Issue 85

Farming CountryIssue eighty-five • August 2012

Be sure to pick up your September Issue ofFarming Country published by farmingscotland.com; at your localnewsagent, Co-op Store or at Tarff Valley,Dumfries. It will be packed with on farmfeatures, interviews, news and views fromacross Scotland and Northern England.

Eilidh MacPherson

3

Farming Country

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

Tel: 016444 60644Mobile: 07977897867

[email protected]

PUBLISHER - Eilidh MacPhersonfarmingscotland.com

ADVERTISING –Eilidh MacPherson – 016444 60644

Cover - John MacDiarmid, Brae Eynort, Skye& family: Donnie, Heather and Georgia

Text and photography by Eilidh MacPhersonunless otherwise stated.

Page 2 - Frances Gill

Page 4 - Savills

Page 10 - NFU

Page 11 - SAC

Page 11 - UA

Page 12 - QMS (top left)

Page 13 - QMS

Page 17 - John Deere

Page 18 - Robin Moule

Page 19 – Simon Wyatt

Page 22 - SAC

Page 23 - Young Farmers

queries and answers section, wherefarmers wrote in to find out information seems so out dated asnowadays most of the younger generation, certainly, will ‘google’ orsurf the net to find out what theyrequire.

The publication consisted of only12 pages with very small print (font),bolstered up to 16 pages the weekbefore and the week after the RoyalHighland Show.

Adverts were sparse and includedone for elastic hosiery at the beginning of 1952! But the last weekin March saw the first full page ofadverts.

New Zealand seemed to get a fairbit of coverage with a ‘Notes fromNew Zealand’ section every so often.

The death of the King, electricityinstalled in the Dunbarton area, a permanent site for the RoyalHighland Show, at Dalkeith, rejected,David Pottinger (Halkirk YFC) ofGreenland Mains, Castletown,Caithness, the first Young Farmer togo on a six month exchange to NewZealand and special steamers put onfor Ayr Show to sail from Arran andCampbeltown, were some of newstopics of the era.

A Hill Farming Conference inKelso, covered ‘thorny subjects’which are still in debate today – thelack of shepherds and the over feeding of tups pre-sale. And myGranny wrote about land reform orrather the lack of it, which is verytopical at the moment.

It’s a bit of a ‘family affair’ thisissue as my Uncle Allan has reviewedthe book – The Changing Nature ofScotland – on page 21.

It is all change here atfarmingscotland.com and ratherexciting times. As you have

probably noted by now I’m rebranding the magazine and the titlehas changed to Farming Country. Thepublishing company will still retainthe name – farmingscotland.com.With increased distribution andpostage costs I have decided to makeit a paid for title so this is the lastfree magazine. Next month – theSeptember issue – will be on sale at£2.00 at your local Co-op store ornewsagent or Tarff Valley.

I’d like to take this opportunity tothank all the outlets; auction markets, farm retail stores, tractordealers and SEERAD offices andfriends who have distributed the magazine for me for the past nineyears. I’d also like to thank you thereaders for all your positive commentsand feedback.

I’m indebted to the advertisers,many who have been placing advertsfrom the start, for their continuedsupport over the years. I’m lookingforward to producing a fully packedpublication covering both arable andlivestock sectors with news, reviews,on farm features and more in theissues ahead.

As it is the Jubilee year – 60 yearssince Elizabeth became Queen – Idecided to look at Scottish farmingnews from 1952. My Granny –Margaret Hope MacPherson – wrote acolumn for the ‘Scottish Farmer andFarming World and Household,’ atthat juncture. Her first column is onpage 20.

It was fascinating to see how muchthings have changed over the years. A

Farming CountryIssue eighty-five • August 2012

1 61 7

ATVKawasaki

81 0

Dairy

1 3 Monitor Farm

47

SheepBF National Show

2 1 Book Review

2 22 3

Young FarmersGraduations

1 41 5

Arable

1 81 9

MachineryRecord

1 2 Cutting Edge

2 0 Sixty Years AgoLetter From Skye

EDITORIAL

LAND CALLUMKILL ESTATE

4 Farming Country – Issue eighty-five

On the market for the firsttime in 60 years is theCallumkill Estate, in the

south east corner of the Isle of Islay. The estate was purchased by the

owners’ grandparents, John andMarjorie Macgown, in 1952, whenthey responded to a small ad in TheTimes for a Scottish sporting estate. They visited Islay, walked up to thetop of Callumkill’s first ridge, tookone look at the view over the fields,ridges and hills and out to the seabeyond and knew they had found a

very special place. They both lived out the rest of

their lives there; at 110 years old,Marjorie lived to be the oldest womanin Scotland. It is not hard to see whythe Macgowns fell for it. The mainhouse is set high on a ridge with viewsover the low ground estate grazing andthe pagodas of the Ardbeg andLagavulin distilleries, to the sea. On aclear day you can see the Giant’sCauseway in Antrim in the south, andArran and the Mull of Kintyre.

Callumkill is a manageable farming

and sporting estate in a very privateposition about three miles from PortEllen, the main ferry port for theisland. Extending to over 2,100 acresin total, the land is within a singleblock and ranges from in-bye grazingnear the coast to rugged hill groundfurther inland. The lochs and riversof Callumkill supply Lagavulin andArdbeg distilleries, helping give thedistinctive whiskies the peaty fullflavour for which they are renowned.

The in-hand farming operation onCallumkill is run by the owners, with

the help of one full-time employee,who manages the farm and lives onthe estate. The hill farm carriesabout 70 cows, and about 200 breeding ewes. Silage is taken offsome of the low ground fields andsupplemented with distillery draff –easily obtainable locally – and somebought in feed.

Callumkill has rough and drivenshooting for pheasant, woodcock andsnipe and is the only estate on Islaythat has red, fallow and roe deer.Both red and fallow deer are stalked,but while there are a few roe on theground, they are not currently stalked,in the interests of building up numbers. Islay’s red deer are believedto be one of the few remaining herdsof pure red deer and are particularlylarge; the second heaviest stagrecorded in Scotland in 2011, a Royal,was shot on Callumkill. Between 12and 16 stags are culled per annum.Changing terrain and views offer wonderful stalking.

On foot from Callumkill House, awalk into the hills, takes you throughancient oak woodland, over rocky outcrops, across peaty hillside andpast lochs. The summit of BheinnSolumh at 347m above sea level, isthe third highest peak on Islay and haswonderful 360 degree views of theisland. Grouse have been seen andeagles nest on the hillside. Callumkillis part of the Islay Deer ManagementGroup and has a culling policy, whichworks sympathetically with the

Callumkill Estate – Islay

5Farming Country – Issue eighty-five

farming enterprise and the preservationof the ancient oak woodlands. Browntrout could be introduced to the twohill lochs to add fishing to the estate.

In addition to a comfortable fourbedroom farmhouse, there are twocottages, which are situated off themain estate drive, a respectful distance from the main house. A traditional quadrangle of stone andslate farm buildings behind the houseoffers potential for development andthere is a good modern shed for the

farm. The main house andShepherd’s Cottage were refurbishedin 2010 and are let as self-cateringunits when the owners are not in residence. In 2011 they were bookedfor 30 weeks each between Marchand January. Visitors vary betweenwhisky and wildlife tourists in thespring and summer and sportingclients in the autumn and wintermonths. The estate has its own website – www.callumkill.com.

Callumkill means Keill (chapel) of

St Columba. The chapel ofCallumkill is long gone, but the farmhouse is built on its site and usessome of the stones, an example ofwhich is the sandstone around thekitchen fireplace. There is no formalrecord, but the house is believed tohave been completed before 1851.The earliest record of Callumkill is ina Crown Charter dated 23rd February1760, granting Daniel Campbell ofShawfield the lands and Barony ofIslay. Archaeological features abound

Dunbia and Beltex have extendedtheir export marketingscheme to Scotland where,

during the coming season, farmerowned lamb marketing co-operative,Farm Stock (Scotland) Ltd, will beactive in procuring Beltex-sired lambsfor the Dunbia Beltex Lamb ExportScheme. Dunbia will offer a competitive bid price as well as abonus of up to 30p/kg throughout2012 on selected lambs destined fortop end European markets, whichaccording to the processor, are moresheltered from the current Europeantrading conditions.

The Beltex and Dunbia LambExport Scheme 2012 is for an all yearround supply of up to 1200 Beltexcross lambs per week for the Belgianmarket. To be eligible, lambs must besired by a registered Beltex ram, finish between 15kg to 21kg dwt andbe sourced from a Farm Assured unit.

The scheme will pay co-op members an attractive bid price onR2 and R3L lambs, with an additionalbonus of 20p/kg on U2 and U3L and30p/kg bonus on the extreme lambcarcass of E2 and E3L.

The arrangement follows on from apilot scheme launched by the BeltexSheep Society and Dunbia south ofthe Border in November 2011. Sheepfarmers producing Beltex cross lambsdemonstrated they were able to deliver a high percentage of carcasses

within the scheme specificationrequired by Belgian lamb buyers.

Beltex Sheep Society chairman,Maimie Paterson comments: “We welcome Farm Stock’s involvementand the extension of our exclusivearrangement with a leading processorto Scottish commercial producers.We are confident that it will rewardthose using a registered Beltex ram toachieve the premium lambs requiredby a very specific and expanding highquality market, particularly at a timewhen lamb prices, in general, arecoming under pressure. We are confident that Dunbia’s attractiveoffer will not only achieve a positiveresponse from Farm Stock membersalready producing Beltex cross lambs,but also encourage other commercialproducers to make a first time purchase of a registered Beltex ram tosupply the co-op.”

Dunbia’s Michael Dundon said;“European economic conditions areimpacting on demand for lamb thisseason, in particular from the middleend consumer bracket. However Iam confident that Beltex cross lambswill be able to defend themselves better than ordinary standard lambsimply because they are targeted atthe quality market – high end butchers and chefs trading with moreaffluent customers who will remainless affected by the economic downturn.”

Beltex Export Scheme

farmingscotland.com is rebranding the magazine

Next month the magazine will be available at local newsagents across the country and inyour local Co-op store or at Tarff Valley, Dumfries.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all the outlets – auction markets, farm retail stores,and SGRIP offices who have distributed the magazine for me for the past nine years.

I’d also like to thank the readers for all their positive comments and feedback.I’m indebted to the advertisers, many of whom have been placing adverts from the start,

for their continued support over the years.Looking forward to producing a fully packed publication covering both arable and livestock

sectors with news, reviews, on farm features and more in the issues ahead.

on the estate, including a chamberedcairn, numerous standing stones andSt Michael’s or St Columba’s Well, anatural well in the side of a ridge upnear the ruins of Solumh, a villagewhere the community was wiped outby plague in the late 18th century.

Savills Edinburgh office is marketing Callumkill as a whole, atoffers over £1.5 million. ContactAnna Henderson, Savills, Edinburghon 0131 247 [email protected]

6

The third Blackface Sheep Breeders’ Association National Show,staged, this time, at United Auctions, Stirling was well attended by competitors and over 800 spectating breed

enthusiasts.South type judge Angus Kennedy, Mitchellhill, Broughton was

delighted at the standard of stock forward. He certainly had hiswork cut out in classes of over forty ovines. “I found the ewe lambclass the hardest to judge as there were 10 cracking lambs with notmuch between them,” he commented after the event.

The Masters of sheep showing and presentation across manybreeds – J Wight & Sons of Midlock – scored a double whammy taking out both the female and male championships. A two crop,homebred ewe, by a £36,000 Dalchirla out of a ewe by the £22,000Dalchirla, took out the female title. She was Royal Highland ShowChampion earlier this year.

The Midlock team also took the Champion Male with a Nunneriebred shearling, which they purchased for £35,000 in partnershipwith Connachan and Dalchirla. Reserve Male went to Stuart Headsand Rab McInnis from Aitkenhead with a home bred tup lamb siredby the £30,000 Aitkenhead ram and out of a £10,000 Auchloy dam.

Angus Kennedy placed the Midlock ewe as his Overall Championand he also awarded the reserve title to Bill Ramsay & Sons,Milnmark, Dalry with their home bred gimmer which was reservechampion at the Highland. She is by a £26,000 Crossflat and out ofa ewe by the home-bred Emperor.

The North section saw Judge Alan Petrie choose MathewHamilton from Woolfords to lift the overall Championship ticketwith a home bred Shearling off a £6500 Woolfords tup. Standingreserve was David Nicol from Viewmount with a home bred tuplamb by ‘Joe Smith’ – a Woolfords bred tup. The Champion femalewas also won by Woolfords with a gimmer bred the same way astheir overall Champion. Stephen Duncan, Achdregnie took reservefemale spot with a home bred ewe by a £12,000 Harkin sire out of a£700 Newmill mother.

The North of England exhibitors’ judge – James Herdman –picked his Male Champion from A Murray & Sons, Sewingshields –a home bred Shearling by ‘The Beast’ a home bred son of aYatesfield tup – as Overall Champion. Reserve was presented to theFemale Champion, a ewe lamb from Robert Robson, Tofthouse. TheReserve Male title was awarded to the tup lamb from Selby Robsonfrom Yatesfield, he was off a £2200 Highleam, with a mother by a£6200 Townshields. Dan Walton from Troughend took the ReserveFemale Champion with a ewe lamb.

Main sponsors of the event were VG Energy, Aberfeldy Distilleryand United Auctions.

SHEEP NATIONAL SHOW – BLACKFACE

Farming Country – August 2012

Blackface National Show 2012

7Farming Country – August 2012

South SectionClass 1 – Aged Ram1st J Wight &sons, Midllock2nd S. McClymont, Tinnis3rd I.R.S Bond, Glen Gatehouse4th J. Duncan Millar, Remony5th D C & J Marshall Gosland

Class 2 – Shearling1st J Wight & Sons, Midlock2ndTroloss Farms, Trolosss3rd J R MacGregor (Dyke)Ltd., Dyke4th S. McClymont, Tinnis5th A MacGregor, (Allanfauld) Ltd

Class 3 – Tup Lamb1st Heads & McInnes, Aitkenhead2ndGlenrath Farms, Glenrath3rd Messrs. Wm Dunlop, Elmscleugh4th W. Ramsay & Sons, Milmark5th J R MacGregor (Dyke)Ltd., Dyke

Class 4 – Ewe1st J Wight &sons, Midllock2nd T. Renwick & Sons, Blackhouse3rd Heads & McInnes, Aitkenhead4th Andrew Patn & Co., Craig5th W. Ramsay & Sons, Milmark

Class 5 – Gimmer1st W. Ramsay & Sons, Milmark2ndHeads & McInnes, Aitkenhead3rd Burncastle Farming Co.4th T. Renwick & Sons, Blackhouse5th J R MacGregor (Dyke)Ltd., Dyke

Class 6 – Ewe Lamb1st J & F Burns, Craignell2nd Messrs. Wm Dunlop, Elmscleugh3rd Troloss Farms, Trolosss4th J Wight &sons, Midllock5th J & F Burns, Craignell

North SectionClass 7 – Aged Ram1st = Doldy Farms, Doldy

David Nicol, Viewmount 2nd R C Myles & Son, Dalbog3rd Cadogan Estates , Auchnacloch4th Doldy Farms, Doldy5th M Hamiton, Woolfords

Class 8 – Shearling1st M Hamilton, Woolfords2nd T Paterson, Craigneich3rd R & S Duncan, Achdregnie4th T & M Paterson, Craigneich5th R & S Duncan, Achdregnie

Class 9 – Tup Lamb1st David Nicol, Viewmount2nd Anna MacKinnon, Auchnacloch3rd R & S Duncan, Achdregnie4th D Beaton, Newmill of lnshewan5th David Nicol, Viewmount

Class 10 – Ewe1st R & S Duncan, Achdregnie2nd Cadogan Estates, Auchnacloch3rd Cadogan Estates, Auchnacloch4th David Nicol, Viewmount5th R & S Duncan, Achdregnie

Class 11 – Gimmer1st M Hamilton, Woolfords2nd T & M Paterson, Craigneich3rd R & S Duncan, Achdregnie4th Doldy Farms, Doldy5th David Nicol, Viewmount

Class 12 – Ewe Lamb1st T & M Paterson, Craigneich2nd David Nicol, Viewmount3rd Cadogan Estates , Auchnacloch4th R & S Duncan, Achdregnie

North of England SectionClass 13 – Aged Ram1st R A Robson, Toft House2nd Neil Robson, Town Shields

Class 14 – Shearling1st A Murray & Sons, Sewingshields2nd Wanwood Prtns,Wanwood Hill3rd Neil Robson, Town Shields4th Wanwood Prtns, Wanwood Hill5th A Murray & Sons, Sewingshields

Class 15 – Tup Lamb1st Selby Robson, Yatesfield2nd Dan Walton, Troughend3rd Dan Walton, Troughend4th R A Robson, Toft House5th Wanwood Prtns, Wanwood Hill

Class 16 – Ewe1st T A Bates, Nilston Rigg2nd T A Bates, Nilston Rigg3rd A Murray & Sons, Sewingshields4th Wanwood Prtns, Wanwood5th Dan Walton, Troughend

Class 17 – Gimmer1st Wanwood Prtns., Wanwood2nd A Murray & Sons, Sewingshields3rd T A Bates, Nilston Rigg4th Wanwood Prtns., Wanwood5th Selby Robson, Yatesfield

Class 18 – Ewe Lamb1st R A Robson, Toft House 2nd Dan Walton, Troughend3rd Wanwoodhill Ptnrs, Wanwoodhill4th A Murray & Sons, Sewingsheilds5th Dan Walton, Troughend

South Section Champion MaleMidlock (aged tup)Reserve Champion MaleAitkenhead (Tup Ram)Champion FemaleMidlock - EweReserve Female ChampionMilnmark - GimmerOverall ChampionJ Wight & Sons, Midlock with EweReserve Overall ChampionW Ramsay, Milnmark with gimmerBest Bred by ExhibitorJ Wight & Son, Midlock

North SectionChampion MaleWoolfords shearlingReserve Champion MaleViewmount Tup lambChampion FemaleWoolfords GimmerReserve Female ChampionAchdregnie eweOverall ChampionM Hamilton, Woolfords ShearlingReserve Overall ChampionDave Nicol, Viemount – Tup LambBest Bred by ExhibitorWoolfords

North of England SectionChampion MaleSewingshields shearlingReserve Champion MaleYatesfield tup lambChampion FemaleTofthouse ewe lambReserve Female ChampionTroughend ewe lambOverall ChampionSewingshields shearlngReserve Overall ChampionToft House ewe lambBest Bred by ExhibitorSewingshields shearling

8

High protein prices are likely tobe with us for some time andlivestock farmers have to look

critically at the feeds they are purchasing. Soya is of particular concern and has now gone over£400/t; it is getting to the point ofbeing too expensive for most cattleand sheep diets compared to otherprotein sources. Today soyabean mealis around £175 per tonne more thanoilseed rape meal, however, there arevery few alternatives that can supplygood levels of DUP (digestible, un-degradable protein) and energy,particularly when balancing dairy cowdiets based on grass or grass silage.

The only home produced proteinsources available to us in any quantityare oilseed rape meal and distillersgrains from either the drinks industryor, increasingly, bio-fuel plants; but intheir raw state, these ingredients havea relatively low proportion of theirprotein as DUP. This is why in recentyears considerable work has gone intodeveloping processes, which “protect”the protein in rape from digestionwithin the rumen and increasing theproportion of DUP in the finishedproduct.

Long term, there will also beincreasing pressure on food producersto cut their carbon footprint. Thismeans producing milk more efficientlyin terms of carbon emissions by, forexample, increasing milk yield, calvingheifers at two years of age rather thantwo and a half, or using feedstuffswith the lowest carbon footprint.

Soyabean meal has currently beengiven an average carbon footprintvalue of more than 10 times that ofoilseed rape meal. If in future yearswe see a higher proportion of soyagrown on land that was rainforest, thiswill only increase.

National average milk yields haverisen from 6000 litres per cow in2000 to 7400 litres in the 2010/11milk year. As yield per cow increases,so the cow needs a higher proportionof the protein present as DUP to sustain performance, therefore oncurrent trends the need for DUP is

increasing each year.One excellent option is

AminoMax-R (protected rape), manufactured using a patented process,that can be fed at 1.2kg per cow perday, replacing 1kg extracted soya toachieve the same animal performanceat lower cost. At current prices 1.2kgAminoMax-R costs between 15% and20% less than 1kg soya depending onlocation and haulage costs.

Recent trail work confirms thatAminoMax-R production process significantly increases the rumen by-pass protein content of extractedrapeseed, whilst ensuring the proteinremains digestible to the cow.Typically the DUP content is doublethat of unprotected rape extract andis high in Lysine and Methionine,making it the ideal complement tograss silage which is deficient in theseessential amino acids.

“It is important to be aware thatwhen choosing which high proteinfeed to use there are big differencesbetween so called similar products;both in the degree of rumen protection and the digestibility of theby-pass protein,” says Duncan Rose,Chief Technical Officer of CarrsBillington. “A product could have100% protein by-passing the rumenbut if it was indigestible, passingstraight through the intestines, itwould be useless. We knowAminoMax-R performs consistentlywell, both from repeated trial workand successful use on farm over manyyears.”

“There are three different types ofprotection for rapeseed products marketed in the UK. One uses heatalone and the product produced bythis method usually has the lowestdigestible, un-degradable protein content. The second involves chemical treatment, typically usingformaldehyde. As a company, CarrsBillington Agriculture have taken thestance not to market any formaldehyde treated feed productsand prefer to use the third method,using natural materials, which combine sugar and protein in the

presence of heat and steam. Thesugar combines with the proteinreducing its break down in the rumenbut the undegraded protein thatleaves the rumen is still highlydigestible in the small intestine,releasing amino acids for absorptioninto the blood stream. We believethis to be most effective process available in the UK and the finishedproduct is 31.5% protein, with a highDUP content that is over 90%digestible.”

Extensive trial work over severalyears in the USA, South Africa and

Holland as well as here in the UK hasproven this method of protectionworks consistently well.

Typical responses have been anextra litre per cow per day overunprotected rape and lifts in milkprotein and casein have also beenachieved.

Beef animals with the genetics tolay down muscle rapidly can also benefit from the extra DUP and protected rape has been successfullyused to reduce the overall level ofprotein in cattle diets without reducing performance.

DAIRY FEED

AminoMax-ROffers Great ValueCompared to Soya

Farming Country – Issue eighty-five

by Mark

9

Innovative new parlour softwarefeaturing the first milking pointmounted LED colour display

available in the UK will give dairyfarmers new information to help themstreamline dairy cow performance.

The M37LED and iFeed LED systems from milking parlour specialists Vaccar in partnership withPanazoo have been designed to makefull use of the data that can be collected during milking by making itavailable in a real time and highlyvisual form. They can be retro-fittedto any make or configuration of milking parlour. The M37 LED system is based on an ICAR approvedmilk meter with both options allowingindividual cow feeding at each point,along with optional automatic identification and segregation.

“Analysing the information produced when a cow is being milkedcan give a real insight into how she isperforming, her health and how wellthe milking routine is operating,”explains Vaccar director Simon Larner.“Changes in the physical characteristicsof the milk and assessment of milkingspeed can indicate potential problems.By having a display screen on every milking point it is possible to get aquick and visual assessment of performance, allowing prompt andeffective corrective action to be taken.”

The system provides a graph ofmilk flow as each cow is being milked.Mr Larner explains that the 30 secondflow rate is an excellent way to assessthe effectiveness of pre-milking routines and milk let down.Observing flow rates at the end of

DAIRY PARLOUR

NewParlourControlSystem


milking will indicate the extent ofany over and under-milking. Thisdata can help to reduce the physicaldamage to the teat as a result of incorrect milking.

The screen also automatically highlights potential problems bychanging colour if triggered by certain events. The normally bluescreen turns red if milk temperaturedeviates from the norm. High milktemperature is an indicator that thecow’s temperature is elevated whichindicates she is fighting an infection.

The systems include an automaticconductivity reader which turns thescreen yellow if the cell count rises.

“This striking visual approachmeans that problem cows can beidentified sooner, which means problems can be dealt with quicker.

The system also allows gates andshedding gates to be operated fromany point making it simple to separatecows requiring attention.

“Finally the unit helps reduce wearand tear on the milking machine. Itmonitors the length of time the parlour is running the system andflags up when liners need replacing orwhen the parlour needs servicing.Together these will help optimisemilking efficiency and reduce costs.

“As farmers look to increase efficiency to combat the squeeze onmargins, the sooner problems aresorted and the more efficiently cowsare milked the better. The M37LEDand iFeed LED systems provide realtime data which will be invaluable to farmers and vets.”

10

More than 500 dairy farmersfrom across the UK ralliedbehind the urgent need for

dairy farmers to get a fairer milkprice and for dairy farmers to securea stronger negotiating position in thefuture through collaboration.

Farmers from Scotland, England,Wales and Northern Ireland attendedthe rally, held in Lanark Market.

Scottish Cabinet Secretaryfor Rural Affairs, Richard Lochheadand fellow Dairy Coalition partners,Farmers For Action also addressed themeeting, arranged by NFU Scotland.

In recent weeks, milk price cuts proposed by the milk processorsWiseman Muller, Arla and DairyCrest created an unprecedented levelof anger and frustration amongst dairyfarmers. The proposed cuts, althoughrescinded, came on top of price cutspreviously imposed on farmers earlierthis summer.

The price threat sparked concertedaction by the Dairy Coalition – whichincludes NFUS, NFU England andWales, NFU Cymru and Farmers ForAction – at processors and supermarkets

up and down the country. Thisgenerated a huge wave of consumersupport behind calls for farmers toreceive a fair price for their milk.

In addition driving forward milkprices, NFU Scotland is looking todevelop collaboration between farmers to improve their negotiatingposition and has launched a ‘DairyFarmers Together’ initiative to helpdairy farmers to collaborate. Thatwill also enable groups to maximiseany benefits that a new voluntarycode of conduct for the sector, to benegotiated in August, may deliver.That collaborative drive is to be supported by £100,000 fromScottish Government.

Speaking at the meeting, NFUScotland President Nigel Miller said:"The Dairy Coalition deservesimmense credit for what it hasachieved in a few short weeks. Wehave gone from a position of retailershaving no money in the kitty for milkand processors planning cuts to astage where farmers are on a betterfooting.

"However, that is just the start and

Dairy Farmers Unite


work now begins to drive milk pricesto a level this autumn where dairyfarming families can start investing intheir businesses and planning for afuture that involves milking cows.That is what the general public clearly expect processors and retailersto help deliver.

Commenting on the need forgreater collaborative strength and thesupport to be provided by a new dairyfarmer umbrella group called DairyFarmers Together, NFU ScotlandMilk Committee Vice Chairman,Rory Christie said:

"The past two weeks of actionmust galvanise producers into workingtogether to strengthen their hand inthe supply chain. Part of thelong-term solution lies in better collaboration between farmers themselves if we are to avoid beingback manning the barricades in thefuture. Having Scottish Governmentsupport to examine all options is atremendous boost to taking this sector forward.

"We need a definitive long termoutcome not a series of short term

wins. We need to change the wholedairy industry not just a single part sothat we don’t have to keep fightingoutside processors or retailers depotsevery time they decide to steal a bitof our livelihood.

"I am sure we can make a difference and drive change through acollaborative organisation that bringstogether all dairy farmers. Thepresence of English, Welsh andNorthern Irish farmers here todaysuggests the appetite for change isacross the UK. Dairy FarmersTogether can be an umbrella organisation that takes nothing awayfrom the individual organisations butinstead adds to the strength of thewhole.

"I am sure we can make a difference and drive change through acollaborative association, one that canbring together dairy farmers andtheir groups, one that can create adairy industry pricing process that isstable and transparent and one thatmeans we can hand our farms to thenext generation in a much better statethan they are now."

DAIRY MILK

by Bob Carruth, NFUS

11

New Zealand Trials

Bull Sales Rebrand

United Auctions (UA) are torebrand the Perth Bull Sales asthe Stirling Bull Sales.

Scotland’s leading livestock auctioneers and procurement specialists have taken the decision toupdate the Bull Sales’ brand to reflectits Stirling location.

The world-famous event, established in Perth in 1865, takesplace annually in February, May andOctober and attracts more than22,000 UK and international visitorseach year.

The Sales were transferred toStirling in 2009 as part of the company’s amalgamation of its Perthand Stirling businesses into a singlecentre of operation at the new StirlingAgricultural Centre.

While it made sense to retain theinternationally recognised brand atthat time, it has become clear that thename creates misunderstandingregarding where the Sales actuallytake place as well as ambiguity in howto refer to them.

David Leggat, Executive Chairmanof UA, said: “We are incredibly proud

of the Perth element of the Bull Sales’heritage, which is held dear to manypeople, including myself. However,the event has been known anecdotallyas the Stirling Sales since they movedhere nearly three years ago and wefeel the time is right to officiallyadapt the name for clarity of location.”

Bruce Crawford, SNP MSP forStirling said: “Changing the name tothe Stirling Bull Sales makes senseand should help avoid confusion. Ialso feel that this change of namereflects the fact that the Bull Saleshave been a very welcome addition tothe Stirling area in recent years thathave made this area at the very heartof Scotland’s agricultural industry.

“After great success in recent years,I am sure the Stirling Bull Sales willgo from strength to strength in theyears to come.”

The format and all other aspects ofthe Sales will remain the same. Thenew brand comes into immediateeffect with the first, official StirlingBull Sales being the Autumn Salesheld from October 22nd-24th 2012.


In a recent visit to New Zealand,SAC soil specialist Dr Bruce Ballwent from a (then) glorious

Scottish summer to endure recordlow temperatures and dumps of snowin Canterbury in New Zealand’sSouth Island.

He was gathering information onsoil research and KT for SAC’sDairyCo research partnership projectand to contribute his expertise in soiland greenhouse gas measurements ona new long-term experiment on stockgrazing on winter forage at LincolnUniversity.

Public concern about soil qualityand pollution is increasing in NZ asintensive dairying spreads. It is particularly significant in winter asstock are not housed and can causesoils significant poaching damage,especially in wet areas of the SIsland.

In addition it can lead to significant nitrous oxide emissions.These can be mitigated by using nitrification inhibitors, which arestrongly recommended for use ondairy pasture as they also reducenitrate leaching and can increase drymatter production.

The forage experiment at Lincolnis massive – 1.2 km by 0.36 km usingeither kale or fodder beet. Lysimetersand large cores of soil have also beentaken from the site back to LincolnUniversity to allow measurement ofgreenhouse gas emission and nitrateleaching after controlled hoofing andnitrification inhibitor application.

Bruce advised on soil and

greenhouse gas measurements as wellas taking his turn at artificially hoofingthe lysimeters.

While at Lincoln he took theopportunity to test the Subsoil version of the Visual Evaluation ofSoil Structure, which is currentlybeing developed and evaluated in several countries. He also spent sometime with Graham Shepherd ofBioAgriNomics in the North Islandlearning how dairying can succeed atlow levels of nitrogen input by makingmost use of the soil biology. Thisdemands well-adjusted soil chemistryand the addition of natural compoundsto encourage soil microbial activity.

Bruce was struck by the similarityof the pollution and soil problemsbeing faced by the dairy industry inNew Zealand and UK. SAC andLincoln University in particular havemuch more expertise to share anddevelop.

While living in Christchurch, Brucelearned the true meaning of the term‘deconstruction.’ Almost 80% of thecity centre is being demolished andreconstruction is only just starting.Nevertheless there are positives. Thepeople and organisations are learningto co-operate in innovative ways andto work together to recover and to re-develop the city centre from analmost blank sheet.

Within two days of returning toSAC, he was hosting a visit by one ofhis Lincoln University contacts. ProfHong Di visited Crop and SoilSystems and the SAC Dairy ResearchCentre at Crichton.

NEWS NEWS

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12

Quality Meat Scotland (QMS),the public body which worksto improve the efficiency and

profitability of the Scottish red meatindustry, has appointed IanMacDougall as its new TechnicalProjects Manager.

An agriculture graduate from theUniversity of Aberdeen, Ian (46) hasjoined QMS having been employedmost recently as BusinessDevelopment Manager with BiobestLaboratories where he developedtheir cattle health services over theprevious six years.

Ian was brought up on his family’sbeef and sheep upland farm, NetherLinkins, near Castle Douglas withcontinued involvement more recentlyon the family’s unit in Cumbria producing pedigree sheep and cattle.

In the early part of his career heworked with Grampian Country FoodGroup, Highland Glen Producers andMeadow Valley Livestock before gaining wider industry experiencewith Ford Motor Company’s nationalbusiness to business developmentteam.

Ian’s role with QMS will involvemanaging and developing knowledgeexchange activities for the sheep andcattle sectors to maximise businessdevelopment opportunities for thesupply chain.

He will also work on the continueddevelopment of the Monitor Farmand Business Improvement Groups(BIG) programmes as well as focusingon the best routes to communicateinformation from these programmesand research findings in line withQMS’ research and developmentstrategy.

“Ian has a wide knowledge of animal health and livestock as well asrural and general business and I amdelighted to welcome him to theteam,” said Andy McGowan, QMSHead of Industry Development.

“QMS has around 100 researchand development projects on-goingaimed at improving the efficiency andprofitability of the Scottish red meatindustry and I am confident Ian willmake a valuable addition to theorganisation and our delivery of thiswork.”

MacDougall Removals!

Ugg Boot Market Falls to Fleeces!

Lamb Marketing

THE CUTTING EDGE NEWS & MARKETS

Ain overseas sales of the classicAustralian ugg boot has triggered a collapse in global

sheepskin prices and left farmers witha pittance for their once highly prizedhides.

American footwear giant Deckers,the predominant company in theinternational ugg boot market, hasreported a sharp fall in sales growthfor the shoes, prompted by a mildnorthern winter and Europe's economic woes.

Sales of the company's Ugg brandboots slowed markedly in the threemonths to March this year, spurring afall in sheepskin prices by up to 70per cent and signalling a change in fortunes for the global juggernaut,which sold more than $US1.2 billionworth of Ugg shoes last year.

Even the best quality skins, usually

a lucrative by-product for sheep farmers, now fetch as little as $10 apiece, down from $30 during lastyear's peak.

An increase in Australian lambs toslaughter after years of drought hasalso helped push prices down.

There are now stockpiles of skinsand boots as orders from China, havedropped substantially.

Hailed as a wardrobe must-haveugg boots unleashed internationalsales mania eight years ago after beingembraced by celebrities such asOprah Winfrey, who famously bought350 pairs for her staff.

As shops ran dry at the peak of thecraze, bidding for a pair on onlineauction sites topped $US500, and thetrend soon spawned designer collaborations and, more recently,novelty styles such as a wedding range.


The Scottish prime lamb markethas been something of a rollercoaster over the past two

months. Market returns were particularly disappointing during Maybut recovered strongly through Juneto a point where they were just aheadof last year.

However, the first week of Julysaw prices fall sharply and dip backbelow last year’s levels before recovering slightly in the secondweek. With the Muslim holy monthof Ramadan starting on 20th Julythere is some prospect of demandremaining reasonable in the shortterm.

“The variability in the market ismaking it difficult to determine theshort to medium term prospects forlamb producers,” said StuartAshworth, Economist for QualityMeat Scotland.

“A number of elements are influencing the market. New seasonlambs have been slow to arrive on themarket, perhaps not surprising giventhe impact of poor weather ongrowth rates. However, by the endof June the numbers coming forwardwere slightly ahead of last year andalthough auction volumes dipped inearly July the total lamb kill remainsslightly ahead of last year.”

As volumes built and major retailers could be assured of suppliesprices improved, said Mr Ashworthobserving, however, that it is normalfor prices to slide during July as volumes build even more.Nevertheless, he said, it looks likethis week’s price has recovered to alevel very similar to this time last year.

“Evidence from price reportingabattoirs does suggest that the weather has taken its toll on lambquality and the proportion of lambsgrading R3L or better is a couple ofpercentage points lower than lastyear. Meanwhile the price for R2 andR3L lambs has not fallen as farbehind last year as R3H or R4L lambs– in other words the lambs that moreclosely meet the market requirementshave retained their value better thanout of specification lambs.”

The UK market is currently relatively well supplied with lambs

and so too is Ireland. Lamb slaughterings in Ireland are runningahead of last year by about 10%, perhaps not surprising given theincrease in breeding ewe numbersreported in the Irish December census. Furthermore, there arereports of more plentiful supplies ofSpanish and Portuguese lambs on theFrench market. So not only is theUK market reasonably well suppliedwith lamb, so too is our main exportmarket. Furthermore, French producers are currently receiving2.5% less than they did last year whileSpanish producers are getting 4-5%less making the export market muchtougher even before unfavourableSterling exchange rate movements areconsidered.

A further complication on thelamb market is the influence of skinvalues which, have taken a tumbleover the past quarter. “Sheepskinprices have fallen globally and whileScottish sheepskin prices may nothave fallen the 60% reported inAustralia they are certainly well belowyear earlier levels. While the generalglobal economic gloom continuessheepskin prices are not expected torecover,” he observed.

Turning to the demand side of theequation the latest UK marketresearch information suggests somemodest improvement in consumerdemand for lamb. Although over thepast year household purchases oflamb have fallen in volume terms,data for the most recent four weeksinto early June showed a modestincrease in volume. That increase wasthe result of increased purchases ofleg roasts, which may reflect weatherconditions or some heavy discountingto clear the market, but it is a start.

“The average retail price of lambduring May was reported around 6.7%higher than 12 months ago while theaverage beef retail price increased16%. Lamb may remain expensivebut it’s relative price position againstbeef has improved. The challenge forthe industry is to build on this modestimprovement in consumer demand soas to sustain producer prices at current levels in the face of a slightlybetter supplied market.”

13

MONITOR FARM LIVESTOCK FARMERS


The Kintyre monitor farm groupdonned life jackets and set sailfrom Campbeltown to

Stranraer for their most recent meeting to seek information on a low-cost out-wintered suckler cowsystem, which was also productiveand easily managed.

Their destination was DrumdowFarm, north of Stranraer, a 465 acreunit farmed by, Robert Parker, whofrom 2004 - 2007 was theWigtownshire Monitor Farmer, part ofthe national programme led by QMS.

Over the last 15 years Robert hasdeveloped a closed, spring calvingsuckler herd of 180 “Black Baldies,” arotational cross of Hereford andAberdeen Angus, selling the femaleprogeny for breeding, with the steerssold store.

Kintyre monitor farmer, DuncanMacalister, runs 140 predominantlyspring calving Aberdeen Angus cows,on his 1,730 acre Glenbarr Farms,just north of Campbeltown, with allprogeny, other than retained females,finished. Until last year onlyAberdeen Angus bulls were used.

Having read of Robert Parker’sBlack Baldie enterprise, Duncaninvested £5,200 in a Hereford bull in2011 with high maternal trait figures,with the intention of breeding femalereplacements with milk, hybridvigour, fertility, ease of calving andmanagement, and crucially – capableof out-wintering on his coastal, sandyfields. The first calves of Ervie L1Achiever 91161F, were born thisspring.

“It will be at least two and a halfyears before I will wean calves frommy first Hereford cross heifers, whichwill give an indication as to whetheror not I have done the right thing,”commented Duncan.

“So the chance to visit Robert’sherd, see the environment they livein, how they’re managed and withtheir calves at foot, was a great opportunity!”

The community group travelledthrough several Drumdow fields ofcows with their spring-born calves atfoot, with either a Hereford or AAbull running with them. Robertexplained that to maintain hybridvigour, any female with a Herefordpassport is put to an Aberdeen Angusbull, and all females on AberdeenAngus passports go to a Hereford.

To ensure tight calving, the bulls,which are semen tested prior to use,stay in for twelve weeks. Anyfemales not in calf at weaning areculled. “This helps to lift the naturalfertility of the herd,” explainedRobert. “This year 90% of the cowscalved within the first six weeks.And as I sell the progeny in groups,the tight calving gives me an evenlygrown calf crop to draw from.

“When selecting bulls I look forhigh maternal EBV figures, withemphasis on milk and daughter calving ease. Physically, in particular Ilook for length – a lengthy breedingfemale has plenty of room for her calfto develop inside her and a lengthybeef animal has far more frame onwhich to hang the meat!”

Mature cow weight target is 600 to650 kgs, with heifers aimed to calveat two years old.

The first Black Baldies arrived atDrumdow in 1997. Prior to thatRobert had sourced continental crossheifers from his brother’s neighbouring dairy unit and crossedthem with continental bulls.

“My brother’s decision to increasethe Holstein influence, in pursuit ofhigher milk yields, resulted in poorer

quality heifers for my beef herd. Sothings had to change.”

“I was keen to close my herd tominimise disease risks, while retaininghybrid vigour, so needed to work withtwo breeds, which would complimenteach other, with neither beingextreme. Ease of management wasalso important, along with the abilityto thrive on a mainly forage diet. Andwith no cow winter accommodation,the cows needed to be able to out-winter. I found the Black Baldieticked all the boxes.”

In November the cows and calvesare turned onto 120 acres of roughgrazing, divided into 20 to 25 acreblocks with electric fencing. Thisarea provides good natural shelter anda month later the calves are weanedwith the calves staying indoors. Aftera couple of days “cooling off ” at thebuildings, during which time the cowsare pregnancy diagnosed and bolused,they return to over-winter on the roughgrazing, where they receive silage.

During his monitor farm termRobert had experienced some “scepticism” from the communitygroup regarding his policy of “turningback the clock” to two seemingly oldfashioned native breeds as the geneticentirety of his breeding herd. At thetime half of the cows were still continental crosses, with Charolaisterminal sires used over all cows.

Monitor farm analysis of the

Black BaldiesImpressby Carol McLaren

comparative figures for Charolaiscrosses from the two dam breeds,however, silenced the doubters.

Prior to weaning, the steers grew atthe same rate (1.3 kg/day DLWG).Aided by a better calving percentage,the Black Baldie progeny grossed substantially more kilos of weaned calfweight than the calves from the continental crosses.

The heifers out of the Black Baldiedams had finished 42 days earlier(531 days v 573), with a deadweightof 4 kgs heavier (307 kgs v 303). TheBlack Baldie cows also required considerably less feed.

For the last few years, no continental bulls have been used atDrumdow, with Robert now concentrating on producing BlackBaldie breeding heifers. Breedingfemale numbers have increased from150 to 180. Ewe numbers have consequently been cut back from 520to 300.

From the 2011 calf crop, all butone of the heifers were either retainedor sold for breeding, with the majorityselling for £1,200 per head at 13months, and the last ten cashing for£1,000. The 84 steers were sold storethrough UA at Stirling, at just under ayear old. Weighing between 380 –385 kgs, they averaged £825.00 perhead.

The next Kintyre monitor farmmeeting will be in early September.

14

Strong GB forward prices andgood planting conditions inEngland have driven up total GB

planted area by 3% for harvest 2012,although recent wet weather has castdoubts over final yields, according toAHDB Market Intelligence.

The AHDB HGCA 2012 PlantingSurvey shows that total GB area forwheat, barley, oats and oilseed rapefor this harvest is estimated at3.810M hectares, up 3% on 2011 andsimilar to levels seen in 2008. Thesearea gains are likely to have comefrom reductions in other crops such aspulses.

AHDB HGCA Senior Analyst JackWatts said: “Strong GB forward pricesat planting time, combined with goodplanting conditions in England aremost likely to be behind the increasein planted area. Although Scotlandsaw a wet autumn, the weather wasmuch more favourable in March thisyear, which enabled farmers to plantmore spring barley in place of winterwheat.”

“However, weather for developingcrops has been poor over recentweeks, with low sunshine levels andhigh rainfall during the critical grainfilling period. As a result, uncertaintyremains around yields.

“This is particularly true for oilseedrape, which has seen record GB planting levels which may not translate into record production.”

According to this year’s AHDBHGCA Variety Survey, which wascarried out at the same time, 17% ofthe GB wheat area is estimated to beplanted to nabim Group 1 varieties,9% to Group 2, 21% to Group 3 and52% to Group 4. Comparing 2012 to2011, at the GB level, the area shareamongst the four nabim Groups is relatively static with a decline inGroup 2 and an increase in Group 3this year. However, care must betaken when comparing to 2011 dataas steps have been taken this year toimprove methodology.

Regional variation in varieties islarge – mainly as a result of increasingspecialisation in the English regions.

For barley, 67% of the GB area isestimated to be planted to maltingtype varieties. DK-Cabernet and

Excalibur appear to be the most popular GB oilseed rape varieties,accounting for an estimated 21% and12% of the GB area respectively.

WheatThe GB wheat area for harvest

2012 is estimated to be 2.002Mhectares, up 2% on 2011 and thehighest level since 2008 when2.068M hectares were planted. Withthe exception of the North West andEast Midlands, all English regionsshow an increase in wheat area.

In Scotland, the wheat area isestimated to be 6% lower than therecord 115k hectares planted forharvest 2011 at 108k hectares. Thisis the lowest area since 2009 and islikely to be a result of the wetautumn conditions that made plantingdifficult.

Oilseed rape (OSR)The GB OSR area for harvest 2012 isestimated to be 712k hectares, up 5%on 2011 and a new record. This isthe second consecutive year the crophas posted a record area as strongglobal oilseed prices has made OSRincreasingly competitive against otherbreak crops as well as cereals.

However, the record area of 2012may not translate into record production as crops have been subjected to poor weather conditionsin recent weeks.

Against the GB trend, the ScottishOSR area is seen 6% lower at 36khectares, again driven by the poorautumn planting conditions.However, this is the same area asgrown for harvest 2010.

Total barleyThe total GB barley area for

harvest 2012 is estimated to be up 5%on 2011 at 986k hectares. This is historically low and remains beneaththe 1M hectares mark that was common place pre-2005 and seenagain in 2008 and 2009.

Winter BarleyThe GB winter barley area for

harvest 2012 is estimated to be 5%higher on 2011 at 368k hectares.However the 2012 area is historicallylow – the second smallest area behind2011. The Scottish winter barley areais estimated to be 4% lower at 44khectares, a record low and likely to

have been driven by the difficultplanting conditions of autumn 2011.

In England, area increases are estimated in the North East, Eastern,South East and South West regions.Attractive malting premiums at planting, relatively strong feed barleyprices against feed wheat, a desire formore home-produced feed / animalbedding and the attraction of a widerharvest window are all possible reasons behind the increase in winterbarley area.

Spring BarleyThe GB spring barley area for

harvest 2012 is estimated at 618khectares. This represents the highestlevel since 2009 when 718k hectaresof spring barley were grown in GB.The strong 2009 area was fuelled bywet conditions in the autumn of 2008across GB, which diverted land tospring cropping.

Scotland is the main driver in thespring barley area increase. TheScottish spring barley area is estimated to be 301k hectares, up16% on 2011 and a new record. Themain driver is likely to have been thewet Scottish autumn in 2011, diverting land from winter to springcropping. Continuing optimism indistilling demand may also have beena contributory factor. Based on theseestimates, Scotland now accounts for49% of the GB spring barley area, upfrom 44% in 2011.

In England, the spring barley areais estimated 4% lower at 303khectares, but still above the 2010level (266k hectares). With theexception of the North West andSouth West, all English regions showdeclines in spring barley areas. Thisdecline was likely to have been drivenby the good autumn conditions in ‘11,which enabled farmers to plant wintercrops at the expense of spring areas.

OatsThe GB oat area for harvest 2012

is estimated at 110k hectares, up 4%on 2011. However despite beinghigher than 2011, the area is historically low. The increase in 2012may have been driven by an increasein the number of growing contractsavailable as well as strong pricesfuelled by domestic supply concerns.

ARABLE 2012 PLANTINGS

GB Planted Area up but Yields UncertainHigher feed prices are imminent andwill heap more costs onto what hasbecome an expensive summer for livestock producers in NorthernIreland. Over the last few weeks anon-going drought in the USA, coupledwith wet weather in Britain, hasforced the price of grains and oilseeds to new highs.

Soyabean meal, the main proteinsource in local livestock rations, isbeing quoted at just under £400 pertonne - an increase of nearly £100 pertonne in three months. With barleyat around £200 per tonne and wheatat £215 per tonne, the immediateprospects for rations are not encouraging.

Some compounders are looking atprice increases next week, with dairyrations likely to be hit first. Pricerises of £6 to £12 per tonne are possible, with the bigger rises forhigher protein rations.

Sources in the feed trade maintainthat most companies have very littleraw material bought forward, meaningthat they are increasingly beingexposed to the higher prices.

Just how quickly they all have tostep into the market and buy productwill depend on how long currentstocks (and the bad weather) lasts.There are also reports that somestraights are not currently available tofarmers to buy at any price, as thefeed trade is holding what they have.

In a recent press release, the bodyrepresenting the local feed trade (theNI Grain Trade Association - NIGTA)described the outlook for feed pricesas "grim". They pointed to a surge indemand for US soya beans as drivingsoya prices and indirectly driving theprice of other protein sources such asrape meal, distillers' grains and corngluten.

According to NIGTA, theprospects for the coming soya harvestin the US are poor with much of thecrop suffering stress from hot, dryweather in the principal growing areas.

The dry weather is also having animpact on the US maize crop, forcingcompounders to look towards feedwheat as an alternative, and drivingwheat prices up.

In Europe, grain harvests have beendelayed by variable weather and themarkets have firmed in response toconcerns about the harvest and thelate arrival of new crop material. Thisis particularly the case in Britainwhere delays due to the wet weatherhave meant that no new crops areavailable, thereby forcing up theprices of old crops.


The Crop Protection Association(CPA) has welcomed the publication of a major

international report highlighting theimportance of agricultural science andtechnology in meeting the world’sburgeoning demands for food, feedand fuel.

The latest OECD-FAOAgricultural Outlook report, releasedearlier this week, concludes that agricultural production must increaseby 60% over the next 40 years tomeet the rising global demand forfood. This equates to an extra 1Btonnes of cereals and 200M tonnes ofmeat per year by 2050 compared with2005/07 levels.

Additional production will also berequired to provide feedstock for anexpanding biofuel market set to consume an estimated 16% of oilseedoutput, 14% of cereals and 34% ofsugar cane by 2021.

But with less than 5% more arableland available to bring into production, and 25% of existing farmland already degraded, theOECD-FAO report concludes thatincreasing crop productivity on existing farmland will be essential tocontain food price rises and reducefood insecurity.

Welcoming the OECD-FAOreport’s central conclusion that accessto yield-enhancing technologies suchas crop protection and advanced plantbreeding methods will be critical todelivering these productivity gains,CPA Chairman Stephen Henning

endorsed the call for Governmentsworldwide to create the right commercial, technical and regulatoryenvironment for the development andadoption of agricultural innovation.

“The challenge of feeding a growing world population, in the faceof weather-related variability, pricevolatility and increasing pressure onfinite natural resources, will requirean integrated approach to the ‘sustainable intensification’ of globalagriculture. This report underlinesthe importance of controlling pestsand diseases using modern pesticideproducts, and warns that currentannual losses of between 26% and40% of the world’s potential crop production could double without theuse of crop protection practices.”

“The contribution of advancedplant breeding techniques, and thesignificance of biotech crops as themost rapidly adopted crop technologyin modern agriculture, are also high-lighted in the report, not only as thebasis for sustainable yield and farmincome gains, but also as a route todeveloping more climate resilient andresource-efficient crop varieties.

“Access to such advances will beessential to address the global foodsecurity and sustainable developmentchallenges, and we welcome thereport’s recognition of the need forscience-based regulation, effectiveintellectual property protection, and aprogressive R&D agenda to supportthe required growth in sustainableagricultural productivity.”

15

ARABLE POTATOES /CPA

Vital Role of Hi-tech Ag

More to Potatoes ThanMeets the Eye

Potato Council has been workingwith the supply chain to developa new approach for the fresh

retail sector. This key marketaccounts for one third of the GBcrop. Central to the strategy is showing shoppers that there’s more topotatoes than meets the eye; helpingthem to understand the differenttastes and textures, rather than justfocusing on skin finish.

Head of communications forPotato Council, Sharon Hall, said:“This is an opportunity to directresearch to address what consumerswould like to see in the market place.Helping them get ‘under the skin’ ofpotatoes and make purchase decisionsbased on more than just size or visualappearance. The first step is tounderstand how agronomy impacts onthe different taste and texture characteristics, which will then enableus to focus on meeting consumer

needs profitably.”What is clear is that this is a real

opportunity for the GB industry tolead the way in driving fresh potatosales and delivering value for theentire supply chain, right back to thefarm gate. It has been backed by ayear’s worth of research that provesthere is a real shopper-need – 85% ofshoppers want to understand moreabout potatoes and nine out of 10would find a simple classification tohelp them choose, useful.

Head of marketing, Caroline Evans,added: “This strategy will build astronger connection between con-sumers and potatoes; educating themby highlighting taste and texture withsimple, shopper-led signposting. Acommon language will provide a clearer understanding of the widerange of varieties and promote consistency across the category, thereby encouraging shoppers to

‘trade up’. “This has the potential to drive up

the value of the industry. Increasingthe average cost per kilogramme paidby the shopper by just 1p, would addup to £8.7m over the course of a year.Perhaps more importantly, building astronger relationship with consumerswill help ensure long term loyalty anddemand for potatoes.”

The first week in October will bethe launch pad for consumer focusedactivity. A nationwide advertising

campaign is set to reach an audienceof 10million, supported by over 100regional sampling days, the distribution of 500,000 leaflets and astrong online presence. Suppliers to the processing sector canuse the Week to raise campaign mes-sages when talking about the highspecification potatoes they produce.Working together as an industry wecan show consumers that there ismore to potatoes than meets theeye!”


16

Not Such a Glorious 12th!


ATV KAWASAKI

Aweek with a KawasakiKVF650 on farm was anabsolute pleasure. An ‘armchair

with grunt,’ was how husband Richarddescribed it. It certainly lives up toit’s name in the USA – Brute Force.

Comfort came top of the list withthe Kawasaki KVF650 – it probablyrates the highest of all the quads thatI have trialled so far. Power was aclose second – it could fair shift onboth farm roads and tarred countrylanes. Teamed with the ability toleave a light foot-print over sensitiveterrain, this quad is the ideal farmwork horse and run around.

Features include: a belt servicewarning system, which warns therider of impending belt failure or

excessive belt wear and reducesengine power until the problem is corrected; manual override of reversing speed limiter for steep gradients and heavy loads; handy electrical outlets at the front (120w)and rear (60w); selectable 2WD/4WD; limited slip differential fornegotiating hills and slippery surfaces– a real benefit by supplying powerto the wheel that is able to providethe most traction. High mudguarddesign emphasises the large wheeltravel and underscores this model’sexcellent off-road capabilities.

Retailed at £6559 the KawasakiKVF650 is a sound investment to addto any farm fleet.

According to Savills, despite disappointing grouse counts following the wettest summer

on record, there are glimmers of hopefor a sector which contributes in theregion of £25 million to the Scottisheconomy each year.

Roddy Willis of Savills RuralDepartment said: “There will certainly be pain this season for theshooting sector and for the economyas a whole. The appalling summerweather has taken its toll on a newgeneration of grouse and many chickshave perished. However hen birdswho were put off their nests in Mayfollowing torrential rain have laidagain, and late broods are apparentamong this year’s counts. This maywell allow for late shooting on somemoors towards the end of Septemberand into October.

“In addition, grouse have an

extraordinary ability to bounce back ifallowed to breed. Thankfully, sensible decisions are now being madeby estate owners to cancel or adjustshooting programmes. Bear in mind,if 100 brace are left alone to breed inpairs a further 400 brace could beadded to the stock next year.”

Grouse reports vary from onegrouse moor to the next throughoutScotland. Rory Galloway of Savillssaid: “Counts in the Lammermuirsand parts of the Borders and SouthWest Scotland have been encouragingand most shooting programmesremain intact. However, inPerthshire, Aberdeenshire, parts ofInverness-shire and in Angus Glens,where there has been an impressiverevival over the past five years,rumours of cancellations and reducedshooting programmes are now beingsubstantiated.”

Kawasaki King

17

John Deere Financial hasannounced a new interest-freefinance programme for Gator 4x4

utility vehicles.UK customers may order any new

HPX or XUV Gator model fromtheir John Deere dealer at any timeuntil 30th September 2012. Theoffer is for 2 + 22 monthly paymentsat zero per cent interest, with theamount financed limited to 60 percent of the retail value.

John Deere manufactures thewidest range of utility vehicles in theindustry. The four-wheel drive HPXand XUV Gator utility vehicles areruggedly designed for a wide range oftransporting, loading, hauling, dumping and general materials handling duties, especially in

challenging off-road conditions.Options include fully enclosed

cabs, a wide range of tyres, a roadhomologation kit, rear hitch, utilitytrailer, front and rear blades and awinch. Other manufacturers also sella number of specialist attachments tofurther increase the Gator’s versatility; these include seeders,sprayers, spreaders, trailers, linemarkers, snow blowers, containersand tool holders.

Other credit profiles are availableon request, and the availability offinance is subject to status and toterms and conditions – further detailsare available at:

www.JohnDeere Financial.co.uk orfrom John Deere dealers nationwide.

New 4x4 Gator Finance

Lanarkshire Monitor Farm

ATV JOHN DEERE


ASouth Lanarkshire farm, runwith minimal Single FarmPayment, has been appointed

as the first Clyde Monitor Farm.Carstairs Mains near Carstairs, run

by Andrew Baillie (32), was selectedfrom a strong line-up of applicants tobe the area’s first Monitor Farm, supported by QMS and the ScottishGovernment’s Skills DevelopmentScheme.

Mr Baillie has been running the650 acre farm for two years with hiswife Jen and the couple have twoyoung children, Rachel and Cameron.The unit includes 215 acres of grassand 150 acres of woodland along with200 acres of spring barley, 20 acres of

fodder beet, 13 acres of winter wheatand 10 acres of chicory.

The business runs 75 suckler cows,which go to Limousin and British Bluebulls, with the Blue cross heifers keptas replacements and the remainingheifers sold as stores. The bull calvesare left entire and fattened for bullbeef.

Mr Baillie also buys in 150 dairybull calves from two local farmers –his brother William and Alan Trainer.All the bulls are finished and solddirect to Scotbeef at 10-12 monthsand 550kgs.

The 200 head sheep enterprise is acombination of commercial and pedigree animals – 100 pure Beltex

ewes, 30 pure Texels and 40 Beltexcross Texel ewes. Both flock and herdare operated on a closed basis, withonly bulls and tups bought in. MrBaillie previously rented EastYardhouses Farm at Carnwath beforebuying Carstairs Mains two years ago.

He said he was “over the moon”the farm had been selected. “I firstheard about Monitor Farms when Iwas working in New Zealand 10 yearsago and I was impressed with what Isaw over there.

“Since then I’ve been keeping aneye on how the programme has beendeveloping in Scotland so I wasdelighted when I heard about theopportunity to get involved in our area.

“I’m very open to suggestions onhow we could do things better andI’m hoping my whole farm will benefit. We’re farming with minimalSingle Farm Payment so it’s difficultto make a profit and I’m certainly upfor trying any new ideas which couldimprove farm profitability.”

Mr Baillie is also keen to takeadvantage of new technology. “We’veintroduced EID into our cattle herd

and we’ve really seen the benefits itcan deliver with the bull beef side ofour business, where we now havemuch more feedback on performance.”

Two SAC facilitators have alsobeen appointed to support the ClydeMonitor Farm – Grant Conchie basedat Lanark and Raymond Crerar fromthe Ayr office.

“The aim of the Monitor Farm is toimprove the profit of the businessinvolved, as well as improving theprofitability of those who are members of the community group, byclose examination and trial of newideas in key enterprises in the business.

“Peer review and knowledgeexchange are hugely important to theprocess and ultimately we aim to seesmarter farm businesses that havelearnt from participating in the project,” said Ian MacDougall,Technical Projects Manager, QMS.The impetus to set up the Clyde project, as well as the Forth MonitorFarm, which is due to be announcedvery soon, came from members ofNFU Scotland’s Forth and Clydebranches.

www.farmingscotland.com

Spotlight on SkiptonRick, by Tan Hill-based Alec Baines’Rick, out of Gem, from J B Fothergill,Hawes.

Already a dual nursery trial winnerbefore progressing to becomeNorthumberland nursery championand Northumberland v DurhamInterclub runner-up, the full bother toJim Cropper’s Yorkshire nursery andopen champion Max found a newhome north of the border with BrianRoss, of Mid Gruinards Farm, Ardguy,Sutherland. Hill farmer Mr Ross, whobreeds Cheviot and Hebridean sheep,plans to use his new acquisition forboth work and trial. “I am delightedwith him – he is just the type I like.”

Also selling at 2,700gns (£2,835)was a much younger entrant, the 12-month-old red and white dog,Highgate Glen (by R Saxon’sCammen Rip, out of WG Hallam’sHarriot) from South Yorkshire‘sDerek Cheetham, who is a shepherdon the Broomhead Estate, Sheffield.

The buyer was Trevor Smith, who,though now semi-retired, continues tobreed sheep near the west coast ofLancashire at Pilling.

Mist, March, 2011, home-bred tri-coloured bitch from Scotland’s JHWeir, of Inverhayle, Argyll2,000gns (£2,100).

With a total entry of 83 dogs andpups forward, registered broken dogssold to 5,000gns and to an overallaverage of £2,302, the highest forsome time and well up on the £1,905average achieved at the last sale inMay. Registered part-broken dogs soldto 1,500gns (av £1,010), unregisteredbroken dogs to 2,300gns (av £1,319),unregistered part-broken dogs to500gns, registered pups to 1,000gns(av £390) and unregistered pups to200gns (av £150).Skipton’s next seasonal working sheepdog sale is scheduled for Oct 26.

and who figured prominently as thesire of other high-priced dogs sold onthe day.

It was Mr Richards’ best-ever performance in terms of price at theNorth Yorkshire venue. He said theachievement was even more fulfilling,as he had only been working withMarchup Sam for a little over amonth. While he sold locally and willbe used as both a work and trials dog,the buyer requested anonymity.

In addition, Mr Richards made3,500gns (£3,675) with his two-yearblack and white bitch Poppy, whofound a new home in Aberdeenshire.Poppy is also by Mr Owen’s Roy, outof Maddie, bred in Caton, Lancashire,by Tom Huddleston, secretary andtreasurer of the English NationalSheep Dog Trials.

Beverley Fort’s 1,000gns bitch pupMarchup Roxy was also bred inSilsden by Andrew Throup. She is adaughter of his Jace, while the sire isStaff, from J Richardson, who hasproduced many winning trials dogs.

The same parents were alsoresponsible for Mr Throup’s 2011/12Yorkshire champion Bob and Roxy’snew owner, Tracey Sutherland, ofCaithness, is hopeful her smart acquisition will also go to prove herself on the trials field in nextyear’s nurseries. Tracey, a relativenewcomer to the trials arena, hadmade the 16-hour return journeyfrom her home near John O’Groats,where she and her father John raise

Skipton Auction’s Mart’s summersale of working sheep dogs produced two outstanding

successes – the second highest pricein the world ever paid at an officialsale, plus a four-figure price for a pupunder six months.

Lancastrian Shaun Richards, ofWatson Laithe Farm, Hapton,Burnley, achieved the first feat with a15-month-old black and white dogthat made 5,000 guineas, or £5,250,while Beverley Fort, of BrightonHouse Farm, Steeton, Keighley, sold afive-and-a-half-months-old brown andwhite bitch pup for 1,000gns.

Mr Richards’ classy dog MarchupSam, an excellent prospect for the trials field, achieved the top call onthe day by far. The world recordprice, also set at Skipton in Februarylast year, is 6,000gns, or £6,300, for a13-month-old tri-coloured bitch,Dewi Fan, sold by North Yorkshire’sJohn Bell, of Parks Farm, Selby.

The previous world record price of4,900gns was also jointly achieved atSkipton several years ago by two dogs– another from John Bell and a secondfrom then World Sheep Dog Trialschampion, Welshman Aled Owen, ofPenyfed, Corwen, Denbighshire.

Marchup Sam was bred locally byAndrew Throup, of Silsden. Her damis Calderdale Sue, while the sire isAled Owen’s Roy, with whom he wonthe International Sheep Dog Societyorganised World Trials in 2008 andthe 2007 International Supreme –

Charolais cattle and Blackface sheep.The second highest price of the

day at 3,800gns (£3,990) fell to anexciting nursery prospect, HillmoorBlu, a 22-month-old tri-colouredbitch from Skipton sale debutant JohnAtkinson, who is shepherd on theEscrick Park Estate near York, ownedby renowned conservationist andsporting gun Charlie Forbes-Adams.

Through his White Rose SheepDogs operation, Mr Atkinson is awell-known trainer of trial dogs andhas been responsible for two ScottishNational champions and anInternational champion. He also sellsdogs extensively across Europe, Japanand America.

Blu is yet another product of MrOwen’s prolific sire Roy, out of S EMobberley’s Irwell Mika, whose ownsire Sid is a former World Sheep DogTrials runner-up in the hands of trialing legend Jim Cropper.

Mr Atkinson said he was “extremelypleased” when selling his first-everSkipton dog to regular buyer JoeMcRobert, of Cheviot Sheepdogs,based in the Scottish Borders atFingland, near Biggar, Lanarkshire.

The penultimate dog to take to thetrials field sold for the day’s thirdhighest price of 3,300gns (£3,465).The 18-month-old red and whitebitch, by Alistair Lyttle’s Jack, waspresented by Ireland’s Brian White, ofDermotstown, Dublin.

Another late runner, Moss, aSeptember, 2010-born home-bredblack and white dog from Weshman BWilliams, of Bryn Amlwg, Bridgend,made 3,000gns (£3,150) when joiningArthur Temple, of Holmrook inCumbria, a regular buyer at Skipton.

Northumbrian breeder Tony Ilsey,of Shirlaw Hope Farm, near Alnwick,achieved 2,700gns (£2,835) with his23-month-old black and white dog


AUCTION ACTION SKIPTON DOG SALE

by Robin Moule

19

production tractor on the market,almost all variants from theQuadtrac’s 16-year history were inthe 50-strong field.

“We were delighted to help HelenRainthorpe with her idea and do whatwe could to help generate as muchmoney as possible for a very important cause,” said Mr Blessley. “Itwas a fantastic day and a great tributeto all the hard work she has put in.To have Quadtrac owners travel fromso far and with such an array ofmachines, at such a busy time of year,is a great illustration of the generosityand spirit of the people involved inUK agriculture.”

Most importantly, donations fromentrants and those visiting to watchthe spectacle took the amount raisedfor Cancer Research UK to more than£20,000. Further information on theQuadtrac Record and the CancerResearch UK funds it was set up toraise can be found at www.quadtracrecord.co.uk.

environmentally-friendly way, MrRainthorpe was a keen proponent ofthe Case IH Quadtrac, well-knownfor its soil-protecting, fuel-efficientproperties as the only pivot-steered,rubber-tracked, high-horsepower tractor available.

Because of her farm’s long-terminvolvement with Quadtracs and herfather’s respect for the design, MissRainthorpe decided last year to createa working gathering of the machines,with the aim of raising funds fromentrants and visitors to make a significant donation to CancerResearch UK. A programme oforganisation, advertising and charitycollection, which began six monthsago started the process of fundraisingand signing up entrants and this culminated in the record gathering.

Fifty Quadtracs from as far afieldas Wiltshire and Aberdeenshire werehauled to the site near the familyfarm and lined up in an impressivearray in front of over 3,000 visitors.At exactly 1.30pm, their drivers, each

Case IH Quadtrac owners fromacross the UK gave up one ofthe summer’s best harvest

days to gather their machines in a single Lincolnshire field on July 28and help raise more than £20,000 forCancer Research UK, in the processsetting a new Guinness World Recordfor the largest number of such tractors simultaneously at work.

The event was the brainchild ofNeil Maddison and Helen Rainthorpe,of JJR Farms, based at Welton Cliff,near Lincoln. Tractor driver MrMaddison has operated Quadtracs forJJR Farms for many years, and MissRainthorpe, after forgoing her careerin teaching to manage her family’sbusiness upon the premature deathfrom cancer of her father, John, twoyears ago, decided with Mr Maddisonupon a unique way of marking MrRainthorpe’s memory and raisingfunds for research into the disease.

Well-known for his forward thinking on using the latest technologyto grow crops in a cost-effective yet

with their machine coupled to someform of cultivator, fired up theirmachines and travelled away from thecrowds to the opposite end of thefield, whereupon they turned, lowered their implements and powered towards their audience forseven minutes and 47 seconds in awall of engine roar, blaring horns andblazing headlights.

That time total ensured a newentry into the Guinness Book ofWorld Records, as adjudicated by arepresentative from the publisher, andHelen Rainthorpe was presented witha certificate to that effect. Eachentrant was given a replica of the certificate, and 1/32 scale modelQuadtracs were awarded by Case IHmarketing manager Charles Blessleyto the drivers of the oldest,highest-houred and furthest-travelledmachines. With representative tractors from the earliest models ofthe mid 1990s up to the latestQuadtrac 600, the most powerful

QuadtracRecord


*∑ Fifty Case IH Quadtracs come together in one field* High-hp tracked tractors converge on Lincs farm from as far away as Wilts

and Aberdeenshire* Cultivate land for almost eight minutes to set working record

MACHINERY RECORD

WA GEDDESRiver StreetWick KW1 5EBtel: 01955 60 22 07

Croft Bank Garage, Brora, KW9 7LW

tel: 01408 62 12 20Thomas Cairnie & Son Ltd

Duncow SmithyKirkmahoe, DG1 1TEtel: 01387 [email protected]

LetterFrom Skye

20

It was with a sigh of relief that Iwoke to find the ground whitewith snow. The wind has been so

cold and biting that snow could bethe only outcome.

At the moment our good weatheris behind us. In the middle ofFebruary we escaped from the snowand gales which had been our winterfare and the weather became mild.For March, for nearly a fortnight,temperatures were much above normal and winter seemed to drop along way behind. Naturally thatcould not last and this spell ofnortherly winds and frosts at nightswill have given stock a setback, butthe ewes should, on the whole, reachlambing time in much better condition than they were in last year.Out-wintered cattle too, are in fairlygood heart with only some six weeksto go.

Wintering has been more plenitfuland there should be enough all roundto see us through. People have takenadvantage of the dry weather to getploughing done and that is well forward for the time of year.

LAND SETTLEMENTI wonder why it is that successive

Governments have taken so littleinterest in land settlement schemes.Land settlement is the policy of theOpposition and the pious hope ofthose in power but, beyond paying itlip service, they do nothing at allabout it.

The last land settlement schemeswere undertaken by the D.O.A.S. inthe ‘twenties – now over 30 yearsago and soon to become matters ofhistory and legend. Estates were thenbroken up, people were brought fromovercrowded to half-empty places andon the whole, these schemes havebeen successful. They have arresteddepopulation, at least for a time, perhaps altogether.

Then, why stop? Is it becausethere are now no empty glens orstraths needing new blood? There areindeed, but for one reason or anotherthey are closed to crofters. Is itbecause there is now no overcrowdingin the islands? This too is not so.There are still very many clinging totwo or three acres of barren soil whomight successfully be moved to mainland glens. Thirty years ago thecrofters built their own houses andsteadings with the help of localtradesmen. Living standards, howevertend to go up and men (and possiblyeven more so their wives) would prefer to take over a holding alreadyequipped.

What, then, happens? It becomesknown (after the last war) that theDepartment will now put in orderand rent holdings at equipped rents.So we wait and wait and at last, atthe end of 1951, one equipped holding is ready and the tenant goesin. It is an excellent holding on someof the best land in Skye. It has abungalow house fitted for easy working and enough to bring tears ofenvy to any ordinary housewife’s eyes.The steadings are grand and justbehind them lies a sheep fank,admirably planned for easy handlingof the flock.

Well this is all excellent and thenwe look around for the other holdingsequally well equipped and we findnothing! Not one. This is the soleand only contribution to land hunger,land settlement, call it what you will,in the island of Skye.

THE YOUNG LEAVEPerhaps more is done elsewhere? I

do not think so. Of course theDepartment only carries out the plansof the Government. But we ask, areno plans ever to go beyond the paperstage? In a little while no one willhave either hope or interest. The

young women, seeing the waterschemes fading into the far future,will go for easy employment to thetowns – and who can blame them?The young men will follow suit.Who, then, will remain to bring upchildren in the country, their naturalhome? The Department’s oneequipped holding will remain as anexhibition piece.

Things were not done on such aniggardly scale in Eire, where thegreat estates were broken up and thepeasants settled each on 20 to 30acres of land. Every effort was madeby the Government to get increasedproduction, better marketing, betterstock and so on. Only one thing wasforgotten – that, while some peopleprosper others have losses and hardtimes and so the prosperous neighbour buys up his neighbour’s

croft. Now he has 50 acres. He is onthe way to making his heir a landlordin his turn and the break-up of the bigestates useless.

But, of course, all that is needed isan amendment to the Act makingsuch amalmgmation illegal. Was therenot in the laws of Jews the law ofJubilee, which insisted on the returnof his land to a slave at 50-yearintrevals? Such problems seem torecur throughout history.

With the sudden arrival of warmweather in March, I found winteraconites, snowdrops, crocusses anddaffodils all flowering at the sametime, a thing I have never observedbefore. The garden looked very gayfor a time, but is now less so withonly the daffodils bending before theblast.

SIXTY YEARS AGO MARGARET H MACPHERSON


by Margaret H MacPherson

If you would like a monthly subscription to FarmingCountry so it is delivered to your door every monthplease fill out the form below and send a chequefor £40 to: Farming Country Subs, Marbrack Farm,Carsphairn, Castle Douglas, DG73TE

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21

Book Review


This book contains the paperspresented to a conference heldin Perth in September 2009,

hosted by SNH to consider the recentchanges affecting the naturalenvironment across Scotland. Therewere some seventy seven papers presented dealing with one of eightthemes: an initial overview of thechanging nature of Scotland and thenits seas and coast, fresh waters, lowlands, woodlands, uplands, healthand the economy and settlements andbuilt development. The book waspublished in 2011 and its content hadbeen updated to reflect recent changes.

Activities making sustainable use ofthe natural environment are estimatedat £17.2 billion a year, which represents 11% of Scotland’s economicoutput and supports 242,000 jobs,14% of all full-time jobs in Scotland.Thus the natural environment ‘underpins the Scottish economy.’ There isa belief that further opportunities forgrowth exist in wildlife tourism,forestry and locally produced food.Because of the Scottish Government’sclimate policy commitments there couldbe further growth in employment inefforts aimed at mitigating climatechange. Encouraging sustainabilityshould develop stronger links to the environment in industry sectors wherethese are weak at present. Consequentlythe importance of the environmentfor Scotland’s economy is likely toincrease over coming decades.

Scottish soils are said to be underpressure from a range of climatic,socio-economic and biophysical factors. There is a need, therefore, todevelop methods which detect themagnitude and direction of changes insome key indicators which can beused to protect Scotland’s soil resource.

Wild deer numbers are thought to

have increased substantially but caution is urged against uncriticalacceptance of the published statistics.Regional populations and their trendsare helpful for the delivery of sustainable management of populations.

Trends in Scottish butterfly numbers are reported as being mixedwith some species contracting in numbers and range while others haveincreased significantly in both thesecharacteristics. The number of resident species has increased butmany species important to Scotland’sdistinctive natural heritage are underthreat due mainly to the deteriorationand destruction of habitats. TheScottish Government uses butterfliesas one of the indicators of the state ofScotland’s biodiversity. Targetedresearch, advisory work and monitoringschemes are said to be vital if we areto understand and measure thechanges happening to Scotland’s butterfly population.

Bird populations are also monitoredand a bird atlas measuring changes indistribution and abundance is beingcompiled. This can then be comparedwith earlier atlases compiled in 1968-72, 1988-91 to identify areas andspecies undergoing changes over a 40-year period. Throughout Britainand Ireland some 90 million birdshave been counted. The process wasstill incomplete at the date of publication but one trend was clear –the common buzzard population hadexpanded eastwards and into manylowland areas increasing its range by10% between the first two surveysand a further 14% in the last 20 years.The data will be used for monitoringand predicting the consequences ofland use change; e.g. to illustrate howbird populations react to changes putin place by the new SRDP, CAPreform and the new Scottish ForestryStrategy.

Have the arctic-alpine birds e.g.dotterel and ptarmigan already beenaffected by climate change and whatfuture impacts can be expected?Atlas information should be invaluablein assessing development applications,including risk mapping for onshorewind farms, urban development andforestry expansion.

SNH set out a vision of whatScotland could be like in 2025. Forfarmland it envisages a sector committedto farm assurance standards, qualitybranding and meeting objectives inrelation to rural development, publicaccess and management of the naturalheritage. With respect to climatechange farmers are to be encouragedto contribute towards mitigationmeasures including better retention ofcarbon in vegetation and soils, thedevelopment of renewable energygeneration where appropriate, lowcarbon management practices, thedevelopment of new habitats andmanagement strategies for invasivespecies. The loss of set-aside subsidyputs a new emphasis on the need tomanage some areas to increase theirvalue for wildlife. The ongoing focusis on delivering multiple benefitsthrough integration of agriculturewith natural heritage objectives.

With respect to settlements thefocus is to be on increased provisionof greenspace and more communityinvolvement in the management oflocal natural heritage with a greaterimportance placed on quality of life.Harry Burns, Chief Medical Officerfor Scotland, wrote; ‘If we can createsomething with our environment thatis meaningful, something that makespeople want to go out and participatein it, this is how we will generategood health.’

For coasts and seas the 2025 visionis to have thriving coastal communitieswhich have an active role in the management of coastal and marineenvironments, with a local economybased on sustainable fishing, aquaculture and diversification intoleisure and tourism.

Woodlands are to have a high biodiversity value and play a key rolein the development of habitat networkswith a good mix between forestry andopen ground for better amenity. Itshould also place a greater emphasison climate change mitigation throughbiomass energy production and lowcarbon planting strategies.

The vision for hills and moors isbased on safeguarding nationallyimportant flora and fauna, a greaterrole for recreation and tourism, mixedwith traditional uses to ensure theviability of upland communities.There is to be an increasing focus onthe links between land managementand climate change including carbonstorage and sequestration. Renewableenergy developments will also exertpressure. Due to changes in supportthrough CAP reform there havealready been significant reductions in

numbers of hill sheep and cattlewhich will have implications for thenatural heritage and local economy.

Fresh water management has closelinks to land management strategiesand should have controls in place tominimise pollution. Effective floodmanagement strategies will help toensure community resilience to flooding events which are predicted tobe more frequent in future. Newcontrols for aquaculture and freshwater fisheries are now in place andshould help to protect wild fish populations and achieve sustainablemanagement of the resources.

Having been through the book Iwas left with a feeling of sympathyfor farmers, who have largelybequeathed us the environment thatwe have and enjoy today and who arestill major stakeholders in the countryside but who now as a resultof umpteen directives, regulations,forward strategies and strategic frameworks, control orders, planningpolicies and delivery plans and policydrivers must spend considerably moreof their time thinking about compliance rather than in productivework. This issue is addressed in thebook by Johnathan Hall, NFUScotland. He says there are at least20 different policies related to agriculture and several of these placeconflicting demands and expectationson farmers. He says that the complexity of some of the policiesmeans that they are not understoodby farmers and that better communication by all agencies isrequired, which will then make itmore likely that the aims of the policies will be met. It appears to beincreasingly the case that farming doesnot exist merely to put food on ourtables, but delivers benefits to everyone. Farming support will needto meet the cost of providing widerrural development benefits.

The book deals with why changesin our natural environment matter tous and their effect on our businessesand health. It looks at the reasons forchange and what can be done to ameliorate them.

It is a very nicely produced publication, well-organised into its relevant sectors each with an introductory chapter giving anoverview of the topic addressed. It iswell illustrated with relevant graphs,maps and diagrams and with somebeautiful photographs. It also has a comprehensive and useful indexwhich should prove helpful.The Changing Nature of Scotland Edited by Susan J Marrs, SimonFoster, Catriona Hendrie, Edward CMackey & Des B A Thompson.TSO, Scotland, Edinburgh 2011ISBN 978-0-1149-7359-9Hardback 528ppPrice: £27.50Also available by free pdf downloadfrom Scottish Community LandNetwork

by Dr AllanMacPherson

22

True to form new SAC graduateGrace Smith kicked off her celebrations with milk following

the SAC Graduation Ceremony inBute Hall, University of Glasgow.Not only had the hard working dairyfarmers’ daughter from Sanquhar(D&G) gained a First Class HonoursDegree in Applied Animal Science,but she also collected a number ofother prizes, adding to her RoyalAssociation of British Dairy Farmers /Dairy Crest Dairy Student of the Yearaward, collected earlier this year.“It was a lot of effort, but now it’s allworth while,” said Grace. “The nextstep is finding a job where I can stayconnected to farming and hopefully,make a difference. I am apprehensiveabout life after college, but excited aswell.”

Grace (21), who studied at SAC’sRiverside Campus, Ayr, was awardedthe Watson Peat Trophy as the mostoutstanding student at Ayr. She alsogathered the Worshipful Company ofWoolmen’s prize for the best HonoursDissertation, the Society of BiologyPrize for the best fourth year studentin Biological Science and the RStewart McDougall Prize for Applied

Animal Science. Grace was the firstever female winner of the prestigiousRABDF/Dairy Crest award in its 22year history.

At present Grace has a summer jobworking with the ScottishGovernment Rural Payments andInspectorate Directorate in Dumfries.However last summer she had atraineeship placement with SAC’sFarm Business Services and hopes tofind a career in consultancy, specialising in dairying.

“Despite recent events and theprice cuts I believe it is an industrywith a long term future and I wouldlike to be part of it. I am just gratefulto my parents, friends and lecturersfor helping me get this far.”

Grace was one of 418 studentsgraduating from SAC this year.Together they had chosen to follow 50different, specialist courses fromDegree to Diploma, HND to HNC,Graduate and Post graduate. In hisaddress to the Students SACPrincipal, Professor Bob Webb said:“It is my sincere belief that your timeat SAC will have equipped you withthe knowledge and skills to prosper inthis rapidly changing world”.

Amazing Grace

As one of SAC’s bright sparks,Huntly student Kay Jaffray(24), celebrated the second

highlight of her year to date, afterbeing awarded an Honours degree inAgriculture at SAC’s graduation ceremony in Bute Hall, Glasgow.Only last month Kay carried theOlympic Torch on its journey throughAberdeen. Now she has that torch,letters after her name and a prize tohelp her remember a very specialtime in her life.

“It’s been busy but exciting” shesaid,” the whole period at SAC seemsto have gone so quickly since I leftwork to go to college. This makes itall worth it. I’ve enjoyed the friendlyatmosphere at Craibstone and while Imight be called a mature studentthere were quite a few others so itwas never an issue.”

Kay’s Degree follows the HND inAnimal Care she gained in 2006 whilestudying at Aberdeen College. Aftera job with the Thainstone (Inverurie)office of the Government’s AnimalHealth, Veterinary Laboratory Agency,Kay wanted more practical work with

livestock and applied to studyAgriculture at SAC. The SAC courseallowed her to build on her previousHND so she needed just three yearsto achieve an Honours Degree, specialising in Livestock and AnimalScience. She also won the SAC Trustprize for the best fourth year student.

Outside college Kay has workedregularly for dairy company Mackies,ever since she first applied for aweeks work experience and theyinvited her back. Kay is also deeplyinvolved with the Girlguiding UK asDistrict Commissioner for Clashnoth(Huntly and Rhynie) and running herown Guide unit. It was through thislink she was nominated to carry theOlympic Torch through Bieldsiderecently.

“That was another special but alltoo brief experience and a real privilege. I am glad I did it, just likethe decision to go to college.”

Inspired by her studies Kay is nowconsidering applying for an MSccourse in animal genetics, delivered bySAC in conjunction with Universityof Edinburgh.

Outstanding Olympian

YOUNG FARMERS SAC GRADUATES


23Farming Country – August 2012

The Harbro sponsored EastRegion Rally was held onSunday 22nd July 2012 at

Pitmurthly Farm, Redgorton by kind permission of the Smith Family.

Fifteen teams fought it out toamalgamate points for the Silverware– the Bibby Shield. Kinross JACcame out on top with East Fife JACcoming in second and Bankfoot liftedthird place and the Small Clubs title.

Sports and Tug of war competitionswere dominated by East Fife &Strathearn with the latter winning theTug of War competition and the former the Overall Sports.

Arts & Crafts saw local

club Bankfoot JAC and Forfar JACcoming first equal with Brechin JAC& Kinross JAC coming 2nd equal.

Chairman, Anna Dickinson wasthrilled with the day as over 150 EastRegion members attended and over25 stewards, judges, staff and committee members helped to makethe day a great success with the helpfrom sponsors Harbro.

Hosts for the day – the SmithFamily – were delighted to reminiscethat 26 years ago, in 1986, the EastRegion Rally was held at Pitmurthly.Farmer Gregor Smith happened tomeet Val, a Canadian exchange YoungFarmer that day – she is now his wife!

East Area Rally

YOUNG FARMERS EAST AREA RALLY

Bankfoot JACStrathearn JAC

East Fife JAC

by Helen McLarenRegional Events Manager

SAYFC

Forfar Ladies JAC

Kinross JAC

Results:

Tug of War overall – 3rd Aberfeldy 2nd East Fife 1st Strathearn Sports Overall –3rd = Perth, Aberfeldy & Bankfoot 2nd Strathearn 1st East Fife

Arts & Crafts Overall –2nd = Brechin & Kinross 1st - Forfar & Bankfoot Small Clubs Cup –2nd - Carse of Gowrie 1st Bankfoot Overall Club Gaining Most Points 3rd Bankfoot 2nd East Fife 1st Kinross

Documents

Issue 85