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From the Wellies - June 07

The latest promotional campaign by the National Farmer’s Union of Scotland is called “What’s On Your Plate?”  Scheduled to run from the middle of June, it is planned to be the theme of all NFU promotional activity at the summer shows. 

Consumers are being asked not only to buy local produce, but also to purchase Scottish food when in season.  As well as promoting the quality food and drink that Scotland’s farmers produce, it is also hoped to get across the message that farmers take care of our beautiful countryside, protect valuable flora and fauna, support rural communities, contribute to the fight against climate change, provide healthy alternatives to junk food and take great care of the animals that they nurture. 

Along with the usual paper-based promotional material, a website is also being launched in mid-June at www.whatsonyourplate.co.uk

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Beef farmers have been spoilt for choice lately with two different technical events to attend within a week of each other.  The Scottish Beef Cattle Association held theirs at Lanark Market on the 24 May, while the Royal Northern Agricultural Society held their event near Fraserburgh on the 31May. 

The second event was the one I chose to attend, a mix of live cattle on show, trade stands, a farm tour and a varied seminar programme made for an interesting day with something for everyone. 

One of the ‘buzz words’ in agriculture at the moment is ‘benchmarking’.  This involves comparing your farm’s performance with other similar farms to see where improvements can be made.  Reducing winter feed costs is one area where there is scope for cost savings on most farms.  Trials carried out feeding cows kale or stubble turnips have proved very successful on a number of farms. 

For this system to work it is best to leave straw bales spread out along the field edge so that there are not tractor movements in wet fields through the winter.  This helps to avoid problems with soil erosion.  The number of calves reared per 100 cows put to the bull is also another figure which differs between herds.  Top producers consistently manage to rear 95 calves per 100 cows, while the national average is 89 calves. 

A number of factors influence this figure such as overall herd health, avoiding difficult calvings, correct management of cow condition and nutrition, young cow management and bull fertility.  There was certainly plenty of information available not only on the physical management of your herd but also all sorts of equipment was on display from cattle handling systems to feeding equipment.

 A well organised farm tour highlighted savings that can be made on bought in fertilisers by using more clover in grass pastures to ‘fix’ atmospheric nitrogen and RSPB Scotland also held a stopping off point on the farm tour. 

Savoch Farm where the event was staged, borders the Loch of Strathbeg which is overwintering ground for 80,000 pink footed geese (about 1/5th of the world population) and a total of 24 farms in the area are paid to provide grazing for the geese during the winter. 

Our own efforts to look after the birds on the farm seem to be going reasonably well.  Travelling across barley and turnip fields there are a number of lapwing and oyster catchers nests to be seen with some already hatched.  One nest, however, has succumbed to a raiding party of half a dozen large white headed seagulls.  They can be seen patrolling the fields in a straight line formation and you have to feel sorry for the poor parent birds left behind with their empty nests.