Beef Cattle

Rotational Grazing Vlog: Introducing Giles Henry & Oakwood Mill

Introducing Giles! Giles is contributing to the farmer video series to give practical insights into rotational grazing management and better grass utilisation. There are three other farmers in…

Rotational Grazing Vlog: Introducing Jamie Leslie & Scholland Farm

Introducing Jamie! Jamie is contributing to the farmer video series to give practical insights into rotational grazing management and better grass utilisation. There are three other farmers in…

Rotational Grazing Vlog: Introducing William Willis & Forest Farm

Introducing William! William is contributing to the farmer video series to give practical insights into rotational grazing management and better grass utilisation. There are three other farmers in…

Introducing Our Rotational Grazing Vlog Series

Watch Your Water

Both water availability and quality are important considerations for cattle at grass, particularly during periods of hot weather. Although rare, cases of blue-green algae (or cyanobacteria) toxicity have been occasionally diagnosed in cattle by SRUC Veterinary Services and sheep can also be affected. This condition should be considered in cases of otherwise undiagnosed sudden death, particularly in cattle at grass depending on their water supply.

Women in Agriculture: Case Study – Fiona Smith

Fiona Smith farms Westerton of Pittarrow and Cairnton Farm with her father and hard-working staff. Together they farm 850 acres with barley and wheat, potatoes and daffodils/bulbs. They run a…

Podcast: Forward Thinking Farmers – Bill & Helen Smith of The Byres Farm, Fochabers

In the first of our series of podcasts with Forward Thinking Farmers, Mary-Jane Lawrie spoke to Bill and Helen Smith of The Byres Farm, Fochabers. Bill and Helen talk about…

Opportunities To Control Rushes

Rushes are a major challenge to beef and sheep producers across the country. Rushes are an indicator of poor fertility, poor drainage and low soil pH. However, when you look at the…

Using A Wholecrop Cereal To Top Up Forage Supplies

If you think you may be short of forage for the coming winter cutting and preserving a standing cereal crop to produce wholecrop may be worth considering. It is a good bulk feed and can replace silage if necessary (may need additional protein depending on the stock to be fed) and it is ideal if you have undersown cereals and will give an earlier bite in the field or free up the field for early sowing of a catch crop.

Unusual Behaviour And Deaths In Cattle

Over the last couple of days there have been several reports of dairy cows eating soil and of deaths in young suckled calves from twisted guts etc. While we only know of a few cases, their cause is difficult to explain. One possibility is that with the drought grass is likely to have high levels of sugar and of course very rapid growth once it rains.

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