Issue 80

farmingscotland.comIssue eighty • February 2012

80 MAG 26/1/12 13:46

80 MAG 26/1/12 13:46

CONTENTS

Eilidh MacPherson

3

farmingscotland

EDITOR: Eilidh MacPherson

Marbrack Farm, Carsphairn,

Castle Douglas, DG7 3TE

Tel: 016444 60644

Mobile: 07977897867

[email protected]

www.farmingscotland.com

PUBLISHER - Eilidh MacPherson

ADVERTISING –

Eilidh MacPherson – 016444 60644

Alison Martin – 01292 443097

Cover - John Fyall, by Anne MacPherson

Text and photography by Eilidh MacPherson

unless otherwise stated

Page 14 - QMS

Page 18 - farmers’ own

Page 20-26 - farmers’ own

Page 27 - James Gunn (top photo)

Page 28 - Hugh Stringleman

0 - RHET

A spell at home on Skye atChristmas was a rather sad affair thisyear as local haulage contractor, ownerof Skye Transport – John MacKinnon –lost his life in an electrical accidentwhile loading timber.

Mr MacKinnon will be greatlymissed by the farming and crofting fraternity in the Highlands and Islandsas he ran an efficient livestock haulagebusiness and was a pleasure to dealwith. He also delivered draff from theTalisker distillery and was responsiblefor carting the wool and whisky off thei s l a n d .

Personally I am indebted to him forbeing a keen supporter and sponsor ofIsle of Skye Shears. He provided twocurtainside lorries for the stage andhauled the sheep to and from theevent, at no cost, for the six years thatI ran the c o m p e t i t i o n .

Before he rented out the family hillground at Crossal, I tallied my first300, shearing his Blackies – a day I certainly won’t forget. Mr MacKinnonkept a close eye on the clock and mytally counter!

Agriculural Officer, Sarah Kerr (neeTurner) from Linlithgow, passed away,r e c e n t l y, too soon, aged only 35. Herbubbly personality will be sorely missedby farmers, family, friends and workcollegues. Heart felt wishes go out toher parents Dave and Jeanne.

As the Kiwis say – it’s down tothe wire – this was meant to bein to the printers forty five

minutes ago! 2012 and exciting times for

Scotland as the possibility of becomingan Indepndent nation is looming – oneI’ve been personally dreaming of sincemy student days. I was more or lesslaughed to scorn then, (hate to admit itis twenty three years since I graduated)for wanting an independent Scotland –changed days.

I’ve asked fifteen or so leading lightsfrom the agricultural sector in Scotlandto put their views across on the futureof farming in this country. Thisinformative section runs from page 16to 21.

We have a new coloumnist this year– John Fyall – winner of the 2006Young Farmer of the Year competition.He is penning a monthly contribution.John has taken on an Aberdeenshirefarm and other areas of land and is running them alongside his AgriculturalConsultancy and Valuing business. Heis also a North Area past president andwas a representative of the Yo u n gFarmers in Brussels for two years. Hiscopy is well worth reading as he is certainly very much on the ball regarding current affairs and puts itacross well from a new entrant’s p e r s p e c t i v e .

farmingscotlandIssue eighty • February 2012


8

1 1

Beef

Blondes, Herefords

6

7

Sheep ShearingShearing Records

1 2

1 3

New EntrantJohn Fyall

1 6

2 1

Opinion

Future of Farmingin Scotland

1 3 Arable

N Application

4

5

News

2 2 Education

SAC New Principal

1 4

1 5

Machinery

Drills, John Deere

80 MAG 26/1/12 13:46 Page 3

First Class!

4

While on a recent trip toThailand, Stephen Curtis,chairman of international pig

breeding company ACMC, spotted ratcarcases hung up for sale at the roadside. They are caught in the wildand must be pretty daunting, he says,since they weigh 2-3 kg each.Apparently, they are quite popularbarbecued and are seen as a cheapform of protein.

However, Stephen draws an interesting comparison with the pricepaid for pigs by UK processors. TheThai rat-catcher is paid around £1more per kg – about 125 baht (£2.50)per kg liveweight, compared witharound £1.50 live paid to British pigfarmers for their pigs who are currently losing money on every pigproduced. The Thai rat carcases fetcharound £5 per kg at the roadside stall!

He says he declined to try theseand he will stick to pork, consumption of which is growing veryfast as living standards in Thailandimprove.

Royal Mail is going down on thefarm in 2012 with its new seriesof Post and Go stamps. British

Farm Animals is the first in a series ofthree issues that will explore some ofthe many traditional breeds of sheep,cattle and pigs to be found on farmsin the UK. Post & Go terminalsallow customers to weigh their lettersand packets, pay for and print postagelabels and stamps without the need tovisit the counter. The first Post & Gomachine was trialled in The GalleriesPost Office® in Bristol in 2008.

The labels can be obtained with 6different service indicators from allmachines: 1st class up to 100g & 1stclass Large up to 100g, Europe up to20g, Worldwide up to 10g and 20g,and the new Worldwide 40g. Thestamps are dispensed singly or instrips of up to 5 of the same value orvarious values. A collector set of 6 intwo strips of 3 may also be dispensed.

Welsh Mountain Badger FaceThis ancient breed is mentioned in

the Domesday Book. There are twovarieties: Torddu (Welsh for black

belly) and Torwen (white belly). TheTorddu’s colours vary from white tolight brown with a distinctive stripeabove the eyes.

DalesbredDistinguished by its black face

with a white spot on each side of itsnose, this hardy sheep has been bredin northern areas of England for generations. Its tough hard-wearingwool is favoured in the making oftweeds and carpets.

JacobThe Jacob originated in Syria over

3000 years ago. With its distinctivespotted fleece and eye-catching horns,the Jacob was introduced to the UKas an ornamental breed. The strengthand length of the wool (up to 10cm)make it ideal for hand spinning.

SuffolkIts all-black head, legs and almost

horizontal ears make the Suffolk aparticularly attractive breed of sheep.Created from crossing the Southdownand the Norfolk Horn, its beautifulfleece produces fine knitting woolsand tweed.

SoayOriginating from the first

domesticated sheep that populatednorthern Europe, the Soay is the UK’smost primitive sheep breed. Smalland robust with curved, ridged horns,it has a fleece usually chocolate or tanin colour.

Leicester LongwoolA large breed of sheep with a curly

white fleece, the Leicester Longwoolwas developed by Robert Bakewellover 200 years ago. Its quality wool isin demand by hand weavers and ismainly used to create fine cloth, suiting and knitting wool.

Presentation PackThe pack will be available from the

Philatelic Bureau and some postoffices as well as ebay from the 24thFebruary.

Technical details:Designed by Kate Stephens and

illustrated by Robert Gillmor the sixstamps measure 56mm x 25mm.

Pigs will come out on 24th Apriland cattle will be launched on 28thSeptember.

Barbecuedrats

anyone? (They fetch more

than British pork!)

NEWSfarmingscotland.comIssue eighty • February 2012

Partners4farmers For country-minded folk.

www.partners4farmers.com 1000’s of profiles online!

Share your passion – today!

Partners4farmersFor country minded folkwww.partners4farmers.com

1000’s of profiles online!

Share your passion – today !

This Spaceshould be

selling for youCall

01644460644

80 MAG 26/1/12 13:47

5

The Border Union AgriculturalSociety (BUAS) recentlylaunched the countdown to its

bicentenary celebrations in 2013 withthe announcement that HRH TheCountess of Wessex has agreed to bethe Patron for the year.

The Countess will be involved in avariety of celebrations showcasing therole of BUAS in the past, present andfuture of agriculture and rural affairsin the Scottish Borders and NorthNorthumberland.

The 2013 celebrations will culminate in the 200th Border UnionShow on 26 and 27 July. In additionto the Show’s usual line-up the bicentenary event will include a FoodFair featuring some of the UK’s topchefs including Albert Roux andAndrew Fairlie, a celebration of the

region’s wool heritage and a showcaseof old and new methods of crop production. The indigenous breeds ofthe UK will be celebrated in a specialCattle Show involving as many breedsas possible and an exhibition showcasing the importance of themajor rivers of the Borders will alsofeature.

Education will be a key componentof the bicentenary celebrations withschools and further education collegesencouraged to participate and a seriesof bursaries will be set up for youngpeople working in the rural economiesof the Scottish Borders and NorthNorthumberland.

Gareth Baird, Chairman of theBUAS Bicentenary Committee said;

“We are delighted that HRH TheCountess of Wessex has agreed to be

our Bicentenary Patron. We have abusy year ahead making plans for the2013 celebrations which will not onlymark past contributions of the agricultural industry on both sides ofthe Border but which also look forward to the future and show thecontinued importance of expertise,innovation and vision in all aspects ofthe rural economy. We want to makethe bicentenary a true Borders-wideoccasion involving people from rightacross the region and paying fittingtribute to our area’s important agricultural heritage.”

The BUAS was formed in Kelso on22 January 1813 when local dignitaries and farming lairds met atthe town’s Cross Keys Hotel. It hadseveral aims; to encourage excellencein stock breeding; to promote

discoveries in arable farming and toencourage the development of newand improved agricultural implements.

The Society now has over a thousand members from both ruraland urban backgrounds and has itshome at Springwood Park in Kelso, a46-acre parkland next to the riversTweed and Teviot, which it bought in1953. Over 100 events including theChampionship Dog Show and theKelso Ram Sales, all of which bringvaluable revenue to the town and surrounding area are held each year.

For more information on theBorder Union Agricultural Society,including links to the specialBicentenary Facebook page (BUAS200), visit www.buas.org

SAChas asked vets andfarmers inScotland to step

up surveillance following the detection in mainland Europe of anew virus causing foetal malformations in cattle, sheep andgoats.

SAC’s Veterinary Services ManagerBrian Hosie has written to veterinarypractices and the farming industryrequesting they report incidences oflimb and brain defects in new-bornanimals and foetuses, following thedetection of “Schmallenberg virus”(SBV) in Germany, the Netherlandsand Belgium. Foetal malformationsoccur when pregnant animals areinfected with SBV.

Any reported stillbirth, malformation or nervous disease innew born animals or foetuses born toruminant dams that were importedfrom mainland Europe in 2011 shouldalso be investigated by SAC.

Brian Hosie said: “I would stress

that current evidence suggests thelikelihood of incursion of this viralinfection into Britain is low butheightened surveillance on the part ofvets and the farming industry willallow us to further assess the risk ofan incursion of SBV and to reacteffectively should it occur.

“We want to fully investigate certain types of limb and braindefects in new-born ruminants andfoetuses. Specifically, contracturesthat are present at birth that result inreduced mobility of several limbjoints. In severe cases, limbs and thespine also may be twisted. The braindamage caused by this virus is severeand results in blindness and lack ofbrain function such that calves andlambs appear like ‘dummies’.

“We therefore ask veterinary practices and farmers to report suchcases to us. In addition, farmers planning to purchase cattle fromBelgium, the Netherlands or Germanyshould enquire about the health

history of herds of origin of pregnantanimals.”

Veterinary practices in Scotlandcan discuss cases with SAC veterinaryinvestigation officers and are asked tosubmit appropriate carcases for postmortem examination, accompanied bya fully completed submission form.The standard, subsidised surveillancerate charge will apply.

The Animal Health and VeterinaryLaboratories Agency (AHVLA) hasasked veterinary practices in Englandand Wales to increase their surveillance for Schmallenberg virus.SBV is related to a known virus calledAkabane, which is spread by insectsand which classically causes foetalmalformations, particularly deformities of the limbs and braindefects. The virus appears to havebeen associated with transient diseasecharacterised by milk drop, diarrhoeaand fever in adult cattle in August toOctober in Germany and theNetherlands.

In recent weeks, the virus wasdetected in at-term sheep and goatfoetuses with limb or brain defects inBelgium, Germany and Holland.

Similar viruses have previouslybeen detected in the tropics, Australiaand Japan but not in northern Europe.

Tests for the new virus are currently being established at theAHVLA.

Defra and AHVLA confirmed prepress that surveillance has identifiedthe presence of Schmallenberg Virus(SBV) in samples from four sheepfarms in the counties of Norfolk,Suffolk and East Sussex. It is likelythat these cases are linked back toinfections that would have taken placein late summer and Autumn 2011.There are currently no implicationsregarding trade. Symptoms appear tomanifest themselves in foetal abnormalities and abortion. Any producers with immediate concernsshould consult with their vet.

Border Bicentenary

$10,000 paid for the top Perendaleram.

Mrs Paterson, who started breedingTexels as her ``little hobby'' 12 yearsago, was thrilled to achieve the topprice, but she was back to work atFarmers Mutual Group following thesale.

“He's got great balance and theperformance figures to go with him,''she said.

The Waikaka Texel was namedsupreme texel ram at the West OtagoA&P Show in November and was firstplace ram hogget and reserve champion at Wyndham A&P Show.

Heightened UK Surveillance of Schmallenberg

Texel Tup to Finance Kitchen

NEWSfarmingscotland.com

Issue eighty • February 2012

The trappings from the toppriced Texel ram in NewZealand this year will be used

to pay for a dream kitchen for Texelbreeder Sharon Paterson!

The Gore Ram Fair, which ranfrom January 17 to 19 saw Waikakafarmer Sharon Paterson achieve thetop price of $12,000 – a breed record.The ram was bought by RuralLivestock for Andrew and Anna Laingof Banks Peninsula.

“I was absolutely stoked,'' she said.Mrs Paterson's ram was believed to bethe highest price paid for a Texel ramthis year and eclipsed the price of

Mrs Paterson said the money shereceived for her ram would contributeto her new kitchen.Southern TexelBreeders chairman Hugh Gardynesaid the quality of rams presented forsale was, “first class.”

Mr Gardyne believed the Texelbreed had finally come of age.

“Its been 21 years since the releaseof Texels (in New Zealand) and theyare being used as a terminal and dualpurpose breed,'' he said.

Mr Gardyne said breeders wereaccessing top genetics through acrossflock analysis and were achieving goodlinkages.

80 MAG 26/1/12 13:47

6

Tally Ho Te Huia!

Alyn Smith MEP, Scottish member of the EuropeanParliament's Agriculture and

Rural Development Committee, haswelcomed the support by MEPs of hiscolleague Jose Bove's report on farminput costs.

The report was debated in theParliament and successfully adoptedin the voting session. It containedstartling evidence of the scale of theproblems faced by farmers regardingkey input costs: costs have risen by60% between 2000 and 2010 forenergy, by 80% for synthetic fertilisers, 30% for animal feed, 36%for machinery and 30% for seeds. Atthe same time, farm gate prices haveincreased by only 25%.

During the committee stage, anamendment lodged by Alyn wasadopted, which sought to raise awareness of the problems faced bynew entrants: speculation based onSingle Farm Payment entitlementsbased on historical values and transferable without reference to landcan price them beyond the means ofnew entrants, thus acting in effect as ainput cost for new farmers.

Speaking from Strasbourg, Alynsaid: "This was an excellent report bymy colleague José Bové and the support of the whole Parliament willno doubt send a strong message to theCommission that our farmers want to

see action, and soon, against the challenges posed by the gap betweenfarm input costs and farm gate prices.

"The idea that the free market isworking for our farmers is downrightcrazy and DEFRA absolutely mustacknowledge that, especially beforethey proceed full steam ahead to bargain away direct payments andincome support as CAP negotiationsprogress. Those who say thatScotland's farmers are better represented as part of the UK shouldconsider this point long and hard.Just because commodity prices are rising does not mean that farm gateprices are rising and even where theyare it is often only with a reducedmargin thanks to higher input costsfor feed and energy.

"There needs to be a thoroughinvestigation into concentration ofproduction for inputs and the existence of monopoly power: fourcompanies worldwide account forbetween 75-90% of global grain trade,seven companies control all fertilisersupply, five companies share 68% ofthe global agrochemical market, andthree companies control almost 50%of the proprietary seeds market. Thiswouldn't be accepted for a second bythe Commission if it were farmersuniting to force higher-than-marketprices, so it is high time for an end tothese double standards."

SHEARINGfarmingscotland.comIssue eighty • February 2012

Kerri-Jo Te Huia may be just anapprentice, but on the 10thJanuary she became the new

face of the shearing World as shesmashed an eight-hour record in aremote King Country woolshed.

The 30-year-old from Te Kuiti, inonly her fifth season of shearing andnearing the end of a ModernApprenticeship with industry trainersTectra, shore 507 lambs in eight hoursat Te Hape, east of Benneydale,becoming the first woman to do 500in an eight-hour day.

She hammered the founding recordof 470 set in a nearby woolshed byuniversity graduate and Wairoa shearer Ingrid Baynes three years ago.

Despite an aching lower back,tended between runs by eight-months-pregnant sister Natalie whoflew from South Australia for theevent, Te Huia had no problems maintaining the required speed andquality, shearing constantly over 60 anhour with run-tallies of 124 in bothmorning runs, 7-9am and 9.30-11.30am,accelerating with 133 from 12.30-2.30pm and came-home with 126 inthe last two hours to 5pm.

She broke the record just before4.26pm, and reached her goal of 500with six-and-a-half minutes to go. Thelambs constantly clipped more than1.1kg each and with an average weightper animal estimated at 32kg, Te Huiahauled about 16tonnes of lamb ontothe board throughout the day.

"I wouldn't want to go through thatagain in hurry," she said, culminating

more than nine months of preparationand rolling her eye at the suggestionof a crack at the ultimate nine-hour,five-run record of 648, set by PortWaikato shearer Emily Welch fouryears ago.

Baynes was present to see the lastmoments, as were Welch and severalother record breakers, including KingCountry icon David Fagan who mastered the gear for the day,including combs used at the rate oftwo a run, and cutters at about eight arun.

Also present at the end was Irishshearer Ivan Scott who only 24 hoursearlier set a new men's record of 744.

Her woolhandler, in a record overseen by four judges appointed bythe World Shearing Records Society,was Jaz Tipoki, from Martinborough.

Te Huia is the third of the familyto hold a World record, with brotherStacey, the current men's eight-hoursewes record holder monitoring herpace closely on the board. He will betackling another record on the sameboard next week, with his record-breaking youngest sister"rousieing" for the day.

The youngest of the five shearingprogeny of shearing contractor andinstructor Dean Te Huia and wife Jo,Kerri-Jo shore in Australia in the NewZealand winter and said it had beentough regaining her style back in NewZealand, where she has worked mainly in the King Country but alsodid two seasons in Wairarapa.

BLACKFACE SHEEP BREEDERS’SASSOCIATION

www.scottish-blackface.co.ukSaturday 25th February 2012

ANNUAL SHOW & SALE OF IN LAMB FEMALESShow at 11.00am, Sale 12.00 noon

inLanark Agricultural Centre

Judge- Jack KayThe Catalogue is available on the Web Site

SPONSORED BY LAWRIE & SYMINGTON LTD, & CHANELLE ANIMAL HEALTH

LANARK & PEEBLES BRANCH STOCKJUDGING will take place directly after the sale.

Thursday 1st March 2012DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY BRANCH SPRING SHOW

7.00pm in Newton Stewart Mart

Contact Aileen Tel: 07768 820405 [email protected]

80 MAG 26/1/12 13:47

7

Two-stand Record

for Sam & Stacey

King Country shearer Stacey TeHuia is moving to Australia,with plenty to show for his

World Record day-out with Waikatoshearer and farmer Sam Welch.

Handshakes were all-but off thelist as Te Huia, from Te Kuiti, displayed a right paw swollen fromtendon damage and callouses he triedto ignore throughout the day at TeHape, east of Benneydale, where thepair set a new World two-stand, ewe-shearing record of 1341 in ninehours on January 18. Ignored, that is,apart from the acupuncture and massage to “release the lactic acid”during the meal and smoko breaks.

“It went to the pack in the firsthalf-hour,” he said. “It got to a pointwhere it couldn’t get any worse.”It affected the control of his handpiece, and he said: “I couldn’textend the grip. It was spinning allover the place.”

As he helped get the remote StateHighway 30 woolshed back to normal,the morning after a dramatic and hardday, and a possibly harder night, forwhich there was no therapy, he alsodisplayed a small gash in his left forearm where an errant handpiece atone point went close to making theunkindest cut off all.

Welch meanwhile displayed a limp,from treading on his comb during thelast run of the 5am-5pm day, as theyfinally passed the required averagehourly rate and broke by six the previous record of 1335 set bySouthland shearers Darin Forde and

Wayne Ingram 16 years earlier.“I felt it,” said Welch, who showed

no sign of feeling it at the time. “Icould feel the blood in my sock.”And then there were the sheep,weighing an average 60kg and comfortably clipping over therequired 3kg each.

“They were pretty aggressive,”Welch said. “I don’t think I had a single sheep sit all day. Stacey reckoned the same.”

What these guys go through…inthis case after preparation, whichstarted exactly a year earlier when TeHuia’s father, shearing instructor andformer contractor Dean Te Huia, rangWelch on January 18 last year andasked if he was interested.

Welch, based at Waikaretu wherehe and wife and World women’s nine-hour lambshearing record holderEmily run a stud sheep operation inaddition to a shearing contacting business with Tony Clayton Green,had given-up on a dream of having ago at a record..

There was no hesitation in grabbingthe opportunity, in what became aunique reunion for two 33-year-oldswho had once shared the same classroom at primary school in Marton.

Until a couple of years ago, theyhadn’t seen a lot more of each other,the Te Huia family – shearing in everygene – moved to Te Kuiti, and Welchmoved to Dannevirke, where he, too,took up the handpiece.

The nine-hour shearing day, anindustry tradition now limited mainly

to the more remote of shearing stations around the country, hasbecome the marathon of the recordsgame, where it is taken-on only by themost brave. There hadn’t been anyother bid for the two-stand recordsince Forde and Ingram did their stuffon February 1, 1996.

Likewise the solo record of 721,which Te Huia had also hoped tobreak, although it was obvious fromthe start on the 18th that he wouldn’tget close to the ultimate goal of thetally shearer. It had been attemptedonly twice in 15 years, most recentlyin 2007 when Porangahau shearerRodney Sutton claimed the record-breaking sheep with just fourseconds to spare, eclipsing the markof 720 shorn by Forde in 1997.

It takes much more than shearingto get ready for the big day, and fromthe time Welch said “yes” he and TeHuia began an additional regime ofrunning, and cycling and gym work, toget them as ready as they could be.

“I hadn’t done any running sinceschool,” said Welch, who held his end-up on the day superbly, targetingIngram’s 647 contribution to the 1996record and ending the day withoutconcern from the judges and tallying667, at least 120 more than he’d evershorn in a day.

Te Huia’s previous best was 603,the eight-hour record he set at nearbyMoketenui in December 2010, andhis “bit” was to firstly target the 688shorn by Forde in the previous record.It was a disappointing start and afterthe World Shearing Records Societyjudges rejected two for cuts in thefirst two hours from 5am to breakfastat 7am, his 143 was well shy of the160 he had hoped for if he was toreach either of his personal targets forthe day.

His cutters were displaying the oneflaw in his shearing make-up – “I can’tgrind” – and for the rest of the day,comprising four runs of 1hr 45minseach, Te Huia relied on cutters supplied and worked by Te Kuitishearing legend David Fagan, who in1994 was the first to take the recordpast 700.

Mum Jo Te Huia, who, like themall was still coming down from daughter Kerri-Jo’s lambshearingrecord of 507 in eight hours in thesame shed the previous week, wasnervous for the pair’s combined opening run tally of 292 was 14 shy ofthe 306 shorn by Forde and Ingram.

In the industry and sport’s unique

spirit of camaraderie, a number of former record holders were on handto help another mark go – among asupport crew of at least 40 – and thenew plan for looking after the gearworked.

Neither shearer had any morerejected by the judges and Te Huiasaved his best for last, with 134 in thefinal 105 minutes, 47 seconds asheep, including the 7-10 secondscatching-time between animals.Welch came home with 129 in thatlast run, and their combined last digof 263 compared with the 152 shornby Forde and Ingram as they endedtheir day.

Te Hape’s not a big shed, but atleast 150 had packed in to share themoment, with pandemonium as therecord was broken just three minutesbefore the bell at 5pm.

Te Huia and Welch hadn’t sharedthe supporters worries that the recordmight have slipped from their graspearly in the day, and Welch said: “Wedidn’t think we were in trouble.”

Unaware at the time of the previous record’s run-by-run statistics,they hovered only marginally behindthe required hourly rate until theirfinal burst.

While Welch had achieved everything and after shearing a fewdays for Te Kuiti contractor NeilFagan, to pay home to the help givenin staging the record before going backto the farm and the shearing gang, TeHuia was less precise about his future.He was off to base himself withBathurst contractor Andy Duggan inAustralia, where he spent threemonths working from September toNovember, but he was in two mindsabout further records.

On the night he pledged no more,as he had in 2010 when he reckonedafter his eight-hour record he wouldget more serious about competitionshearing – a short-lived experiment, asit evolved. This time there was apledge of more commitment to family; daughters Kalani, 3, and 13-year-old Shaylin, who he had toget back to Australia in time forschool.

But come morning, there weremurmurings of more records somewhere in the Te Huia family nextyear, although Stacey reckoned he’dget in a couple more weeks in theshed in Aussie, and then take a breakand try some forestry or mining for awhile.

Who knows? Who shears?

80 MAG 26/1/12 13:47

8

Achance encounter more than25 years ago led to the establishment of one of the

North East of Scotland’s foremostBlonde D’Aquitaine herds.

For David Grant of Earlsfield nearInsch in Aberdeenshire the purposeof the 1984 trip with his father to thelocal cattle dealer had been to sourcea new Simmental bull to use on thedairy herd for intensive beef production. But, whilst disappointedwith the selection on offer, anotheranimal in the field took David’s eye.

In spite of never having seen orheard of the Blonde D’Aquitainebreed and doing no research, Davidwas taken by what he saw and purchased Woodlands Trendsetterthere and then. But what began assomething of an impulse buy has blossomed into an association withthe breed, which continues to gofrom strength to strength a quarter ofa century on.

David now farms Earlsfield withhis brother Ian and the enterpriseincludes a 170 head suckler herd featuring a selection of breeds including Charolais, Simmental andBlonde D’Aquitaine to meet localstore sale demand and for easy calvingand herd replacement. All of thespring-born calves are sold are yearling store cattle at Aberdeen &Northern Mart’s Thainstone Centre.

Land under the care of David andIan extends to 500 acres, of which is200 acres of spring barley for malting– an appropriate enterprise given thefarm’s location in the heart of whiskycountry, indeed it is from the localdistillery that the now 35-strong

Earlsfield “Ardmore” Blonde D’Aquitaine herd takes its name.

“When we decided to sell thedairy herd at the end of the 1980s,we needed something to fill the gapthat the milking cows would leave soa pedigree sale at Carlisle in 1990 sawthe first Blonde D’Aquitaine femalearrive at Earlsfield and the herd wasestablished,” explained David whorecently stood down after 19 years assecretary of the North of ScotlandBlonde D’Aquitaine Club and is currently vice-chairman of that organisation.

“The first calf to be born here atEarlsfield was Ardmore Gypsy andshe went on to produce some on mybest animals, including the prize-winning and much admiredArdmore Liberty by the FrenchMidatest bull named Donald.”

David continued: “I try to takepart in the sales in Perth to helpincrease the breed’s foothold in thenational market and help increase itsprofile. There is a limited markethere in the North east because thereis still a preference for Charolais,Limousin and the like so it is difficultto break into that market making itimportant to cast the net as widely aspossible.”

And that ethos of looking nationwide has resulted in somenotable transactions for the“Ardmore” herd, including the6000gn Ardmore Runrig which sold atPerth in 2002 and ArdmoreBraveheart, who achieved the herd’shighest ever price of 6500gn – withinthe top ten per cent of prices for thebreed – when it was bought for use

with a suckler herd in Fife.In 2007, Ardmore Aberdonian

(right) was bought by the long established “Druk” herd at Faringdon,Oxon, England whilst ArdmoreSteakhouse went to the pedigree“Droit” herd at Omagh, CountyTyrone, Northern Ireland and wenton to breed champions.

From the current herd, ArdmoreFugitive – the herd’s leading male – iscurrently undergoing tests by AI company Genus for potential purchase for use in their stud.

“Ardmore” females are also notedfor their ability to impress the judgesand pick up prizes on the summershow circuit, with interbreed titlesunusually being secured by BlondeD’Aquitaines thanks to ArdmoreLiberty at Grantown, Ardmore Sarah

BEEFfarmingscotland.comIssue eighty •February 2012

Ardmore

Blondes

at Tarland and Ardmore Tequila atNew Deer in recent times.

David Grant continued: “Whatstarted as a chance encounter withthe breed has, for me, become a veryimportant part of what I do atEarlsfield. The main benefits of theBlonde D’Aquitaine breed are easycalving and the animals are well muscled plus the fact that carcaseshave exceptional length along the backwhere the expensive cuts are to befound.”

To find out more about theArdmore Blonde D’Aquitaine herdcontact David Grant at [email protected] For moreinformation about the North ofScotland Blonde D’Aquitaine Club,visit www.nosbac.co.uk or call Denise Petrie on 07969 301363.

by Lesley Eaton

80 MAG 26/1/12 13:47

9

United Auctions (UA) recentlylanded a new outdoor store,catering for the hunting,

shooting, fishing market at the StirlingAgricultural Centre.

Angling Active, one of the leadingfishing tackle shops in Scotland, hasrelocated to UA’s headquarters from

Stirling’s Colquhoun Street to allowfor significant expansion of its product line, including countrylifestyle clothing and footwear.

Run by father and son Martin andChris Grantham, the company, whichattracts customers across Scotland,has tripled in size by leasing more

than 6600 sq ft at the AgriculturalCentre.

Stirling Council’s Provost FergusWood declared the new premisesopen for business on Saturday 3December 2011.

All six members of staff havetransferred with the business and arecruitment drive is planned for thenew season.

Formerly known as Angling CentreStirling, the business recently changedits name to Angling Active, in linewith its thriving online superstore,which supplies more than 8000 specially selected items for fishingenthusiasts and professionals.

Located in the unit nearest theriver, the new store provides amplespace to display the company’sexpanding line of angling tackle, reels,bait and clothing; with more than 600rods stored vertically allowing for better storage, presentation and handling. And the larger floor spacedisplays a wide range of countrylifestyle clothing and footwear thatwill appeal to the hunting, shooting,fishing clientele that visit theAgricultural Centre.

Chris Grantham, a licensed castinginstructor, will also be making gooduse of the nearby river, allowing customers to ‘try before they buy’ andteaching casting technique – without hooks. The store is ideallylocated as it sits on the junction of the

Rivers Forth and Teith, enabling customers to practise casting to boththe left and right.

Neil McLean, Group Joint MD ofUA who are landlords of the Centre,said: “It was always part of the visionto have an outdoor retailer specialisingin hunting, shooting, fishing at theCentre and we’re delighted to welcome this award-winning business.”

Martin Grantham of AnglingActive, who is also a qualified level 2coach, said: “The store offers us aunique location in a high profile building. The combination ofincreased space to view stock and,more importantly, proximity to theriver and the major road network carrying traffic on route to the foremost fishing locations is absolutelyideal.

“We’ve built solid growth over 12years and, in a flat market, we’re stillshowing upward trends. We see thepotential and we’re going for it.”

He added: “We remain committedto youth development and our longterm goal is to continue developingcasting tuition for young people tohelp secure the long-term future ofthe industry.”

Earlier this year, UA attractedCarrs Billington Agriculture, a bluechip agri merchandiser and CKDGalbraith who have opened a nationalfarm sales office at the Centre.

BRITISH BLONDETel: 024 7641 9058

Fax:024 7641 9082

Why use a BLONDE Bull?* Easy Calving* Length and

confirmation * High Killing Out % * Improved Grades* Hardiness

Spring SalesStirling - 8th FebruaryCarlisle - 24th FebruaryWorchester -21st AprilMoira - 28th AprilCarlisle - 12th MayBeeston - 19th May

National Show 2012at the

Three Counties ShowMalvern

15th - 17th June

Entries on our website www.britishblondesociety.co.uk

80 MAG 26/1/12 13:47

It’s a long time since twentyHereford bulls have been sold at aSale in Northern Ireland.

However, that's exactly what happened at the January HerefordSale in Dungannon, where 20 bullssold to an average of £2,300.

The Sale is very encouraging forthe Breed in NI and will help to assistin securing future supplies ofHereford beef to the various BeefSchemes currently operating in theProvince.

Chairman Raymond Pogue commented, "We have three BeefSchemes plus private individuals whoneed as much Hereford beef as theycan get their hands on and at presentdemand is outstripping supply. So thepositive sale results can only help withbeef supplies."

The leading price of £4,000 waspaid for Solpoll 1 Handsome, winnerof the Junior Bull Class, from J & W

McMordie and was purchased byNCBC for their stud at Enfield in CoMeath. Sired by Fisher 1 Charlie,bred by WJ Hutchings, West Sussex,this young bull has impressive EBV’sincluding a Calving Ease Direct valuein the top 1% for the Breed.

The Supreme Champion wasGraceland 1 Giles from Robin Irvine’sGraceland herd and is a first son ofcurrent Reserve N.I. Bull of the YearGreenyards 1 Dougie and sold todairy farmer Peter Flack at £2,950.

Reserve Supreme & Senior MaleChampion was Solpoll 1 Generalfrom J & W McMordie, by Solpoll 1Dynamite, he was purchased at£2,800 by Tony McCarthy, one of theFinalists in the 2011 N.I. SucklerHerd Competition.

The Female Champion wasRichmount 1 Gloria exhibited byJames Graham. Another female PaulBeatty’s Tirelugan 1 Tiny, by

Castlepoll 1 Bronco and out ofCastlepoll 1 Tiny sold for at 1,600guineas.

Other leading prices were as follows:– Christa McMordie soldRiverdale 1 Gallileo, by Solpoll 1Dynamite, for £2,700. Another son

10

BEEFfarmingscotland.comIssue eighty •February 2012

Buoyant Trade at Dungannon

Future Farmer Award

of Greenyards 1Dougie, Graceland 1Guisepi from RobinIrvine sold for £2,625.JE, RI & W Haire,received £2,600 forDorepoll 1 158SShiraz, an E.T. son ofRemital Shiraz.J & V Peters, £2,400for Corriewood 1 King,a son of Graceland 1Topper.David Wilson,Magheraveely, sold twobulls; one for £2,400 ason of Lisrace

The team behind the FutureFarmer Award has begun thesearch for the very best in

Scottish agriculture with the launchof the 2012 award. The accoladelooks to reward a farmer, young orold, male or female, livestock orarable for their outstanding contribution to the industry.

This initiative is funded by theElizabeth Murray Trust and supportedby NFU Scotland. Each year a trailblazing Scottish farmer is given£4,000 and a package of practical support to help them promote theirideas to other farmers and land managers.

The Award aims to showcase waysin which Scotland can produce food,fibre and wood products from farmsand crofts in a commercially viableway while maintaining the naturalcapital of the land and minimizing theecological footprint of farming activities.

Michael Williams, who runs theFuture Farmer Award, said:

“Scottish farming has much to beproud of and as an industry we shouldbe ensuring that we demonstratesome of the amazing things that weachieve and the outstanding thingsthat farming contributes to our smallcountry.

“The Future Farmer Award hopesto recognise and reward a farmer whocan demonstrate forward thinking,passion and dedication to the farmingindustry in a way that also shows ushow farming and the environment canwork hand in hand towards the sustainability of rural Scotland.

“I should like to encourage directentries or third party nominations thatcan help us to showcase commercialfarming and environmental sustainability. If you work withinrural industry I entreat you to spreadthe word and encourage people tocome forward and be recognised.”

Interested parties should visitwww.futurefarmer.org.uk/award forinformation on how to apply. Closingdate for applications is 29th April.

Lionheart IV and £2,300 for a sonof Lisrace Lancelot. Cecil Beattiesold at £2,200, while J & WMcMordie and James Grahamrealised £2,100 for their bulls.Also at £2,100 was CorrabackFulgent from Mervyn Richmond.

80 MAG 26/1/12 13:47

11

In a first for the Hereford breed in32 years Romany Herefords haveexported a 16 month old bull to

the Czech Republic. The bull,Romany 1 Hawkeye D1 H28, from JR B Wilson & Sons, Cowbog, Kelsowas chosen by Faflak Miroslav for hisestablished herd. Faflak selected“Hawkeye” whilst on a trip to the UKlast October, organised by SheilaEggleston of Eggs-port Ltd, Hexham.

“Hawkeye” is a high performance bull boasting 200,400 and 600 day EBVs in theTop 1% of the Breed, Milk EBVin the top 5%, Eye MuscleArea in the top 10% with aTerminal Index of +35 andSelf Replacing Index of +42.

The young bull’s dam, thehome bred Romany 1 LucyR22 D5, is by former HerefordSire of the Year, Crickley 1Figurehead. She was shownsuccessfully, being awardedFirst place and Reserve JuniorFemale at the 2008 RoyalHighland Show.

Romany 1 Hawkeye’s Sire isthe imported Danish bull SMHCastro, one of the RomanyHerd’s Senior stock bulls.“Castro” was bought as a promising five months old, in2007 and is proving to be greataddition to the herd. His firstson to be sold at auction wasRomany 1 Gem, ReserveGrand Male Champion at theBreed’s 2011 Autumn Show &Sale in Hereford and who wasexported to a new HerefordBreeder in Germany. A furtherson is entered for Stirling Bull.

CzechIt Out!

Spring SalesPerth sales at Stirling

19th-21st FebruaryAberdeen & Northern Marts

29th FebruaryDungannon Club Sale

13th MarchBristol -12th April

Newark - 21st April

80 MAG 26/1/12 13:47

12

John Fyall – The New Entrant

farmingscotland.comIssue eighty •February 2012

NEW ENTRANT

Iwrite this article as a ‘new entrant’to farming who started at Sittytonin Aberdeenshire in January 2009.

I am fortunate to have experiencedmuch in the industry prior to takingon the farm and can also ‘subsidise’the farm in it’s infancy with my offfarm work, being self employed doingvaluation and consultancy work andhaving winter safety contracts inAberdeen.

The article is written purely fromthe angle of the tenant of SittytonFarm, which I am not ashamed to sayhas been 100% on credit and is therefore as vulnerable as any business. I farm 90 acres on a 15yrLDT, 30 acres on an SLDT, 100 acreson seasonal let conservation grazing,and around 100 acres of short termlets and agreements. Sheep are mymain interest – 300 ewes, 14 hairycows, 12 pigs and a few acres of corn.

Whilst laying down grass I havebeen growing a lot of forage aimed atthe equine market, but the dreamwould be a hill unit to complimentSittyton to keep a decent flock sizeand finish lambs and a few cattledown here.

CURRENT AND CAP POST 2013OUTLOOK FOR NEW ENTRANTS

Much has been made over creatingopportunities for new entrants. Toput it bluntly, without subsidy or aprivate fortune, a new entrant is foolish to enter this industry. We arereally hobby farmers; no matter howbig my enterprise gets, it is driven bypassion rather than economic sense(although red meat prices may changethis soon hopefully!). I have seenmany new entrants start and finish inthe last ten years and one small farmhas been let 3 times since I moved toAberdeenshire, because there is noviability. The amount of farmersstarting or expanding without SFP onthe ground is a growing minority butif the pound were to strengthen itmay be pruned harshly.

As an unsubsidised farmer, I have

tried to make the most of the SRDP.It is a cumbersome scheme with goodintentions but limited applications;but I have been very lucky to get anorganic application through in 2012,which will allow me to keep farmingwith low inputs, good forage mixes,and will let the existing birdlife flourish (Very high and varied as thefarm has been run on low inputs for10 years prior). It also puts in fencesand troughs and helps with cash flow!

I have made use of some grantschemes to good effect, although thescoring systems have meant implementing things that were easiestto get points for, rather than the mostbeneficial. Nonetheless, both theenvironment and my farm will benefitso I am grateful to the ScottishGovernment. The grant money is notenough to give security to my businesswithout all my off farm work anddevoting hours that eat up any leisuretime.

I decided in 2011 that I wouldneed to buy SFP, as there was nomechanism found for a reserve. Aterm loan and sale of ewes with lambsat foot funded this and I am glad I didas it now seems payment will come infuture to those who claimed SFP in2011 (not those who submitted anIACS form).

In 2014 we will see a land grab toget hectares of payment for the newsystem so we will see a double edgedsword for many new entrants. If youdo not meet the correct criteria forNational Reserve (priority looks likelyto be given to under 35 new starts)then you may receive nothing in thenew allocation; pretty tough if youstarted in 2006 at 38 old years andhave no payment claimed in 2011.On top of this, seasonal lets and tenancies that include the base year(2014?) will be very competitive sothere is a likelihood that landlordsmay look for the highest bidder, sothose with the biggest historic war-chest may be best placed to getbigger payments. Also, those withnaked acres in 2011 are ‘active’claimants, so may be looking forfarmed ground for 2014.

This is not such an issue in mostEU states as it is in Scotland, as weare rather isolated in creating extra‘agricultural’ land after 2003, and putting in place a system which shutsout latecomers. Whatever happens,before the ink is dry on new CAP systems, we need to make sure wegive new blood a fighting chance; thedevil is in the detail and a couple ofill-conceived sentences in EU legislation and Scottish interpretationcould shut the doors on new andexpanding businesses for another tenyears. I would urge all stakeholdersto be aware of this.

Also, if the new scheme is delayed,we are told the National Reserve willkick in quicker. The Pack Enquiryfound that any new measures wouldtake time to be approved in Europe,which is why the matter is being leftuntil 2013, so let us hope that if thesame argument is given in 2013 whenthe new CAP is delayed those quickfixes can be found. This could beincreased LMO’s, targeted RuralPriorities (not just to businesses under12 months old, but to those with nopayment or substantial expansion) oruse of Business Loan Guaranteeschemes. Something needs to bedone; most other industries subsidisenew business in particular – throughno intention but badly implementedschemes, our industry prejudicesthem.

PILLAR 2 SPECIFIC TARGETTING Much has been made of the loss of

stock from the hills. I do thinkLFASS needs protected and am personally dismayed by the exodus ofsheep in some upland areas. We dohave to remember though that largescale sheep farming is a relatively newthing in Highland Scotland; thebiggest and longest running tragedy isthe continued loss of rural communityin these areas and this must beaddressed so that upland funding isnot targeted purely at stock numbersbut at people numbers.

Eventually I think these farms willreturn to economic viability as redmeat price rises, but there is a dearthof good shepherds and stock-workersthat will be hard to address asdemand rises. If we do not rewardvaluable staff then the public willhave to accept lower welfare standards in future as ranchingincreases. There is a need to ensurefunding targets stockmanship inremote areas, as well as stock numbers.

GENERAL OUTLOOK FOR THEINDUSTRY

We only have to look around theworld to see an ageing farming population becoming more mechanised and keeping less breedinganimals. This harks well for livestockproducers, as other countries becomewealthier in comparison to Westerncountries and more use is made of the5th quarter.

Grain markets will continue to bevolatile, as commodity speculatorsinterfere but ultimately the baselineshould continue to rise as consumption grows and bio-fuel useincreases. I would not join the bandwagon calling for GM crops andlivestock though.

The world population may begrowing, but I cannot afford to feed

others while my own business makes aloss. Growing populations are onlyequitable to rising prices if they areable to pay. Until political situationsallow the hungry to be fed above thecost of production will we not seefarm gate prices benefit. There is nopoint in handling more crop tonnagesto take in half the price per tonne; wewill be increasing workload for thesame returns.

We are now seeing true economicsof supply and demand apply to RedMeat as a result of declining breedingnumbers. Why would arable farmerswant to produce more when their current goods are not paying the bills?

I do think there is a place foradvanced breeding for disease, nutrient fixing etc in reducing costsand inputs, but having discussed firsthand with overseas farmers the potential risks of GM, we cannotembrace every technology on trustand the widespread implicationsacross the whole ecosystem need further research.

I think in the next few years wewill see farmers’ place in society beingre-valued. Consumers are going tohave to get used to an increased percentage of their budget being foodas it has been undervalued for the last30 years.

If your business is well established,you can embrace whatever criteria areset on future CAP schemes and youcan keep input costs down, I think wemight be seeing a good period for agriculture. For young and expandingbusinesses, there are pluses. Lowinterest rates and rising asset pricesmean that contrary to many industries, banks will lend and loanscan be serviced with hard work.

Despite hostile exchanges in thepress, tenancies and contract farmingopportunities are out there and whilesome claim continued subsidy but areless able to do the work share farmingmay expand, beneficial to both parties. One thing is sure, if you canstart a business and keep it going now,you will be in a fit state when thenew regimes eventually capture you.

I must also state that the ministerwhilst striving to represent the majority, appears to be taking onboard the issues, and the NewEntrants forum have been makingtheir case felt at home and in Europe.The NFU, whilst having an obligationto their general membership, havenow got a channel to allow specificissues for younger members to be discussed and represented. And thereis a feeling that agriculture is becoming fashionable as a careeragain, so hopefully we can get thingssorted for the next batch of graduatesand apprentices coming into theindustry.

80 MAG 26/1/12 13:47

13

Careful N application required following mild winter

ULTIMATE WISHI think as a farming industry, I

would not be far wrong to suggestthat 70% of our management time,administration time, leadership andstakeholder time, consultation timeand meeting time is tied up in subsidydebate or complying with rules, whichare enforceable through penalty onsubsidy. If we only had to complywith law, such is the reasoned thoughtthat has to go into Acts of Law; wewould never have had EID forcedupon us. But we are tied into a subsidy system that is linked toremote committee decisions and individual interpretations.

We have spent much of the industry resources in 2009 and 2010focusing on a Scottish CAP reviewand other such subsidy discussions,when at the time the pound was atrecord low levels. 2010 was the timeto be making price demands andexploiting the high ground for longterm supply contracts; I bet thesupermarkets were delighted our eyeswere elsewhere.

Having many friends abroad, I envy

the fact they can go to farming meetings and just discuss farming.We have heated exchanges over whogets what and the hoops we jumpthrough to get it. This very article is acase in point – my outlook for newentrants should be about opportunities in different sectors andindustry innovation, instead of theSFP elephant! But the fact is unlessa farm business is accessing the samesubsidy as its contemporaries, hardwork and practical ability will struggleto make up the imbalance.

If we cannot have free marketfarming in the EU, then I hope thatthe new subsidy system respects thefact we need to be allowed to farm,but without restraints of unnecessarypaperwork or prescriptive measures,which cause market, or within industry distortion. I would likeeverybody in the industry to beincluded in a support system of equality, so we can go to farmingmeetings and discuss real issues offarming. And then I can write in myarticle in 2015 about how to bestspend farming profits!

Finally, can I wish all farmers agood 2012 and take this opportunityto say thanks to my friends and family, Landlord(s), Bank Manager,my livestock mart and all suppliersand contractors who have helped inthe infancy of the business. I hope Ishall reward your faith!

CONTRIBUTOR FACTS

Farmer: John Fyall

Farming: Sittyton Farm

Location: Newmachar, Aberdeenshire

Area: farming 420 acres on various agreements

Stock: 300 ewes14 cows12 pigs

Crops: some barleyhay for equine market

Off farm: Agricultural Consultant and Valuer, self employedA Corporate Member and Fellow of the Institute of Auctioneers in Scotland

Other: John is a past CM of the SAYFC North Area and was a representative in Brussels on the European Council of YF.He was farmingscotland.comYoung Farmer of the Year ‘06

Website: www.johnfyall.com


NEW ENTRANT

The mild winter, and the subsequent advanced conditionof oilseed crops, means

nitrogen rates and timings need to becalculated more carefully than everbefore suggests Ian Matts, AgronomicCoordinator for Yara UK.

“Oilseed and cereal crops need soiltemperatures above 5°c to grow”explains Mr Matts, “The last fewyears have seen soil temperaturesdrop significantly below this betweenNovember and February, restrictingcrop growth. So far this year, we’vehad not only very good growing conditions in the autumn, leading togood establishment, but also winterday time temperatures of around12°c. Well established OSR cropshave bigger leaves and a lot more biomass and therefore contain morenitrogen.”

As a result of the dry springs overthe last few seasons the generaladvice has been to apply nitrogenearly, to allow this to be taken up bycrops before the risk of drought.

And, for farms located withinNVZs, where closed period restrictions on the application ofmanufactured nitrogen fertiliserended on 15th January, farmers maybe tempted to apply fertilizer at theearliest opportunity, but Mr Mattsadvises caution.

“Just because you can apply nitrogen doesn’t mean that youshould,” he confirms. “A balance hasto be struck between the require-ments and the condition of the crop.

Also you don’t want to applynitrogen at too high a rate as plantsare so far forward. Careful consideration is needed and it will beimportant to measure the amount ofnitrogen in the crop first, preferablyas close to application as possible.”

Measuring Green Area IndexThe nitrogen content of oilseeds

can be assessed by measuring theGreen Area Index (GAI), the ratio ofgreen tissue to ground area. This canbe assessed in a number of ways:� Upload a photo of the crop to aGAI assessment website for aninstant measurement� Cut and weigh a metre square ofcrop and multiply by 0.8� Compare against standard imagessuch as those on the HGCA website

Once the GAI has been assessed,the amount of nitrogen in the cropcan be calculated by multiplying it by50 (the average amount of nitrogenfor each unit of GAI). This howeveris just an average. A more accuratemeasurement, if taking a fresh weightcut, would be to send a sample offfor laboratory analysis. Opting for abroad spectrum analysis would allowthe status of other nutrients to alsobe assessed at the same time.

The resulting value enables nitrogen rate and timing to bematched as efficiently as possiblewith the crop’s requirement.

Absolute NThe Yara N-sensor’s Absolute N

calibration makes this assessment foryou, and automatically determines

target application rates.Tamara Hall, Managing Director of

Molescroft Farms Limited, inYorkshire used the Absolute N calibration for the first time last yearon two fields of oil seed rape, bothwith varying soil types, finding itincredibly accurate. “It gave us theconfidence to cut back nitrogen ratesto lower than I would have normallydone on some of the more forwardareas and go higher than I would havedone in the poorer areas,” saysTamara. It produced very even yields– the two fields selected yielded 5.32t/ha and 5.22t/ha - well above thefarm average using a similar amountof fertilizer to what I have in previousseasons. We were most surprised bythe range of application rates withindifferent areas of the same field.”

The N-maxThe current N-max figure for

oilseeds is 250 kgN/ha. “Farmerswhose oilseed crops yielded morethan 3.5 t/ha last year may well bethinking they can increase their Nmaxthis spring; however it is worthremembering that in order to do soyou must take into account the yieldfrom the previous 2 years.”

Opportunity for foliar N“Also worth considering,”

according to Mr Matts, “is the opportunity a forward oilseed cropoffers to ensure a late foliar application of nitrogen, using Nufol.In past seasons many farms in NVZshave had no nitrogen allowance left,following spring applications, within

the Nmax limit for this late application – a timing at which yieldresponses have averaged 0.31t/ha intrials over the last 5 years, producingvaluable returns. As a foliar application, Nufol also overcomes thepotential problem of drought, typicalin late timings. However, with nitrogen levels in the crop expected tobe high following the mild winter, thisyear provides the perfect platform fora more integrated fertilizer programme throughout the variousstages of the growing season”

At all timings, getting an accuratemeasurement of nitrogen in the cropis vital, concludes Mr Matts: “Withweather being so variable and unseasonable, measuring crop nitrogenas close to application as possibleensures that the values gathered arealways relevant.”

80 MAG 26/1/12 13:47

14

MACHINERYfarmingscotland.comIssue eighty • February 2012

Switching from a power harrowcombination to the latest versionof Vaderstad’s Spirit has allowed

a Black Isle farmer and contractor todouble his daily drilling workrate witha machine only a metre wider than itspredecessor.

Brian Matheson, who is based atBallicherry Farm, on the Black Isle,where he grows 200ha of spring

barley, winter wheat and winteroilseed rape, last spring took deliveryof a 4m Vaderstad Spirit Next SDC.In addition to the farm’s own crops,the seed/fertiliser machine will beused for contract work on others’ground.

“I was running a 3m Amazone boxdrill on a power harrow, with a fertiliser hopper up front, but having

taken on more land, I wanted to moveto a faster and wider system,” MrMatheson explained.

“The Spirit Next, plus optionsfrom Horsch and Amazone, were allon my list, but although the Vaderstadwas a little more expensive, it wasclear that it was double the drill, interms of output and ease of use, particularly as I would be doing awaywith a separate front fertiliser hopper. ”

The original Spirit was introducedas an option for light-medium landgrowers wanting a lightweight, high-speed drill, with its two rows ofcultivation discs, consolidation tyresand twin-disc coulters with individualpress wheels.

The Next version features upgradesincluding corrosion-proof, electrically-controlled Fenix II metering, whichcan work accurately down to seedrates as low as <1kg/ha. There’s alsoa new maintenance-free TriForcecushioned rubber mounting for thecoulter assembly, which produces ahigher coulter pressure for working onheavier soils and is quieter in work.

“Although our land here is mostlysandy loam, we have some steepground, so need a light drill, whichcan be operated behind a mid-sizedtractor – we run a 200hp MasseyFerguson 6495,” said Mr Matheson.

“I was looking for a 4m grain/fertiliser drill that would work directly onto ploughed and pressedground and on first impressions, theSpirit Next does the job very well. Itwas delivered on March 28, and started drilling spring barley that day,completing 200ha in a far shortertime than the old system the previousseason.”

He admited to initial concerns overwhether he had made the right movein switching away from a power harrow combination when rainstopped progress a few days into thespring barley drilling campaign.

“At first it was frustrating to seeothers ploughing wet land and following straight behind with apower harrow/drill combination whilewe waited for the ground to dry a little,” he said. “But the sheer outputof the Spirit Next more than made upfor that. Putting in 310kg/ha of fertiliser and 200kg/ha seed, we coulddrill 32ha/day – more than twice asmuch as with our old combination.

“We can do that despite our average field size of only 6ha, and thefact that we run a relatively smalltractor for this size of drill. And notrunning a power harrow has significantly reduced our overall fuelconsumption for crop establishment.”

Lighter, Faster Drill Doubles Work Rates

Horsch launch two new drillsto UK customers at LAMMA.The Horsch MiniDrill and

DuoDrill are designed to extend thecapabilities of Horsch’s existing cultivation equipment, making themsuitable for both first time and existing customers.

The MiniDrill can be fitted to theJoker and Terrano, including the newTerrano MT launched at Agritechnica.Available in 3m to 6m working widths

with a 200 litre seed hopper, theMiniDrill is a compact unit consistingof a hopper and electric fan to blowthe seed to the ground in front of thetyre packer and ensuring good seed-to-soil contact.

Available for the Tiger or Pronto,the DuoDrill is a fully pneumaticseed drill with Drill Manager, idealfor sowing rape and catch crops.With a 300 litre hopper and workingwidths between 3m and 7.5m, the

DuoDrill also places the seed in frontof each packer tyre for exact consolidation in a one-pass cultivationand sowing operation.

In addition to the drills, Horschalso displayed recently launchedproducts in the UK for the first time,including the Terrano MT that hasbeen designed specifically for UKfarmers.

More information on the companyand its products can be found atwww.horsch.com

Two

Horsch

Drills

Launched

80 MAG 26/1/12 13:47

15


MACHINERY

Designed for heavy-duty,large-scale field operations,John Deere’s new 9R and

9RT Series tractors from 410 to560hp (maximum 451 to 616hp, to97/68/EC rating) are the most powerful, productive and comfortablefour-wheel drive tractors the company has ever built.

Available for 2012, the new 9Rand 9RT Series line-up consists offour wheeled tractors and threetracked versions, and replaces the9030 Series, which was introduced in2007. A tracked model from therange made its UK debut on the JohnDeere stand at the LAMMA 2012show, Newark, in January.

These new tractors feature the latest improvements in power,hydraulics, hitch and pto options, aswell as cab comfort and controls.This means more horsepower, moreintegrated intelligent solutions such asAutoTrac and JDLink and improvedhigh-flow hydraulics and pto options.

All 9R/9RT Series models comewith John Deere’s advanced 13.5-litrePowerTech PSX diesel-only enginesand meet the European Stage IIIBemissions standard. The engines feature in-line, six-cylinder, four-valvehigh pressure common rail technologyand series turbochargers. To makethem clean burning engines, they areequipped with cooled exhaust gasrecirculation (EGR) and exhaust filters, which include a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) and a dieselparticulate filter (DPF).

All the tractors employ an 18 forward/six reverse speed PowerShifttransmission with Efficiency Manageras standard. This feature allows the

tractors to operate at an optimal performance level, while minimisingfuel consumption. EfficiencyManager gives the operator preciseground speed control at up to 40kphby letting the operator set the speedsfor field or transport applicationswith a thumb wheel in the transmission shift lever.

To enhance operator comfort, thenew models feature a newly designedCommandView II cab, which offersseveral different packages. The spacious cab provides 10% more overall volume, has 7% more glassarea and four times as much storagespace as the previous range, making itan even more comfortable and convenient workplace, includingexcellent visibility, even around theclock, due to the integrated 360-degree lighting system.

Additionally, a high level of operator comfort is achieved by theActiveSeat suspension on all models,and John Deere’s exclusiveAirCushion suspension system on thetracked versions. CommandArm fingertip controls and the newlydesigned GreenStar 3 CommandCenter Display are other new features.This can run many precision farmingapplications, including telematic solutions such as the factory-installedJDLink and Service ADVISORRemote.

Improved hydraulic system features on these new tractorsincrease overall tractor efficiency –one common reservoir providesimproved oil level management in thedrive train, and high-flow hydraulicsare now available on all models, aswell as up to six SCVs.

80 MAG 26/1/12 13:48

16

OPINIONfarmingscotland.comIssue eighty • February 2012

Scottish farming has always beenaffected by a plethora of influences and factors: national

and world market prices, input costs,new technologies, the weather, and soon. Additionally, European regulations and subsidies are playingan increasing role in determining theprospects of farmers and impacting ontheir decisions.

As a representative of Scottishfarming on the European Parliament'sAgriculture and Rural DevelopmentCommittee, it's my job to monitordevelopments and fight for Scotland'sinterests. It's clear that the reform ofthe Common Agriculture Policy,which subsidies Scotland's farmersthrough the Single Farm Payment tothe tune of hundreds of millions ofpounds a year (£483 million in 2010)will be of critical importance. In thelight of difficult and volatile marketconditions, we must fight to retaindirect subsidies to our farmers, toensure that any "greening" of direct

payments is suitable for specificScottish conditions, to focus supporton genuinely active farmers, and tohelp new entrants farm on a levelplaying field. It is also crucial tostreamline support in order to reducethe administrative headaches which Iam well aware pose some of the greatest difficulties for farmers.

The Less Favoured Areas supportscheme, which provides £64 million ayear to farmers in the most fragile andremote regions of Scotland, is also upfor reform, and I'm determined toensure that this vital funding streamcontinues.

Finally, the implementation of themilk package should help our dairyfarmers bargain collectively for betterprices from processors and retailers,and I would like to see the principlesof supply chain fairness, with a revision of competition legislation andinvestigations into unfair practices,extended to all sectors of agriculture.

Future of Agriculture

in Scotland

farmingscotland.com has

asked 14 leading lights in

Scottish Agriculture their

views on the future of farming

in this country.

Alyn Smith – Scottish member of the

European Parliament's Agriculture

& Rural Development Committee

Andrew Ritchie

Partner

Campbell Dallas LLP

Iwould describe myself as cautiously optimistic for thefuture of Scottish Agriculture.

This might be viewed as almost bullish coming from a CharteredAccountant. Over the last 5 years theagricultural industry has perverselybeen helped by a struggling UK economy. The banking and debt crisis, property crash and euro problems have all led to a period ofsustained low interest rates and aweak currency.

I do not see massive changes in thegeneral UK economy over the medium term. Interest rates are forecast to remain low. Banks willcontinue to look for safe lendingoptions and farming provides this.The support of lenders will continueto help agricultural businesses expand,diversify and invest.

Over the last 5 years UK farmers

have enjoyed a period of relativeweakness in Sterling. It has beenmore expensive to import food andthe primary producer has had theupper hand over the period. Over thenext 5 years I would expect to see thepound strengthen against the euro,which will affect mainly our livestockfarmers and those exporting.

There is much to be positive about.The political drive towards a renewable Scotland will benefit some.Land prices continue to rise. Our climate provides the natural requirements to grow crops and rearlivestock. Sometimes the quantitiesand timing of the sun, wind and raincan be very challenging! There willalways be hurdles to overcome, butthe economic position in the mediumterm will continue to support farmprices and the rural economy.

80 MAG 26/1/12 13:48

17

Drew Ratter

– Convener

Crofters

Commission

www.farmingscotland.com

Agriculture in Scotland mustproduce three categories ofpublic goods, if it is to achieve

its potential. These are: assist withfood security, combat climate change,through preserving and enhancing theenvironment and help to retain population in Scotland’s most fragilerural areas.

None of these aims need fight withany other. Food from Scotland,whether consumed here, or exported,relies on branding, where the strongestqualities are purity and safety. TheScottish Brand depends on a positiveattitude to the environment.

We are now at the cusp of developing a new CommonAgricultural Policy. The opportunityfor agriculture there is to skew a littlemore of the money to the hills andislands, who suffered badly in the lastre-organisation. This will allow

sequestration of carbon through peatland preservation – over 90% ofthe UK’s carbon store is in peat bogs,mainly Scottish.

It will also help store producers tocarry on and even make a recovery inareas where livestock is currently insteep decline. This will, in turn permit the Scottish finished beef andlamb industries to source clean andwell documented store stock

All of this depends on those negotiating and considering the futureof the CAP to be brave and imaginative, but only a little brave andimaginative. Quite a small change,recognising the very fragile areas ofScotland as a Vulnerable Area andsimply treating them fairly would easily achieve. Given the precipitatedecline in livestock in the uplands andislands over the past five, the case forso doing is made.

As we are growing our businessin Scotland, I naturally couldnot do that without a

realistically positive outlook for thesector up here. Why do I think so islinked to a number of related factors.

Firstly, from the perspective ofyour customers, farming and thewhole public interest in where ourfood comes from is increasinglyimportant on the agenda of every daylife. Scottish produced food and itscollective brand value have enjoyed ahigh standing for some time now andthis can only help going forward asinterest continues to intensify.Moreover at a farm level, much hasbeen put in place to develop profitable units across a number ofsectors, not only by amalgamation andcollaboration, but also through the

ongoing development of some of thefirst stage processing and marketinggroups, which are now well established, linking farm directly tothe market place. These efficienciesand relationships are key to helpingbusinesses manage future opportunitywhen price volatility is expected toremain common place and are lookedupon with envy elsewhere. This backbone will give the whole agricultural industry the ability to facethe inevitable change that will comeabout as CAP Reform is finalised andsubsequently deployed.

We look forward to playing ourpart in helping the Scottish farmingindustry progress forward in 2012 – itis in good shape to face any challengewhich may be thrown at it along theway.


OPINION

Allan Wilkinson

Head of Agriculture

HSBC Bank plc

80 MAG 26/1/12 13:48

Andrew Rettie, head of farmsales in Scotland for Strutt &Parker, reports: “There are two

main talking points in the agriculturalindustry at present. The first is thefuture of the Common AgriculturalPolicy and the potentially significantimpact this might have on farmincomes. The current uncertaintydoes not help anyone and it is difficult to predict the future outlookwith any accuracy until we know theoutcome of the reform negotiations.In the meantime, farmers are havingto deal with stringent scrutiny of landeligibility and cross-compliancerequirements all of which inevitablytakes their focus off managing theirbusiness to best advantage.

“The other talking point is theimpact of the awful storm on January3, compounding an already wet 2011and a weak harvest, leaving manyfarmers filing insurance claims forextensive damage. Again, it’s a distraction and a headache that theindustry could do without.

“The wider picture however is thatthe profits for arable farmers are better than they have been in fiveyears and the same can be said ofsheep and beef farms. However, it isdifficult to portray the same optimismfor the dairy industry unless the pricepaid for milk increases and input costs

continue to be a major challenge forall with the rising prices of fuel, oiland fertilisers.

“We are increasingly conscious thatfarmers need to put themselves in thebest position to make the biggest margin and focus on a niche area orgrowing a unique product. Smallerfarmers, in particular, need to thinkabout their position in the marketplace. Farmers need to do somethingslightly different that will give theman edge. That is the future of farming.

“Farmland itself is a rock solidinvestment. Interestingly, and somemay say ironically, there continues tobe very considerable demand forfarms and we predict that to continuewell into 2012 with farmland pricesrising over that period. Farmland isincreasingly attractive to investorswho do not necessarily want to farmthemselves. However, this is a doubleedged sword as it is driving up theprice of land for those trying to breakinto the industry and it illustrates thegrowing importance of a healthy tenanted sector as more and moreland becomes available to rent.

With the number of farm tenanciescontinuing to fall, we need to see amore efficient system of bringinglandowners and tenants together.”

18


Andrew Rettie

Head of Farm Sales

in Scotland

Strutt & ParkerLooking forward the availability

of land will come under severepressure. The demand for food

to be produced to meet an increasingworld population will see many farmsbecoming more productive.

On top of this will be the need tomeet the Scottish Government’sambitious targets for tree plantingwhich may well see 60,000 hectaresbeing planted over the next 5 years.

Competing for similar land qualitywill be the need to have more windfarms again to meet climate changetargets laid down by the ScottishGovernment. Whether or not thisdemand will see recently abandonedhill farms being restocked remains tobe seen, but in order for theses areasto continue to receive SFP going forward they will have to comply withsome form of agricultural activity.This may well result in opportunitiesfor new entrants to get established as

long as the will is there from bothparties, the land owner and the tenant.

Of course the two fundamentalissues in creating an economicallysecure future for rural Scotland arefirstly a strong, stable market place.Sheep prices have recently remainedstrong allowing for stability and confidence to grow, however this isentirely as a result of supply anddemand on a world market basis andof course the euro exchange rate.

Secondly rural Scotland is still veryreliant on receiving support paymentsin the form of SFP, LFASS, and thebeef calf scheme. Without this support many farms, particularlythose in the less favoured areas wouldsimply not manage to continue.

To sum up for a number of reasonsthe future looks optimistic, but istotally reliant on secure prices andcontinued support.

George Milne

Development

Officer NSAand sheep farmer

"After some really tough yearson the early part of the lastdecade with poor prices, a

strong currency and various livestockdisease problems, it is sometimes tooeasy today to focus on the negativesand what might happen in the futurewith the changes in CAP, in capitalallowances and commodity prices.

CLAAS sees a very bright futurefor agriculture, in Scotland andbeyond. This is why we are investingan increasing amount of our turnoverand profits on developing a wider andimproved product range. Livestockfarming is important in almost allparts of Scotland, and cereal farming

is important predominantly towardsthe east coast. Other world marketssuffer from a lack of water, fertiliser,available land or labour. None ofthese are particularly a problem inScotland yet, so relative to other markets at least, farmers in Scotlandshould see their business grow in thecoming years."

Trevor Tyrrell

Chief Executive

Officer CLAAS

UK & Ireland

80 MAG 26/1/12 13:48

19


OPINION

As the Sector Skills Council supporting land-based industries in Scotland, Lantra

understands the importance of agriculture to the Scottish economy.As the world’s technology quicklyadvances and issues such as food security regularly get global attention,it is key that Scotland’s farmers,growers and crofters have the skillsthey need to thrive.

Lantra’s Skills AssessmentResearch (2010-11) identified agriculture as a major industry inScotland with 13,680 agriculturalbusinesses that employ approximately60,700 individuals. Despite the largesize of this industry, it is estimatedthat there will be many career opportunities for new entrants as agriculture grows and the currentworkforce retires.

Lantra works to support this industry and help develop the skills ofthose working with agriculture. Forexample, the Farm Business AdvisorAccreditation Scheme for Scotland,also called FBAASS, works to delivertop advice for farmers and works withthe Scottish Government’s WholeFarm Review Scheme to improveScotland’s farming businesses.

Another programme that we workclosely with is the Business Skills forRural Business Women 2010-12 programme. Through this programme,women entrepreneurs in agricultureand forestry can develop business andleadership skills. It recognises andhighlights the place of rural businesswomen as entrepreneurs within theScottish rural economy.

Lantra knows that the future ofagriculture is only as strong as thefuture workforce, so we work closelywith Modern Apprenticeships toensure young people get a well developed start with their agriculturecareer. Over the past few years wehave closely involved farmers andfarming businesses, so today’s ModernApprentices can be sure they get theskills needed to be successful in thefuture.

In order to be successful in thefuture, Scotland’s farmers, growersand crofters must have superior training and skills, which are essentialto business success. We believe thatScotland’s future farmers need to becultivated so they can help lead theScottish economy, and that is why weare spending so much time developingthem now.

Mary Mitchell

Regional

Partnership

Manager

LANTRA

It would be something of an understatement to say we atWiseman have a vested interest in

the future of Scottish agriculture. We have a long-term partnership

with dairy farm suppliers through theWiseman Milk Group, which nowextends to over 1000 dairy farmersnationwide. Our approach, based onensuring a strong farm-gate milk priceregardless of market conditions,ensures security of supply and protection for farmers in sometimesvolatile markets.

At Wiseman we are constantlylooking at ways to increase sales ofmilk. We are heavily involved in theMake Mine Milk campaign and workhard to promote our products with adedicated sales and marketing team,who are responsible for ensuring ourcustomer’s needs are met in storesand creating ways to market our products.

The Young Farmer movement is agreat way to encourage future generations to see a career in Scottishagriculture and Wiseman are keensupporters.

As with all industries we are constantly looking to develop newproducts help grow the dairy industry.In recent years Wiseman has pavedthe way by introducing a new variantin ‘the One’ 1% fat milk, as well asfiltered milks, which have an extended shelf life, such as Puriti andTesco Pure.

With an increasing consumerdemand for local products we haveintroduced to our black and whiterange a portfolio of regional labelsprovides consumers with assurance ofthe provenance of their milk forexample Wiseman’s Grampian labelmilk.

More recently we have announceda joint venture with a2 Milk™, whichcould see fresh milk stage a comebackto the fridges of millions of Britons,who currently avoid dairy because itcauses digestive discomfort. The UKfresh milk market is a significantopportunity to grow the fresh milkmarket in Britain with “a2 Milk™ andwork is already underway to identifyherds and developing products.

Sandy Wilkie

Sales & Marketing Director

Robert Wiseman Dairies

80 MAG 26/1/12 13:48

20

This might seem a bit rich coming from someone living inEngland but having worked on

both sides of the border over the lastfifteen years I hope it is valid.

Scottish agriculture will face a bigchallenge as the single payment movesto an area based system, there will bewinners and losers, extensive farmerswill probably gain with intensive lowland, particularly dairy and beeflosing out.

Coupled with the rest of the UKthere is also the exposure to a poundweakening at present which presentssome threats, but who knows, ifGreece exits the Eurozone it maystrengthen the £ again, so nothing iscertain.

In recent years however we haveseen all sectors generating profitsbefore subsidy and if commodityprices remain buoyant and it is herewhere exchange rates might have

their largest effect, then the futurelooks bright.

Many farmers have invested heavily in recent years in improvingtheir farming infrastructure, with significant help from RuralDevelopment Funds. The use of thismoney for improving competitivenessof Scottish Farms by the ScottishGovernment has to be applauded.

The money invested in recent yearswill help many businesses improveefficiencies, particularly in labour andmachinery use, to reduce costs andallow businesses to flourish.

The sidelining of ‘slipper farmers’should free up funding, SinglePayment and land to enable profitable farms to continue to grow.These businesses in turn should haveno problem attracting young farmersto continue them, securing a longterm future for Scottish Agriculture.

This might seem a bit rich coming from someone living inEngland but having worked on

both sides of the border over the lastfifteen years I hope it is valid.

Scottish agriculture will face a bigchallenge as the single payment movesto an area based system, there will bewinners and losers, extensive farmerswill probably gain with intensive lowland, particularly dairy and beeflosing out.

Coupled with the rest of the UKthere is also the exposure to a poundweakening at present which presentssome threats, but who knows, ifGreece exits the Eurozone it maystrengthen the £ again, so nothing iscertain.

In recent years however we haveseen all sectors generating profitsbefore subsidy and if commodityprices remain buoyant and it is herewhere exchange rates might have

their largest effect, then the futurelooks bright.

Many farmers have invested heavily in recent years in improvingtheir farming infrastructure, with significant help from RuralDevelopment Funds. The use of thismoney for improving competitivenessof Scottish Farms by the ScottishGovernment has to be applauded.

The money invested in recent yearswill help many businesses improveefficiencies, particularly in labour andmachinery use, to reduce costs andallow businesses to flourish.

The sidelining of ‘slipper farmers’should free up funding, SinglePayment and land to enable profitable farms to continue to grow.These businesses in turn should haveno problem attracting young farmersto continue them, securing a longterm future for Scottish Agriculture.

Rob Hitch

Partner

Dodd & Co


Sandy Hay

Head of

Agriculture

Bank of

Scotland

Iwas asked to put pen to paper togive my view of the Future ofScottish Agriculture. Every

industry at the moment is facing anuphill battle with world climatechange. With world populationapproaching 7 billion, the level offood production must constantly rise.

CAP reform is the buzzword at themoment, but farmers will have to facethe fact that someday support willstop. But I am confident everyfarmer would give up their support iftheir market gate prices reflectedtheir input costs. When the newreform comes out, Scottish farmerswill have more hoops to jumpthrough!

The farmers of today need toremember that they are running abusiness – it is not a way of life. Evenif things have been done a certain wayfor three generations – if it doesn’twork changes must be made. Marginsare tight with the ever-increasing

input costs such as diesel, feed etc!! In my personal view two types of

farms will emerge – large ones, whichwill keep growing, taking on neighbouring units, stretching theirlabour resources to maximize profitability. On the other side of thecoin small family farms, using familymembers who have other jobs outsidethe farm to keep it running with lowoverheads! We’re all going to becomelean and meaner at everything we do.(and that’s from an Aberdonian!)

There is a future for Agriculturebut the next few years are going to betough but it is going to depend onproduction costs and market pricesbecause if it’s not going to pay,farmers will leave the industry –there is only so much punishmentthat they can take. I know this allsound negative – we have a future butthe industry needs to stick togetherand be heard!!

Allan Grant

Chair Scottish

Association of

Young Farmers

80 MAG 26/1/12 13:48

21

Looking ahead to the future ofScottish agriculture, I detect asense of optimism.

While the past year has seen challenges – everything from extremeweather to the implementation ofsheep EID – it was also a year of highlivestock prices and record food anddrink sales.

I want us to build on this and Ibelieve our rural sector is wellequipped to cope with whatever liesahead.

Undoubtedly one of the main talking points of 2012 will be thereform of the Common AgriculturalPolicy. Decisions taken this year onCAP reform will have far-reachingand long-lasting consequences. That’swhy we’ll be working hard and working together to ensure Scotlandsecures a fair deal.

We have already seen some of oursuggestions reflected in the EC’s proposals which gives us solid groundto build on. As the talks continue, wewant to make further progress, to

ensure the result is a flexiblesupport system that recognises Scotland’s diverseneeds.

When I consider thefuture of Scottish agriculture, I see a landscapethat is less cluttered withbureaucracy which is whywe are working to reducethe regulatory burden. Thisis something that will continue throughout theyear.

This will free up ourfarmers to do what they dobest – produce some of theworld’s finest natural ingredients and manage themagnificent landscape forwhich Scotland is renowned.

I’m sure there will bechallenges ahead but, bypulling together, I am confident that these can –and will – be overcome.

Richard

Lochhead

Check out www.farmingscotland.com

website being updated this month

80 MAG 26/1/12 13:48


EDUCATION

The Board of SAC (ScottishAgricultural College) is delighted to confirm that it is

to appoint Professor Bob Webb as itsnew Chief Executive and Principal,with effect from 1 April 2012.

Professor Webb, who is currently aPro-Vice-Chancellor of the Universityof Nottingham, will succeed ProfessorBill McKelvey, who stands down fromhis role as SAC’s Chief Executive andPrincipal at the end of February 2012.

Professor Webb is a leading animalscientist and a respected authority onagricultural and veterinary research,both in the UK and internationally.He is currently Professor of AnimalScience at the University ofNottingham and Pro-Vice-Chancellorfor Research, with responsibility forthe Faculty of Engineering. Beforebecoming Pro-Vice-Chancellor,Professor Webb was Head of theUniversity’s School of Biosciencesthen Dean of the Faculty of Science.

Prior to his time at Nottingham,Professor Webb held senior posts in anumber of agricultural, veterinary andmedical institutions. Between 1981and 1997 he was Principal ResearchScientist at the Roslin Institute (formerly the Agricultural ResearchCouncil, Animal Breeding ResearchOrganisation). He has also worked asa Senior Scientist in Obstetrics &Gynaecology at the University ofOxford and as a Research Fellow atthe University of Michigan, USA.

Professor Webb’s research careerhas centred on the investigation of thecontrol of reproductive function, oneof the key factors in efficient production of both milk and meat.Evidence from his research into hownutrition can influence livestock pregnancy rates has been taken forward by a number of commercialfeed companies and is being used toimprove the efficiency of productionsystems.

Professor Webb is an HonoraryFellow of the University of EdinburghRoyal (Dick) School of VeterinaryStudies. In addition, he currently hasa leading role in the ResearchExcellence Framework 2014(REF2014), the new system forassessing the quality of research inUK Higher Education Institutions.Professor Webb sits on one of fourmain panels leading the REF2014 andis Chair of the sub panel with specialresponsibility for Agriculture,Veterinary and Food Science-relatedresearch.

Speaking of Professor Webb’sappointment, SAC Chairman LordJamie Lindsay said: “Bob Webb is anexcellent and well-timed appointment, with SAC strategicallypoised to develop a number of majoropportunities within and beyondScotland. Bob brings a wealth ofexpertise and experience in successfully delivering high-level initiatives and partnerships at both a

national and an international level.His academic credentials and management skills speak for themselves and I am confident thatwe have the right man to take SAConwards and upwards, building on thelegacy of Bill McKelvey’s impressiveachievements.

“Bob’s pedigree and track-record,and his proven skills in developingsynergies and collaborative ventures,made him an outstanding candidateduring a rigorous recruitment processthat attracted accomplished candidates from around the world. Iam therefore delighted to welcomeBob as our new Chief Executive andPrincipal and have no doubt that hisstrategic vision and experience willenable SAC to continue to go fromstrength to strength.”

Professor Webb said: “I am bothhonoured and delighted to becomethe next Chief Executive andPrincipal of the Scottish AgriculturalCollege. SAC, as the only agriculturally-focused HEI withinScotland, is uniquely placed withinthe agriculture sector and rural communities. In this regard, SACwill have an increasingly significantrole both nationally and internationally in combating the current global challenges, whichinclude food security and quality,environmental issues and economicsustainability of farming.

“These global challenges however,

also present exciting opportunitiesbecause of the central importance ofagriculture, both nationally and internationally. As the new ChiefExecutive I look forward to workingwith colleagues at SAC to build onthe undoubted strengths of research,learning and teaching and commercialinnovation that already exist to makeboth Scottish and UK agriculturemore sustainable, while addressingenvironmental impact.”

Professor David Greenaway,Vice-Chancellor of the University ofNottingham said: “Professor BobWebb has given outstanding service tothe University of Nottingham, both asa distinguished scientist and in a rangeof leadership roles, including Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research.His professional background and managerial experience make him theideal candidate for Chief Executiveand Principal of the SAC. I am confident that SAC will flourishunder his stewardship and expect current collaborations betweenNottingham and SAC to prosper andgrow. I have the highest regard forProfessor Webb and wish him everysuccess in his new role.”

SAC’s Director of Finance andCorporate Affairs, Janet Swadling,will be acting Chief Executive andPrincipal when Professor McKelveysteps down until Professor Webbtakes up his post.

New Principal for SAC

80 MAG 26/1/12 13:48

23

Paddy Power

New Zealand-based Irish shearing champion Ivan Scottreclaimed the World solo eight

hours lambshearing record in a woolshed near Taupo on January 9th.

From Kilmacrennan, CountyDonegal and now aged 30, Scott heldthe record for two years with a markof 736 at Rerewhakaaitu, south ofRotorua, in December 2008. But helost it when World champion Hawke’sBay shearer Cam Ferguson shore 742at Moketenui, near Benneydale, lastJanuary.

Scott, the All Ireland champion,was also preparing for the next WorldChampionships to be held inMasterton in March, made his newbid at Opepe, just east of Taupo onState Highway 5, and had to averageless than 39 seconds a lamb, whichincluded catching time between sheep.

Shorn in four two-hour runs, withsmoko and meal breaks, it was thefirst of three record bids held inJanuary, under the auspices of theWorld Shearing Records Society,which appointed four judges to oversee the event, including one fromAustralia.

The 30-year-old was given the all-clear after a trial shear comfortablyexceeded the minimum 0.9kg of woolper lamb.

The shearing rate was rapid – one

lamb every 38.8 seconds or quicker tobeat Ferguson's count. Three Kiwijudges and one from Australia were onhand to ensure each lamb was shornto standard.

Judge John Fagan said Scott looked"very fit" as he stepped into the pen."He was very well prepared, whichyou have to be with this sort of effort.It has been measured years ago as theequivalent of two back-to-backmarathons."

Five of Scott's lambs weren't up tostandard and were discounted, yet hestill pipped the record by 2. "He tookit down to the wire – he did it thehard way."

Scott came to New Zealand 10years ago from the Irish county ofDonegal and has been shearing fulltime since then, mostly nearChristchurch. For the past four yearshe's also been shearing the summerseason in Rotorua. Scott said leadingup to that first cut was "tense" andthe pressure didn't let up.

Only after his final strike, whenthe crowd erupted, did it ease. "Shewas a pretty big moment," he said. "Itwas pretty emotional.

"The old body feels pretty good.The arms are a bit sore, but it feelsgood considering." Scott celebratedhis win with a couple of pints and ameal in Taupo.

80 MAG 26/1/12 13:48

80 MAG 26/1/12 13:48

Issue 80

Documents

Transcript of Issue 80