Stock Talk – Podcast episodes
Scotland is a country synonymous with its rugged landscape, iconic wildlife and diverse habitats, particularly in the uplands.
Threats in climate change and biodiversity decline have brought the management of Scotland’s farmed upland environment squarely under the microscope.
In this podcast series, Thrill of the Hill, the Farm Advisory Service (FAS) explores the multitude of issues facing the farmed upland environment and how we can reconcile priorities in conflict, showcase good practice, new developments, technologies and build resilient, sustainable businesses.
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Latest episode
Stock Talk – Vic & Jason Ballantyne
In this podcast we hear from Vic and Jason Ballantyne, who are tenant farmers on the edge of Brora. They talk about their forage based farming system and the importance of their low input system to achieve a good a work-life balance. Vic and Jason are continually trying to improve the genetics in their livestock through a strict culling policy. They currently run 100 suckler cows and 400 ewes of their own plus they contract farm a further 230 ewes. Related FAS Resources Livestock resources for farmers from Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)
Episodes
Stock Talk – Graham Lofthouse
In this episode, host Robert Ramsay speaks to Graham Lofthouse, beef and sheep farmer from Bankhouse Farm, in the Scottish Borders, and winner of the AgriScot Scottish Sheep Farmer of the Year award 2016. Robert and Graham discuss the strategies and challenges of rotational grazing systems, lamb growth, flock efficiency, genetics and how Graham established his wool-shedding flock. kglofthouse@tiscali.co.uk mobile 07708060236 Related FAS Resources Selecting the Right Ram for the Job | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot) Technical Note (TN767): Management and Selection of Rams for Efficiency Tupping | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory…
Stock Talk – Growing the Business: Andrew Marchant
In this podcast we hear from Andrew Marchant. He started on his tenanted farm, Clonhie Farm, with 12 ewes and worked off-farm in order to maximise income for the farm in the initial years to allow him to purchase stock and build up numbers on the farm quicker. As well as building up stock numbers he explored different enterprises, now having a herd of 65 pure Luing and Aberdeen Angus cross Luing cows, a flock of 850 ewes, 200 Aberdeen Angus cross dairy stores (purchased as weaned calves), and a deer herd. He also has a contract farming agreement in…
Stock Talk – Cattle EID with David Kerr
In this podcast we hear from David Kerr, ScotEID’s Technical Manager. He speaks about cattle EID tags and their importance in the future for traceability for food safety and disease control. David tells us about the technology and the differences between Ultra High Frequency (UHF) tags which will be used for cattle tags, and Low Frequency (LF) tags which are used in sheep tags. David explains the minimal affect this will have on beef farmers once compulsory EID tagging of cattle comes into effect – the minimum is to tag the calf with a pink EID tag. The use of…
Stock Talk – James Biggar & Lorna Galloway
In this podcast we hear from James Biggar who has drastically changed his farming system in recent years. His main aim is to reduce the cost of production with his beef herd which includes the use of forage crops and deferred grazing with bales to outwinter cows. 120 of his cows are kept outside 365 days a year. James talks about the importance of options and having a Plan B in case of a crop failure in his system, this is why he spreads the risk by growing different types of forage crops and has the bale grazing (deferred grazing…
Practical Advice for Lambing & Calving
In this podcast we hear from SRUC Veterinary Investigation Officers Megan Fergusson and Tim Geraghty. They talk about the importance of good husbandry and top tips to save time and to prevent disease spreading at lambing and calving time. They also talk about health planning and how recording lamb and calf losses can help when reviewing these losses and how to improve survival rates in the future. Linked FAS resources: Lambing | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot) Calving Heifers Vlog Series | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot) Losses at Calving – should…
Stock Talk – Performance in Beef Herds
In this podcast we hear from Sascha Grierson, SAC Consultant and Economist, and Colin Mason, SAC Veterinary Investigation Officer. They talk to Robert Ramsay about improving productivity and efficiency in beef herds and also talk about grant support to aid this improvement. Related FAS Resources Cattle resources for farmers from Farm Advisory Service | FAS Agribusiness News February 2024 – Inputs: Calf Management | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot) Beef Technical Toolkit | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)
Stock Talk – Sean Cursiter
In this podcast we hear from Sean Cursiter who has featured on BBC’s ‘This Farming Life’ program. Sean Cursiter farms at Laga Farm, Orkney with his dad and his uncle. Due to his dad and uncle still being relatively young and fit to farm Laga, Sean decided to buy a farm for himself and his family’s future; Arwick Farm, Orkney. Sean tells us about his story and strong work-ethic which led to him being able to buy a farm. Although Sean still helps out at Laga, he now has his own farm business at Arwick and has aspirations to improve…
Stock Talk: Dairy Genomics
In this podcast we hear from Rhona McAlister who is Precision Animal Health Commercial Manager (genomics specialist) with Zoetis. Rhona speaks about the role of genomics and how it can accelerate genetic progress. Breeding decisions can be made with more confidence and data driven.
Stock Talk – Dairy Market Outlook & Looking to the Future
In this podcast we hear from Lorna MacPherson, SAC Dairy Consultant, and Jimmy Goldie, Technical Manager at Carrs Billington. They speak about the dairy market outlook for the winter season including milk price and input costs. They discuss the importance of nutrition rationing dairy cows and trying to get the best value diet without compromising on performance. They also speak about sustainability of the dairy industry and the role of carbon auditing. The future of the dairy industry is discussed including the challenges ahead and the opportunities.
Stock Talk – Beef & Sheep Nutrition: Planning Ahead
In this podcast we hear from SAC’s livestock ruminant nutritionists Lorna Shaw and Karen Stewart. They discuss beef and sheep nutrition from grazing at grass through to planning winter rations and the silage you should be aiming to make for your class of livestock. They discuss opportunities to reduce concentrate feed use and the importance of prioritising classes of stock at certain times of the year who require a higher level of nutrition for maintenance and production. Linked FAS resources: FAS Beef Nutrition: Beef Nutrition | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot) FAS Ruminant Nutrition and Forage…