Mary-Jane Lawrie visits Whitriggs Farm in the Scottish Borders to speak to Lesley Mitchell. They chat about the family farm and how it has evolved over the years, their openness to challenges and change, and how that has allowed Lesley and her family to build a business that supports the family whilst also allowing a good work life balance. Once key change has been converting the business to organic and following a more regenerative agriculture approach, which has required a change in mindset. The farm now runs cattle and deer alongside their organic arable enterprise, making the most of their skills, time and farm assets. Lesley also talks about how she personally makes time for learning, which recently resulted in a trip to Antartica.

FAS Resources

Organics

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National Advice Hub

Phone: 0300 323 0161

Email: advice@fas.scot

I'm Mary-Jane Lawrie, and in this episode I’m joined Claire Taylor. Claire is a journalist and describes herself as an agricultural communicator. She has recently finished her travels as part of her Nuffield Farming Scholarship and is now in the process of compiling all the information from her travels. We talk about her career and how that led her to applying for the scholarship, what she learned from it, and how we, as farmers, can work together to engage with the public to tell positive farming stories. She shares with us some of her amazing experiences from her travels and gives us a real insight into what farming is like in other countries.

Warning: This episode contains themes of political unrest, suicide, gender-based violence and murder. Listen with caution.

Resources

Nuffield Farming Scholarships - https://www.nuffieldscholar.org/

Claire Taylor Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-taylor-4135714a/

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Twitter: @FASScot

Facebook: @FASScot

National Advice Hub

Phone: 0300 323 0161

Email: advice@fas.scot

Mary-Jane Lawrie is joined by Jenn Stewart. Jenn Stewart, partner & Head of Rural and Landed Estates at Johnston Carmichael, joined the company in 2019. Jenn has extensive experience in advising owner managed businesses and provides counsel to a wide-ranging portfolio of clients across multiple sectors. Jenn was brought up in her own family farming business and is now involved in her husband’s farming business. Jenn talks to us about the topic and theme of succession. A succession plan provides a level of certainty for everyone to ensure the ongoing sustainability and financial sustainability of the business, therefore the earlier this topic is brought to the table the better.

Related FAS Resources

You can get funding for succession planning through FAS. See Specialist Advice | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)

Other Resources

Johnston Carmichael | Chartered Accountants

Jenn Stewart LinkedIn Jenn Stewart - Partner, Head of Rural & Landed Estates & Dundee Office Head - Johnston Carmichael Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers | LinkedIn

For more information, visit www.FAS.scot

Twitter: @FASScot

Facebook: @FASScot

National Advice Hub

Phone: 0300 323 0161

Email: advice@fas.scot