Farming

A free conference in Dingwall aims to give farmers and crofters an unprecedented, practical insight into getting the most from their grassland.

The 'Grass Matters' conference is being held by Soil Association Scotland on Friday 2 December. The event is a chance to hear from grassland management experts from across the UK.

Topics to be discussed inlcude:

Irish farmer Margaret Farrelly has won the 2016 Copa Cogeca’s European innovation prize for women farmers.

Margaret Farrelly started out with 150 hens selling to a local packer. Today she has over 160,000 hens and an annual turnover of €6.2 million. Her company employs 33 people and she works with 22 other Irish farmers to deliver free-range Irish eggs and liquid eggs.

New entrants to farming are being offered a free one-to-one mentoring service as part of the new Farm Advisory Service, which launched earlier this year.

The mentoring programme pairs new starters in farming or crofting with experienced farmers to share expertise in farm and business management to help overcome the financial and technical challenges of setting up a farm or croft.

Five Land Commissioners and the Tenant Farming Commissioner have been selected for the first Scottish Land Commission.

The Commission will be based in Inverness and will be operation from April 2017.

The appointments, which are subject to Parliamentary approval, are as follows:

• Land Commissioners - Andrew Thin, Professor David Adams, Megan MacInnes, Lorne MacLeod, Dr Sally Reynolds
• Tenant Farming Commissioner - Dr Bob McIntosh

Scottish Ministers have selected Andrew Thin to chair the Commission.

Over 200 people gathered in at Gogarburn in Edinburgh on 14 November at an event designed to recognise the collective contribution of women to agriculture and rural or land-based industries.

Watch our video interview with Anne Logan, veterinary surgeon and Director of Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS).

Anne was the first woman appointed to the executive commitee of RHASS, a charitable organisation with more than 15,000 members that supports and promotes the very best of agriculture and the rural-based industries in Scotland.

Anne says:

Farmers across Scotland are being encouraged to open their gates to the public for Open Farm Sunday 2017.

Registration is now open to take part in the annual event on 11 June. Open Farm Sunday is a great opportunity for farmers to show the public their achievements and the range of goods and services they deliver. 

The public engagement programme at Glasgow’s Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) is looking for farmers interested in participating in a research project about Scottish farm practices.

They are looking for farmers that are keen on meeting with the artist Asuncion Molinos Gordo while she is visiting Scotland. She will be here for field research, between 15 and 24 November, to learn more about the various issues Scottish farmers are facing in their day-to-day lives.