and covers BVD eradication, show biosecurity, dairy beef calves, TB, Bluetongue and Schmallenberg virus.    

Episode Timestamps  

00.44 BVD eradication (phase 6) 

10.08 Top tips for biosecurity of show animals 

16.20 Health of dairy beef calves  

18.23 Colostrum management  

20.45 Blood tests for calves 

25.05 Weight for age and average DLWG 

27.29 Lung scanning 

28.53 Tuberculosis (TB)  

31.42 Bluetongue  

35.36 Schmallenberg 

40.23 Managing calf groups to reduce disease risk  

FAS Resources 

 BVD Eradication Scheme Update (YouTube.com)

Other Resources    

BVD Guidance | ScotEID 

GOV.scot - bovine viral diarrhoea - bvd 

Dairy beef booklet - SAC Consulting 

GOV.uk - bluetongue information and guidance for livestock keepers 

Bluetongue Virus Hub - Ruminant Health & Welfare 

Schmallenberg virus - GOV.UK   

ibTB - Mapping bovine TB (bTB) in England and Wales 

For more information, visit  www.FAS.scot 

Facebook: @FASScot 

National Advice Hub 

Phone: 0300 323 0161 

Email: [email protected] 

In this episode, we dive into how Natural Capital is reshaping land use, farming, and business decisions with our guest, Dr Kerry Waylen. She shares her insights and working examples, to explore how land managers, farmers, and policymakers measure nature’s value, access carbon markets, and plan for long-term sustainability.We discuss topics including a just transition, the risks of greenwashing, the need for fair systems, and how supply chains—from food production to whisky—are adapting. Practical, grounded, and future-focused, this episode highlights the real opportunities and challenges in putting nature at the heart of decision-making.  

Kerry Waylen is a senior social researcher in the Social, Economic and Geographical Sciences (SEGS) department at the James Hutton Institute, and Deputy Director of the International Land Use Study Centre (ILUSC).  She builds understanding of how to achieve more 'joined up' approaches to natural resource management and studies when and how different types of knowledge – including ideas of ‘natural capital’ get used in decision-making - and how to put abstract ideas for nature management into practice. 

Host Harry Fisher, Producer Iain Boyd, Editor Kieron Sim, Executive Producer Kerry Hammond.

Timestamps: 

0:59 – 5:52 Intro to speaker and topic background 

5:53 – 18:59 Galvanising change via natural capital project 

19:00 –  24:53 Ecosystem services, measuring natural capital, farming practices and easy wins 

24:54 – 36:34 Paying for carbon, natural capital markets, opportunities and risks 

36:35 – 44:50 Just Transition in land use and future of natural capital 

Related FAS resources:   

Biodiversity | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service

Stock Talk - The 5-Mile Pig! | FAS

What is the Woodland Carbon Code? | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service

Understanding Natural Capital Markets | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service

Other Related Resources: 

Ecosystem services - nature’s benefits | NatureScot

Galvanising Change via Natural Capital - James Hutton Institute

Natural Capital Protocol – Capitals Coalition

Natural Capital Market Framework - gov.scot 

Ecosystem Restoration Code: engagement paper - gov.scot

In this episode Tiffany Stephenson is joined by Donald Dunbar and Alan Bruce to discuss changes to EFA options under the Scottish Government’s enhanced greening measures for 2026, and how farmers might go about integrating some of these options into their own farming systems.   

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  

Greening guidance (2026)

Preparing For The Future | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service

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. 

Often overlooked and easily mistaken for its more common relatives, the Northern Brown Argus butterfly is a small but significant species found in parts of Scotland. Closely tied to very specific habitats and entirely dependent on the rock rose plant for survival, its presence is a clear indicator of healthy, species-rich grassland. In this episode Harry Fisher, host of the Natural Capital Podcast sheds light on the efforts to protect this elusive butterfly, we explore the unique ecology of the Northern Brown Argus, why it matters, and what its story tells us about biodiversity, land use, and conservation challenges in Scotland — and why saving a single species can sometimes mean saving a landscape. 

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

Related FAS Resources

Technical Note (TN712): Land Management for Butterflies

Monitoring Pollinators On Your Farm | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service