Autumn Spotlight
There is a tremendous amount of valuable information produced by the FAS every year. This spotlight page, updated every April, July, October and January, highlights those topics which we believe will be of particular interest to many of you right now.
Nutrition
As the temperature drops and farmers begin housing for the winter, feed and forage comes increasingly to the front of mind.
In some parts of the country, forage is in short supply, and with high fuel costs and a changing climate driving high feed costs, it is helpful to understand the quality and quantity of your forage for the winter ahead. Carrying out forage analysis along side a feed and forage budget can help to ensure you are making the most of your forage on farm and help to identify any potential shortfalls in forage supply well ahead of time. Our step-by-step guide can help you.
Cattle Records
Once your cattle are housed it's a good time to look at your cattle records and reconcile your cattle passports. Cattle records continue to be the leading cause of cross-compliance failure in Scotland which can result in costly fines to a business. We've got a video guide on how to carry out a full reconciliation and make sure you're compliant. You can also review our video on cattle identification and tagging to make sure you're following the right steps.
If you realise that you may have an issues with cattle tags, passports or records then please do not ignore it. There is support available to help you correct your records including a new confidential service launched by RSABI New Service Offering Cattle Registration Guidance - RSABI.
Health and Safety
Accident and injury rates in Agriculture continue to be high, and everyone on the farm should be taking steps to bring those numbers down. We have a whole section of the website dedicated to developing safe farming practices and how to safely identify and address health hazards on your farm and others.
If you'd like help convincing others to take farm safety seriously, we've produced a number of videos and podcasts on the subject, including a FAS TV episode about one farmer's life-changing accident and a number of podcasts, including a conversation with Stephanie Berkely from Yellow Wellies
Farming in a Changing Climate
With considerable attention being paid to the upcoming 'super El Niño' predicted to hit the UK this winter, there is a high-expectation that farmers will encounter rapidly changing and unpredictable weather. Farming and Water Scotland have a helpful article that explains what this phenomenon could mean for Scotland.
Beyond the super El Niño, farmers in Scotland are experiencing more chaotic climate events more frequently. As a result it's important to begin thinking about how you can make your farm more resilient to these climate shifts.
Our article on farming in a rapidly changing climate is a great place to start, and offers advice on how to identify opportunities for mitigation, as well as how to work with nature and adapt your existing systems. For information on reslience in wet weather, refer to our Responding to Wet Weather page.
Livestock Updates Straight To Your Phone
We have recently launched a pilot of a new way to communicate to livestock farmers. Our livestock whatsapp group exists to provide you with quick updates on topical livestock issues in a quick and easily accessible format.
To join the group and get these updates directly to your phone simply scan the QR code below or follow this link.
Getting The Most Out Of FAS
The FAS website contains a huge amount of information, but there are lots of other ways to get even more out of the FAS.
We have eight different podcast feeds, each covering a different area of Scottish Agriculture. From inspiring personal stories on Agri Culture to in-dept business analysis from BPN Audio, there’s something for everyone.
The FAS Youtube Channel has over 1000 videos for you to watch, including 5 seasons of FAS TV. There are videos on policy, efficiency, biodiversity and more.
Almost all FAS events are booked through Eventbrite so follow us on there to ensure you never miss a notification.
Finally, FAS publishes 8 different newsletters straight to your inbox, with timely updates and the occasional important bulletin to ensure you’re always up to date on what’s going on in your part of the industry. Subscribe here.
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