Confidence ahead of key date in Scottish beef year
While the threats posed by Brexit, climate change and the growing influence of the vegan lobby might suggest a difficult time ahead for the country’s cattle sector, the organisers of Scotland’s Beef Event 2019 were yesterday upbeat about the industry’s future. Scottish Beef Association vice-chairman and Aberdeenshire farmer David Barron – who chairs the organising committee of the national biennial event on Thursday 30 May – said that Scotland’s reputation for quality backed up by its world-leading traceability and assurance schemes meant that there would continue to be strong demand for Scottish beef. “And while there is much talk of a fall in the size of the suckler herd, both myself and the Milne family who are hosting the event are not alone in quietly building up cow numbers,” he said.
He added that the event’s hosts – Robbie, Barbara and James Milne – who farm at North Bethelnie, Oldmeldrum, near Inverurie, were a prime example of how the sector should be moving – with a 95 per cent calving percentage backed up by an excellent health status leading to a very efficient unit which performed well in both commercial and carbon audit terms.
Barron, who is a former climate change farmer in the area, said that while global warming would undoubtedly be a key issue for the industry in the coming years, there were many opportunities for farming to help mitigate the effects, citing the use of renewables to harness hydrogen power, a move which he said could see farmers produce their own fertilisers. And he said that technology would feature strongly at the beef event, with a comprehensive programme of practical demonstrations highlighting the latest technical innovations available to beef farmers.
The AGRI-EPI centre will demonstrate the benefits of sensor technology for the beef industry, including a new equipment to give an early warning of health problems while Silent Herdsman collars, as used in the dairy industry, could help with fertility management.
The beef monitor system, developed by Ritchie of Forfar in a project supported by Scotbeef and M&S, which enables the performance of finishing cattle to be monitored by using technology which sees them automatically weighed every time they drink, will also feature. Moocall will be demonstrating their calving sensor which attaches to the tail of cows and tracks the tail movement patterns to accurately predict when cows are likely to give birth – and which then sends the stockman a text alert, allowing him to be present for the birth.
Other features will include demonstrations of foot trimming by Michael Creighton, drone technology for livestock systems by Mike Swindells of Perfect Pasture, and hydrogen powered machinery by Philip Davies of Waterfuel Engineering.
The advantages of using pelvic measurements as an aid selecting easy-calving heifers will be explained, while alternative bedding products such as wood waste, green waste and paper waste will be on show.
The event will also host a demonstration on grassland management, covering treatments, cultivations and applications as well as the usual round of seminars and demonstrations.