farmingscotland.comIssue seventy-six • April 2011

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CONTENTS

Eilidh MacPherson

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farmingscotland

EDITOR: Eilidh MacPherson Marbrack Farm, Carsphairn,Castle Douglas, DG7 3TE

Tel: 016444 60644Mobile: 07977897867editor@farmingscotland.comwww.farmingscotland.com

PUBLISHER - Eilidh MacPherson

ADVERTISING –Eilidh MacPherson – 016444 60644Fiona McArthur – 01583 421397Alison Martin – 01292 443097Kirstin Norrie – 0131

Cover - Slurry spreading at High Mark,Stranraer, SW ScotlandText and photography by Eilidh MacPhersonunless otherwise statedPage 4 - bottom two - Ayr ShowPage 5 - Ayr ShowPage 17 - Peter SmallPage 18 - Neale McQuistinPage 20 - Claas

wonderful but expensive rest, as wehad to draft in a lamber in our absence– thanks Kim!

This issue we have a couple of dairyfeatures – the Watsons of High Mark,Stranraer and the Lairds of Ore Mills,Thornton, Fife. Davie and Derek Lairdboth attended SAC in Edinburghbefore heading home to Fife to farm.Davie’s eldest son, also David, is nowon his first year BSc Agriculture atEdinburgh.

Show season is just about upon us,kicking off with Ayr Show on pages 4 &5. MEP Alyn Smith sold his services asa lambing assistant at the NationalSheep Association dinner a couple ofmonths back. Neale McQuestin andhis wife were the successful biddersand he shares his story on pages 18 &19.

As ever Hugh Stringleman has aninteresting column in the WorldMarkets section and a couple of sheepshearing reports fill the final few pages.

Lambing is in full swing and due tothe weather has been a been abreeze in comparison to last year

so far. The lambing heat box whichRichard’s father made him forChristmas has thankfully not made anappearance out of the shed! It wouldhave come in very handy last year.

Delighted to announce that our ‘GetSwept off Yer Wellies’ section in theFebruary issue has been successful.Our advertising sales rep – Alison – hasvirtually been whisked off her feet! Wewill be running it in the May issue so e-mail or post in your photo and a wee introductory blurb. We have decidedthat there will be no charges fromeither advertisers or repliers at thisjuncture – maybe just a wedding inviteif you meet the farmer of your dreams!

Talking of weddings my older sisterfinally decided to tie the knot right inthe middle of lambing time – on thesame day as Wills and Kate. A two dayexcurcion to Aberdeenshire was a

farmingscotlandIssue seventy-six • April 2011

farmingscotland.comIssue seventy-six • April 2011

20 World Marketswith NZ correspondent

Hugh Stringleman

14 Animal HealthLamb Threat

45

Ayr Show Judges 2011

22 Sheep ShearingTe Kuiti, Falklands

16 Spraying

1819

EducationLambing Live

12 Energy

611

Dairy

17 MachineryPotato Heritage

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AYR SHOWfarmingscotlandIssue seventy-six • April 2011

SHEEP JUDGES

Overall Sheep Section, Sheep Breeds YFC &

Rotherwood Supreme Champion of Champions

Blair Cockburn, Stirkfield Farm, Biggar,

Lanarkshire

Beltex

William McAlister, Kells, Ballymena, Northern

Ireland

Blackface Sheep & Any Other Breed Sheep

Andy Woodburn, Netherwood Farm, Muirkirk,

Ayrshire

Bluefaced Leicester

Robert Neill Jnr, Broadley, Dunning, Perthshire

Border Leicester

John Mauchlen, Spotmains Farm, Kelso, Borders

British Charollais

Mrs Helen Sloan, Rigghead, Collin, Dumfries

Commercial Sheep

Andrew MacLean, The Kings Arms, Ballantrae,

Girvan, Ayrshire

Jacob

Miss Linda McKendrick, Bankhead Farm, Cupar,

Fife

Suffolk

Scott Brown, Woodhead Farm, Dewarton,

Gorebridge, Midlothian

Texel

Ian Struthers, Collielaw Farm, Carluke,

Lanarkshire

Zwartbles

C Comrie, The Fort, Ballynahinch, County

Down, Northern Ireland

Blair Cockburn, who farmsStirkfield (1500 acres) atBroughton and Kingside (600

acres owned, 100 acres rented) nearPeebles along with his wife Morag,will be selecting the RotherwoodSupreme Champion of Champions atAyr Show. His skills will also be putto the test deciding the overall in thesheep section and the Young Farmerclasses.

The Cockburn’s run both North(400 in number) and South CountryCheviot (800) flocks as well as 700Blackfaces, of which 200 are keptpure with the rest in Scotch Muleproduction. His brother Tom manages the one hundred head of cattle reared at Kingside – mainlyLimousin and Belgian Blue cross.

Previously Blair has taken centrestage placing line-ups of Mules at theRoyal Highland Show and NorthCountry Cheviots at the Royal Welshlast year.

“Lambing has not been too bad,mainly due to the fantastic weather,”commented Blair.

This year, at Ayr, all four dairycattle judges are women.

Rebecca Jarvis of Rainton,Thirsk will have a busy day as she isjudging the Jersey Cattle Section / Calf& Showmanship Classes for all DairyBreeds and the Ayrshire/ Holstein/Jersey/ Dairy Inter-Breed Cattle as wellas the YFC classes.

Growing up on the family farm inYorkshire, Rebecca began showingJerseys and Holsteins at the age of 12.Her career in Agricultural Sales hasincluded working for Semex atMonkton, Ayrshire. She now sellsfeeds for I’Anson Bros feedstuffs inYorkshire. Rebecca’s been judging for15 years, and jokingly says she’d liketo complete a ‘grand slam:’ havingjudged at the Royal Show, the RoyalWelsh, and Balmoral she’d love to beinvited to judge at the RoyalHighland.

This year will be her first time atAyr, while other shows on this year’sschedule include Dumfries, Nantwichand Royal Cornwall. Without lettingtoo much out of the bag, Rebecca will

Well kent Blackface sheepbreeder and Galloway cattleenthusiast, John Maxwell,

formerly of Cashel Farm, LochLomond and now based at The Jaw,Fintry, Glasgow will be placing theBelted Galloway and Galloway cattleat Ayr this year.

Pictured above studying form atthe Newton Stewart tup sales in theback end, John is well qualified forthe job in hand. On the 1500acreholding, which rises to 1700 feet,John runs 600 Blackface ewes, with athird of them crossed to the BlueFaced Leicester. There are also 30miscellaneous ewes, which includesome pedigree Beltex.

He owned his first Galloway cattlefifty years ago, back in 1961 and started breeding them in 1976.Currently John has 25 Dun Gallowaysand eight Simmentals at The Jaw.

Last year he placed the Galloway section at the Highland Show.Following Ayr he will be judging theOverall Sheep section at Carsphairnand at Caithness.

John Maxwell

Blair Cockburn

JoSt

Ladies’ Choice

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farmingscotland.comIssue seventy-six • April 2011

AYR SHOW

John Douglas, Mains of Airies, Stranraer

BEEF CATTLE JUDGES

Overall Beef Section, Home Beef Cattle, Continental

Beef Cattle and Prime Cattle YFC Sections &

Rotherwood Supreme Champion of Champions

John Cameron, Balbuthie Farm, Elie, Fife

Aberdeen Angus

Bert Taylor, 69 Woodend Drive, Northmuir, Kirriemuir,

Angus

Belted Galloway & Galloway

John Maxwell, The Jaw, Fintry, Glasgow

British Blonde

Billy Laird, Lochhead Farm, Coaltown of Wemyss,

Kirkcaldy, Fife

British Blue

Steven Brough, Buckabank Farm, Dalston, Carlisle

British Simmental

Robert McAlister, Langalbunioch Farm, Kingarth, Argyll &

Bute

Commercial Cattle

Wilson Peters, Cuilt Farmhouse, Monzie, Crieff

Highland

Alan Bosomworth, Ormsary Cottages, Lochgilphead,

Argyll

Any Other Native Breed of Cattle & Hereford

Robert Grierson, Grange Farm, Castle Douglas,

Kirkcudbrightshire.

Any Other Continetal Breed of Cattle Section

I Callion, Bolfornought Farm, Stirling

Ayr ShowJudges 2011

be looking for a balanced cow with anexceptionally good udder, good legsand feet, with a show presence thatwill catch her eye immediately itwalks into the ring.

Christine Wilson, who farms in partnership with her husband Kevin inThursby, Carlisle with their sonsThomas and William aged 11 and 14,is placing the Holsteins at Ayr. Their300 dairy Holsteins won the PremiereHolstein Herd in 2005, and have beenawarded best herd in Cumbria fivetimes.

Judging for 25 years, Christine'scareer took shape when she won theindividual judging for Holsteins fourtimes between the ages of 16-26.Although she grew up on a dairy farm,she says taking part in Young Farmersand the Holstein Club gave her thebenefit of the advice of a lot of farmers. She puts her success downto doing what she enjoys, setting goalsand 'really going for it.'

Ayrshire judge is Lisa Window-Walker, of Horsepool Farm,Hunnington in the West Midlands.Lisa farmed with her Dad for 25years, selling the milk from their herd

John Douglas, Mains of Airies,Stranraer

DAIRY CATTLE JUDGES

Dairy Inter-Breed Section & Rotherwood Supreme

Champion of Champions Competition

Mrs Caroline Hastings, Rosehill, Holywood,

Dumfries

Holstein

Mrs Christine Wilson, Wood Farm, Thursby,

Carlisle

Jersey Cattle Section / Calf & Showmanship

Classes for all Dairy Breeds,

Ayrshire/Holstein/Jersey/Dairy Inter-Breed Cattle

YFC Classes & Young StockPerson 'Dairy'

Ms Rebecca Jarvis, Stone Cottage, Carr Lane,

Rainton, Thirsk

Ayrshire

Mrs Lisa Window-Walker, Horsepool Farm,

Bromsgrove Road, Hunnington, West Midlands

GOAT JUDGESGoat Section

George Dale, Newby, Scarborough

Ayrshire Goat Club Spring Show & Rotherwood

Supreme Champion of Champions Competition

of 90 Hunnington Ayrshires. Herfather, who worked for Lord HenryPlumb, judged all over the world, andLisa is continuing the family tradition.She's done a great deal of judging for'well over 15 years,' and has been aregular visitor to Ayr, serving time onthe council and breed developmentfor Ayrshires.

British show judging appearancesinclude Agriscot, Balmoral, and RoyalNorfolk. Last year she judged in NewZealand and Finland. She alsoshowed at the Royal, and is a regularcompetitor at the Dairy Event.

Closer to home, Caroline Hastingsof Rosehill, Holywood, Dumfries willbe choosing the Dairy Inter-BreedSection & Rotherwood SupremeChampion of ChampionsCompetition.

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It is no wonder that John Watsonof High Mark is the voice ofFarmers for Action as he is not one

to let the grass grow under his feet.Having previously farmed at

Ochiltree in Ayrshire, John and hiswife Avril and their children alongwith John’s parents, Jim and Sheila,sold up a decade ago and moved to adrier farm to, “get eight months ofgrazing instead of four.”

Cattle numbers were increasedfrom 120 to 160 and the largeHolstein cattle were sold in favour ofa traditional Ayrshire herd. “Theysuited the system here better – a grassbased system. They live longer andhave better fertility,” explained John.

“We took the Holstein herd downhere with us and bought someAyrshires to increase the numbers.We found that they lasted longer,were easier managed and suited thisexposed coastal farm.”

The Watsons were encouraged bythe Ayrshire Cattle Association to

start a pedigree herd and by 2005they began to register the calves. By2009 they stopped using beef bulls.All cattle are now AI’d by CattleServices in Ayr using straws fromSemex or World Wide Sires or areserved naturally by Ayrshire bulls.

Auchensale Black Pearl was purchased as a calf and has since beentaken into the proven scheme by theAyrshire Cattle Society.

In the last two years cow familieshave been bought in at High Mark toincrease genetics; Heatherbloom (2),the Barr, Sanquhar, Sandy Rose family (3), Celedine (1), one fromthe famous Barbie family of Muirsonand two Georgie Girls. These haveall been purchased as mature cows atno more than 2500gns – “a way ofbuying genetics without spending afortune!”

The Georgie Girls have provedfast-track genetics, as there arealready four heifer calves in the herd.Sexed semen has been tried at High

Mark, in small amounts, with mixedresults. “It worked well with maidenheifers but not so well with thecows.”

The top dozen milk producingcows are kept in a separate shed andput to proven sires as another route toimproving genetics. If their yielddrops back another replaces them.

Semen is selected for dams producing a lot of milk with high fertility and longevity, while for themale line they look for dams withgood fat and protein percentages, typeand good feet and legs.

“We are not breeding cows toshow, we are breeding cows to have along life on the farm – economically.Our cows average 4.2 lactations,whereas the national average is 2.4.We believe that there are Ayrshirebulls available that have longevity, fertility and milk quality,” commentedJohn who was brought up withAyrshires in the ‘70’s before the family converted to Holsteins to

increase yields.

In 2000 the Watson family purchased the 300-acre HighMark, with its mile of coastline, in

the Rhins of Galloway and convertedit from a beef and sheep property to adairy one. A dairy and parlour werebuilt and a New Zealand styleWaikato 12/24 milking parlour wasinstalled for its simplicity – direct toline with no metres, no jars. Slurrychannels were added and CowComfort mats were fitted in all thecubicles. Another three small shedsfor young stock and an extra silage pithave also been erected with no grantaid at all.

“I’m not in the slightest technicallyminded and am no computer expertso opted for the simplest parlour possible,” admitted John, whose mother still regularly milks with him.

Work on the property did not stopthere. Forty acres of sandy hillocksnear the coast, covered in whins bushes were cleared. Diggers moved

DAIRYfarmingscotland.comIssue seventy-six • April 2011

Ayrshire dairy farmer – John Watson – sold upand headed south west to double his grazingmonths. He converted a beef and sheep unitinto a dairy and Holsteins have been traded infor Ayrshires. Forty acres of rough groundhave also been developed for grazing.

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in and levelled out the hills to produce undulating slopes, picturedabove. “A lot of dung and slurry wasapplied,” pointed out John as his sonspread slurry in the adjoining flatfield, which plummeted on threesides to the ocean. (left and cover)

Some of the ‘new’ acreage is downto wheat and the rest is for silage.“We still have 10 reclaimable acres,which will be tackled when time andmoney allows. Another thirty acresare just too rocky.”

As the milk from High Mark averages 3.57% protein through theyear and 4.45 butterfat it goes forcheese making at Caledonian Cheese.

“We are being paid 26p/l but currently it costs us 30.8p to producethe milk. It is an up hill struggle withthe supermarkets controlling prices.

“The three biggest costs are feedfertiliser and fuel and in the past yearthey have gone up 65%, 40% and 35%respectively. We’ve got to get a pricethat covers the price of production!stated an exasperated Scottish Coordinator for Farmers for Action.

“We have taken direct action closing distribution depots and talkingwith processors, supermarkets andpoliticians. It seems to be the onlyway that we get any movement in themilk price. We held demos on the15th December at Tesco and Asdathis time and are working with a united front with the NFU, DairyFarmers of Scotland.”

John spends a fair bit of his timeon the phone fighting the corner forFarmers for Action and just wants tohelp ‘make the dairy farmers’ lot better by increasing the price. “Thepercentage profit on milk and cheeseis more than the farmer is getting forthe raw material. Of the 25 EuropeanUnion countries, the UK price isranked 23rd, just above Slovenia.”

More than 120 dairy farmerspacked into the openingmeeting of NFU Scotland’s

nation-wide dairy roadshow to hearabout a milk price proposal that couldtransform the fortunes for all dairyfarmers in the country.

The Union believes that if a market-related pricing formula wereincorporated as a baseline into producer contracts, it would breakthe cycle of market failure in thedairy supply chain. Such a movecould allow dairy farmers, irrespectiveof whom they sell their milk to; tomove forward with improved confidence and greater certainty. Itwould also deliver sustainability,which is in the best interest of wholesupply chain.

The Union proposal is part of awider package of milk measuresincluding moves in Europe tostrengthen the position of dairy farmers and the need for a supermarket adjudicator here in theUK to help police supply chains.

NFU Scotland Vice President AllanBowie said: “Based on existing marketindicators for commodities such asmilk powder, butter and mild cheese,the proposed formula – if in placetoday – would deliver a basic milkprice of 32p per litre. That is substantially higher than current average price for milk here in the UKand on a par with the prices beingpaid to dairy farmers in otherEuropean countries.

“Discussing such a proposal now istimely and could see milk contracts inthe UK providing a model for elsewhere. The High Level Group inEurope, charged with looking at themilk sector, has recommended thatsteps be taken to strengthen contractsand improve the negotiation positionof producers. Our latest work fitswith that recommendation and alsodovetails with the model contractdeveloped a few years ago by NFUand NFUS giving a genuine opportunity to develop a meaningfulcontract with real teeth.”

Castle Douglas dairy farmer,Kenneth Campbell, chair of the

MarkedChanges at High Mark

FARM DETAILS

Farmers: John & Avril Watson in partnership with hisparents Sheila and Jim

Farming: High Mark

Location: Stranraer, Wigtonshire

Area: 300 acres owned

Stock: 160 Ayrshire cows 100 followers

Crops: 50 acres wheat10 acres fodder beet

Other: Reclaimed 40 acres of rough ground for grassland

Positions: Scottish Co-ordinator for Farmers for ActionCouncil Member AyrshireCattle Societyretired Chair of Wigton Ayrshire Cattle Club

NFUS Milk Committee added: “Theformula we are proposing wouldensure that producers received a pricethat more truly reflected the realmarket value of milk and move producers in the UK away from thebottom of the European price leagueto a more level playing field with ourEuropean counterparts.

“There are worries that linking ourmilk price closer to commodity pricesmay expose us to greater levels ofvolatility. That may be true, but ifthe formula had been in place overthe last decade then milk prices in theUK would have been consistentlyhigher than the average price actuallypaid. If that is what volatility lookslike, then let’s have the debate.”

“The Union is creating the rightenvironment for discussion on priceformulas, but producers need to pushthem and speak to their buyers andtheir producers representatives. Atthe same time, we are speaking toprocessors, co-ops, and retailers.This is about creating a new foundation for the industry that candeliver sustainability throughout thedairy supply chain.”

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farmingscotland.comIssue seventy-six • April 2011

AYR SHOW

AGRISEARCH is spear headinga new project aimed at reducing greenhouse gas

emissions from dairy farms byimproving dry cow management toboost fertility, herd health and production performance.

This project also aims to developan on-line benchmarking tool allowingNI farmers to calculate the carbonfootprint of their farms. Co-fundedby AgriSearch and the DARDResearch Challenge Fund this appliedresearch project offers huge potentialbenefits to the dairy industry.

AFBI, Hillsborough as the researchpartner in the project, hosted an ini-tial meeting of the nine farmers takingpart in the on-farm component of thework. The AFBI farm at The Park,Hillsborough will provide the tenthdairy herd taking part in this project.

“Opinions differ on the best way tomanage cows once dried off,”explained Gary McHenry, AgriSearchdairy advisory committee chairman.

“Many recommendations are basedon anecdotal evidence rather than onthe results of scientific investigations.Cows need a dry period to recoverfrom lactation, to regenerate mammary tissue and to producecolostrum so without this rest periodoutput in the next lactation can suffer.”“ This research will seek to establish

a practical dry cow management blueprint that can be used byNorthern Ireland farmers to;* Ensure stress free calving and the

delivery of a healthy calf* Minimise risk of metabolic

disorders or infections after calving* Promote high levels of

performance* Encourage oestrous activity and

improve fertility“This initiative is an exciting

opportunity for farmers and scientiststo combine their skills and resourcesto improve animal husbandry and welfare in the dry period thus enhancing the efficiency of farm businesses and reducing their carbonfootprints.”

To date there has been littleresearch into the response to differentdry cow diets at different levels ofBCS, Body Condition Score. Howdoes the animal's condition in late lactation and subsequent feedingregime as a dry cow impact on futurehealth, fertility, longevity and lactation?

The partner farms taking part inthis research will offer dry cows fivedifferent feeding programs, see table,with results used to produce recommendations of practical value toproducers.

For further information contactwww.agrisearch.org or (028)87789770.

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Considerable investment in newdairy buildings and equipmenthaS transformed a family

farming unit in Fife. The Lairds of Ore Mills at

Thornton, between Kirkcaldy andGlenrothes, secured SRDP funding at40%, which has enabled them to builda complete new dairy facility on agreen field site. Traditionally milking70 cows, they are now well on theirway to doubling cow numbers andproduction.

“We are now milking 100 cows andintend to raise numbers to 150. Weare using sexed semen and have a lotof heifers on the ground at differentages,” shared Derek, who oversees thedairy operation. His father Donald isstill very much involved with thebusiness, while brother David, lives atMiddle Balbeggie and manages thecropping enterprises.

The original steading site was notbig enough and couldn’t be expandedeasily. “The logistics of knockingdown byres, erecting buildings and

milking twice a day was not feasible.As we built on a greenfield site justacross the farm road from the originalsteading we were able to keep onmilking as normal.

“Most people were impressed withthe timescale as the digger came onsite on 11th February 2010 and thecows moved in on the 16th June, justbefore the Royal Highland Show.”

From the outset Derek designedthe shed to, “make things as easy aspossible, as keeping good staff is aproblem on dairy farms.” The currentdairyman has been with them for fiveyears.

He sketched his ideas and wish listfor the 60m x 30 shed on paperbefore meeting an architect fromArchibald’s of Dumfries.

With SRPD funding in mind, theLairds travelled to Carlisle in January2009 and looked at several roboticmachines in operation. “We thoughtthat they were good quality and hadtheir place but didn’t suit our system,” informed Derek.

They opted for a GEA Westfalia14/28 swing over milking parlour,having previously worked with an8/16 Gasgoyne swing over. “Milkingis now a pleasure rather than a chore.It takes just over an hour for one person to milk 100 cows, whereas itpreviously took one and a half hoursfor 70 cows.”

Derek’s sentiments are echoed onGEA’s website, “Significant savings intime are guaranteed since practicallythe entire workflow is automated!Whilst you're attaching the cluster tothe last cow, the first cow has usuallyfinished milking. The cluster is swungover to the opposite milking stall at theflick of a wrist, and pulsation andmilking vacuum to the cluster are activated automatically through therapid start function.

“The milking equipment is locatedin the centre of the operator pit, so thatit can be used alternately between twoopposite milking stalls. This reduceswalking distances considerably. Youhave targeted access to both the

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FARM DETAILS

Farmers: D Laird & SonsDonald Laird with sons David and Derek

Farming: Ore Mills & Middle Balbeggie

Location: Thornton, Fife

Area: 700 acres (600 owned)

Stock: 100 Holstein cows and followers –increasing herd numbers to 150 cows small AA herd

Crops: Winter wheat, winter barley, spring barley, oilseed rape

Labour: Donald, David, Derek &a dairyman

Expansion on FifeFamily Farm

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terminal and the cluster, enabling goodposture throughout milking.”

The Lairds have found that withina week the cattle had adapted to thenew set up. “The new parlour hasmore space, the old one wasn’t reallydesigned for large Holsteins.

“We tried to go as high tech as wecould,” said Derek, who reeled off alist of state of the art gizmos, whichhave been incorporated into the buildfor ease of management.

Pedometers on the cows legs, usedfor identification, measuring CarrsBillington feed rations in the parlourtargeting high yielders and heat detection are proving their worth.

“We have seen an marked improvement in fertility.”

“The automatic plant washing system is fantastic as you hit a buttonand go and have breakfast!”

The new bulk tank, which wasbeing emptied by a female driver forWiseman’s, during my visit boasts aheat recovery system, which is usedto heat the water for plant washing.The milk was destined for Sainsbury’sScottish stores, as the Lairds aremembers of the Sainsbury DairyDevelopment Group.

“We have also incorporated a rainwater harvesting system, whichwe use for washing the floors,”explained Derek.

Purposely there are no slopes orsteps in the shed or in collecting areasand teamed with Cowcare rope scrapers, a Cowcare automatic footbath and a new foot crate, cowlocomotion has improved.

Jourdain self-locking yokes, thelength of the feed barrier have proveda real winner. “One man can line upthe cattle for vaccinations, pd scanning, clipping or BVD’ing and it isover in half an hour. Previously itwould take four of us most of the daythrough the crush. They were expensive to put in compared to aplain feed barrier but are a greatlabour saving device.”

Derek requested pre-cast concretepanels on the sides of the cattle shedfor two reasons; one so that there wasa large gap between them and the roofto keep the shed well ventilated andtwo, so that straw could be blown infrom outside into the bedded cattlecourts. “We stuck with bedded courtsfor cow comfort and the flexibility ofbeing able to cart the farm yardmanure to the furtherest arable fields.We have a good supply of straw – wewouldn’t have done it otherwise.”

Once the milking parlour and cattle housing was complete, some ofthe original buildings were raised tothe ground. A new 120m by 60mshed was erected. The calves are nowluxuriously housed on straw with aVolac Auto calf feeder to keep lifesimple. The maternity wing withcalving pens is still to be completed.No funding was granted for this building.

During my visit the cattle were stillhoused, but by now they will be outduring the day and back in at night fora spell. “In the summer they graze ina day field further away from thesteading and at night in a field nearerthe shed.”

Lying in an NVZ area the Lairdsalso erected a 350 000gallon slurry

store, which is wellpositioned to block theprevailing wind fromthe end of the shed.

With the next roundof the Rural Prioritiesscheme taking place inSeptember 2011, it is ashame that only applications for environmental projectswill be considered.Many more farmerscould benefit from thegrant assistance for capital investment toimprove their businesses and raisemuch needed foodproduction levels.

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The Howgarth family have beenmilking cows at Sorbie Mains,Ardrossan, North Ayrshire for

over three generations. The 250 cowmainly grassland unit is now managedby the young family of Alan andLorraine. Having grown increasinglyfrustrated by a low farmgate milkprice and seeing a gap in the localmarket, the husband and wife teamtook the decision to invest in processing equipment and start retailing their own milk to doorstepand local shops in the adjacent coastaltowns.

Why install renewable energy?An Anaerobic Digestion (AD) plant

(also known as a biogas plant) wasoriginally installed as part of a bathingwater quality initiative. That said,the Hogarths are now convinced ofthe business benefits. The airtightbio-digester converts the slurry intobiogas.

The Hogarths are now investing ina combined heat and power (CPH)generator to harness this biogas to create renewable electricity and heat.The electricity will supply the farm,milk processing and power electricmilk floats. The hot water and steamalready clean the dairy and wash thetraditional glass milk bottles.

The system will provide nearly100% of energy requirements (equivalent to clean renewable energyfor around 40 small family homes).Making use of renewable power isreducing energy bills, reducing theircarbon footprint and adds to the sustainability ethos that the Hogarthsare adopting in other areas of thebusiness e.g. encouraging the return ofthe traditional glass milk bottle andsale of unhomoganised milk.

Milk is also being delivered, within24hours of milking the cow, to customers within view of the green

slopes of Ardrossan, where Sorbiefarm is located – ensuring freshnessand low food miles, all adding to theselling points for this family farmingunit.

The liquor (know as digestate)from the AD unit retains all the original nutrient value of slurry butbecomes less polluting. The processdoes, however, enhance the structureand availability of nitrogen for growingcrops.

This digestate has also contributedtowards reducing purchased fertiliserrequirements. Together withincreased slurry storage and regularsoil sampling has enabled fertiliserbills to be reduced by some £10,000.

The AD process effectively eliminates odour from manure, whichwas a welcome bonus for surroundingresidents.

How did you identify the type andscale of the renewable energy project?

The size of the digester was basedon slurry throughput from the dairyherd with no other feedstocks beingused. Youngstock manure is storedseparately and transferred to the ADunit during the summer when cowsare out at grass. This means therecan be relative continuity of supplythroughout the year and consistencyof product – based on manure only.

With regards to the electricity generator, a 25kW system was calculated to closely match biogasproduction from the slurry, ensuringthe generator is running to near capacity for as much of the time aspractical and making most effectiveuse of the money invested.

Researching the ideaAn AD plant was originally

installed on farm as part of a ScottishExecutive Environment and Rural

Affairs Department pilot study withthe aim to enhance bathing waterquality. The Hogarths together withneighbouring units were invited toparticipate in the scheme, being located in a priority catchment area –Saltcoats South Bay.

Having been introduced to theidea, Alan saw an opportunity toimprove the farming operation whileharnessing a renewable energy. TheAD process also has the advantage ofutilising existing manure, which canbe made available all year round,which is more consistent than e.g.wind energy.

EstablishmentCompared with most livestock

operations this dairy unit has a nearcontinuous electricity requirement tocover the daily milkings and pasteurisation. Fortunately the pattern of AD energy generation moreclosely matches the consumption pattern than many other renewableenergy types. Off-setting purchasedelectricity provides the biggest financial incentive, and further benefits from the Feed In Tarriff(FITS) scheme.

Since the business also makes fulluse of the heat generated, theHogarths will also be eligible to claimRenewable Heat Incentive (RHI)scheduled to be launched in 2011.

Problems encounteredEstablishment: Unlike larger commercial AD units, farm-scale versions are closely linked to thefarming system and are generally inclose proximity to the existing farmsteading. Although a relatively newtechnology it makes use of familiarfarm structures (above ground cylindrical steel stores) therefore provided it is not visually intrusive itwill present few planning constraints.

The Hogarths identified thatinvolving Scottish EnvironmentProtection Agency at an early stagedid help the process.

If connecting to the national grid itwill be necessary to confirm whetherthere is sufficient line capacity. Thiscan be costly (depending on the proximity to a transformer). Bookinguntil connection can take severalmonths; something often underestimated in the project timeline.

Issues once established: Unlike largerAD units which incorporate feedstocks from many differentsources, ‘rationing’ the digester to create a balanced environment forbacteria to breakdown the organicmatter is a skilful process. Usingonly manure reduces complications.

Alan could think of very few problems except a blockage whichlowered the digester temperature,consequently reducing bacterial activity and subsequent biogas yield.It then takes a few weeks to get thesystem back up to full productionagain.

Where the business is nowImportantly, the combination of

diversification and the adoption of ADrenewable technology fits with theexisting farming system and makesuse of existing resources. This helpskeep the system simple, especiallyimportant on a very busy farm such asthis.

Critical success factorsHaving a system that can make use

of the electricity and heat is particularly important. Availability ofmanure throughout the year and landto spread the digestate near to theholding also reduces cost and increases viability.

Bio-digester at Sorbie Mains

Scotch Beef had star billing onthe official menu for the RoyalWedding watched by an

estimated two billion well-wishersaround the globe.

His Royal Highness Prince Williamand his new bride, Kate Middleton,The Duke and Duchess of Cambridgealong with around 650 guests, enjoyedScotch Beef from Mey Selections atthe lunch reception hosted by HerMajesty The Queen.

The roast fillet of Scotch Beef wasserved in miniature Yorkshire puddings with horseradish mouse, aspart of around 10,000 canapes prepared for the lunch by a team of21 chefs led by Royal Chef MarkFlanagan.

The beef was supplied by MeySelections which is part of the NorthHighland Initiative launched in 2005by His Royal Highness The Prince ofWales. It is understood MeySelections Scotch Lamb also played amajor part in the official celebrations.

Caithness farmer Danny Miller,Chairman of North HighlandProducts, said: “Mey Selections nowhas around 500 farmer suppliers whoare dedicated to delivering top qualityproduce. We supply some very highprofile venues, such as The Goringand RAC Club in London, and it is afantastic tribute to our hard-workingproducers in the Highlands thatScotch Beef had pride of place on themenu today.”

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Most farmers in the UK rely on the SFP as a crucial source of income.By electing to receive the payment in euros and setting a rate inadvance with a currency broker you can make the most out of this

vital payment.Even if the exchange rates don’t make you a massive bit on top, by arranging

your rates in advance you will be able to plan ahead for the year with peace ofmind – fully aware with what you can expect from the SFP when it comesaround and safe in the knowledge that you know what you’re worst case scenario will be.

When talking to clients, I’ve found that it is this stability and confidencewhich appeals most. Farmers want to know what they are dealing with as farahead as possible. Setting the rates in advance, with the flexibility of setting aworst case rate built in, offers protection against negative moves in the market– whilst also allowing you to benefit if the market subsequently moves in yourfavour.

The Euro has rallied recently against the pound in recent weeks, as marketfocus has switched from concerns over the state of Europe’s peripheraleconomies to the on-going situations in Libya and Japan. However, the economic issues in the Eurozone are not simply going to go away and thismeans that the Euro remains vulnerable. It all adds up to a strong case for fixing rates now, to avoid disappointment in September when the ECBannounce their SFP rate for 2011.

For further information about protecting your SFP visit the websitewww.worldfirst.com. To discuss forward contracts further contact Tom Barclayon 0207 801 2362 or email tom.barclay@worldfirst.com

Case Study: Tom Streeter of Harps Farm, near Bishop’s Stortford, secured anexchange rate of around 1.14 (0.8772) for his 2010 Single Farm Payment

He said: “Being able to fix the exchange rate with a forward contract has theadditional benefit of being able to budget more precisely a year in advance.

“Other decisions in farming have to be made well in advance of the SFP,such as spray and fertilizer choices. Being able to 'fix' one more variable gives aclearer picture and therefore aids these decisions.

“Things do not happen quickly in farming so having this much time is important. Waiting until 30 September to find out how much the SFP will becan compromise this, especially in the last two years where we have seen suchvolatility.”

Farmers should hedge forward toprotect their SFP, writes Tom Barclayof World First foreign exchange

Forward Thinking

NBA Beef Event ‘11

Please mentionfarmingscotland.com

magazinewhen replying to adverts

Animal health, reversing thedownward trend in Scotland'sbeef suckler herd and the

marketing of Scotch beef will be thesubjects addressed by leading industryexperts at a new event for Scotland'sbeef industry, Scotland's Beef Event2011, on Wednesday, June 1.

Venue for the event, organised byNBA Scotland with support fromQuality Meat Scotland, is CorskieFarm, Garmouth, Fochabers, Moray,courtesy of host farmer, Iain Green.

This “must attend” event for beeffarmers and all those with a professional interest in the future ofthe beef industry in Scotland hasattracted more than 100 trade standsand exhibits by beef breed societiesand is set to draw a huge attendancefrom all over Scotland and beyond.

The emphasis will be on the commercial aspects of beef production and the benefits of maintaining a high health status inbeef herds.

Speakers at the seminars willinclude Paul Burr, managing directorof Biobest Herdcare, a vet and Willie

Thomson of Harbro; RobbieNewlands, Cluny, Forres, QMS monitor farmer, Gavin Hill, teamleader, Beef and Sheep Select, SAC,Neil McCorkindale, Scammadale, byOban, co-vice-chairman, NBAScotland, Lauren Vernet, head of marketing, QMS, Alan McNaughton,site director, Vion – McIntoshDonald, Portlethen, and AlanKennedy, Ewart Butchers, Forfar.

The seminars will be chaired byKim Haywood, director, NBA, JimStewart, Kinbroon, co-vice-chairmanand Jim Royan, Butcher, Elgin, andformer board member, QMS. Theywill take place at 10.30am, 12.30pmand 1.30pm.

Mainline sponsors of the event areBank of Scotland, Billy MillerContractor and Plant Hire, BritishSimmental Cattle Society, BVL UK,Caltech, Coltel, Harbro, IntervetSchering-Plough, Tennants (Elgin) andUnited Auctions while ANM Group,Clydesdale Bank, Norvite andScotbeef have been confirmed asnational sponsors.

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SAC Vets anticipate that in earlyMay, all over Scotland,Nematodirus will threaten lambs

as young as six weeks old. It is at thisage lambs begin to eat more grass andalso swallow Nematodirus battusworms. The worms can cause suddendeaths, with watery diarrhoea, whilethose that survive are left sickly andweak. There can be further lossesfrom a parasite causing Coccidiosiswith kidney damage causing renal failure.

The risk of losses increases when acold period in the spring is followedby a warm spell leading to a masshatch of eggs on pasture. As that fitsthis year’s pattern it is anticipatedthat a simultaneous hatch of N battuslarvae will occur from election dayonwards.

There is a particular risk on heavilystocked low ground pastures and anygrazing with a history of the disease.If the Nematodirus hatch continuesinto June, hill lambs on improved pastures, which are relatively heavilystocked, may also be affected.According to Ayr based SAC Vet Dr.George Mitchell.

“It is important to remember thatthe parasite can kill lambs before eggsappear in faeces, so if any unexplaineddeaths occur in lambs it would bewise to send freshly dead lambs forpost mortem examination to an SACDisease Surveillance Centre (DSC).That way the disease can be diagnosedor ruled out”.

Where the risk factors apply thenfarmer should begin treatment oncethe lambs reach 6 weeks of age.

“If the risk is high then don’t waitfor signs of scouring, but treat with a

wormer effective against Nematodirus,but remember to check the data sheetbefore you buy,” says GeorgeMitchell.

“If in doubt dung samples shouldbe checked for worm eggs 7-16 daysafter treatment depending on theproduct used. You should find noeggs if the drench was effective.However anticoccidial treatment mayalso be required”.

As the rise in worm numbers onthe pasture is extremely rapid Dr.Mitchell recommends two doses at 7-10 day intervals for most situations.Where there is a particularly severeproblem the best solution may be tomove the ewes and lambs to low riskpasture (eg reseeded pasture) if it isavailable.

While cattle don’t develop clinicalNematodirus disease, if young calvesgraze with sheep they can becomeinfected and increase the build-up oflarvae on the pasture. It is good practice to have faeces samples fromall young stock checked regularly forevidence of worm eggs, not only toensure animal welfare when challengeis high, but also to prevent needlessdosing and decrease the risk of thedevelopment of resistant worms.

A secondary hatch of eggs ofNematodirus has been recorded insome areas in autumn following wetweather. Casualty animals and/ordung samples should be submitted tocheck for this possibility.

SAC offers a Wormscan service onbulk faeces samples to reduce cost –further details are available from yourlocal SAC Veterinary Centre.Dr. George Mitchell can be contactedvia the details below.

ANIMAL HEALTHfarmingscotlandIssue seventy-six • April 2011

Lamb Disease Threat in May

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www.farmingscotland.com

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ADVERTORIALfarmingscotland.comIssue seventy-six • April 2011

Those of you who are entitled toS.F.P and L.F.A.S.S support willmost likely have received

correspondence from SGRPID orfrom NFUS high-lighting the fact thatamong other factors, allowing brackento create impenetrable or ungrazableareas on their crofts, farms andestates, are likely to be penalisedseverely, if not physically removed, ordeducted from the eligible area shownon the IACS form. At worst thepenalty could involve not only theentire current support for 2011 butalso applied in retrospect for the years2007,8,9.

M.F.H. Helicopters Ltd, a firmwhich undertakes aerial bracken control, asks for this to be taken as a‘wake up call’ by landholders whomay be afflicted with the aforesaidproblems and who may wish to solveit by bracken control through aerialspraying.

M.F.H. Helicopters Ltd have beenindustry leaders for 21 years. Andtoday their fleet of Robinson R44 helicopters, equipped with the latestno-drift Helispray systems and SatlocM3 DGPS mapping, carries out 70%of all aerial bracken control in the UK.

Managing-Director NicholasHawkings-Byass says, “Aerial Sprayingwith Asulox to control bracken is atthe very core of our business. Wehave invested a large amount ofresources in developing both the technology and methodology toensure you get the best results fromyour investment.”

MFH is always proud to conveythat they use some of the world’s bestpilots to execute the complicated helicopter manoeuvres required foraccurate aerial spraying.

Hawkings-Byass says that “Thecalibre of our pilots ensures the spraying is as accurate and therefore,

as effective as possible. We are sosure of this, that we guarantee ourresults with our unique QualityGuarantee.”

He adds “Our greatest asset is theexperience and professionalism of ourpilots and ground crew who ensure allthis technology is put to the best use.Our operating bases in Yorkshire andcentral Scotland, together with ourfleet of ground support vehicles andexperienced pilots gives us the flexibility to be on site when ourclients want, and in the best sprayingconditions.”

MFH also do hydroseeding. In thelate 1990s they were approached bythe pioneer Geoff Eyre who askedthem to find a way of aerially applyingpure Eyre-energised Calluna Vulgarisseed. Given that there are 12 millionof these seeds in a litre bottle thetechnical challenge in achieving theiruniform distribution was significant.

MFH Helicopters did, however, find asolution and now several thousandacres of what was white ground arenow clad in heather.

They have also developed aerialhoppers which are attached to thehelicopter and not underslung. Thesegreatly improve the application ratesand productivity of both larger seedsas well as prilled products.

If you would like a detail discussion of these land managementoptions, please contact MFHHelicopters on 0207 499 2233, or viaemail at info@mfhhelicopters.co.ukor visit the website www.mfhhelicopters.co.uk. They canadvise you, without obligation, oneverything from grants to follow up,and give you a quote per hectare oracre for aerially applied bracken control.

Aerial Spraying & Top Dressing

76 MAG 4/5/11 6:57 am Page 16

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farmingscotland.comIssue seventy-six • April 2011

MACHINERY

Potatoes play a big role in theagriculture of Scotland andScotland has played a big role in

the mechanisation of the Potato.Today the crop is virtually all

handled by machine after manydecades of hand labour. Scots havehad a hand in some of the designs andtechniques used today, especially instone separation.

However we can go back to thehorse era to find the influence ofScots in the mechanisation of tatties.While the Highlands and Islands grewpotatoes on the Lazy Bed system lowland Scotland turned to drillspretty quickly.

Forming these drills were the drillploughs, made by numerous localmanufacturers in all areas but Sellarsof Huntly were one of the major producers. The bulk of these implements were single row but athree row machine was produced byT. Hunter of Maybole in the late 1800s.

In the tractor era drill ploughs produced by Scot's companies included ones made by Peter Small ofForfar who produced a three row version for tractor use in the 1930s.Later on Ogg of Muchalls and Reid'sof Forres made spring loaded mountedversions to cope in stony soils.

To fertilize the crop Wallace ofGlasgow made the Double DreelerFertilizer barrow on ridging bodieswhile in the tractor era it was Jack ofMaybole and Farm Mechanisation ofCupar who built such machines.

Prior to automatic potato plantersthe job was done by hand before thehorse drawn drill plough would split

the drills to cover the seed. Thissplitting was brought into the tractorera with a Reekie Front Coverer thatdid it all before the tractor wheelscould crush the tatties.

Automatic planters ended all thiscomplex work with the tatties plantedand covered in one operation.Scotland had its own automaticplanter in the horse era – the WallaceRichmond planter.

Harvesting was a very labour intensive operation initially withsquads using graips to raise the tatties,but a rise in the urban population anda new market for ware potatoesbrought a need for a more efficientway of harvesting.

At first ploughs or drill ploughswere used to open the drills. Then afingered raising body could be fittedto drill plough frames to do a betterjob. This device was developed by J.Lawson of Elgin in the mid nineteenthcentury.

In 1855 the spinner digger waspatented by a man named Hanson,the design was later used by othersincluding Wallace of Glasgow andBisset of Blairgowrie with horsedrawn versions.

While Mollinson diggers from theForfar Foundry were made in trailedand mounted form for the tractor eraas was the Newlands of Linlithgowmachine, elevator diggers made thingsbetter. Scotland made its ownElevator Digger in the form of theAngus produced by LO Tractors ofCoupar Angus in Perthshire.

Fully mechanised lifting that putthe crop straight into trailers wasdeveloped over the years by severalnations but Scotland played its part toproduce the finished article. Onemachine was built by Robert Reid ofOver Finlarg near Dundee in the1930s while Gavin Reekie also triedto develop one after the war.Another was the more successfulChallenger built in the 1950s byLogan Engineering of Lochee inDundee.

Scotland even had a go at developing a self propelled machine in1947 when the Anster Harvester wasdemonstrated by Smith Bros ofAnstruther. The machine was builtaround a Fordson E27N tractor while

later design was based on a DavidBrown VAK 1. However the makersdeveloped a successful trawler winchfor the fishing industry causing thepotato harvester development to beshelved despite creating much interestthroughout Britain.

The biggest impediment tomechanical harvesting was the highstone content and it was Scotlandwho led the way in stone separationwork. From individual farmers toengineering business's the work led tothe recognised systems we have today.Farmers like Bill Raeside in Fife andengineers like Wull Scorgie all beganvery early to solve the problem.Scorgie machines were built underlicence by Root Harvesters ofPeterborough while a Kingdom

separator was built by David Wilsonin Fife.

Handling and grading were anotherarea to benefit from Scots enterprise.Elevators were designed by Reekieand Potato dressers were produced byMacRobert, BRH and Shanks ofArbroath who also built their highlyunusual Featherbed lifter were twopickers lay on their stomachs andpicked freshly dug spuds into an elevator which took the potatoes to abagger.

Today the Scottish name of Reekiestill graces the side of modern potatomachinery and although based inLincolnshire this name has been synonymous with potato machineryboth home and abroad for many years.

PotatoMachineryHeritage

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EDUCATIONfarmingscotland.comIssue seventy-six • April 2011

When Alyn Smith, the SNPMember of the EuropeanParliament, put himself up

for auction at this year's ScottishNational Sheep Association's AGM hehad no idea where he would end up.

A day's help at a lambing was whathe was offering for sale, with the proceeds from the auction going tocharity.

The successful bidders at the auction were Neale and JanetMcQuistin, who farm at HighAiryolland near New Luce in SouthWest Scotland. The farm is home toan unusual mix of livestock withBeltex, Bluefaced Leicester, Blackfaceand Scotch Mule sheep as well as afold of Highland cattle to complimentthe beauty of the rolling hills, thepatchwork of small fields and drystone dykes.

For an MEP that was craving a bitof lambing experience this would bean ideal opportunity for him to experience working with a wide variety of breeds of sheep.

We asked Neale to let us knowhow Alyn measured up as a lambinghelper.

Lambing time is a stressful business. There's a lot to contendwith, what with a collie dog thatthinks he's cleverer than his masterand Blackie ewes that have all mannerof ways of driving you insane. Quitewhy Janet and I thought we couldcope with a visit from an MEP in themidst of it all remains a bit of a mystery. But perhaps the very finewine at the NSA dinner and the cajoling banter of auctioneer JackClark could explain it.

But, as the saying goes; in for a

penny in for a pound. Havingsecured the services of Alyn for a dayat lambing time we thought we wouldalso offer an invitation to Dr AileenMcLeod to join him for some 'lambinglive' experience at the same time.Aileen is the SNP prospective candidate for Galloway and WestDumfries. With an area like thisfarming is of vital importance so wethought that it would be good if shecould also experience, first hand,some of the things farmers have todeal with on a daily basis.

The 8th of April was finally decided on as a day that Alyn andAileen could fit into their busy schedules. Although the very busiestperiod of our lambing was past therewas still plenty to see and do. Just tomake sure that they could get the fullexperience they stayed the nightbefore at Airyolland so that they wereready for work at 6am the next morning.

I had already been up at 3am toassist a Beltex ewe that was lambingbut I decided to spare my guests thatparticular experience. However, I'mpleased to report that, at the appointed hour, both appeared andseemed ready for action. With a coffee inside us we set off to work at6.15am.

With the “sheep snacker” filledwith feed by my two able assistantswe headed off for that all importantfirst look round the ewes. A part ofme had wished that when Alyn cameto visit it would be a foul morningwith lashing rain and bitterly cold. Ayear ago, at that same time, theweather had been hellish and thousands of newborn lambs in

Scotland perished in the rain and thecold. However, thankfully, it was notto be this year. It was a beautifulmorning and as we made our wayround the fields of ewes we fed themusing the snacker as we went along.Usually on that first round of the daythere are problems to be dealt withthat have manifested themselves during the hours of darkness. But, asfate would have it, when I reallyneeded some interesting stuff to begoing on, we found everything was inorder.

I was beginning to think that thiswas going to be a bit of a non eventfor Alyn and Aileen when we eventually arrived at the field whereour Highland cows were calving. Itjust so happened that there was a calfthat needed to be tagged, funny howthat happened!

Legislation demands that calves aretagged before they are ten days old soI thought it would do no harm for myguests to see what a dangerous situation this can be for a beef farmer.My recently calved Highland cow didnot let me down!

My normal practice is to catch thecalf and quickly put it inside the smalltrailer which is towed behind thesnacker. There I can safely tag thecalf while being offered some protection from its mother. So, withAlyn and Aileen looking on from therelative safety of the small trailer Igrabbed the calf and headed backtowards them, just to find that mumwas already waiting at the door of thetrailer and she was not looking verypleased. A game of chase round thequad bike and trailer ensued but eventually the calf did end up in the

trailer along with Alyn and Aileen. It was at that point I began to

think that although I was feeling relatively comfortable about the situation my less experienced companions might not be feeling quiteso happy. With half a tonne of angrycow snorting and baying at the trailerwhere her baby was being held prisoner it was hardly surprising thatall small talk about beautiful animalsand the wonderful sunrise had cometo an end.

To their credit Alyn and Aileenstayed calm and never once showedany sign of being frightened, even ifthey did go a bit quiet.

Once the calf was tagged andreleased back to its very irate motherI was then able to impress by producing, from the carrier on thequad bike, my new, all singing, alldancing, handheld computer c/w digital reader. The cow's number wasselected from a drop-down list; thenew calf's details including sire, dateof birth, colour, breed and sex wasentered. With that done we headedoff back to the farm for breakfast.

We were met in the yard by Janetwho was able to tell us that right oncue one of our few remaining Beltexewes was in need a bit of assistance todeliver a single lamb. Amid greatexcitement the lamb was delivered;pictures were taken; iodine wasbrought for its navel; a pen was bedded and a bucket of water wasbrought to slake the thirst of the ewe.What it is to have willing staff. Icouldn't quite recall if the ewe that Ilambed at 3am earlier on in the dayhad got that same level of treatment.

After breakfast we decided to tag

by Neale McQuistin

Lambing Live

76 MAG 4/5/11 6:58 am Page 18

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up some Beltex lambs. Tagging lambsis a contentious issue and it was achance for Alyn and Aileen to seesome of the problems that can resultin tagging lambs. It didn't take Alynlong to spot one lamb that had rippedhis tag completely out of his ear.Others had some infection going onwhere the tag went through the ear.It did not go unnoticed by either ofthe two politicians.

After lunch I thought that I wouldcomplete my demonstration of bovinetechnological wizardry by registeringthe birth of the calf that we hadtagged that morning. The handhelddevice that we had entered the information into in the field was dulydocked with my desktop computer.The button was pressed to register thecalf with BCMS and as if by magic…nothing happened. Another important point was made. There is ageneration of farmers that can't bebothered with modern technology andcontinue to work with traditionalmethods. However, we are increasingly being urged towards usingnew paperless systems. What myimpromptu demonstration of technological failure demonstratedwas that with the best will in theworld the new online systems have along way to go before they will beperfect. Had I stuck with the oldersystem recording the birth of the calf

and registering it would have takenfive minutes. As it happens it tookmore than an hour to register the calf.

The afternoon look round the ewesfinally provided that bit of hands onexperience that I had hoped that Alyncould experience during his time here.A ewe had given birth to her firstlamb and it was apparent that she washaving trouble with the second. Alfie,my faithful sheepdog was pressed intoaction and the ewe was caught without too much trouble. The lambwas stuck at the shoulders and justneeded a bit of a pull to help the eweto deliver it. After being reassuredthat nothing would come off in hishand regardless of how hard he pulledat the head and legs Alyn safely delivered the lamb like a real pro. Iwas pleased, Alyn was pleased, theewe was pleased and even Alfiewagged his tail. What a way to roundoff the day.

I've no idea how much Alyn orAileen learned from the time theyspent lambing at Airyolland but whatI did discover was that you don't getto become an MEP or an MSP without being a bit out of the ordinary. The fact they had takenthe time to find out more than mightbe expected of them about the peoplethat they represent sets them bothapart as far as I'm concerned. Bothget my vote of confidence.

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farmingscotland.comIssue seventy-six • April 2011

WORLD MARKETS

Huge natural disasters duringthe first quarter of 2011 inAustralia, New Zealand and

then Japan have resonated with commentators who believe the worldis exposed to a climate and food crisis.

Australia went from a decade-longdrought to widespread flooding whenthe Southern Oscillation Index (SOI)of climate conditions in the PacificOcean went strongly into a La Ninaphase. The SOI does oscillate, influencing weather patterns in theSouth Pacific for Australia and NewZealand.

But it was very strong earthquakes,which rocked both New Zealand andJapan, in Japan's case worsened bytsunami flooding, radiation leaks fromnuclear power plants and then followed by very cold weather.

Australian agriculture productionwas disrupted by the floods, whichalso cut exports.

“Loss of agricultural productionand exports due to the recent adverseclimatic conditions is estimated tohave been A $2.3 billion in 2010-11,with significant impacts on production of cereals, sugar, fruit andvegetables, cotton and grainsorghum,” said the Australian Bureauof Agricultural and ResourceEconomics and Sciences (ABARES).

“Excessive rainfall in lateNovember and through mid-December caused considerabledisruption to the winter grain harvestand a significant downgrading of cropquality.”

ABARES holds an annual OutlookConference in the nation's capital,

Canberra, every March, where it forecasts the annual production of theprimary sector – for agriculture andmining.

This year it featured a seminar oftrade and food security, with keynational and international speakers.

“Global demand for food isexpected to increase by 70 per centbetween 2000 and 2050, as a resultof population growth and improvedincomes in fast-growing, highly populated developing countries,” saidABARES' deputy executive directorPaul Morris.

“To achieve increased food production in a resource-constrainedworld, it will be necessary to boostproductivity worldwide, which inturn will require new investment inagricultural research, developmentand innovation.

“Australia recognises the strong tiesbetween food security and trade, andis also currently developing a NationalFood Plan to address challenges andopportunities at all stages of the foodchain.”

Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwigsaid Australian agricultural exportswould grow in 2011-12 by about 4%to earn an estimated A $32.5 billion.

After addressing the OutlookConference, Ludwig went toIndonesia for a meeting of theGoverning Body of the InternationalTreaty on Plant Genetic Resources forFood and Agriculture. Joined by ministerial colleagues from 20 countries, Ludwig discussed the roleof the treaty and its benefit sharingfund in the face of natural disasters,changing climate and loss of

biodiversity.“The impact of the recent extreme

weather events in Australia on someparts of our food production systemshighlights the importance of safeguarding our crop geneticresources,” he said.

The treaty, established by 127member countries, is a global mechanism designed to secure foodcrops. It is estimated that 64 cropsaccount for 80 per cent of the plantderived food consumed globally.Members of the treaty have developed a benefit sharing fund,which invests in high-impact projectsaddressing food security, adaptation toclimate change and agricultural biodi-versity.

Cheering from the sidelines atboth the Outlook conference thetreaty gathering was Professor JulianCribb, a former agricultural journalist,now academic and author, who haswritten the just-published book –The Coming Famine.

Cribb said in the book that foodinsecurity has made an unwelcomereturn.

“Starvation and the wars, refugeecrises, and collapse of nation-statesthat often accompany hunger havenot been permanently banished afterall.

“Indeed, they are once more at ourdoorstep. Food insecurity and itsdeadly consequences are again a pressing concern for every nation andeach individual.”

The high-quality soil needed togrow the food needs of nine billionpeople by 2050 is being degraded andlost under deserts and urban sprawl.

Real food prices dropped by 75% overthe 30 years to 2005, only to rise 80%in the following three years.

Yes, there was a fall in prices againwhen the 2008 commodities priceboom ended, but only a temporary one.

Droughts in Russia and China, andfloods in Australia and Pakistan havecontributed to a 30% rise in foodprices worldwide in less than a year,and for many commodities the artificial highs of 2008 are againstbeing threatened or surpassed – thistime perhaps more permanently.Cribb argued that wealthy nationscannot consider themselves insulatedfrom the food shortages in poorercountries, as price spikes, conflict, thefailure of governments and a tide ofrefugees will impact everyone.

He quoted Mike Murphy, one ofthe world's most progressive dairyfarmers, with operations in Ireland,New Zealand, and North and SouthAmerica.

“Global warming gets all the publicity but the real imminent threatto the human race is starvation on amassive scale. Taking a 10-30 yearview, I believe that food shortages,famine and huge social unrest areprobably the greatest threat thehuman race has ever faced. I believefuture food shortages are a far biggerworld threat than global warming.”

Cribb outlined the challenge confronting agriculture.

“To sum it all up, the challenge facing the world's 1.8 billion womenand men who grow our food is todouble their output of food – usingfar less water, less land, less energy,and less fertiliser,” he said.

by HughStringleman

World Markets

76 MAG 4/5/11 6:58 am Page 20

Where Is Switzerland?

21

Where is Switzerland? Thatwas the question that bothered me and my pals as

soon as we learned that we were goingto travel to this foreign country. Butlet me start at the beginning of myexciting story.

I was born in early spring in 2010and my official name is “GlenwayMFZ 1000019” but my mom alwayscalled me Bernadette. I spent ahappy, uneventful childhood on EastHorton Farm in beautifulNorthumberland.

Ian our shepherd and owner is verykind and nice but a bit clumsy – evenas a young lamb I could run fasterthan him but then the poor guy onlyhas two legs….

One day he came to the shed aspleased as pudding and told his colleague that he had an order for fifteen gimmers to go to Switzerland.From then on life was getting exciting:He looked at us closely nearly everyweek and decided which ones wouldbe going. His father also came to helpmake the decision. And yes, I gotchosen! My mum was very proud ofme!

One of the old ewes said that shehad heard rumours that there werewolves and lynx in Switzerland wholiked tasty sheep but I guess she onlywanted to spoil our joy and

excitement – after all people musthave some brain there too and not tolerate such dangerous animals…

Our ear tags got checked and dou-ble checked and then the vet came toexamine us and – ouch – took a bloodsample.

Finally the great day came: a grandtrailer drove into the farmyard and Iwas loaded together with my pals.There were five other Texels in therealready from Castlehills Farm inBerwick-upon-Tweed also destined forthis exotic destination.

One final glimpse to mum and Ianand – bang – the door closed. It wasreally a luxury journey. The freshstraw was knee deep and hay andwater were plentiful. Even when fiveother sheep joined us we had plentyof space. These other ones lookeddifferent and seemed to be a bit dullas they didn’t even know where theywere heading for. I’m sure they werenot Texels – no brain! Now and thenthe door was opened and the drivergave us more water and hay andchecked that we all were well andcomfy. In fact I was so comfortablethat I dozed most of the time in theluxury straw bed – so I’m sorry to saythat I can’t tell you where exactlySwitzerland is.

But one thing is for sure – it’s closeto paradise. When we got unloaded

the air smelt fresh and I could seegreen, lush grass. Again a vet came togive us the “all clear” and out wewent into the sunshine to the greenpasture and there I saw them – lot’sof other Texels. We eyed them upand kept a bit on our own – after allyou never know these days! Whenevening came we all settled down andone of the old ewes pestered“Pioneer” to tell them about hisadventures. Then I heard a sexy malevoice with a distinct English accenttelling about exactly the same trip wehad made. It was fantastic! We allbabbled out: “It’s from this place wecome too!” And the ice was broken. There were talks all night long.

It’s a funny place this Switzerland.Heinz, our shepherd and owner is justthe same as Ian: kind and friendly butnot fast at running – we can beat himanytime. He got many visitors overthe next few days all goggling at usand leaning over the fences, nearlyfalling in.

They must have hard winters here– people all seem to have a kind ofthroat illness, they speak such a funny,guttural language. One of the olderewes I befriended is giving me language lessons so I will be bilingualin no time. I can already make outthat the visitors are full of praise forus twenty. I’ve heard such words as

by Katrin Buehler

“super stock, well muscled, greatframe.”

Heinz is as pleased as punch I cantell by his broad grin and although thevisitors are making good offers he isreluctant to sell any of us. He plansto put us on show in autumn. I willremember what my mum used to sayto me: “Hold your head up high girl,you’re a pure super pedigree Texel,not just an ordinary sheep.” So hopefully we will make Heinz proud.

My Swiss Texel friend “Liseli”(Swiss German for „Liz“ – see thefunny language!!) told me that we willsoon all go on a summer holiday up tothe Alps. She says it’s nice and coolthere during the hot months and thegrass is green and very tasty, full ofherbs. I asked her about the wolvesand lynx and yes, there are somearound. The Swiss shepherds are nothappy about them and some of thesepredators already had very tragic fatalaccidents….

We girls all hope that “Pioneer” thehandsome English ram will join us forthe holiday. Not just because he’s acompatriot but – oh – you should seehim – he’s a real looker. The GeorgeCloony of the sheepworld!

If I find time I’ll write you a postcard.Best regards from lovely Switzerland.Bernadette

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Ayoung Far North, New Zealandshearer, who a year ago wasconsidering giving-up his

passion because of a back injury, hasbroken through for one of the sport’smost significant successes by winningthe New Zealand OpenChampionship.

Rowland Smith’s win in Te Kuitirecently was most significant for hisemergence as another young champion, with no home-town facesin the big final since it was first heldin 1985.

It came just 24 hours after an ominous Te Kuiti breakthrough victoryin the North Island Shearer of theYear final, in which he beat favouriteJohn Kirkpatrick, of Napier, and TeKuiti icon David Fagan.

In the Open showdown even Faganwas missing, his semi-finals elimination earlier in the day endinghis defence of the title he won for a17th time last year.

Despite the dent in local claims tobeing the Shearing Capital of theWorld, the crowd was, however, noless enthusiastic as it honoured theemergence of a new star, and re-emergence of Northland as anunlikely stronghold of shearing powerdespite a chronic sheep-numberdecline over recent years.

Aged 24, and not 25 as previouslywidely reported, Smith was not bornuntil almost seven months after Faganfirst won the title in 1986. His winfollowed an unprecedented familytreble in which teenaged Kaeo farmers sons Bevan, Bryce andMarshall Guy won the Senior, Juniorand Novice titles, the only non-Northland name to go on thechampionships shearing honours boardbeing that of lone South Island winnerand Intermediate winner BrettRoberts, of Mataura.

But, based in Hawke’s Bay, wherehe was born, Smith also helped keepthe Bay counter-claims to the fore,along with World champion CamFerguson, of Waipawa, who was runner-up, and favourite, GoldenShears winner and Napier shearerJohn Kirkpatrick, who was fifth.

Former Golden Shears championDion King, also from the Hawke’sBay, bounced back to winning form byclaiming the remaining honours in anOpen-class triple-header, the NewZealand Shears Circuit final.

There was no time to stop for six-months-pregnant internationalwoolhandling star and Taihape schoolteacher Sheree Alabaster aftershe won her fifth New Zealand Opentitle in Te Kuiti before heading off ona week-long camp with the eightpupils from her tiny Taoroa School.

The Senior woolhandling title waswon by Emma Bolton, of Taihape, andthe Junior title by Flaxmere woolhandler Rahna Watson-Paul, aworkmate of Smith, who then clearedthe boards for him in the big shearing

final.In the other major event, Fagan

and Ferguson completed a 3-0 testseries win over Welshmen GarethDaniel and Wyn Jones in the Kiwis’last appearance together as the 2010World Championships team. ButFagan’s not about to retire, and confirmed that at the age of 50 he’llbe trying to get back into the teamnext year.

The two-metres tall Smith washighly-focused as he hit Te Kuiti forthe three-day championships, inwhich he reckoned his biggest previous claim to fame was being“probably” the only shearer to finishsecond in all four major competitiongrades.

He was runner-up to Fagan lastyear, just weeks after returning tocompetition as he recovered from hisback injury, and was also runner-up toKirkpatrick a month ago at theGolden Shears in Masterton, a moresuccessful stomping-ground with aJunior title in 2004 and Senior title in2006.

He had sounded a big warning withtwo big wins over the prolific veteransbefore the Golden Shears, and withtwo more between the big events wasby the weekend the second favouritewith the TAB, headed only by the 40-year-old Kirkpatrick who had won15 finals during the season..

The 20-sheep final became amatch-race between the favouriteswith Smith’s intentions clear from thestart, as he banged-out the first five injust 3 minutes 28 seconds, an averageof under 42 seconds a sheep.Kirkpatrick nudged ahead on the 10th.

It was a see-sawing frenzy, withFerguson also challenging for the pace,before Kirkpatrick beat Smith to theend by just nine seconds, shearing his20 sheep in 14min 26secs, but awarethe time advantage wouldn’t make upfor some rare blemishes in the qualityof the job.

Ultimately the second money goingto Ferguson, with Jerome McCrea,taking a day off from rugby refereeing in the Whanganui area, tofinish third. West Coast shearerJason Win was fourth, Kirkpatrickfifth and Nathan Stratford,Invercargill, sixth.

It completed a remarkable seasonfor Smith, who never let-up after heand brother Doug broke a Worldshearing endurance tally record inJanuary.

He would have tackled the recordwith third brother Matthew a yearearlier, but was forced out by theunexplained back injury, which ruledhim out of the complete 2009-2010summer mainshear.

“Shearing rams one day,” he said.“I just woke-up the next day, sore,could hardly walk, and it just didn’tgo away.”

At one stage surgery was in the offing, but Smith overcame the injury

with the help of a sports’medic, andlater a triathlon trainer as he preparedfor January’s record, in which he contributed 562 in eight hours to atwo-stand record of 1066.

When others would have settledback for the first beer in months,Smith stuck to the training of cycling,running and swimming in addition tothe daily hot-summer grind in thewoolshed.

Finishing second in Masterton justprovided greater motivation to triumph in Te Kuiti, where his goalwas not only the title, but also it’s bigprize of a quad-bike and selection in aNew Zealand to compete in the UKover the next few months.

Woolhandling champion Alabaster,36, is also not giving-up, despiteexpecting her first child in late June.She’s sticking with the pupils throughthe camp, including a Sunday-nightsleepover with the monkeys atWellington Zoo and another twomonths before starting a year’s maternity leave.

While a couple of kuia have

suggested she start to take it easy, shesaid life on the farm watching lambing, and a trip through Africa,showed her what other mothers gothrough, so she wasn't about to putthe feet up early.

After an early elimination at theGolden Shears in Masterton lastmonth, she was determined to makeamends last night, and dedicated thewin to father Ray, a former top shearer who died in February. Shewas first to finish and won by morethan three points-from back-to-backGolden Shears champion and six-times New Zealand championJoanne Kumeroa, of Whanganui, whiletwo-times winner, former GoldenShears champion and Manawatushearing family mum Ronnie Goss,was third.

Alabaster also plans being back onthe competition scene in October,chasing a place in the New Zealandteam for the World Championships inMasterton next March and the chanceto regain the World title she won inNorway in 2008.

NZ Shearing Championships

farmingscotland.comIssue seventy-six • April 2011

CUTTING EDGE

Prime Minister John Key wasquick to recognise an opportunity when thrust into

the role of commentator and aftermatch interviewer at the NewZealand Shearing Championships inTe Kuiti last night.

In a tag-team blast with event regular shearing commentator KoroMullins and MC Russell Harrison, MrKey was lured intio the role at themicrophone during a fathers-and-sonsnovelty event, which was won byshearing icon and home-town heroDavid Fagan and top-ranked intermediate shearer Jack Fagan.

But it was another young gun fromTe Kuiti in 12-year-old Josh Balmewho attracted the greatest interest asthe PM made up for his sparse knowledge of shearing by focusing onsome of it's ultimate benefits to thenation.

The boy was already contributingto GDP and paying taxes, said Mr

Key, who would have been rubbing hishands had he not been clasping themicrophone.

Interviewing the youngster andshearing veteran and comic DiggerBalme in front of an audience ofabout 1000, Mr Key promised to sendyoung Josh a card on his 13th birthday in November, and said:"Don't forget when you turn 18.That's a very important birthday, themost important."

A vote-catching ploy which mightnot have mattered, in an electoratewhich boasts the Government'sbiggest election majority. But it wasalso part of a message after the pre-teen shearer candidly admittedthe occasional reward from Dad for ahard day in the woolshed, a beer"sometimes.."

Laughing with the innocence of themoment, the Prime Minister warned:"You won't be going to school onMonday. You'll be going to court."

Y

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TEXACLOTHIreland’s leadingWool Merchants

since 1972

Doug Lambie was just in his lateteens when the Falklands Warbroke out, and was far too

busy farming and shearing sheep toeven consider joining up. Besideswhich, he only shoots pheasants andfoxes! Just over 18 years later however, Doug was off to theFalkland Islands on a mission of hisown: to teach shearing and help theyoungsters there improve their skills.

Originally from the west coast ofScotland, Doug now farms two hundred acres in North Wales with hiswife, Ann, and two daughters. At 46he still does extra work off the farm,driving lorries in the winter and working as a shearing instructor across

Scotland and the North of Englandfor the British Wool Marketing Boardin summer.

Ten years of full-time shearing hasmade Doug many good friends allover the world, and it was one ofthese friends from the FalklandIslands, Lee Lonks, who suggested thetrip. Lee is the main contractor onthe Falklands and was keen to help hisemployees by paying Doug’s expensesfor the three weeks’ instructing.

“He’s one of the best shearers outthere,” Doug says. “He could seethat there were a lot of young boys –but he didn’t have the instructing techniques. And sometimes it’s a loteasier coming from an outsider than

coming from the boss.”Going on a course is the fastest

way for young shearers to improve,Doug, who represented Scotlandalong with Tom Wilson at the WorldChampionships at Gorey, Ireland in1998, is keen to stress. “I wish I hadgone on more courses earlier, when Iwas younger,” he says, “but I didn’thave the sense to do it then; I was toobusy trying to make money”.

The enthusiasm of the youngshearers on the Falkland Islandsimpressed Doug. “I just got askedquestions [about shearing] all night,every night until bed-time,” he says.

Enthusiastic and talented youngshearers back home in Britain are

entering competitions in vast numbers. Is this partly thanks toWool Board training here? “There’sno doubt about it,” Doug saysemphatically. “A lot of it goes downto the efforts of Colin MacGregor theBritish Wool Marketing BoardShearing Manager. He’s put his owntime into the job, he’s very conscientious.” The Board has approx800 trainees a year on their coursesfrom beginners to advance courses.

Doug and his colleagues will beginrunning shearing courses for an armyof keen young recruits shortly. Hisfirst course in Scotland will take placetowards the end of May in Lochfoot,Dumfriesshire.

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