The Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET) is a charitable organisation that looks to bring farming, the working countryside, and Scotland’s Natural Capital to life for young people. The trust aims to connect Scotland’s youth to the countryside, and give insight into food, farming and countryside management in Scotland. The trust achieves this through a number of key activities, such as farm visits and providing educational resource materials for schools, along with much more.

Ensuring younger generations from both rural and urban communities are aware and understand where and how food is produced, and the countryside is managed, is vitally important in ensuring a thriving rural sector, and appreciation for Scotland’s Natural Capital and its conservation.

Today we are joined by Katrina Barclay from RHET to hear about what their organisation does and why.

Host Harry Fisher, Producer Iain Boyd, Executive Producer Kerry Hammond, Editor Ross Mackenzie.

Timestamps:

1:30 – 5:30 What is RHET and the type work they do

5:34 –7:05 The role that Natural Capital has

7:05 – 33:29 Farming and learning outcomes, benefits for children and the sector.

33:30 – 40:49 Incorporating land use change and sustainability issues.

40:50 - 50:15 How can teachers and farmers get involved

Related FAS Material:

Environment resources for farmers from Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)

FAS Sounds | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service

Other Related Materials:

The Royal Highland Education Trust | Royal Highland Education Trust (rhet.org.uk)

Food: The Facts | Royal Highland Education Trust (rhet.org.uk)

THE 17 GOALS | Sustainable Development (un.org)

Good Food Nation - Food and drink - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Disease risk in livestock, and biosecurity is something we perhaps don’t consider as much in crofting areas as farmers might in more intensive systems. Crofting tends to be more extensive, with lower densities of stock, but we often share bulls, and graze on common ground. In this episode I’m joined by Kythe MacKenzie, who is a vet with SRUC, and Kate Lamont, who is a researcher, to discuss the practicalities of managing disease risk.

Linked FAS Resources

Crofting Discussion Groups | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)

Succession Planning – Crofting | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)

Crofting Legislation | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)

Loch Leven's Larder is an enterprise combination of a farm shop that is supplied by its own home farm. Since 2005, the larder has put community and sustainability at the forefront of its operations, to provide the Loch Leven area a place to enjoy locally sourced healthy food in a relaxed atmosphere with views of the land that produced their food, and the Loch Leven landscape at large.

Loch Leven's Larder looks to utilise the natural capital in their area in a way that enhances biodiversity, stimulates local economy, provide space for local community, while maintaining a healthy business that thrives through diversification. Today we are speaking with Robin from Loch Leven's Larder, to discuss their story and how understanding, utilising and enhancing natural capital has shaped their business and provides opportunity for their future.

Host: Harry Fisher, Producer: Iain Boyd, Executive Producer: Kerry Hammond

Mary-Jane Lawrie is joined by Fred Swift from South Clunes Farm and Highland Clip, and Stella Stewart from Anta.

Fred Swift farms South Clunes Farm near Inverness in the Highlands with his wife Sofi and his father. They run a traditional upland farm with cattle and sheep. Fred and his family have transformed the farm over the last 40 years, increasing biodiversity and introducing mob grazing. He was looking for an opportunity to add value to the wool from his sheep, and together with Scottish luxury brand Anta, they established the Highland Clip. The Highland Clip is working to add value to wool, whilst also creating a fully traceable product, which is important to Anta. Stella Stewart, a director of Anta, tells us why traceable wool and working with South Clunes is important to their business.

Resources

FAS TV: S2 E9 –South Clunes Farm Cluster (youtube.com)

History of the farm | South Clunes Farm | Inverness

Luxury Home Furnishings & Gifts Made in Scotland | ANTA

Protecting Highland Wool – ANTA

For more information, visit www.fas.scot

Twitter: @FASScot

Facebook: @FASScot

National Advice Hub

Phone: 0300 323 0161

Email: advice@fas.scot

Thrill of the Hill returns for season 5, with an exciting line-up on new and returning guest speakers and specialists in their fields and on their hills.

Life as a cow is difficult and complicated, on the one hand there is a general acceptance that their non-selective grazing, trampling and dunging can contribute to diverse grassland swards, ideal habitat for ground-nesting birds etc. and promote healthy soils. On the other hand, the production of methane and relatively high carbon footprints in comparison to other enterprises can leave cattle exposed to climate criticism. In this episode we talk with conservation consultant Helen Bibby and host of the Stock Talk podcast and returning guest Robert Ramsay for a broad discussion on cattle, cattle grazing and what makes them Scotland's preferred grazing animal.

Want to get in touch with Helen, she can be contacted at SAC Consulting Oban on 01631 563 093 or via email at Helen.Bibby@sac.co.uk. Alternatively, you can contact Robert at SAC Consulting Ayr on 01292 525 171 or via email at Robert.Ramsay@sac.co.uk.

Related Materials

https://www.fas.scot/downloads/tn686-conservation-grazing-semi-natural-habitats/

https://www.fas.scot/downloads/grazing-for-profit-and-biodiversity-grazing-strategies/

In this episode Tiffany Stephenson is joined by Dr Steve Hoad, team leader in agronomy, physiology & genetics at SRUC, to provide an update on how winter cereal varieties have been performing during the 2024 variety trials, along with his top variety picks.

Welcome to Cropcast, your go to podcast for all the latest information on arable crops. Each month, SAC advisor, Tiffany Stephenson will be joined by a range of industry experts, bringing you timely updates to help you make decisions in the field.

Producer George Gauley, Editor Iain Boyd, Executive Producer Kerry Hammond, in association with the Scottish Government.

Linked FAS Resources

For the most recent Scottish Recommended list 24/25

https://www.sruc.ac.uk/media/4qybv20b/sruc-cereals-recommended-list-2024-tables-winter-edition-w1.pdf

Full variety data sets collected are available on the AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds website https://ahdb.org.uk/rl

Lothian crop trials webinar 2024

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V74muZHiI9w

Welcome back to the Rural Round-up. This show is produced in association with the Scottish Government. On today’s episode I’m joined by George Chalmers, Robert Ramsay & Osla Jamwal-Fraser to talk about agritourism, opportunities to diversify and the added value opportunities for Scottish Agriculture.

FAS Resources

Alternative Enterprises | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)

Agri Culture - Cream O Galloway: A Dairy Story | Information helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)

Other Resources

Home - Scottish Agritourism

Agriturismo.it - True Italian agritourism only

For more information, visit www.FAS.scot

Twitter: @FASScot

Facebook: @FASScot

National Advice Hub

Phone: 0300 323 0161

Email: advice@fas.scot

Welcome to the August episode of In Conversation With… hosted this month by Principal Consultant Mark Bowsher-Gibbs. On today’s episode Mark is joined by Julian Bell (Principal Consultant with Agrecalc) and James Bolesworth (Managing Director at CRM Commodities). They discuss global grain supply, demand and market influences and look at how prices have changed over the last 12 months. Closer to home, they discuss the UK position regarding stocks ahead of harvest, new crop markets and selling strategies.

Episode Timestamps

01.35 Global grain perspective

04.30 Stock relative to demand

05.19 US contract with UK and Europe

09.33 Supply in Europe

11.37 UK outlook

17.57 European harvest update

20.50 Malting barley expectations

26.26 Futures market

29.06 Marketing strategies

FAS Resources

https://www.fas.scot/article/grain-contracts-making-them-work-for-you/

https://www.fas.scot/article/how-should-i-sell-my-grain/

https://www.fas.scot/publication/marketing-the-crop-getting-the-best-outcome-for-your-crop/

https://www.fas.scot/article/agribusiness-news-july-2024-cereals-and-oilseeds/

Other Resources

www.ahdb.org.uk/cereals-oilseeds-markets

www.crmagri.com

www.graintab.com

https://www.usda.gov/oce/commodity/wasde

https://apps.fas.usda.gov/psdonline/circulars/production.pdf

https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/monitoring-agricultural-resources-mars/jrc-mars-bulletin_en#crop-monitoring-in-europe

For more information, visit www.FAS.scot

Twitter: @FASScot

Facebook: @FASScot

National Advice Hub

Phone: 0300 323 0161

Email: advice@fas.scot