Scotland's Farm Advisory Service Podcast

In this podcast Malcolm Macdonald talked to SAC Nutritionist Mary Young and Norvite Technical Director David McClelland about minerals in ruminant rations. This included an overview of the major minerals which are supplemented in ruminant rations and these benefit anima health. David then outlines how minerals and vitamins are defined and can be used in an organic context. Mary and David both outl...

In this episode Mary-Jane Lawrie speaks with Colin Hunter who farms at Stonelaws Farm in East Lothian.  Colin has been farming with min till and no till systems for the last 8 years and feels strongly that we should be doing all we can to protect our topsoil and organic matter, whilst still growing a good yielding crop.

Cammy Wilson is a new entrant sheep farming, having started out 5 years ago, Cammy has developed a simple grass based sheep system which allows him time away from the business to work as a contract shearer, social media influencer and part time policeman. This podcast focuses on Cammy’s system, mentoring and his experiences so far. 

John Sinclair owns and runs Craigies Farm Shop just outside Edinburgh.  It’s a family run business with pick your own fruit and veg as well as the shop and café.  Due to Covid the shop and café initially had to close but John and his team quickly adapted to offer home delivery which has become an important new income.  As things open up it has allowed them to find a new way of reaching customers.

A new approach to agri-environment schemes, based on payment by results, is being investigated in a pilot project by Scotland’s Nature agency, NatureScot.    In this podcast, senior conservation consultant at SAC Consulting, Paul Chapman, speaks to NatureScot ’s Kirsten Brewster and Kay Prichard to find out more about how this approach works and how it differs from the prescriptive agri-environmen...

We're making some changes to the FAS Podcast! Weekly episodes, covering the width and breadth of the farming world in Scotland, with experts and leading consultants offering relevant, important information on a regular basis. Subscribe now to get every episode on your phone.

Andrew Prentice and his family, overcame the new entrant hurdle of sourcing land by moving to the Isle of Iona to continue their farming journey.  Listen to this very inspiring podcast showing the determination of the Prentice family in moving to a remote area to build their business.

What’s Stopping You?  Nina Clancy (@clancy_nina) speaks to Janette Sutherland, (@ConsultingSAC) about her career, media engagement, recognising opportunities and avoiding burnout.  We also learn more about the excellent work of @RSABI.

Patrick Laurie, Galloway based author of ‘Native’ speaks to Janette Sutherland in Skye about his book.  They discuss his starting a farming business and growing crops for the first time.  A self-confessed Curlew obsessive, Patrick discusses the importance of High Nature Value farming for many of Scotland’s iconic species. 

Interview with Beth Kendall, a successful crofter based in Strathpeffer. Beth has been crofting for over 20 years and in that time has developed a broad range of experience in different fields that include working with sheep, cattle, commercial poultry, grass work, business diversification and knowledge of the crofting grant system.   In this podcast, Beth details how she became a mentor with FAS,...

Moths don’t just eat clothes is a podcast aimed at promoting the awareness and the image of Moths in Scotland.  There are over 1300 species of moth present in Scotland compared to around 58 species of butterfly so why should butterflies have all the good press?  Moths play a very important role in biodiversity, many are very pretty and they have the most fantastic names such as Beautiful Brocade a...

In the first of our series of podcasts with Forward Thinking Farmers, Mary-Jane Lawrie spoke to Bill and Helen Smith of The Byres Farm, Fochabers.  Bill and Helen talk about how they gained a new tenancy, their arable cropping enterprise, and their diversification.  The interview was recorded during the middle of the Covid 19 lockdown, so they also talk about how it has impacted their business and...

Listen to our latest podcast interview with Andrew Jardine, who along with his family gained a tenancy at New Farm, Moffat in August 2019.  Andrew speaks about their journey, including the application and interview process, their first 10 months in business and their plans for the future.

On this Farm Advisory Podcast, we speak to Sandy Murray a crofter from Strathhalladale, Sutherland who has with his family diversified the crofting business. As Sandy grew up he struggled with reading and writing, though excelled in practical projects.  It was not until he was older that it was suggested that he was dyslexic, and it became clearer to him though he has not been formally diagnosed. ...

Our latest podcast interview is with Ian Davidson OBE from the Scottish Land Matching Service.  Ian explains the role of the service for both those seeking and offering opportunities as well as tips to make joint venture opportunities work, including trust, communication and relationships.

In this podcast, Agricultural Consultant Malcolm MacDonald chats to Alastair Wilson who farms at Upper Wheedlemont Farm near Rhynie, and Senior Consultant with SAC Consulting, Ewan Johnstone. Alistair talks about his farming system and his experiences of rotational grazing. Ewan outlines the key principals of grass management and some of the advantages of rotational grazing.

Listen to our latest podcast interview with Michelle Stephen, A new entrant farmer at Meikle Tillyeve, Ellon. Michelle speaks about how she got started with the farm, taking it from a mainly arable unit into a sheep farm with almost 500 breeding ewes in only 3 years, educating the public and organising sheep dog training events. You can subscribe to her Instagram @Insta_glamb

Listen to our latest podcast interview with new crofter, Catherine Mitchell, owner of Breacan-Beithe Croft. In this podcast, Catherine recalls how she got started in crofting and the help she received from her Farm Advisory Service supported mentor, Liz – including developing a business plan, help with growing, and practical advice on selling and pricing.

 Just before the UK ‘lockdown’ SAC Consultant Chloe McCulloch spoke to Neil Wilson, formerly Head of Agriculture at HSBC and now an independent consultant and director of the Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers in Scotland.  The discussion was scheduled to be about Brexit and its impact on farmers, however by the time the podcast was due to be recorded a new challenge was becoming clear – covi...

In this podcast, Malcolm MacDonald speaks to Food and Drink consultant Kerry Allison about marketing and the wider food and drink industry. Kerry outlines the scale of the Scottish food and drink industry and how important it is to the rural economy. Kerry then provides some top tips on marketing and building a brand for rural businesses, and new trends in consumer behaviour they should be aware o...

Mark Tripney, ISoils Ltd, returned as a guest speaker at the second meeting of the Inverness Soil & Nutrient Network. The topic for the meeting was 'Understanding Nutrient Interactions' and those who attended heard how nutrient balance is crucial for the economics of crop production but also ensuring the soil is not being depleted.  After the event, we took some time with Mark to capture the t...

Employing People in agriculture is becoming an increasingly complex situation. Many farms employ people on a self-employed basis to provide valuable extra resources at busy times – for example relief milking and tractor driving.  In this podcast, Agricultural Consultant Mhairi Dalgleish looks at the actions you as an employer should be taking to ensure you stay the right side of HMRC when employin...

We spoke to Becci Barr, a farmer in Midlothian about her experiences as a new entrant farmer, what she learned from her time on the Rural Leadership Programme and a spell of illness, and how she now focusses on what makes her happy and resilient. 

Forestry consultant Stephen Adlard chats to Dr Fritha Langford, a researcher from SRUC.  They discuss the wider benefits of integrating trees and agriculture, and Fritha explains how silvopastoral systems have the potential to allow Scottish farmers to produce sheep and beef to some of the highest possible welfare standards. Later in the podcast, we hear from Prof. Davy McCracken, Head of Hill &am...

The Farm Advisory Service has run a number of meetings on Personal Resilience with Kim Walker over the last few months, and we spoke to her about what it means to be resilient, and some of the topics we have been covering in our resilience campaign .