In this podcast Malcolm Macdonald spoke to Sophie Kirk who is the head of business development with soil association accreditation. Sophie talks about how the organic market has fared over the past year, how Covid-19 has affected sales, and what  the outlook  going into 2021 is like. 

A brief summary of this episode

A brief summary of this episode

As linear landscape features, hedges bring with them an array of benefits, whether it is in the context of climate change, biodiversity decline or improved productivity. However, these benefits are reliant on good overall management. In this podcast, a part of the Hedges – Cultivating, Cutting & Carbon Capture series the Farm Advisory Service (FAS) talks to Nigel Adams, Countryside Management about all things hedges. Topics of discussion include current condition of Britain’s hedges, advice for those looking to establish new hedges, the options for hedgerow management and restoration, the multiple benefits of hedges and some gripping conservation success figures.

2020 has been a year that has seen all industries and sectors within agriculture have to adapt to a new normal, and this has extended to shows and large events. AgriScot is a staple in the Scottish agricultural calendar, an opportunity to showcase new and innovative technologies, promote good practice and highlight quality livestock. In this podcast the Farm Advisory Service sits down for a dialog with Martin Dare, one of the chief organisers for the event to discuss the shift to a virtual platform, the process of putting together the day in general, some behind the scenes stories and the reception from “attendees”. 

Each of the seminars from the event was recorded and is now available to watch at https://agriscot.co.uk/video-hub/

In this episode, we speak to beef specialist Robert Ramsay about the practicalities of adapting agriculture to climate change. Focussing on livestock systems we look at the challenges livestock farmers may face in the future and how to make their businesses more resilient to a changing climate.

Building resilient businesses and identifying the weaknesses within your business is crucial as Scotland moves into a period of great uncertainty. At a time when farmers are being asked to balance the demands of climate change and biodiversity decline, they must also contend with market instability and change public perceptions of farming. In the first of two podcast for the Meeting Market Demand series the Farm Advisory Service (FAS) talks to agricultural consultant, Alexander Pirie (SAC) about the Net Zero Arran initiative. The group launched in January 2020 and has garnered attention for their group approach to tackling climate change and in this podcast we discuss; carbon auditing, targeting joint areas of business vulnerability and grass roots local responses to the challenges facing island communities and the wider challenges of climate change and Brexit.

What’s stopping You?  In this podcast Jen Craig farmer @sheepfarmer782, NSA Scotland Chairwoman and NFUS Clydesdale branch Chairwoman tells us about her journey getting involved with Agri-Politics.  We discuss her farming life and balancing this with her committee roles.  We discuss the biodiversity and community benefits that hill farming brings.  

In this episode, Daniel Stout of SAC Consulting speaks with Harriet Wishart from SRUC's Kirkton & Auchtertyre Research Farm about the different EID and data recording technology now available and how they can be implemented on farm to make more informed breeding and management decisions to improve farm efficiency and profitability, whilst making cross compliance easier and reducing labour requirements of certain tasks. 

 

“In this 2-part mini-series of podcasts based on Animal Health & Welfare we are speaking with the head of dairy, Duncan Forbes from the Agri-Epi Centre.  

This is the second podcast in the series, focusing on the advancements in technology and how the use of sensors, cameras and remote diagnostics are being used to help with early detection of illness and disease in all cattle.”