Scotland's Farm Advisory Service Podcast

We are joined by Jonathan Morley from Pivotal, to discuss the importance of robust, reliable and verifiable data and how digital biodiversity monitoring is part of this. Pivotal are a biodiversity monitoring and analytics company working with a range of Natural Capital managers, funds and organisations across the world, providing data from both the ground and remote sources. We discuss the range o...

Thrill of the Hill returns for season 5, with an exciting line-up on new and returning guest speakers and specialists in their fields and on their hills.  As climate change, biodiversity decline and food security continue to build in our collective consciousnesses the drive to find a comprehensive solution intensifies. In this episode, Chris Clark from Nethergill Associates shares his opinion...

Welcome back to the Rural Round-up. This show is produced in association with the Scottish Government. On today’s episode, Farm Advisors Tiffany, George and Robert give us the latest agricultural updates from around Scotland, and are then joined by Professor Steven Thomson, Professor of Agricultural Economics and Policy at SRUC to discuss the latest policy updates, including EFA, Calving Intervals...

In this episode Tiffany Stephenson is joined by Dr Ruth Wade and Professor Pippa Chapman from the University of Leeds, along with Dr Joseph Martlew from NIAB, to discuss Regenerative Agriculture and the trials which have been taking place in Yorkshire.  Welcome to CropCast, your go to podcast for all the latest information on arable crops. Each month, SAC advisor, Tiffany Stephenson will be j...

Welcome to the October episode of In Conversation With… hosted this month by Principal Consultant Mark Bowsher-Gibbs.  On today’s episode Mark is joined by Sebastien Mallet, CEO at ODA (Offre & Demande Agricole). They discuss the UK and European harvest, how UK grain prices have changed and what drives price change, the best time to sell into the market and selling strategies going forwar...

Along with our regular monthly updates on policy briefs, arable, beef, sheep and milk, in this edition we are also bringing you sector overviews on biomass and bale grazing cattle. We will also be bringing you news on forage and feed budgeting and heating rural housing. Show Notes 00:44 News in Brief 03:04 Policy Briefs – Climate Change Bill Published, Licensing Canine Fertility Services, Children...

In this episode, Mary-Jane Lawrie is joined by Cathy Magee from Dyslexia Scotland. Cathy Magee is the chief executive of Dyslexia Scotland.  We talked about what dyslexia is, how it can affect you, and how to go about getting an assessment.  Dyslexia Scotland have a range of resources available to support people with dyslexia. Cathy also tells us about the technologies and adaptatio...

In this podcast we hear from Vic and Jason Ballantyne, who are tenant farmers on the edge of Brora. They talk about their forage based farming system and the importance of their low input system to achieve a good a work-life balance. Vic and Jason are continually trying to improve the genetics in their livestock through a strict culling policy. They currently run 100 suckler cows and 400 ewes of t...

In this episode we speak to Celine Delabre from NatureScot to inform listeners on the upcoming requirement to complete biodiversity audits as part of the Whole Farm Plan and how NatureScot’s farm biodiversity app can help to deliver these in the future. We discuss the important details that farmers requiring the audit need to know to help them complete it and find out more about the NatureScot app...

Support is changing, and although not all details are clear, crofters claiming subsidy need to have specific items and plans in place by next spring.  Listen in to hear the essential information you need for next year’s Basic Payment Scheme claim.    We simplify one aspect of the new system, which is called the Whole Farm Plan.  The WFP is actually made up of 5 different p...

Mary-Jane Lawrie is joined by Pete Black of Collessie Feeds and Newton of Colessie Farm.  Pete Black farms at Newton of Collessie with his parents and brother.  They run a successful diversified farming business with arable, commercial cattle, pedigree sheep and Clydesdales, alongside Collessie Feeds.  We chatted about the farm business and the various enterprises and the family’s t...

Thrill of the Hill returns for season 5, with an exciting line-up on new and returning guest speakers and specialists in their fields and on their hills. With COP26 in Glasgow well in the rearview mirror and 2030 on the horizon, serious, measurable change has to be made in the fight against climate change. With Scottish Climate Week coming up, in this podcast we hear from Senior Carbon & Susta...

Welcome back to the Rural Round-up. This show is produced in association with the Scottish Government. On today’s episode, Farm Advisors Tiffany Stephenson from St Boswells, George Chalmers from Turriff and Robert Ramsay from Ayr, give us the latest agricultural updates from the Borders, N. East and S. West of Scotland, and are later joined by Iain Boyd, a senior Environmental Consultant to talk a...

Welcome to In Conversation With… hosted this month by Senior Sheep and Beef Consultant Kirsten Williams. On today’s episode Kirsten is joined by Lorna Shaw (Ruminant Nutritionist, SAC Consulting) and Jonny Williams (Joint Business Director, Farm Stock). They discuss marketing the 2024 lamb crop, preparing for mating and nutrition of purchased stock. This show is produced in association with the Sc...

Along with our regular monthly updates on policy briefs, arable, beef, sheep and milk, in this edition we are also bringing you sector overviews on pigs and Brazil’s agricultural sector. We will also be bringing you news on the Suckler Beef Support Scheme and grazing winter cereals.   Show Notes   00:43 News in Brief  02:54 Policy Briefs – Scottish Kept Bird Register, Scot...

In this episode Tiffany Stephenson is joined by Dr Steve Hoad, team leader in agronomy, physiology & genetics at SRUC, to provide an update on how Spring cereal varieties have been performing during the 2024 variety trials, along with his top variety picks. Welcome to Cropcast, your go to podcast for all the latest information on arable crops. Each month, SAC advisor, Tiffany Stephenson will b...

In this episode, host Robert Ramsay speaks to Graham Lofthouse, beef and sheep farmer from Bankhouse Farm in the Scottish Borders, and winner of the AgriScot Scottish Sheep Farmer of the Year award 2016. Robert and Graham discuss the strategies and challenges of rotational grazing systems, lamb growth, flock efficiency, genetics and how Graham established his wool-shedding flock. Related FAS Resou...

The Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET) is a charitable organisation that looks to bring farming, the working countryside, and Scotland’s Natural Capital to life for young people. The trust aims to connect Scotland’s youth to the countryside, and give insight into food, farming and countryside management in Scotland. The trust achieves this through a number of key activities, such as farm visits...

Disease risk in livestock, and biosecurity is something we perhaps don’t consider as much in crofting areas as farmers might in more intensive systems. Crofting tends to be more extensive, with lower densities of stock, but we often share bulls, and graze on common ground. In this episode I’m joined by Kythe MacKenzie, who is a vet with SRUC, and Kate Lamont, who is a researcher, to discuss the pr...

Loch Leven’s Larder is an enterprise with the farm to fork concept at its core, with the farm providing produce to the café and shop. Since 2005, the larder has put community and sustainability at the forefront of its operations, to provide the Loch Leven area a place to enjoy locally sourced healthy food in a relaxed atmosphere with views of the land that produced their food, and the Loch Leven l...

Mary-Jane Lawrie is joined by Fred Swift from South Clunes Farm and Highland Clip, and Stella Stewart from Anta.   Fred Swift farms South Clunes Farm near Inverness in the Highlands with his wife Sofi and his father.  They run a traditional upland farm with cattle and sheep.  Fred and his family have transformed the farm over the last 40 years, increasing biodiversity and intro...

Thrill of the Hill returns for season 5, with an exciting line-up on new and returning guest speakers and specialists in their fields and on their hills. Life as a cow is difficult and complicated, on the one hand there is a general acceptance that their non-selective grazing, trampling and dunging can contribute to diverse grassland swards, ideal habitat for ground-nesting birds etc. and promote...

In this episode Tiffany Stephenson is joined by Dr Steve Hoad, team leader in agronomy, physiology & genetics at SRUC, to provide an update on how winter cereal varieties have been performing during the 2024 variety trials, along with his top variety picks.  Welcome to Cropcast, your go to podcast for all the latest information on arable crops. Each month, SAC advisor, Tiffany Stephenson...

Welcome back to the Rural Round-up. This show is produced in association with the Scottish Government. On today’s episode I’m joined by George Chalmers, Robert Ramsay & Osla Jamwal-Fraser to talk about agritourism, opportunities to diversify and the added value opportunities for Scottish Agriculture. FAS Resources Alternative Enterprises | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (f...

Welcome to the August episode of In Conversation With… hosted this month by Principal Consultant Mark Bowsher-Gibbs.  On today’s episode Mark is joined by Julian Bell (Principal Consultant with Agrecalc) and James Bolesworth (Managing Director at CRM Commodities). They discuss global grain supply, demand and market influences and look at how prices have changed over the last 12 months. Closer...