Scotland's Farm Advisory Service Podcast

In this episode of the Natural Capital podcast, Harry Fisher and Iain Boyd discuss the new report from the Scottish Government; The Importance of Natural Capital to the Scottish Economy – A Regional Analysis. The report estimates that Scotland’s natural capital underpins at least £40 billion of economic output (14% of the total economy) and supports 260,000 jobs. The discussion highlights the sect...

In this special two-part edition of Crofting Matters, “Crofting Through the Seasons”, we take you back to Spring/Summer last year, where Ross Mackenzie visited the Staffin Sheepdog Trials, a hugely popular event in Trotternish, on the Isle of Skye. Sheepdog trials are deeply rooted in crofting culture, normally held during the summer months, these trials are a significant part of the identity of c...

In this special two-part edition of Crofting Matters, “Crofting Through the Seasons”, we take you back to Spring/Summer last year, where Ross Mackenzie visited the Staffin Sheepdog Trials, a hugely popular event in Trotternish, on the Isle of Skye. Sheepdog trials are deeply rooted in crofting culture, normally held during the summer months, these trials are a significant part of the identity of c...

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. At Scotland's First Nature Friendly Farming Summit, Minister Jim Fairlie announced the return of the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme for a 2026 funding round and a commitment to continue the scheme through to 2030. This announc...

Welcome back to the Rural Roundup. On today’s episode George Chalmers and Mary-Jane Lawrie discuss all things Farm Insurance with NFU Mutual’s Douglas Schreiber. Time Stamps 03:56 Deadlines and Grant updates 07:35 Introduction to Douglas Schreiber 08:25 Starting point for insurance renewal discussions 09:51 Things farmers should think about ahead of renewal? 12:19 The impact of staff qualification...

Welcome to CropCast Conversations. On today’s episode Mark is joined by Iain Riddell. Iain was a consultant and project manager with SAC Consulting for 45 years, before becoming self-employed and operating under Graystones Consulting. Iain’s work focuses on agricultural supply chains and his main interest is industrial hemp, which will be the focus of this episode. The global market for hemp is ex...

You are listening to Agri Culture, a podcast that aims to explore the stories of the people that make up our agricultural industry and culture of farming, in Scotland and beyond. On today’s episode Mary-Jane Lawrie is joined by Bertie Troughton, Hugh Chamerlain and Laura McDonald of Atholl Estates. They join us to talk about how in recent years they have started to move towards regenerative farmin...

Along with our regular monthly updates on policy, cereals, beef, sheep and milk, in this edition we also have a spotlight on promoting your farm or croft online. Show Notes 00:33 News in Brief 04:35 Policy Briefs – Agri-Tourism Investment Scheme (AIS), Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS), Preparing for Sustainable Farming (PSF), Drivers over 70, Agri Wages Board Minimum Wage Proposal, Protectio...

Welcome to Stock Talk. On today’s episode Kirsten is joined by Gordon Whiteford who farms at Lower Mill of Tynet in Banffshire. In 2012, Gordon and June Whiteford began Lower Mill of Tynet Farm. They built an egg business, then a micro-dairy in 2020, selling milk and now ice cream directly from their 24-hour farm shop. They have brought together traditional farming practices with innovative direct...

We are joined by environmental historian Dr Ian Maclellan as we wind the clock back through Scotland’s long history of land use change: from the ice age to the Romans, clearances, industrialisation and modern pressures. Along the way, we unpack how humans have been part of the landscape – managing it for food, livelihoods and leisure, and the consequences this has had on nature and biodiversity. S...

In this episode George Chalmers is joined by SAC Consultant David Ross, to discuss crop margins from 2025 and predictions for 2026. Welcome to CropCast, your go to podcast for all the latest information on arable crops. Each month, SAC advisor, George Chalmers will be joined by a range of industry experts, bringing you timely updates to help you make decisions in the field. Producer George Gauley,...

Welcome back to the Rural Round-up. On today’s episode George Chalmers and Mary-Jane Lawrie discuss the upcoming FAS Women in Agriculture Conference, which takes place on the 11th February. They are also joined by Siobhan Macdonald to discuss the agenda for the upcoming FAS Conference, which takes place on the 19th February. Time Stamps: 05:45 NVZ reminder 12:54 PSF reminder 15:25 AECS reminder 16...

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. Reducing carbon emissions is becoming an increasingly important consideration for upland and hill farmers across Scotland. As climate targets, evolving support schemes and market expectations continue to shape the future of agr...

You are listening to Agri Culture, a podcast that aims to explore the stories of the people that make up our agricultural industry and culture of farming, in Scotland and beyond. Welcome to part two of a two-part episode series about Steading and Co and the family. Mary-Jane Lawrie is joined by Phillip, Konrad, Symone and Alex, a multigenerational family running a regenerative farming business in...

You are listening to Agri Culture, a podcast that aims to explore the stories of the people that make up our agricultural industry and culture of farming, in Scotland and beyond. Welcome to part one of a two-part episode series about Steading and Co and the family. Mary-Jane Lawrie is joined by Phillip, Konrad, Symone and Alex, a multigenerational family running a regenerative farming business in...

Along with our regular monthly updates on policy, cereals, beef, sheep and milk, in this edition we also have a spotlight on geopolitics and global agricultural trends. Show Notes 00:36 News in Brief 03:24 Policy Briefs – Muirburn licencing, Sheep and Goat Inventory, PSF claims, slurry storage regulations, visitor levies, key dates, newly released publications. 13:47 Cereals – Review of 2025 and l...

Welcome to Stock Talk hosted by Kirsten Williams.  On today’s episode Kirsten is joined by Dr Basil Lowman who has been a beef specialist with SAC Consulting for 55 years. Kirsten describes Basil as a legend in the beef industry. We hear about Basil’s varied career, his passion for the industry, how he thrives on challenge ...

Welcome to this special episode of the Rural Roundup, one of a six-part series called “Unsung Heroes”. In this episode Calum Johnston sits down one on one with James Orr an Agricultural Advisor with a special interest in the carbon footprint of livestock systems. In the previous five episodes we heard from Farmers from five different beef and dairy farms in South West...

Welcome to this special episode of the Rural Roundup, one of a six-part series called “Unsung Heroes”.  In this episode Calum Johnston visits Alex Marshall and Heather Dyet at Haggs Farm where 3 generations of the family are currently farming, including Heather’s grandmother, Mother Janice, brother Alex, and her father Alex...

Welcome to this special episode of the Rural Roundup, one of a six-part series called “Unsung Heroes”.  In this episode Calum Johnston visits Douglas Frame at Birks Farm where they discussed Calving at two. Through speaking to Douglas it was clear that on his family beef farm, their unsung hero is efficiency and despite climate change not...

Welcome to this special episode of the Rural Roundup, one of a six-part series called “Unsung Heroes”.  On this episode Calum Johnston visits Glen Neilson at Park Farm Dairy where they discussed introduction of Solar PV. Through speaking to Glen it was clear to me that on his family’s dairy farm, their unsung hero is technology – whilst introd...

Welcome to this special episode of the Rural Roundup, one of a six-part series called “Unsung Heroes”.  In this episode Calum Johnston visits James Strang at Temples Farm where they discussed Genomics. Through speaking to James Strang, it was clear that on his dairy farm, their unsung hero is data. Data is allowing them to input into thei...

Welcome to this special episode of the Rural Roundup, one of a six-part series called “Unsung Heroes”.  In this episode Calum Johnston visits Heather Close at Littleton farm where they discussed outwintering and rotational grazing. Through speaking to Heather, it was clear that on her beef farm, their unsung hero is biodiversity – many fa...

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. Cattle wintering is an unavoidable and hugely important aspect of livestock management in Scotland. Whether stock are housed in traditional courts or managed outdoors on forage crops, wintering systems sit at the heart of anima...

Welcome back to the Rural Round-up. On today’s episode George Chalmers and Mary-Jane Lawrie are joined by Andrew Coalter to discuss what the recent Autumn Budget means for farming.   Timestamps 02:05 Upcoming deadlines 04:51  Preparing for Sustainable Farming (PSF)  06:35  Greening 2026 07:34  Introduction to Andrew Coalter...