OnFARM Scottish farming podcast

2021 marks 50 years since the start of Scottish commercial salmon farming. It's a half century that has seen the industry rise from very humble beginnings to being the UK's number one food export, globally recognised for its high quality, and a major provider of jobs in the Highlands and Islands. This is the first of two OnFARM episodes in association with the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisatio...

The theme for 2021's Mental Health Awareness Week (Monday 10th May to Sunday 16th May) is 'nature'. Whether it's Anna’s own passion of sea-swimming, or mountain biking, forest-bathing, or walking the John Muir Way, this episode is packed with tips on making the most of being outdoors. It is made in partnership with the Scottish Rural Network. Mentioned in this episode: Podcast producers Bespoken M...

Monty is looking ahead to the 2021 AgriScot event this autumn with event chairman Robert Neill. This episode also marks the official launch of AgriScot's Farm of the Year awards - including an exciting new 'Diversified Farm of the Year' category. To enter or nominate a farm business, visit www.agriscot.co.uk Mentioned in this episode: Podcast producers Bespoken Media All episodes of OnFARM are pro...

Sheep farmers like Monty have finished lambing, and we are all - thankfully - slowly coming out of COVID lockdown. We can start to think about getting out and about, and maybe having a bit of fun with the family. So we're handing this episode over to the South of Scotland Destination Alliance, to give you some day trip inspiration. We're playing out in full their recent Scotland Starts Here 'Rural...

Thanks to COVID, bookings for UK holidays went up 300% in 2020. It's led many farm businesses to consider new agritourism enterprises. But what do you need to know before you open up your farm gates to tourists and visitors? Joining Anna are Sheryl Macaulay from Douglas Home & Co Chartered Accountants, and David Seed from specialist rural surveyors and land agents FBRSeed. Mentioned in this episod...

We look back on 30 years of LEADER grants and funding for development projects in rural Scotland. Anna speaks with Peter Ross, who has been involved with LEADER from its very beginning in 1991, about its grassroots partnership approach to funding, and about the hundreds of communities that have benefitted. We also hear from four different projects around Scotland that have been LEADER-funded, and...

How effective leadership can encourage those with a stake in rural sustainability to engage with mitigating climate change. In this fifth and final episode looking at climate change challenges with SAOS, Anna speaks with: Mark Brooking - sustainability director for dairy farmers' cooperative FirstMilk Tim Wilson - CEO of supply co-op Aspatria Farmers Jim Booth - SAOS head of co-op development Ment...

Will Evans of the Rock and Roll Farming podcast passes on tips to Anna, a relative newcomer on the rural podcast scene. The pair also discuss mental health, family life on Will's farm near Wrexham, as well as his Scottish connections. Mentioned in this episode: Podcast producers Bespoken Media All episodes of OnFARM are produced and edited by Scottish podcast production specialists Bespoken Media....

Climate change has brought with it more unpredictable weather patterns which, in turn, has meant significant upheaval for Scottish farmers. For episode 4 of our series with agri-coop umbrella organisation SAOS, Anna hears about measures that can be taken to mitigate unpredictable weather, and even to reap any potential benefits. Guests: David Aglen, who farms livestock, vegetables and combinable c...

The fourth Scottish Rural Parliament is in full swing as we publish this episode. Previous gatherings have taken place in different parts of Scotland - Oban in 2014, Brechin in 2016 and Stranraer in 2018.  This time, due to the ongoing Covid situation, the event is taking place entirely online. The aim of the assembly is to bring together people who live and work in rural and island Scotland, to e...

Rock on Soils is a project exploring whether spreading crushed rock onto agricultural land can capture large quantities of carbon in the ground. Taking carbon out of the air is a key part of the fight against climate change, and the rock that's used is a by-product of quarrying, so it's an exciting prospect. The EU-funded project is being led by the Scottish Organic Producers Association (SOPA), a...

Gordon Davidson is the Scottish Farmer news and online editor. He joins Anna to share stories of his years at the paper, and to give tips on how best to interest him in your news item or story. We also hear in this episode about how you can get involved with the upcoming Scotland Rural Parliament. Mentioned in this episode: Podcast producers Bespoken Media All episodes of OnFARM are produced and e...

Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal officially launches a research drive to study Equine Grass Sickness, an often fatal disease of horses. The Moredun Foundation and The Equine Grass Sickness Fund have joined forces to launch a three-year research Fellowship, bringing together a partnership of horse owners and scientists. HRH The Princess Royal is patron for both charities. Mentioned in this epi...

Her Majesty the Queen's Balmoral estate lost 5 Highland ponies in less than a year to Equine Grass Sickness. The disease is almost always fatal to horses, and seems to affect Scotland worse than other parts of the UK. Sylvia Ormiston, who manages Her Majesty's Balmoral stud, recalls the five losses, and describes how it prompted her to get more involved in searching for a cure. We also meet Grass...

Climate-friendly farming can be a more efficient and profitable way to run your business. That's the key message of episode 3 of our series with agri-coop umbrella business SAOS. Anna hears about tools, methods, and processes you can implement on your farm to help Scotland meet its 2045 carbon 'net zero' target. Guests: Mark Clark - SAOS chairman and managing director of Grampian Growers Ltd. Andr...

We're asking for your help. Simply by listening to OnFARM and telling others about us, you can help secure our future. As we approach our 50th podcast, Monty and Anna break from normal episodes to share some thoughts about the future of the show. Would you be interested in sponsoring us or partnering with us to get your brand associated with our work? Talk to the team any time. Mentioned in this e...

Rob Wainwright is the Doddie Gump fundraising founder, former Scotland Rugby captain and British Lion, and now a beef and cattle farmer on the Hebridean Isle of Coll. Rob joined the SAYFC's Lianne and Ally Brunton for a 'Sofa Chat' over Facebook Live. We've given over this OnFARM episode to the SAYFC, to hear Rob and the Bruntons chat about farming, rugby, and #DoddieAid. Mentioned in this episode...

How can the supply chains to Scottish food and drink businesses be made more climate-friendly? Scotland's target is to have net zero carbon emissions by 2045. This is part 2 in our series with agri-co-op organisation SAOS, looking at the challenges and opportunities for Scottish farming and growing as it works to meet that climate change challenge. Joining Anna this time are: Robert Logan - SAOS p...

Brexit "fury" among fish landers, a "frustrating" seed potato export ban, and costly red tape for businesses that rely on immigrant labour. Monty partners with law firm Shepherd and Wedderburn to bring you expert and industry insight at this crucial and confusing time. Guests: Tavish Scott from the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation Archie Gibson of leading seed potato breeder and merchant Agr...

It is exactly one year since we published our first ever OnFARM episode - a recording with kids on a (pre-Covid) farm visit with the food and farming education charity RHET. To mark our first birthday, we've updated this very first episode with a new interview with RHET chief executive Katrina Barclay. You'll also hear John Sinclair, owner of Craigies Farm Shop and Cafe, primary school teacher Emm...

We're rounding off 2020 by eavesdropping on a chat between the Moredun Foundation's outgoing chairman Ian Duncan Millar, and his successor Gareth Baird. Ian chose to retire at the end of 2020 so he could end on the high point of a year of centenary festivities. Alas, this was not to be. But we hope this episode (particularly a surprise right at the end) will be a nice memento. From all at OnFARM,...

You're on the guest list for a (virtual) drinks reception to celebrate 100 years of Scotland's Moredun Research Institute. Just press play to attend, enjoy the (virtual) free booze and canapes, and mingle with the great and the good of livestock science. Joining Monty for this episode are: Sheila Voas, Scotland's chief vet Nigel Miller, former NFU Scotland president and co-chair of Farming for 1.5...

Succession planning is a nettle that all farming families need to grasp. You just never know what is around the corner. But it's a sensitive subject, fraught with legal, technical and emotional difficulties - so Monty has enlisted law firm Shepherd and Wedderburn to talk through the issues. Guests this time: Hamish Lean - Shepherd and Wedderburn Head of Rural Property Gillian Campbell - Shepherd a...

The Moredun Research Institute has come a long way since it was set up by Scottish farmers in 1920, in a bid to cut devastating livestock losses. Monty hears how its latest breakthrough has revolutionised farming practices as far away as South Africa and Australia - and how researchers are even playing a crucial role in the fight against Covid-19. Guests this time: Al Nisbet - head of Moredun's va...

In 1920, a visionary group of Scottish farmers came together to work out how to cut alarmingly high rates of livestock losses. Together, they formed ADRA - the Animal Diseases Research Association. These days, it is still owned and run by farmers, but is better known as the Moredun Research Institute for animal health. Many of the vaccines and treatments now routinely used on UK sheep and cattle w...