Farming

New entrants to the farming industry get help from Scottish Government scheme.

More public sector land has been released to people who want to become farmers.

Around 6,400 hectares of land has been made available from public bodies such as Forestry and Land Scotland, Crown Estate Scotland, Scottish Water, Highland and Islands Enterprise, East Lothian and Highland Councils.

In this report, the Rural Youth Project tell us about an inspiring learning journey to the Netherlands.

The Rural Youth Project and Scottish Enterprise Urban/Rural Learning Journey was a collaboration to engage participants to “think different” regarding rural enterprise, sustainability and agriculture.

A new local food strategy for the Stirling area will be launched at a free event on 6 June.

The 'Alive with Local Food' strategy will be unveiled by Forth Valley & Lomond LEADER and Stirling Council at Stirling High School on Thursday 6 June 2019 at 4.30pm.

The strategy aims to support a vibrant local food economy, invest in people, build a resilient future for the sector and showcase the best of the local larder.

A group of farmers are working with a commercial feed processor to try and grow the UK's first viable organic seed rape crop for the animal feed supply chain.

​The five organic farmers in the North East are being supported by the Rural Innovation Support Service, which is part of the Scottish Rural Network and led by Soil Association Scotland. The group was formed to meet a need for locally-grown organic protein for pigs and poultry.

Scottish Land and Estates are now seeking nominations for the 2019 round of the Helping it Happen Awards.

Now into their third year, the awards are looking to build on past success and acknowledge the enormous contribution that rural businesses make to the Scottish economy.

Two hundred people including farmers, researchers, academics and students gathered in south west Scotland on 16 May 2019 for the Ethical Farming Conference.

Delegates came from across the UK and from countries further afield including Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands and the USA for what is believed to be the first-ever conference on the emerging 'ethical' farming sector.

A new group will develop ideas on farms that could provide practical, innovative solutions to help climate change mitigation.

Under reforms to the Farming for a Better Climate (FFBC) the new farmer-led initiative will help to drive low-carbon, environmentally sustainable farming practices in Scotland.