farmingscotland.comIssue seventy-nine • November 2011

CONTENTS

Eilidh MacPherson

3

farmingscotland

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

Tel: 016444 60644Mobile: 07977897867

editor@farmingscotland.comwww.farmingscotland.com

PUBLISHER - Eilidh MacPherson

ADVERTISING –Eilidh MacPherson – 016444 60644

Fiona McArthur – 01583 421397

Alison Martin – 01292 443097

Cover - Peek-a-boo – one of our ewesText and photography by Eilidh MacPhersonunless otherwise stated

Page 4 & 8 - QMS

Page 10 - De Laval

Page 12 - RDP

Page 14/15 - Agriscot

Page 17 - HGCA

Page 18-20 - farmers’ own

Page 22- Hereford Cattle Society

Page 23 - Scottish Government

farmingscotlandIssue seventy-nine • November 2011

farmingscotland.comIssue seventy-nine • November 2011

4 SheepRecording

68

SheepConnachan

5 QMSExport Strategy

9 Monitor FarmNairn

1 72 0

Arable

Potatoes, Cereals

1 01 5

DairyNutrition, Agriscot

2 2 EducationNuffield Winner

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SHEEPfarmingscotland.comIssue seventy-nine • November 2011

The sheep enterprise atStracathro and CarestonEstates, based near Brechin in

Angus, is a no nonsense venture,based on a flock of 1,600 North ofEngland Mules, crossed withPerformance Recorded Suffolk tups.

Ease of management is a cornerstone of this sheep venture,with virtually all shepherding done byone man; John McLean, shepherd onthe estate for over 30 years.

The farming of the 2,765 in-handhectares has been managed by EstateManager Gordon Cairns since 2006.

Arable crops are grown on 850 ha.Rough grazing and hill ground accountfor 1,640 ha, with the remainderbeing conservation and woodland.

The crops are targeted at specificmarkets and this market-focussed philosophy extends to the sheep. Alllambs are finished as quickly and economically as possible, and soldthrough the nearby Forfar auctionmart, which attracts supermarket andHigh Street butcher buyers.

Lambing is outside and starts thethird week of April, to coincide withgrass growth. The aim is to get thefirst finished lambs away before theend of August.

From the second half of August,sale lambs are selected weekly. Afterhandling, to ensure they are well-fleshed, each lamb is weighed.

“We’re aiming for a liveweight of40 to 45 kgs, to hit the supermarketspec,” explained Gordon. “Some ofour lambs are heavier, but as long as

they are well-fleshed and not over-fat,the High Street butchers are keen onthose.” In the mart the lambs arepenned according to weight.

When Gordon Cairns came to theestate in 2006, the breeding flocknumbered 900 and lambed inside inFebruary. The increase to 1,600 ewesand the late April start to outdoorlambing are not the only changesmade over the last five years. “I’vebeen a fan of Performance Recordedtups for a long time,” he said. “Andwhen I came here, some of the tupshad EBVs, others didn’t. Now, if atup’s not recorded, we won’t eventhink of buying him!

“GPS technology and satelliteimagery are used in the arable crops,to ensure the required amounts ofinputs are applied at the right time.If we can control costs while ensuringoptimum output by carefully measuring our arable inputs, why notdo the same with the sheep?”

Suffolk shearlings are purchasedannually at Kelso Ram Sales. ThisSeptember, six were bought; four

from Malcolm Stewart ofBrotherstone, Melrose and two fromJS & JB Mauchlen of Spotts Mains,Kelso. They averaged just under£730, with a top price of £900.

Prior to travelling to Kelso, Gordonand shepherd John McLean lookthrough the catalogue for tups withEBV figures in the top five per centfor the traits they need, in particular,scan weight at 21 weeks.

“We also look for tups with EBVswhich indicate they will sire quickfinishing, well-fleshed lambs, whichwill ideally finish off grass, with goodmuscle depth and enough back fat toprotect them against the weather, butnot too much. We want flesh, not faton the lambs”, explained Gordon.

“We’re not keeping the ewe lambs,so maternal traits aren’t important tous. We might consider prolificacy, butit’s not vital – the Mule ewes are prolific in their own right”.

For shepherd John McLean, onecrucial period is lambing time.“Lambing outside, we need hardylambs, which are quickly up and

sucking. And these last few years, it’sbeen really noticeable how keen thelambs are to live; and they do!” headded.

“One of the breeders we’ve boughttups off for a couple of years, tells usthat he doesn’t consider keeping a tuplamb unless it’s rapidly onto its feetand sucking, un-aided. And this isreflected in the lambs sired by thetups we buy from him.”

The buying duo are however keento emphasise that figures are by nomeans everything. “Once we’rehappy with the EBVs, John and Icheck out all the working parts,” saidGordon. “The tups must be right inthe mouth, have tight skins, goodfeet, testicles and locomotion. Theyalso need a decent shape, and in par-ticular length. Our Mule ewes arealready lengthy and by using a longtup over them, we’re offering lambswith a really long loin to the meattrade buyers.

“We also want tups which havebeen naturally done. We need themto be fit to work hard and get themajority of the ewes in lamb in thefirst cycle, to help us get the finishedlambs away earlier rather than later.

“It’s noticeable around the sale ringthat more buyers are now looking atthe performance records. And sheepwith good EBVs are comparativelymore expensive, but with lamb pricesas they are, it only takes a couplemore lambs to cover the extra cost,and the tups we’re buying certainlygive us those extra lambs; and more!”

Performance Recorded Tups

by Claire Powell

5

ormaNA new strategy aimed atfurther developing the marketfor Scotch Beef and Scotch

Lamb into the wider European marketwas announced at the world’s biggestfood trade fair recently.

In its first major revision since2006, the new strategy, which hasbeen developed in collaboration withScottish exporters, outlines a threepronged approach to both supportingestablished markets and helpingScotland’s products gain a foothold inother areas in both Europe and beyond.

Jim McLaren, QMS Chairmansaid: “The initial four target marketsidentified by QMS in 2006 have beenvery successful for the Scottish redmeat industry. Awareness of ourproduct in France, Italy, TheNetherlands and Belgium amongstwholesalers and retailers is at thepoint where we can refocus our campaigns from helping develop market opportunities to now helpingbuild consumer demand.

“We’ve overcome the initial challenge of establishing a network ofretailers throughout the four countrieswho are selling and promoting ScotchBeef and Scotch Lamb, and we cannow move to a position similar toestablished home markets such asLondon, where we can focus on building a demand from consumers

and the foodservice sector.”In the quarter to September 2010

the industry has exported beef andlamb to the value of £18.4 million,80% of which was to our current target markets.

The market in the four countries isnow worth an estimated £44.7 millionto the Scottish industry.

With this refocusing it gives QMSthe opportunity to start work onbreaking Scotch Beef and ScotchLamb into new markets, targeting theNordic nations and Germany specifically.

These countries were identifiedprimarily as there is already a smallpresence of mainly commodity product, with considerable potentialto develop added-value markets forour premium Scotch Beef and ScotchLamb brands.

The new markets have been chosenbecause they are countries with relatively high disposable incomes andprosperity compared to other EUnations, they are net importers ofbeef and lamb and have a populationof discerning consumers.Mr McLaren said: “Consumers in the

new markets we’ve identified tend tobe well travelled, interested in ethicalissues such as the environment andwelfare and have a love of traditionalfoods; exactly the type of consumerto whom Scotch Beef and ScotchLamb appeal.

“Taking part in the Bocuse d’Or,which receives a great deal of mediainterest and television coverage inScandinavia, was a great launch padfor our brands in those markets.

“With the winner coming fromNorway in 2009 and Denmark in2011 it shows that some of theworld’s most influential gastronomy iscoming from northern Europe and it’sa market where we see the opportunity to grow demand for ourpremium products.”

The strategy recommends a stagedapproach, initially investigating retailavenues that can be developed andthen working to raise awareness of notonly Scotch Beef and Scotch Lamb,but also the reputation of Scotland asa land of food and drink.

Laurent Vernet, MarketingManager with QMS said: “In movinginto these markets we’ll be looking to

collaborate with other ScottishGovernment agencies as well as continuing to seek European Uniondevelopment funding to help drivethe strategy.

“Our research shows that the PGImark, which both Scotch Beef andScotch Lamb hold, has fairly low levels of recognition in the Nordicnations and Germany, and our plan tohelp develop a demand for our brandwill also highlight the quality of product required to carry the PGIlabel.”

The longer-term part of the strategy is to further develop easternnon-European markets, with a particular focus on the new affluentconsumers in Russia and China.

Mr Vernet said: “We’ll be investigating opportunities to workwith other British organisations topool our efforts, as breaking intothese markets is both logistically andpolitically difficult.

“Russia and China are large andgrowing markets, which presentopportunities to position our premiumbrands as an aspirational item toincreasingly affluent consumers.”

QMS launches new export strategy

QMS farmingscotland.comIssue seventy-nine • November 2011

SHEEPfarmingscotland.comIssue seventy-nine • November 2011

6

Views wanted on treeplanting in Scotland

RHSJudges

2011

Sub-zero conditions last wintercaused huge problems for pigfarmers due to drinking systems

freezing up, particularly in straw-based housing. In addition toleaving pigs without water, this causedextensive damage resulting in Suffolkbased Quality Equipment (G E BakerLtd) receiving a flood of enquiries fornew pipework and drinkers.

As a result, the company has introduced a new heating system,which re-circulates warmed drinkingwater to overcome this problem.Water is warmed as it passes througha 3kW or 6kW heating element and ispumped around the system by a single-phase pump capable of servicing, respectively, circuits up to250m or 400m long. Water can beheated up to 40ºC at the heatingsource, but the optimum settingdepends upon ambient temperature,age of pigs and length of the pipe-run.

The system is simple to include innew housing and existing systems canbe adapted. Plastic tubing is used formost of the circuit, since plasticretains heat, but metal piping is usedwhere pigs can bite. Non-returnvalves prevent fresh water frombecoming contaminated.

“One of the problems with someheating systems is that, while theykeep water flowing in the ring-main,the downpipes leading to the drinkersand the drinkers themselves can stillbecome frozen in severe weather,”commented Michael Mattmüller ofQuality Equipment. “Our new system circulates water right down tothe drinkers and ensures the wholeinstallation remains ice-free.”

He points out that, apart from welfare considerations and the cost ofrepairs, there is a significant economicbenefit from the water heating system. “It encourages pigs to drink,even in colder weather. If pigs don’tdrink then they don’t eat — and ifthey don’t eat they don’t grow!” Thesystem thus helps to avoid growthchecks during the winter months.

Price of the installation – whichcan be used for all sows, weaners,growers and finishers – depends uponthe size and layout of the house inwhich it is to be fitted.

The task of placing the main cattle, sheep and horse classwinners and champions at next

year’s Royal Highland Show will be inthe hands of around 100 judges.

The show organisers haveannounced details of the experts whowill officiate at the 2012 event – mainsponsor The Royal Bank of Scotland –on June 21-24 at the Royal HighlandCentre, Ingliston, Edinburgh.

The judges, appointed from allover the UK and Ireland with oneoverseas judge from Australia, willhave the task of selecting the bestfrom an anticipated 5000 livestockentries.

In the beef cattle section, the overall individual and inter-breedteam champions will be chosen byJames McMillan, Craigmore, Farnell,Brechin. The native inter-breed teamwill be in the hands of Iain Campbell,Allerbeck Farm, Eaglesfield,Lockerbie.

With the World Charolais Congressbeing held in the UK next year, theCharolais breed section will have twojudges – David Bondfield fromQueensland, Australia will select thefemales with the males in the handsof Basil Bothwell from Killeshandra,Co Cavan.

The overall dairy cattle competitions will be judged byRichard Baynes, Marley Cote Walls,Slaley, Hexham.

With 24 section champions tochoose from, it will be a mammothtask in the overall sheep inter-breedfor Robin Thomson, BogleknoweHouse, Balmaclellan, Castle Douglas.The inter-breed pairs will also be wellsubscribed and that competition willbe judged by Robin Bell, Charlesfield,Edenside Road, Kelso, who will alsosupervise the highly popular younghandlers class.

In the light and heavy horse sections, two of the prestigious trophies, the St John’s Well Trophyand the Sanderson Trophy, will bejudged respectively by Mrs FionaStewart, Rannoch House, Hill ofTarvit Mains, Cupar, and RobertNoble Snr, Crossview, CrossgatesFarm, Stewarton.The Cuddy Supreme In HandChampion will be chosen by MrsMary Reveley, Groundhill Farm,Lingdale, Cleveland, and theMountain & Moorland overall champi-onship line-up will be judged by MissElizabeth Briant, Ivy House Farm,Grittenham, Chippenham, Wilts.

Land managers, local authorities,the voluntary sector and community groups across

Scotland are all being asked theirviews on how best to take forwardwoodland expansion in Scotland.

The call to gather views comesfrom Dr Andrew Barbour, the chairman of the Woodland ExpansionAdvisory Group.

This 18-strong group of farmers,foresters, conservation, communityand land experts, has been taskedwith the job of providing ScottishMinisters with advice on identifyingwhich types of land are best fortree planting.

Dr Barbour said: "One clear message from the Group is a desire togather as many views as possible froma wide range organisations and individuals.

"We want to find out what othersthink are the opportunities forwoodland expansion and what mightbe stopping it.

"We need to identify key areas ofconflict over land use and importantlywhy the current regulations and consultation mechanisms do not prevent problems arising. We also

need to hear as many practical andconstructive ideas as possible on howwe might overcome them.

"There are many organisations orgroups out there that have first-handexperience of these issues and theirviews or suggestions would be verywelcome."

A letter has been sent to interestedbodies and individuals for theirfeedback by the end of December2011. Others may access the letteron the Commission's WoodlandExpansion Advisory Group websitepages www.forestry.gov.uk/weag

A series of stakeholder meetings todiscuss emerging proposals will beorganised around the country in theSpring next year.

Anyone interested in giving theirviews can do so in writing to:

Woodland Expansion Advisory GroupSecretariatc/o Forestry Commission ScotlandSilvan House,231 Corstorphine Road,Edinburgh EH12 7AT

Or by emailingweag@forestry.gsi.gov.uk.

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Triclabendazole, which targets allstages of fluke except early immature.

For winter-housed stock, to clearthem of mature fluke prior to turn-out, (thereby preventing shedding of eggs onto grass), there isa range of products with active ingredients which target only adultfluke.

There are no flukicidal drugslicensed for use in lactating animals,so dairy cows can only be treated inthe dry period, just before calving.

Because of the complexities offluke, Dr Skuce recommended thatfarmers consult their vets to ensurethe most effective treatment strategy.

Of concern to the livestock industry is the increasing number ofreports of lack of efficacy of

Triclabendazole(TCBZ), the activeingredient in a numberof leading flukicides.

With current teststo determine flukicideefficacy not totally reliable, it is impossibleto definitely establishwhether or not a flukicide treatment hasworked.

However, a recentlydeveloped test, whichis currently being trialled by theMoredun, is yieldingpromising results. Thenew test detects tinyquantities of flukesecretion in animal faeces, and is simplerand more reliable thantraditional fluke eggcounting. When usedafter flukicide

MONITOR FARMfarmingscotlandIssue seventy-nine • November 2011

Liver Fluke and how to prevent and control it was the topic fordiscussion at the Moray and Nairn Monitor Farm Meeting

treatment, this new test should provide an accurate and immediateindication as to whether or not thereis fluke infection, thereby determiningthe success of the treatment.

The only animals currently on theMoray and Nairn Monitor Farm,which have not been treated for flukeare this year’s calves. The farmer,Robbie Newlands, plans to blood testthese calves for fluke antibodies. Ifthe results are positive, the calves willbe treated with the appropriate flukicide. Faecal samples will then betaken for the Moredun to trial thenew test.

The next Moray and NairnMonitor Farm meeting will be on 7December 2011.

Following confirmation that liverfluke had caused ill-thrift inlambs on Cluny, the Moray and

Nairn Monitor Farm near Forres, therecent meeting discussed fluke insheep and cattle, and methods to control it.

Cluny is part of the national programme of Monitor Farms, led byQuality Meat Scotland (QMS), and isa 1060 acre unit, farmed by RobbieNewlands, his wife Kirsty and hisfather, also Robbie. There is a sucklerherd of 170 plus cows and a flock of650 Scotch Mule ewes. All progeny –sheep and cattle – are finished.

Mr Newlands told the group,“Lambs which have been treated forfluke have really thrived and look significantly better. Thanks to thefluke, we’re unlikely to get any lambsaway until around the end of October.Next year we’ll definitely treat all ourlambs in July.”

Dr. Philip Skuce, a Senior ResearchScientist at the Moredun ResearchInstitute, explained the geographicmigration of fluke and its life cycle tothe community group, as well as outlining measures farmers can take tocontrol the parasite.

Fluke, once regarded as a problemof the wetter and warmer areas in thewest, has spread dramatically over thelast 10 to 15 years, and is now alsofound in the east of Scotland.

Fluke damages livers, reduces livestock performance, impacts on fertility and is sometimes fatal.Overall, it is estimated to cost theScottish livestock industry in theregion of £50 million per annum.

Flukes are parasitic flatworms,which grow to about an inch inlength. They infest theDr Skucereminded the community group ofthe crucial role of the mud snail aswithout it the fluke life cycle could

not continue.He recommended grazing livestock

on well drained pasture and fencingoff wet areas, to help keep livestockfrom likely mud snail habitats, especially during high risk periods.

The same fluke affects sheep andcattle, so mixed grazing should beavoided if possible, and cattle shouldbe included in treatment programmeson such farms. An additional andlargely unavoidable complication isthat wildlife, e.g. hares, rabbits anddeer, also harbour and spread fluke.

If the farm is free of fluke, minimise risks of importing it bytreating in-coming stock before theyjoin the flock or herd.

Dr Skuce emphasised that thereare no “blue prints” for fluke controland that farmers need to remain vigilant and tailor control strategies toconditions on their own farms.

Things to consider include thefarm and neighbouring farm’s history,abattoir returns, which provide liverfluke information, the vet’s localknowledge, climatic factors, plus regular monitoring to establishwhether or not stock is affected.

Once fluke is suspected, it isimportant to use the appropriateanthelmintic at the correct treatmentintervals.

Dr Skuce explained that no singleflukicide kills all stages of fluke, andemphasised the importance of establishing the level of challenge andstage of fluke being targeted, rangingfrom adult flukes in the bile duct, tovery young immature flukes in theliver.

General guidance for autumn treatment of housed animals is to waituntil two weeks after housing, duringwhich time there has been no ingestion of fluke cysts through grazing, then treat with

While there have been feweroverall cases of liver flukedisease in Scotland’s sheep

and cattle so far this year than by thesame point in 2010, SAC vets arewarning farmers not to become complacent. With several recent outbreaks in sheep, they are warningthat any livestock potentially at riskshould receive flukicide treatmentand vaccination against Black Disease.

Ayr-based SAC vet Dr GeorgeMitchell said: “Outbreaks of acuteliver fluke in sheep, leading to death,have recently been recorded inAyrshire. This would indicate localconditions have been right for thedevelopment of the parasite within itshost, the mud snail Galba truncatula.Therefore it is essential that sheepand cattle perceived to be at risk inthese areas are treated. But farmers

across Scotland should remain vigilant.“Any casualty animals should be

submitted to SAC Veterinary Centresfor post mortem examination toestablish a cause of death and to permit continual monitoring of theprevalence of liver fluke disease incattle and sheep.”

Both rainfall and temperature havean effect on liver fluke infection levels. The parasite’s host, the mudsnail, lives in wet habitats. Due tothis year’s higher average rainfall, suchwet habitats have been around forlonger and are more widespread dueto flooding.

While this would suggest that thesnail, therefore the parasite, wouldflourish, temperatures have been onaverage 1C lower this year than in2010. Dr Mitchell believes this couldbe the reason for this year’s drop in

liver fluke cases.He said: “The summer of 2003,

following which Scotland’s highestlevels of liver fluke disease wererecorded, had above average temperatures and below average rainfall suggesting that temperaturerather than rainfall may have a greaterinfluence on the level of disease.

“The slightly lower temperaturesthis year may have slowed the liverfluke parasite’s development withinthe snail. This may reduce the number of immature flukes emergingfrom snails this autumn and throughthe winter, which will determine thelevel of acute and chronic liver flukedisease suffered by our sheep and cattle in the coming months.”

Those seeking further informationand advice on liver fluke should contact their local SAC Vet Centre.

LiverFluke

Warning

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DAIRY farmingscotland.comIssue seventy-nine • November 2011

Ayrshires

See us at AgriScot

“Dairy farmers are likely tocome under increasingpressure to remove palm

oil from their cows’ diets followingrecent retail moves to cut the level ofsaturated fats in milk,” says MarkTownsend, sales manager of Ufac-UK.

Marks and Spencer has made itknown that it will be selling milk withsix per cent less saturated fat andDenmark has just announced taxpenalties on foods with high levels ofsaturated fats.

Because there are considerableenvironmental and ethical benefitsfrom removing palm oil, in addition toadvantages to human health, MarkTownsend believes this heralds thestart of a trend which will filter downto both pig and poultry industries.

“Retailers will want reduced saturated fats in many food products,including butter, cheese and meat, notjust milk.”

“In Europe, palm oil replaced theuse of tallow in diets following the

BSE crisis, but palm oil is also high insaturated fats,” he said.

However, Ufac-UK, a specialistcompany with particular expertise inhandling vegetable oils, has developedproducts, which are totally palm-oilfree and palm kernel free and whichcan be used at no extra cost. Thecompany claims to be the only UKmanufacturer of dietary energy supplements that are totally palm-oilfree. These include Dynalac fordairy cows and Megajule for pigs andpoultry and can be easily incorporatedinto farm-mixed diets, compoundsand blends.

Environmentalists have criticisedthe fact that rain forests have beencut down to make way for palm oilproduction. Ufac uses a particularblend of vegetable oils, which overcome these problems. These vegetable oils also have a further environmental benefit of reducingmethane production by the animals,said Mr Townsend.

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DAIRYfarmingscotlandIssue seventy-nine • November 2011

Cutting out palm oilfrom animal diets

More beef, less hasslefor Lockerbie farmer

Working as a tightly knit family business at AlmagillFarm, near Lockerbie,

Wuffy McIntyre, wife Dorothy, sonand daughter Craig and Lynsey arealways seeking to improve farm efficiency and performance.

“The livestock is really my responsibility,” says Wuffy. “We finish 3,000 lambs a year and 700cattle. They are continental crosssteers, mainly Limousin, and we alsohave Holstein Friesian bull beef,which we sell at around 500kg liveweight to Scotbeef.

“Sixty acres of oats are grown forwholecrop silage and cattle and sheepare fed a TMR diet. It means I’m abusy man.”

Daughter Lynsey is the farmadministrator whilst son Craig notonly runs the arable side of the business – 160 acres of cereals, 260acres of grazing and 80 acres of silage– but also a separate contracting business, A.Q.F. Contractors.

To increase productivity Craigrecently invested in a Pottinger TorroForage Wagon enabling him to harvestthree to four times a year and produce higher quantities of high protein silage, the cost-consciousfoundation of Almagill cattle’s TMRdiet.

“I had also been trying to find abetter way of introducing quality protein into the cattle diet, “says MrMcIntyre. “We were buying 25 tonnepallet loads of protein, which werelasting too long, up to four months,after which they weren’t at theirbest. Then I happened to attend adairy meeting in Carlisle where therewas a presentation about Optigen®.I was so impressed by pictures of thecows and the idea of optimizingrumen health that I decided to discuss Optigen with my nutritionist

John Long of L.S. Smellie.”A protein supplement from

Alltech, Optigen gives bugs in therumen a steady supply of easilyabsorbed nitrogen allowing them tofunction more efficiently. Working ina similar way to soya or rapeseed,Optigen can replace them in the diet,leaving space for more cost-effective,rumen friendly ingredients such ashome grown forage.

“A lot of farmers associateOptigen with improved milk yields,”says Mr Long, “but greater rumenefficiency and better digestion is justas vital in beef cattle and will boostdaily live weight gains. We decidedto replace the extracted rapeseedmeal with Optigen – just 55g ofOptigen replaces 600g extractedrapeseed – and balance the diet byadding more of the 1700 tonnes ofsilage grown on farm by Craig. MrMcIntyre was delighted with theresults, last year he reduced his daysto slaughter by as much as 60 days.”

“We’re using Optigen again thisyear and you can see the difference,”agrees Mr McIntyre, “the cattle arelooking extremely well. We are finishing earlier and this year’sHolstein Friesian young bulls are nowgaining 1.4 kilos per day.”

With continuing feed price volatility, Optigen offers a very convenient, manageable way of providing protein believes MrMcIntyre. “For us, there are allround benefits in using Optigen. Itcomes in a one tonne pallet and youadd small amounts in the TMR, soit’s easy to use. Given that extractedrapeseed costs us up to £180/tonneand we were using up to 60 tonnes ayear, Optigen at around 10.5pence/head saves us a significantamount. And the saving in storageand hassle is almost as good!”

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DAIRYfarmingscotland.com

Issue seventy-nine • November2011

Girl Power

Two years down the line from itsinception, the BOCM PAULSAgri Business Desk has been a

resounding success. Three experienced sales and

support executives from an animalfeed company took the initiative toapproach a competitor (BOCM Pauls)offering their services to set up anoffice based sales unit, when a changeof management was imminent at theirplace of employment.

The trail blazers – Lynn Gardner,Shona Brown and Yvonne Weir, whohave worked at the farmer-facing endof the Scottish feed industry for acombined total of 32 years and have astrong technical knowledge and affinity with the livestock industry,have been joined by another four staffat their Motherwell based office.

The girls, who all travel fromShotts, ‘function as a sales supportteam for both BOCM PAULS representatives and for the merchants,which BOCM PAULS works particularly closely with across theNorth of England and Scotland. Theyhelp sell compound feeds manufactured from BOCM PAULSmill at Penrith; blends out of TurriffFarm Feeds and Kingans Farm Feedsat Brydekirk; and straights, distilleryand brewery co-products from acrossthe region. Also, in a significantdeparture from their previous rolewhen they were engaged purely in adirect sales capacity, the team alsosupport merchant sales.’

This dedicated team have surpassed all BOCM expectations,selling in excess of 30000 tonnes per

annum, mainly to beef and sheepfarmers. Women from England and North Wales have been sent up toMotherwell for training and similaroffices are now in operation inBridgewater, Devon and Denbigh,North Wales, (using Welsh speakers).

Each sales person has around 600to 1000 farmers on their ledger andmakes between 20 to 25 calls per day.In the summer months the girlsupdate their ledgers and plan theirwinter work. A ‘Goldmine’ databasemagically brings up a calendar of whoto phone each day. “If you doubleclick on the calendar, the farmer’s fileappears.” It lists what livestock theyrun and their feeding regime. All customers and prospects alike areinput in this fashion.

To my amazement one of the girls

typed in Richard Nixon (my husband)and Marbrack (our farm) and she said,“Mrs MacPherson answered and haskept her own name,” and then listedwhat stock and system we operate.

This attention to detail is a winningformula. “We need to find out whatis happening on the farm and when totarget and ask when they start lookingat prices,” explained Yvonne.

From time to time there will be aspecial on bucket licks and by using afilter, all farmers who use buckets canbe approached for the offer. Similarlyseveral distilleries call up and ask ifthe girls can sell X tonnes of draff atthe drop of a hat. A text message system can be used to shift hundredsof tonnes instantly. So if you are notalready on the database, you could bemissing out on great deals.

BOCM Pauls still have sales repson the ground, with around 250 customers each. They mainly targetthe larger dairies and offer a dietration service. But with the officegirls reaching up to 1000 farmers eachit is a cost effective exercise.

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AGRISCOTfarmingscotlandIssue seventy-nine • November 2011

DairyHerdShortLeat

AgriScot BusinessSkills Award 2011

Sweet Silage

The contestants for the prestigious AgriScot ScottishDairy Farm of the Year title

sponsored by World Wide Sires havenow been whittled down to fourherds.

They are ;-Malcolm and Janet Booth, Mainhill,Lockerbie – 123 HolsteinsAlistair and Sheila Nelson, RedcroftCastle Douglas – 144 HolsteinsUniversity of Edinburgh, Langhill,Roslin – 232 HolsteinsT M Ralston and Son, EastDrumlemble, Campbeltown – 200Ayrshires

Commenting on the rigorousprocess in getting down to the finalfour herds, judge Sue Cope describedit as, “the most difficult task I havehad as the overall standard was sohigh.”

Ms Cope, who has a lifetime in thedairy industry starting with practicalon farm experience being brought upon one of the UK’s leading dairyfarms and currently working as executive director of the CattleInformation Service, added that thedifficulty in picking the top fourdemonstrated the exceptionally highstandard of management and animalwelfare in Scottish dairy farming.

In reducing the top twenty to thefinal quartet, she said she had beenlooking for a range of performanceindicators including calving indicesbelow 400 days, above average yields,cell counts below 100 and calving at24 months with a higher than averagepercentage of the herd in their 5thand over lactation.

She is now embarking on a visit tothe four finalists to judge on-farmconditions prior to the final decisionbeing announced at this year’sAgriScot, which is being held atIngliston on the 16th of November.

Although it is only in its secondyear, the Business Skills Awardpromoted by the AgriScot

organisers is proving a real draw forthe next generation coming into agriculture.

Chairman of AgriScot and the manwho helped set up the competitionlast year, Andrew Moir believes it provided a platform for young peopleto demonstrate their practical skillsand their business acumen.

Competitors for the event, whichis being organised by both the SACand the SAYFC and is open to 18 to25 year olds, are currently goingthrough the regional heats.

The winners of these heats willthen go forward to the final, whichwill be held at AgriScot on the 16thof November with the winner takingthe £1,000 first prize put up byBiocell Agri Limited.

Scottish representative, Alec Ross,said the company, which supplies specialist feed additives for advanced

ruminant nutrition, wanted to sup-port young people coming into theindustry.

But those who competed lastyear said it was not just the cashthat was important. “It helps youngpeople make contact with thoseworking in the industry,” was theview of David Hurst one of the2010 finalists.

“One of the judges last year wasIan Hope, of Hayes MacFarlane,and after the competition, he sug-gested I put my name forward forthis farm manager’s job at Balgay,Inchture.

“I did and I am now managing800 acres of arable land and 200acres of grassland on which we havepedigree Aberdeen Angus,Shorthorn and Luing cattle.”

The winner of the competitionlast year, Ian Christie, also reckonsthe competition helped himsecure the tenancy of the 947hasheep farm of Ballaterach, Dinnet.

For farmers making silage, 2011has been a challenging season. Those who started early

and made silage in May have endedup with very high D values but withlow Dry Matter samples. Whileaccording to Andrew Best, of WatsonsSeeds, farmers who left it to Junehave lower D values but higher DryMatter levels.

The big question is – which grouping will provide the winningsamples at this year’s AgriScot Silagecompetition sponsored by WatsonsSeeds once more.

Entries have already come in fromas far south as Lancashire and as farwest as Northern Ireland.

There are two main classes, Clampsilage and Big bale silage. The initialround of judging is done by analysis ofthe submitted samples.

The second round with the top sixsamples in each section on show willtake place at AgriScot.

Once again, Hugh McClymont,farm manager at the Crichton Royalfarm, Dumfries, will be carrying outthe judging duties.

This year, the silage competition atAgriScot has prizes valued at over£2,000.

The best three samples in both theBig Bale and Clamp classes will notonly walk away with the prize winningtickets but also with vouchers forWatsons Seeds.

15

16

‘If you’re a farmer who is importing orexporting goods overseas it’s crucialthat you plan ahead to protect profits’– that’s the message from leading foreign exchange companies in the faceof on-going volatility in the globaleconomy.

The last few months have seenthe world’s markets experiencesignificant fluctuations, and the

currency markets have not escapedthis volatility. The Eurozone debt crisis has meant that the relative valueof the pound, the euro and all theother major currencies has fluctuatedon a daily basis, causing serious problems for anyone trying to planinternational payments for their business.

Securing a rate in advance may bethe only way farmers can plan aheadwith any accuracy, as these variationslook set to continue.

“The well documented crisis in theEurozone has caused the markets toremain very unstable in the last fewmonths,” confirms Tom Barclay fromWorld First, the UK’s leading foreignexchange broker.

“What many people might notrecognise is that the problems in theEurozone have a profound impact onthe value of all currency parings. TheUK’s economic data is continuing to

churn out shaky figures, and as aresult the relative value of the eurovs. the pound is proving particularlydifficult to predict at the moment.”

The subtext is that this instabilityin the foreign exchange market is putting increasing pressure onimporters and exporters as they try tomaintain profits in a tough economicenvironment.

Currency markets are subject tofluctuations on a daily basis and ratescan move by as much as 10% in thespace of just a few days. For anyonewho is involved in sending or receivinggoods from overseas, this kind ofmovement can have serious implications for their business. This isone of the key reasons why more andmore businesses are looking to manage their exposure with the helpof currency specialists.

The problems in the Eurozone,which have hit the headlines thissummer are nothing new. Difficultiesin the global economy have causedsignificant variations in the value ofinternational currencies in recenttimes. For example, the euro hasmoved by over 13% against the poundthroughout the last 12 months, andwhen it comes to large sums ofmoney that kind of change can makea significant impact on the amounts

DAIRYfarmingscotlandIssue seventy-nine • November 2011

by Tom BarclayWorld First

Eurozone debt crisis will affect farmers directly

you end up dealing with.For anyone involved in making

regular international money transfers,staying up to date with the latestinformation about where the rates aregoing is very important. Gettingaccess to market analysis and stayingon top of the economic news is certainly good idea. However, lookingup one of the few companies who arewell positioned to help control yourexposure is also very advisable.

Most people use their banks to tryand secure a good spot rate (the rateto move money on the day). But byusing FSA authorised foreignexchange specialists, such as WorldFirst, you will be able to access betterexchange rates. You can also utilise astrategic approach which will meanyou can still benefit if exchange ratesmove in your favour in the lead up tothe transaction date.

“Employing a planned line ofattack to international transaction canmake a big difference to your budgetsfor the year,” continues Tom Barclay.“However, the main thing this offersto importers and exporters is the confidence to plan ahead without anyuncertainties.”

“Nobody has a crystal ball, and it’simpossible to predict whether the values of these key currencies are

going to shift one or the other in whathas been an incredibly difficult period, but there are ways of controlling your exposure to thesefactors with the right tactics.”

For further information about managing your risk visit www.worldfirst.com

Alternatively, to discuss forwardcontracts further contact Tom Barclayon 0207 801 2362 or email tom.barclay@worldfirst.com

17

Aberdeenshire Monitor FarmerAndrew Booth experienced atough harvest with the bad

weather leading to high drying costs. He feels reasonably well sold this

season for oats and wheat and has puthis oilseed rape in pools but is hangingonto his barley to wait and see howmarkets develop.

Crops in the ground are lookingwell with signs of early establishmentbut Andrew is keeping a close eye onweeds.

Over the winter Andrew will belooking at grain-drying options withthe possibility of using renewable heatsources, which will be explored at thenext meeting (6 December).

Borders Monitor Farmer AlistairHodge felt harvest went as wellas could be expected

considering the weather, with a good

quality second wheat crop havingbeen sent for milling. Sowing waslater than usual and the new crop issuffering from pressure by slugs.

Alistair is concerned he may havesold some of his crop too early in theseason to make the most of the markets but only time will tell.

Have you considered your marketing options for thecoming season? HGCA is

running a series of FREE GrainMarket Workshops offering information about key market driversand the tools available to help create apricing plan for the season ahead.Regional events are taking place:Duns – 15th NovemberInverurie – 17th November

For more information and to bookonline visit www.hgca.com/events orcall 024 7647 8724.

HGCA

Monitor

Farm

Update

farmingscotland.comIssue seventy-nine • November 2011

ARABLE

Drawing CompetitionTractor & Pony Jigsaws up for grabs

Calling all budding artists underthe age of 12. We are lookingfor drawings or paintings of

your favourite tractor or pony to winthis John Deere Puzzle-Box or a PonyPuzzle-Box.

Each box set contains a lovely setof four completely different jigsaws,each on depicting a tractor at work orponies at grass.

These make great Christmas presents for any youngsters mad keenon tractors or horses or John Deerefans looking to add to their collection.They are available from Amazon for£14.00.

Please post your picture to ArtCompetition,farmingscotland.com, Marbrack

Farm, Carsphairn, Castle Douglas,DG7 3TE, by the 25th November.

18

POTATOESfarmingscotland.comIssue seventy-nine • November 2011

In Gareth Baird’s book, this yearhas been one of the worst,although not as bad as 2008, the

‘daddy of them all.’ He hopes henever sees another like it. Harvestfinished this year on 1st November.Usually it begins in late August, witha target finish date in September,however this year’s been different.

There were two main differences,firstly in terms of crop inspections.Gareth withdrew his Malfona andEstima and grew them as ware insteadof seed. Secondly crops this yearwere slow in setting skins, at timescausing quite a wait, creating additional expense and drawing harvest out, while all along it got wetter and wetter. Taking six boxesto a trailer instead of eight in somefields to reduce the impact on theground, further slowed things down.

Haulm was cut with a three bedchopper, and sprayed prior to harvest.The front mounted machine makes atidy job, and having lost the use ofsulphuric acid, this has been a goodreplacement, especially in the wetconditions where avoiding the remaining haulm going up through theharvester was advantageous. HoweverGareth will continue looking at othermethods of haulm destruction.

The availability of seasonal labourhasn’t been a problem, with somepicked up from the broccoli harvestand they’re now set to work throughto April.

Meanwhile Gareth is happy withthe yield and quality of his crop. Hewas very taken aback with the trialdigs. It was so dry early on, he didn’tthink the mother tubers would setwell and was amazed at all the daughter tubers and their consistencyin size. Having dreaded the wet harvest, there actually wasn’t anythinglike the level of Soft Rot he expected.

Grading started on the 31stOctober, and despite having a lot ofsoil go through, the potatoes werecoming out well.

In a wet season, a lot of dryingcapacity makes a huge difference andthe Aspire system set up by FrankPirry has been a blessing, playing animportant role in future plant health.The fridges are working very hard dueto mild air temperatures and cooldown hasn’t been as quick. Currenttemperatures are 15-16 degrees, withonly three cold nights so far, whichusually help the cooling process.

Gareth plans to look at cost reducing the grading line to make itmore efficient this year. His existingseasonal labour is excellent, howeverthey can take a bit of replacing andnot everyone is prepared to do thistype of work. Another area of considerable cost is electricity.Gareth had started planning theinstallation of Solar PV panels to generate electricity on five roofs withroom for six 50KW panels. However,the government lowered the threshold to 50KW earlier in the yearand on the 31st October 2011, halvedthe rate on the feed-in Tariff, with anearly December cut off, leaving himmid stream in the planning for hisfarm and house and a big questionmark hanging over the whole project.

Right now grading is going flat out.BP stocks are bought in to plant onvirgin land, and planted up for planting stock, so these stocks aregraded to assess acreages of each variety and suitable land determinedfor each, with an agronomist samplingthe fields and placing the varietiesaccordingly. All this will be workedout well before Christmas. It’s alsothe time when contracts are looked atfor next year, with targets for growthand return on variety.

WWHHOOLLEE CCRROOPP MMAARRKKEETTIINNGG LLTTDD Is a farmer'sco-operative that is run by farmers working forthe benefit of farmers involved in potato growingthroughout both England and Scotland.

We are buyers of Scottish Seed and Traders ofWare potatoes currently trading some 90,000tonnes per annum enabling us to obtain the bestprices for all varieties and qualities.

WHOLE CROP MARKETING LTDWold Dyke FarmMiddleton on the WoldsDRIFFIELDEast YorkshireYO25 9DD

If you are interested in growing for or supplying WCM please contact:Mark Tomlinson Mobile: 07535 402503Office: 01377 217873e-mail: info@wholecropmarketing.co.ukWebsite: wwwwww..wwhhoolleeccrrooppmmaarrkkeettiinngg..ccoo..uukk

Borders – Gareth BairdScott Country Potatoes

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19

As a rule on Bindal Farm thereare usually three or four daysbreak between finishing

harvesting the cereals and starting thepotatoes on the second Monday inSeptember. However this year, onceharvest started it never seemed tostop, and at one point both harvestswere going at once.

Alan hasn’t experienced a year likeit. In general cereals seemed to belater as Concerto Spring Barleyseemed to be late all round, slowingdown everybody who was growing itand resulting a bit of a scramble to gettractor drivers at the start of the potato harvest. Brother Callum, afully trained agricultural engineer,who now works off shore, managed tohelp for three weeks on and off.

The Gordons grow predominantlyOptic, with only two fields ofConcerto, so although there wassomething of a silver lining, asConcerto’s yield was higher by _ t peracre and a great advantage. But ifthey’d had all Concerto, they’d stillbe harvesting now.

Overall the start to the potato harvest was two or three days laterthan usual. Working with organisedlabour in situations like this meansthat a start date has to be made andstuck to. The first 10 days were stopand start between showers, waitingfor half an hour at the end of thefield, but after that the weatherimproved.

In this area pests aren’t really anissue, but rain made a huge impactthroughout Scotland. The Gordonsrecorded 131mm in August 2011,compared to 67mm in August 2010.September 2011 saw 126mm inAugust, against 110mm in the sameperiod last year with a whopping236mm of rain during harvest monthsthis year.

A six row chopper came out forthe first time and chopped all thehaulm green this year. It was a twoman job, rotated with doing test digsand begging cups of tea from whoeverlived closest to the fields. With sulphuric acid no longer in use,

pulverising and spraying withSpotlight has been the method Alan’sused for the last couple of years.

However he believes that pulverising and sulphuric acid is theultimate desiccant, ‘no revisiting, jobdone,’ although of course ease ofcanopy destruction varies with varietyand the acid’s very expensive.

As luck would have it, not onlywere tractor drivers hard to come byto begin with, but the main tractorwent down with a gear box problem.It was well out of warranty, butdespite that Robertsons of Tain did anexcellent job in persuading Deutz topick up 85% of the bill, and possiblymore yet – the Gordons are mostappreciative.

This year there was a horribleproblem with weeds. Two and a halffields or 50 acres was affected byannual meadow grass, which went upthe harvester like a carpet and seemedto chew through sprockets and chains.It got so bad that a Grimme Hillerhad to be hired in from George Henryat Elgin. It broke up the weeds andmade harvesting possible.

In trying to figure out what hadhappened, Alan had a minor panic,and was starting to wonder if perhapshe’d forgotten to weed kill certainfields, or if he hadn’t put any weedkiller in the tank. However it seemsothers have experienced the sameproblem this year and put it down tothe dry spring when the weed killerwas sprayed, rendering it ineffective.

Not only were the weeds hard onthe machines, “they were hard on ustoo. Productivity went down andtempers frayed. It made an end to abad season. The weeds seemed tocrop up towards the end, making thewhole job drag on.”

Alan describes his seasonal labouras ‘the usual suspects’ because he’shad the same pickers for the last couple of years. The staff has startedgrading and will now work throughthe winter.

Meanwhile he’s happy with hisyield, but believes a lot of people willbe in the same boat, driving prices

down. Alan’s had more acreage inproduction and has had to buy newboxes to store. Quality is fairly goodtoo, with the ground being saturatedat lifting, he’s drying stacks of 42boxes with fans on top of them inWetherspoon tents. He bought anextra two new tents this year, knowing that the ground was saturated, so that he could dry everything within 24 hours of cominginto the shed.

However he’s not quite managedto contain it all. ‘The place wasabsolutely stowed out with tattieseverywhere – ‘there were even somein the garage!’ However after some

farmingscotland.comIssue seventy-nine • November 2011

POTATOES

grading and sales, he’s got a bit moreroom to get sorted out. ‘It felt likethe potatoes were closing in.’

Soil sampling has started for 2012,as well as ploughing for next year.

Typically – as soon as harvest wasover, the weather improved with nighttime temperatures recorded at 19degrees in the Moray Firth, justbefore the start of November!There’s not been any frost yet andnothing lower than 4 degrees. Soilsampling is done by GPS, using twocontractors, one for cereals and onefor potatoes, with GPS lime application prior to the cereals goingin.

Highland –Alan Gordon,Bindal, Tain

20

This is the fourth year in a rowthat Guy Stirling has not had toirrigate. It’s also been the

wettest of those years and it seems tobe getting progressively wetter. Itwas so wet that the week he went outto harvest the oil seed rape, there wasfive inches of rain. This also coincided with the burning down ofthe potato salad crop.

In a year when salad crop qualityhas been poor and tuber numbers low(resulting in larger sizes) due to thecold dry spring, burn down timing wascritical. With ground too wet to getmachinery on to pulverise the canopy,Guy made an emergency decision andcalled in George Dalgarno from LittleBrechin with his self-propelledsprayers, which could travel on thefields.

Bearing in mind that pulverisingresults in instant kill and cessation oftuber growth, he had to allow 3 daysfor a dose of Reglone to take effect,effectively starting the process a weekearlier. The clock was ticking, withthe all important sizing in salad cropthreatening to make or break his salesprice.

Having never had to take suchdrastic action before, it was a tensetime for Guy. Wet conditions couldeasily stop the chemical scorching offthe leaves. However the high concentration (4l/Ha) of Reglone heapplied, appeared to work almostinstantly, perhaps due to a film of thechemical over the leaves stoppingphotosynthesis – even though therewasn’t immediate burning, growthstopped.

The result of all this was the bestsizing Guy has ever seen. On averagehis salad crop is 66% within the sizingrange, with the worst case 50% within range. This year was 86%within range. However, he had difficulty lifting the salads due toskinning. Normal skin set takes 4-5weeks, but one field in particular thisyear still wasn’t set 10 weeks afterspraying off, increasing the chances ofBlack Dot and Black Scurf due to theextra time in the ground.

One problem was Powdery Scab ina salad ware crop on very lightground. Guy had been concerned atthe start of the season about thepotential for Common Scab, but heanticipates Powdery Scab instead will

cause a high grade out percentage onthat crop. Soft Rot was common inthe seed industry this year, howeverGuy is very pleased with his seedcrop, which was very clean. He hadno Soft Rot, Black Leg or PowderyScab so he invisages no grading orstorage problems.

Yields this year were pretty muchthe same. Bringing the cereals in thisyear was massively stressful and harvest finished later than normal.

Potatoes started during the firstweek in September and finished on20th October, while combining finished in the second week ofSeptember. Oil Seed Rape was 20%down, (with none planted for nextseason) Winter Wheat also 20%down, Spring Barley 10% up, Potatoesthe same.

The cereal harvest called for a second emergency decision. TheStirlings usually use their ownmachinery, and for the first time inhis career, Guy had to call in contractor George Dalgarno to do hiscombining using tracked machines.

Guy’s happy with his potato quality and is glad he planted late,yielding good tuber numbers. Burninghis salad crop down a week earlierresulted in several benefits. It keptthe size down, gave optimum timingfor burning and lifting, and avoidedthe potato harvest clashing with hiscereals harvest.

As Guy works on his plans for nextyear and beyond, not only is he looking at areas of seed he’s allowedto grow for potatoes, he’s also considering world markets and futuretrends in farming and world population projections.

On the 31st October 2011 worldpopulation reached 7 billion. The UNpredicts that world population willincrease at 200,000 a day reaching 9billion by 2050, and continuing toincrease towards the end of the century, forcing us to focus on foodproduction. With Africa’s fertilityrate higher than expected, andChina’s demand for meat increasing at5% per year as its population spendsmore on food, the demand for grain isincreasing.

However at the same time, theaverage age of farmers in the US isnow 58 years old, with young peoplemigrating from rural areas to the city

POTATOESfarmingscotland.comIssue seventy-nine • November 2011

Angus – Guy Stirling, Gilchorn Farm, Arbroath

to pursue more lucrative careers.There are more people training toteach PE in the US than those training to be farmers. In our ownback yard, SAC has moved its classesonto a campus in the town of Ayr.Here we are, potentially with notenough knowledgeable and experienced food producers to feedan increasing population in the comingcentury. Farming is going to be thebusiness to be in, and it looks asthough grain production is the way togo.

So, after this year’s rollercoasterharvest, if Guy could have any pieceof machinery in his Christmas stocking, what would it be? One

possibility would be a self-propelledpotato harvester, which is lighter onwet ground, but also sill requiresaccompanying tractors and trailers –not so light. At three times the cost,a self-propelled potato harvester’sproduction only increases by 30%, sothat one’s going to have to wait a bit.The clear winner, bearing in mind thefuture of cereals, would be from‘Santa Claas.’ After having to call intracked combines to get his cereals in,and seeing the immense benefits theygive in allowing harvest to go ahead onwet ground, Guy has his eye on hisboyhood favourite brand. ‘A nice bigtop of the range Claas combine ontracks would be good.’ Hint, hint!!

21

farmingscotland.comIssue seventy-nine • November 2011

EDUCATION

Robert Parker, a monitor farmerand board member of QualityMeat Scotland from Drumdow

Farm near Stranraer, was awarded theinaugural ‘Best Suckler Herd of theYear’ at the recent Hereford CattleSociety Dinner.

Judging the Competition was MrJohn Giffin, Managing Director of a3500 acre mixed farming companyfrom Petworth in West Sussex, whotravelled the length and breadth ofGreat Britain to find his OverallWinner.

The competition comprised ofseven regions across GB, with each

region nominating their ‘local’ herdwinner. Each nominated herd wasthen placed by the vastly experiencedMr Giffin, who has judged at theRand Show in South Africa, LusakaShow in Zambia and many majorshows across the UK.

Robert Parker, a former NuffieldScholar, crosses Herefords withAngus to produce the ‘Black Baldie.’The resulting F1 hybrid cross femalesforming the basis of his impressive180 cow suckler herd. Robert hassplit the cows into six groups of 30,out-wintering them on outlying gran-ite and calving them down in a tight

calving pattern in the spring. Heiferscalve down at two years of age andgenuinely grow on with their calves atfoot. The yearling steers are sold atAyr Market, where Robert has a greatfollowing, and heifers are sold forbreeding in matching groups withmany going to Northern Ireland andbuyers throughout the UK. At theheart of his breeding programme arehis very evenly matched Herefordsires mostly purchased from hisneighbouring farmer Mr John Douglasof Ervie Herefords.

There were several strong contenders for second place but Mr

John Giffin said Mr Geoff Holborowfrom Worcestershire edged it, “bysticking to the Hereford as a brand,producing some excellent finishedbeef for Dovecote Park, dedicatedprocessors for Waitrose.”

John added “due to TB concernsMr Holborow breeds his own replacements by using a Hereford ona Hereford, resulting in progeny thatmakes the best use of his permanentpark type grazing.”

Mr Giffin congratulated theSociety on the strength of their entryand concluded by saying “well doneRobert, a clear and worthy winner.”

Nuffield ScholarWinsAward

22

Read it inthe Stones

Many acres of print have been writtenabout the Scottish Parliament building but now a new publication

will illuminate an unusual corner of this muchtalked about structure. A Scottish NaturalHeritage funded leaflet will lift the lid on thestones in the Canongate Wall.

Under the façade of the Canongate side ofthe parliament building is the Canongate Wall.During the construction of the parliamentbuildings a blast wall was incorporated into thedesign. The 39 metres long and 6 metres highwall, at its highest point, is set with a selectionof Scottish rocks, some of which have Scottishtexts carved onto the face. These texts wereselected by a panel of MSPs, together with aliterature expert, and include suggestions submitted by the Scottish people.

In all 24 pieces were chosen for the originaldesign, ranging from Sir Walter Scott toAlasdair Gray. In 2010, to mark the tenthanniversary of the Scottish Parliament in 2009,two more stones were added. In total thereare 28 panels of Scottish rocks; from red sandstone from Dumfriesshire, formed whenScotland was a desert, to volcanic grey granitesfrom Aberdeenshire.

Mike Browne of Lothian and BordersGeoConservation Group, who co-ordinatedthe leaflet project said: “The rocks come fromall over Scotland and include very ancientrocks, as well as geologically young ones. Alsoincorporated are ‘Brewery Stones’ recoveredfrom the former brewery building, which wasdemolished to make way for the new parliament. We hope the leaflet will help people understand a bit more about thisimportant building and the geology ofScotland.”

The new leaflet explains where the rocksare from and how, and when, they wereformed. It also includes the quotes inscribedon the rocks, who wrote them and where theycan be found in print.

Iain Rennick, SNH’s area manager, said:“The wall is a fascinating mix of art, historyand science. Scotland is the ‘home of geology’and we have some of the oldest rocks in theworld. The modern Scottish Parliament is oneof the newer Scottish institutions, so it is fitting that the concrete blast wall is set withScotland’s ancient rocks – a marriage of oldand new, which this new leaflet reveals.”

The overall design of the Canongate Wallwas by Sora Smithson and the Scottish rockswere carved by Gillian Forbes and MartinReilly.

The free leaflet is available at the parliament and can also be downloaded atwww.edinburghgeolsoc.org/r_download.html.It is one of a series of leaflets published byLothian and Borders GeoConservation covering interesting aspects of local geology.