All the finalists for AgriScot’s ‘Farm of the Year’ competitions
Dairy Farm of the Year
ALLAN CAMPBELL, CALLY MAINS FARMING
EXTENDING over 240ha, Cally Mains, in Gatehouse of Fleet, is a family business run by Allan, Janice and Robin Campbell, and together they milk 500 cows, bringing on 350 plus youngstock.
All cattle, a mix of Holstein and some Jerseys, are housed indoors and milked three times a day, by a team of four full-time members of staff and three part-time milkers.
This autumn, the Campbells will complete building a new fresh cow shed for 145 cows with an emphasis on cow comfort. They have a strict health policy in place, with a focus on maintaining a healthy environment for cows, youngstock and calves, and work closely with vets to minimise antibiotic usage. They run a closed herd, with a weekly veterinary visit to monitor herd fertility and monthly health monitoring by their nutritionist.
WILLIE FLEMING, HILLHEAD FARM
LOCKERBIE-BASED dairy farmer, Willie, farms in partnership with his parents, Robert and Margaret, and has grown the dairy herd from 100 cattle, when they first moved to Hillhead 20 years ago, to a herd of 365 Holsteins today.
Four years ago, they installed six Lely A5 robots which led to significant improvements in milk production and overall cattle health. Their milking business is complemented by an elite genetics programme, with a focus on producing high yielding, efficient cows, who have a reduced carbon footprint.
They have been using High PLI sires with the emphasis on producing progeny suited to robotic milking and with a longer lifespan.
Willie and his family are big supporters of RHET, hosting regular school visits and Willie is an active champion of the dairy sector, making videos for his social media, to educate and entertain the public about dairy.
COLIN LAIRD, BLYTH FARMS
PEEBLES-SHIRE based Colin runs Blythbridge Holsteins in partnership with his family, milking 540 cows daily, using 10 Lely A5 robots.
The business has been built up over the past three generations and more recently saw the completion of a new dairy complex, constructed with the aim of maximising the potential of the Holstein breed.
The herd participates in weekly vet inspections to monitor fertility, and regular foot trimming, along with foot washers on the robots, has eliminated the need for antibiotics to treat lameness.
This past May, Blyth Farm opened its gates to the public and welcomed more than 750 farming and non-farming visitors to explore the new dairy facility and to see other aspects of the farm. The family are also supporters of RHET, hosting school visits on the farm and regularly welcome international groups.
Arable Farm of the Year
COLIN MCGREGOR, MCGREGOR FARMS
COLIN, from Berwickshire, took on the daily running of the family business in 1989 at the age of 21 when the farmed area was 300ha and specialised in pre-packed potato production.
Over the past 23 years, his business has been approached to contract farm nearby neighbouring land and there are now 15 agreements covering a managed area of 3445ha.
The arable operation predominantly grows winter wheat and oilseed rape, but winter barley, spring barley, spring oats, spring beans, potatoes and vining peas are also grown. Every farm has an individual rotation to suit its soil type, infrastructure and location, with Colin and his team focusing on building fertility and soil health to maximise yield and reduce risk.
The business is a LEAF Farm and all farms they are involved with are participants of environmental schemes. Precision farming technology is used extensively and there is regular soil sampling including organic matter testing and organic manures are utilised where possible.
NEIL WHITE, GREENKNOWE FARM
BERWICKSHIRE- BASED farmer, Neil, runs an arable operation over 237ha and the crops grown include winter wheat, winter oilseed rape, winter barley, spring barley, spring beans and spring oats.
Through improving organic matter and workability of the soil, over the past seven years Neil has increased his direct drilling rate to 90% and has recently bought a tracked combine to assist him in looking after his soils from harvest onwards. Introducing cover crops and clover leys have been two recent cropping changes on-farm and since 2014, Neil has been using drones as part of his management to allow for crop checking, drainage maps and establishment checks to be carried out.
He is passionate about spreading positive messages about the role productive farming has to play in conserving Scotland’s countryside and regularly extends invitations to industry stakeholders to come on to farm and writes a regular column for the Direct Driller magazine.
STUART MCNICOL, CASTLETON FARM
CASTLETON Farm, run by Stuart, extends over 170ha and grows winter wheat, spring barley, spring beans and potatoes, with a recent addition to the operation of top fruit. Stuart and his family planted 1950 fruit trees this year, with plans to integrate the trees into the farm overtime for wholesale, juicing and cider.
Improving soil and future crop health is a top priority, prompting the introduction of cover crops as part of their rotation. This has allowed them to
reintroduce sheep back into the operation to increase organic matter in the soil.
Engaging with the public is a key focus at Castleton and in 2018, Stuart and his wife, Jo, opened coastal café, Drift – an upcycled shipping container which welcomes 380,000 visitors a year. Together, they have big plans to increase public engagement onfarm including hosting biodiversity tours to showcase farming’s relationship with nature.
Sheep Farm of the Year
AIMEE AND KIRSTY BUDGE, BIGTON FARM
SISTERS Aimee and Kirsty farm in Shetland, and together run a mixed sheep and beef enterprise, alongside growing 60 acres of spring barley.
They look after a 650-head flock which comprises of 300 Shetland cross Cheviot ewes which they put to a Suffolk ram to provide lambs for store and the fat market, and 350 pure Shetland ewes, which are put to either a Shetland or Cheviot ram and their offspring are kept for replacements.
They have been working closely with their vet to develop a better health planning system for the farm and have a strict buying policy to complement Shetland’s high health status, with all incoming stock tested for CLA, dosed and dipped. No breeding females are purchased outside of Shetland and by being more selective in their replacements has allowed them to cull hard on less desirable traits, such as bad feet.
CALUM MCDIARMID, MAINS OF MURTHLY
THE philosophy behind Calum’s sheep enterprise at Mains of Murthly, which extends to over 244ha of Perthshire landscape, is about minimising input and maximising output by creating a more efficient system.
Shepherd, Ed Munt, runs 1350 breeding ewes, 400 home-bred ewe lambs and 25 tups, 12 of which are Innovis Aberfield and 13 terminals of either NZ Suffolk, or Aberblacks.
The system has changed over the past five years to become a predominantly grass-based setup centred around rotational grazing, with divisional solar electric fence systems and Opico sward lifter improving the quality and volume of grass.
All ewes are condition scored every six weeks to both correct any problems, and to ensure all stock are improving and performing. When it comes to health, prevention is better than cure.
All lambs have traditionally been sold prime to the abattoir with the average weight being mid 19 kgs with normally U3L grade. To grant ewes more grass in the ‘golden period’, half of this year’s lambs will be sold store, with the remainder fattened on home turf. With the increase in costs of both energy and inputs, Mains of Murthly is looking at the best return for both staff and the farm. Reducing the winter costs is the aim of the farm.
Using a stick reader and electronic weighing crate allows them to record daily live weight gain and has enabled them to sell prime lambs at their optimum to allow for a much better return.
ALAN COWENS – PHILIPHAUGH FARM
PHILIPHAUGH is a 2450-acre upland farm near Selkirk, in the Scottish Borders, owned by Sir Michael Strang Steel and managed by Alan. It runs 2200 mainly North Country Cheviot ewes split into two flocks, shepherded by Alan Wilson and Scott Bell, and 120 Luing and Sim/Luing cows.
The 1000 hill type ewes are bred pure for replacements, sale ewe lambs, and wethers finished off forage crops; 500 hill type are crossed with the Bluefaced Leicester to produce Cheviot Mule ewe lambs for replacements and sale. Wethers are finished on forage crops. These ewes are run as low input receiving no hard feed or silage over the winter and only receive feed blocks in the run up to lambing.
All ewes are lambed outside in mid-April with the emphasis on a lowcost system. The NCC is the chosen breed for its hardiness, mothering abilities and quality of lamb they produce which sell at a premium. The flock is closed except the purchase of an odd stock tup.
Beef Farm of the Year
HARRY BROWN, AUCHMALIDDIE MAINS
HARRY runs a herd of 200 predominantly Limousincross sucker cows and buys in 200 store cattle per annum to finish, fattening all animals on the 750-acre farm, with an additional 200 acres of seasonal lets in Aberdeenshire.
Of the 400 cattle finished per year, around 30 home bred heifers are sold direct to the customer via farmers’ markets or doorstep deliveries, as Harry and his family work to foster local relationships, and share their story of how the meat is produced.
The cattle complement the crop enterprise and keep the farm on a healthy rotation. And with a focus on sustainability, the family have constructed a new outdoor silage pit to cut down on plastic use and increase indoor capacity for bedding pens. Carbon audits, soil analytics and GPS technology have also been key to assessing the wider impact of the farm enterprise.
One of the steps the farm has taken to improve the system was by introducing the Ritchie Weigh Monitor, with cattle being weighed daily. Underperformers are quickly identified and removed from the herd, saving money on feed, and allowing only the highest quality animal to enter the food chain.
Traceability is key, with digital software accelerating the monitoring process and translating as
increased efficiencies. And, collaborating with their farm nutritionist and vet on a regular basis, Harry ensures that his animals are always in peak condition.
DAVID AND IAN RICHARDSON, UPPER SAMIESTON FARM
FATHER and son team, David and Ian, from Jedburgh, run a mixed beef and sheep enterprise comprising of 500 Texel cross ewes and 500 suckler cows, with calves sold as stores.
They run a tight 10-week calving block in the spring to ensure level batches for the store ring and this year calved 300 cows in the first four weeks. They run a relatively closed herd, breeding their own replacement females and some bulls, but the majority of calves are sold at six to seven months.
They have been selling stores at the top of the market, with last year’s calves averaging £915 for bullocks and £880 for heifers. In order to optimise growing rates, mineral analysis is carried out on silage and summer grazing to help create a bespoke mineral management plan.
Improving animal welfare is key and the farm is part of the SAC Premium Cattle Health Scheme. All calves are pneumonia tested and plans are in place to remove the straw blower this winter in an attempt to cut down on respiratory problems.
JAMES YOUNG, GIRVAN MAINS FARM
SOUTH Ayrshire-based James farms Girvan Mains and has a 450-strong herd of beef cows and an additional 2000-2500 stores for finishing.
Angus, Saler and Limousin cows are run with Charolais bulls, with Angus and Salers put on heifers and first calvers. The system focuses on productivity, getting top quality beef-bred calves to finished weight as quickly as possible.
Investing in an anaerobic digester in 2016 and a ground source heat pump in 2019 for drying crop, primarily grass, which is then used in the enterprise’s TMR. Further investment in a weight head and hydraulic cattle crushes made it simpler and safer to work with larger numbers, as well as making it easy for the data collection, with poor performers identified and culled out. This all made his operation more efficient and allowed James to increase his finishing capacity by up to 400 at any one time.
To maximise herd health, James works closely with his vet team, and has developed a vaccine specifically for his holdings as a way to reduce losses. Nutrition is central to the rearing process, but James maintains that correctly breeding animals in the first instance makes it easier to meet final market specifications.
Diversified Farm of the Year
LUCY AND ROBERT WILSON, WILSON’S FARM AND KITCHEN
WILSON’S Farm and Kitchen, in the Scottish Borders, exemplifies the story of the countryside, from field to fork.
Run by Lucy and Robert, a key component of their vision is knowledge sharing and education. Established as an alternative route to market for some of their homegrown produce, the couple and their team now host farm tours and food experiences that revolve around seasonal ingredients from their farm, garden, and other trusted local producers.
Whether it’s the 25-mile roast, curry nights, or a private event with chosen menu, all can be enjoyed in the renovated Old Stable or quirky ‘ Wee Tin Bothies’, which are upcycled grain silos.
With guests increasingly seeking out sustainable and local food choices, Lucy and Robert provide them with delicious dishes and an understanding about the provenance of the menu’s ingredients, which they feel will be key to the future of farming on a wider scale. Alongside Wilson’s Farm and Kitchen this tenanted family farm has an arable enterprise and herd of pedigree Hereford cattle.
THE POLLOCK FAMILY, ARDROSS FARM
ARDROSS is a tenanted mixed farm extending over 360 acres of beautiful coastal land in Fife.
Contract farming an additional 800 acres and taking grass lets of 400 acres, the Pollock family rear Pasture for Life certified cattle and sheep, selling lamb, mutton and beef, as well as homegrown vegetables and honey, direct to the customer via their farm shop. They also sell wheat, barely, beans and oilseed rape on a commercial basis.
Set up in 2005, Ardross Farm has become a destination for locals, visitors and holiday makers alike, seeking quality homegrown produce. The connection between farm and consumer has been the keystone throughout the business’s growth, which now employs 18 locals, and customer feedback and insight continue to be at the heart of all decisions.
Committed to telling the positive stories of farming, Ardross Farm has a very active digital presence, working to promote the biodiversity, sustainability and traceability values of their enterprise, as well as agriculture in Scotland, via social media, e-newsletters and a brand-new website.
ROSS NEILSON, WHAT’S FRESH
PARK Farm is a modern dairy operation run by three generations of the Neilson family – milking 450 cows through eight Lely robots, in East Kilbride.
The family set up a new company called ‘What’s Fresh’ during the pandemic, to deliver fresh goods from independent producers to local customers. What’s Fresh continued to expand its offering and has recently invested in a new purposebuilt milk bottling facility. The aim of What’s Fresh is to bottle their own quality, fresh milk and deliver to families and businesses.
The new milk deliveries boast ultra-low food miles and reusable one litre glass bottles to cut down on singleuse plastics and reduce emissions.
In addition to sustainability, customers are demanding more in terms of the provenance and traceability of their food. What’s Fresh can be transparent about where their milk is coming from and how it is processed, given that it only travels a few metres from the farm to the new dairy.