Quality Meat Scotland Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Grazed grass is the cheapest feed source on most beef and sheep farms which can be maximised through managed grazing. By matching supply of grass to demand of livestock, farmers can begin to budget what feed they have available on farm. Rhidian Jones of RJ Livestock consults farmers on the principles of managed grazing and assists them in budgeting feed. Feed budgets are a powerfu...

Send us Fan Mail Preparation is key for a successful lambing. Starting at scanning, ewes should be split into groups dependent on litter size and body condition score. To minimise losses, John Hamilton of Ark vets emphasises the importance of good record keeping to understand where losses are coming from and put preventative measures in place. Thomas Smith, shepherd at SRUC’s barony campus has ben...

Send us Fan Mail Early preparation for calving time is key to identify preventable losses. Good handling facilities make it easy to check calving cows if you think there may be a problem. Plenty of bedding, clean pens, clean gates, iodine on navels are all good hygiene practices which can help minimise risk of disease to new-born calves. Hugh Thomson, a Clinical Director at Seafield Vet Group, hig...

Send us Fan Mail Scottish farming is facing some of the biggest changes to how it operates in 50 years. Martin Kennedy, the new NFUS President, and Peter Moss, NFUS Next Generation chair, join the podcast to share their prospects for their businesses and the wider industry in the years to come Here is a link to all episodes of QMS's podcast https://qmscotland.co.uk/news-media/qms-podcast

Send us Fan Mail Fixed costs are bulky and difficult to reduce. Peter Cook, Director of Food Drink and Agriculture at Opportunity North East joins the podcast to discuss the importance of knowing the percentage fixed costs have in terms of business output and some of the ways farmers can look to reduce or dilute these. David Stephen, Redhouse Farms, looks at optimising production to grow his busin...

Send us Fan Mail While the EU Exit has had little effect at farm level so far, there are wider implications for the industry still to come, including changes to policy and farm support. Sarah Millar , Director of External Affairs for QMS highlights the opportunities she feels this presents to the agriculture industry. Sarah is joined on the podcast with farmer and director of Crafty Maltsters Ltd,...

Send us Fan Mail This week's podcast discusses some of the operational changes post EU Exit and highlights how businesses are adapting.  Tom Gibson, Director of Market Development at Quality Meat Scotland is joined by Jill Barber, Head of EU Exit at Scottish Government. Here is a link to all episodes of QMS's podcast https://qmscotland.co.uk/news-media/qms-podcast

Send us Fan Mail Accountants are busy meeting the deadline of 31st January for tax returns, but their remit is wider than auditing annual accounts. Jane Mitchell, Business Advisory Director & Rural Specialist for Johnston Carmichael, joins the podcast to discuss the accountant’s role as a business advisor. Infusing resilience into a farming business’ is vital for long term viability. By meetin...

Send us Fan Mail On 24th December 2020, a deal was signed meaning there are no tariffs for products of UK origin being exported to the EU. However, businesses have had to adapt to changes in paperwork and legislation. While market prices have been strong since leaving the EU on 1st January 2021, many challenges lie ahead. David Thomson, CEO of Food and Drink Federation Scotland and Iain Macdonald,...

Send us Fan Mail Days are soon becoming hours as the clock ticks down to the UK leaving the EU. This podcast focuses on what facts we know ahead of Brexit and potential challenges we may face as an industry from 1st January 2021. Iain MacDonald, Senior Economics Analyst, gives a brief review of the market over the past 12 months highlighting the impact the Covid19 pandemic has had. Andy McGowan, p...

Send us Fan Mail QMS, alongside the National Farmers Union Scotland (NFUS), the Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers Scotland (IAAS), and the National Sheep Association Scotland (NSAS), is supporting United Auctions’ campaign to put Scotch Lamb PGI on the menu by encouraging consumers to Make It Scotch Lamb this St Andrew’s Day. George Purves, managing director at United Auctions, is one the fo...

Send us Fan Mail There are multiple elements to consider when planning cattle nutrition through the winter. The first step is to assess what’s available on farm and contrast this to what the various groups of livestock require. Discussion with a nutritionist to form a feed budget and build rations from this can help to use resources efficiently.  Robert Gilchrist is a project advisor with the KTIF...

Send us Fan Mail Creating the right environment for pigs is key to boosting performance and welfare. Tim Miller, pig environment specialist for ARM buildings, shares his expertise on keeping pigs in their thermoneutral zone through ventilation and the use of technology. Fraser Shaw, Dryfeholm Farm expanded his pig enterprise in partnership with his father, brother and uncle and erected a range of...

Send us Fan Mail This week’s #QMSPodcast highlights how EID can be a useful tool in increasing the profitability and performance of livestock businesses. Listen to David Kerr, ScotEID who details what regulations will mean to farmers. David is joined by Hazel Laughton, SAC Consulting and Iain Green of Corskie Farm who discuss the many management benefits of EID. Here is a link to all episodes of Q...

Send us Fan Mail Matching the right bull to the right cow takes skill from talented stockpersons. EBVs are a useful tool to aid in this management decision process.  John Elliot, Roxburgh Mains, has been selecting bulls on a balance between phenotype and EBVs for several years in his Aberdeen Angus, Limousin and Shorthorn herds to great success.  Cogent UK’s beef programme manager, Boomer Birch, h...

Send us Fan Mail Planning ahead is key to successful Autumn and Winter grazing strategies.  Michael Blanche, farmer and consultant from Perthshire discusses the importance of budgeting for the year ahead. Michael is joined by Orcadian farmer, Willie Harcus, who has introduced a managed grazing system and increased homegrown feed availability on farm as a result.  Listen now to hear how two systems...

Send us Fan Mail The arrival of Covid19 has forced businesses to adapt and overcome challenges in order to succeed. The agricultural sector is no exception. Neil Wilson, Executive Director of the Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers in Scotland, sheds some light on how farmers and auction marts have adapted in these testing times. Neil is joined by QMS Senior Economics Analyst, Iain MacDonald t...

Send us Fan Mail Keeping with the theme of Love Lamb Week (1-7 September 2020) this week’s podcast focuses on sheep health and performance.  Ed Hill from Thrums Vet Group is accompanied by Niall Blair, a cattle and sheep farmer from East Cammock Farm for a varied discussion on seasonal health trends, marketing of cull ewes and health screening - delving deep to discover what your cull ewes are tel...

Send us Fan Mail The UK pig sector has reduced its antibiotic usage by 60% in the past 4 years. Lysan Eppink, a technical advisor for the Boehringer Ingelheim Swine team, is joined by Grace Webster, a specialist pig vet and chair of the Scottish Pig Health and Welfare Group. Grace also chairs the UK Pig Health & Welfare Council subgroup on antibiotics.  Listen to further your understanding of...

Send us Fan Mail Sheep scab, caused by the mite Psoroptes ovis, can impact sheep welfare and lead to major economic losses for Scottish sheep farmers.  In this episode of the QMS podcast, we are joined by Dr Stewart Burgess from the Moredun Research Institute and Amanda Carson, a vet for APHA, to find out how to test, treat and prevent the spread of sheep scab in your flock. Here is a link to all...

Send us Fan Mail John Scott, Fearn Farm, started performance recording his flock of Texels 20 years ago and has developed this through his various stud and commercial flocks throughout the years. Sion Williams, Manager of Bowhill Farming Ltd, joined the Ring-Fenced Funded project as a RamCompare Farmer in 2016 which has focussed on the terminal characteristics of performance recording, looking at...

Send us Fan Mail Maximising returns through hitting carcase specifications is not only important for lamb producers but cattle producers too. This week’s episode brings back George Allan, Scotland and North of England Divisional Manager for Meat and Livestock Commercial Services Ltd, along with Jonny Williams, Joint Operations Director at Farmstock Scotland, to discuss differentiating the market t...

Send us Fan Mail The first few episodes of series two have looked at how red meat producers have increased efficiency of production. Episode five moves onto maximising returns for lamb producers through the selection of stock for slaughter. QMS Trainee Cattle and Sheep specialist, Beth Alexander is joined by Meat and Livestock Commercial Services Ltd, Scotland and North of England Divisional Manag...

Send us Fan Mail Moving on from a focus on cattle and sheep, this week’s episode concentrates on benchmarking for efficient pig production. QMS pig specialist, Allan Ward is joined by Danny Skinner, a pig farmer in Aberdeenshire. Danny is chairman of the Aberdeen Pig Benchmarking Group and gives an insight on how this has improved efficiency on his 440 high health sow breeding unit. Learn what ben...

Send us Fan Mail Following on from last episode’s discussion on fertility and optimising output through benchmarking, we are joined by Stevie Rolfe, Cattle Breeding Specialist and Robert Ramsay, Beef Consultant for a discussion on Pelvic Scoring.  Stevie has been pelvic scoring for 15 years, for his own company SR Cattle Services, helping farmers to prevent future difficult calving in maiden heife...