You are listening to Agri Culture, a podcast that aims to explore the stories of the people that make up our agricultural industry and culture of farming, in Scotland and beyond. On today’s episode Mary-Jane Lawrie is joined by Anna Wylie and Jack Munro. Anna and Jack met when they both attended the Tesco Future Farmer programme for young farmers run through Harper Adams university. The programme gave them the opportunity to meet other farmers from all backgrounds across the UK, to learn from each other and to attend in person meetings, webinars and farm business visits. They talk about what they both enjoyed about the course, how it shaped their own plans for their futures, and how important they both feel it is to be involved in the farming community, learning and making time for personal development.

Thanks for joining us for this episode of Agri Culture. If you’d like to find out more about the Future Farmer Programme or if you would like to contact Anna to learn more about the World Food Forum, you can find links in the show notes. This episode was presented by Mary-Jane Lawrie, produced by Kerry Hammond and edited by Cameron Waugh, in association with the Scottish Government. 

Resources:

Future Farmer Programme | School of Sustainable Food and Farming

Anna Wylie | LinkedIn

Jack Munro | LinkedIn

For more information, visit  www.FAS.scot

Twitter: @FASScot

Facebook: @FASScot

National Advice Hub

Phone: 0300 323 0161

Email: advice@fas.scot

Along with our regular monthly updates on policy, cereals, beef, sheep and milk, in this edition we also have a spotlight on the UK Autumn Budget and its impacts on Scottish Agriculture.

Show Notes

00:41 News in Brief

06:33 Policy Briefs – Future Farming Investment Scheme, Land Reform (Scotland) Bill, Scotland’s Climate Change Plan to 2040, Council Tax Reforms, QMS Cattle and Sheep Assurance Scheme Standards

15:15 Cereals – latest arable news and market update

23:24 Beef – latest beef news and market update

27:05 Sheep – latest sheep news and market update

32:26 Milk – Milk Production Data, Farm-gate Prices, Dairy Commodities and Market Indicators, Dairy Exports, Winter Lighting Systems, Organic Milk

40:48 Sector focus – overview of the UK Autumn Budget and its impacts on Scottish Agriculture.

47:07 Further articles – FAS 12 Days of Christmas, Achieving Net Zero in Beef Farming (FAS TV) and Looking After Yourself (FAS Podcast)

Links and Resources:

Newsletters - Business & Policy Edition - Farm Advisory Service

Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025

Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ)

SRUC’s research (how to improve the lives of animals)

Climate Change Plan to 2040

A consultation on the Draft Climate Change Plan

Future of council tax in Scotland: consultation - gov.scot

QMS Cattle and Sheep Standards

Cattle and Sheep Assurance scheme - what's changed

Sheep Producers Intentions Survey - Meat and Livestock Australia

Tesco Christmas Trend Report for 2025

Office for Budget Responsibility’s report

The 12 Days of Christmas | Helping farmers in Scotland

FAS TV Series - Net Zero on Beef Farms

Welcome to Stock Talk hosted by Kirsten Williams. On today’s episode Kirsten is joined by two industry experts to discuss the beef industry. It’s a lively discussion covering many topics, including: replacement strategies, where the market is it at just now, sustainability and the future of the Scottish herd.

Gavin Hill is a Senior Beef Specialist with SAC Consulting and Robet Gilchrist is Chief Executive of the Aberdeen-Angus Society.

Episode Timestamps

02.30 Cattle replacement strategies

10.03 Where should the end price be?

13.26 Changing eating behaviours and changes in the industry

17.05 Future of the Scottish herd

27.45 Cow of the future

43.08 Matching the sire

50.07 What will the Scottish beef industry look like in the next 10-20 years

Resources

Livestock resources for farmers from Farm Advisory Service

Cattle resources for farmers from Farm Advisory Service | FAS

Sustainable Beef Systems | Helping farmers in Scotland

For more information, visit www.FAS.scot

Facebook: @FASScot

National Advice Hub

Phone: 0300 323 0161

Email: advice@fas.scot

Galloway and Southern Ayrshire is Scotland’s first UNESCO Biosphere which promotes a balanced relationship between people and the natural environment. Built on partnership, community action, innovation and learning, the Biosphere supports thriving, sustainable communities living in harmony with nature.

In this episode, we’re joined by Nature Recovery Manager Dr Anna Griffin and Natural Capital Officer Jonathan Olandi to explore the work of the Biosphere and introduce their new project, OPIN (On-farm Plans Integrated with Nature). This initiative will recruit 12 farms across the Biosphere in Dumfries and Galloway to take part in a five-year programme focused on whole-farm planning and farming resilience. We discuss how land managers can get involved, the benefits of participation, and the support available, including access to a robust suite of tools, data, and capital grant funding, that will help implement strategic land management actions that are good for natural capital and good for business.

Host Harry Fisher, Producer Iain Boyd, Editor Kieron Sim, Executive Producers Kerry Hammond & Kirstyn Blackwood

Timestamps:

1:04 – 9:00 Intro to speakers and Biosphere

9:00 – 14:30 Reasons for the designation and previous projects delivered

14:30 – 30:30 The OPIN project

30:30 – 50:00 Benefits for land managers and how to get involved

Related FAS resources:

Natural Capital: https://www.fas.scot/sounds/natural-capital/

Biodiversity: https://www.fas.scot/environment/biodiversity/

Other Related Resources:

Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere: https://www.gsabiosphere.org.uk/

To apply or for more information: https://www.gsabiosphere.org.uk/contact-us/

Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal: https://www.borderlandsgrowth.com/

In this episode George Chalmers is joined by Edward Jones, who is a Sustainable Farming Advisor at Frontier Agriculture to discuss cover crops.

Welcome to CropCast, your go to podcast for all the latest information on arable crops. Each month, SAC advisor, George Chalmers 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 Cameron Waugh, Executive Producer Kirstyn Blackwood, in association with the Scottish Government.

Time codes

04:13 Definitions of green manure, cover crops & catch crops

09:14 Potential benefits

12:24 New species available

14:15 Different species for different areas

20:03 Considerations when choosing a crop

24:14 Greening 2026

28:40 Establishment

33:46 Potential uses with livestock

36:00 Seeds suitable for broadcasting

39:19 Three top tips

Linked FAS Resources

FAS Crops & Soils https://www.fas.scot/crops-soils/

EFA Greening 2026 https://www.fas.scot/preparing-for-the-future/

Other Linked Resources

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ed-jones-931725133?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=android_app

Clinkstone – Companion Crops & autumn cover crops in a min-till system https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw5xnHdsaEw

Cover Crop Guide: https://covercropsguide.co.uk/

Thrill of the Hill is back for season 6! Armed with a new team, new ideas and a range of new speakers, Alex takes on the hot topics impacting the farmed upland environment.

Organic farming is woven through Scotland’s landscapes, from the rolling fields of Aberdeenshire to the upland pastures of Argyll. Rooted in principles of soil health, biodiversity and local resilience, organic systems work with nature rather than against it—building fertility through crop rotations, clover leys and composts, and managing pests with balance instead of chemicals. The result is more than just food without synthetic inputs; it’s a way of farming that supports wildlife, protects water and strengthens rural communities. From certified producers under the Scottish Organic Producers Association (SOPA) to advisory work led by the Soil Association, organic farming in Scotland continues to evolve, combining tradition, innovation and environmental stewardship to meet the challenges of modern agriculture.

In this episode, we sit down with two special guest speakers, Debs Roberts joins us from SOPA and David MacKay joins us from the Soil Association to walk us through the benefits of going organic, the process and how the market is developing in Scotland and further afield - in a conversation that is more collaboration than clash of the titans. We also talk about the announced return of the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS) and David reflects on his time at Scotland's first Nature Friendly Farming Summit.

Want to get in touch with Debs or David? Contact SOPA via telephone at 0300 7729795 or email at info@sopa.org.uk. Contact Soil Association via telephone at 0131 3708150 or email at contact@soilassociation.org.

Related FAS Resources

Organics Discussion Group from the Farm Advisory Service

Related Other Resources

Scottish Organic Producers Association (SOPA)

Soil Association

Welcome back to the Rural Roundup. On today’s episode George Chalmers and Mary-Jane Lawrie discuss men’s health month with RSABI hut coordinator Rebecca Mackie and Health Hut nurse, Irene Scott.

Time Stamps

00:26 What’s going on with George & Mary-Jane

03:10 Future Farm Investment Scheme (FFIS)

05:30 Preparing for Sustainable Farming (PSF) Reminder

08:45 Leaving winter stubbles

14:44 Upcoming events

17:28 RSABI Health hut

FAS Resources

RSABI Health huts: Health Huts - RSABI

FAS Events: https://www.fas.scot/events/

Rural Payments, all scheme guidance https://www.ruralpayments.org/topics/all-schemes/

Other Resources

For more information, visit www.FAS.scot

Twitter: @FASScot

Facebook: @FASScot

National Advice Hub

Phone: 0300 323 0161

Email: advice@fas.scot

You are listening to Agri Culture, a podcast that aims to explore the stories of the people that make up our agricultural industry and culture of farming, in Scotland and beyond. On today’s episode Mary-Jane is joined by Barbara McLeod. Barbara owns and runs Cruciferous Croft in the Lochinver area of North West Scotland. She took on a croft herself, renovating an old building to live in, and has since started growing vegetables, finding most success with cabbages. This gave her the idea to start fermenting them into sauerkraut to add value. She now sells her products at food festivals and fairs. She tells us about what it was like getting started in crofting, and discusses heritage practices such as using seaweed for fertiliser, and following chemical free growing practices. She also tells us about the various sources of funding and support she has used to get her business up and running.

If you’d like to get in touch or find out more about Cruciferous Croft, the Farm Advisory Service mentoring scheme, the HIE food and drink tech hub, or the other sources of support that Barbara mentioned, you can find links in the show notes.

This episode was presented by Mary-Jane Lawrie, produced by Kerry Hammond and edited by Cameron Waugh, in association with the Scottish Government.

Related Resources

Home - Cruciferous Croft Website

Food and drink TechHUB | HIE

FAS Mentoring Support Available | Helping farmers in Scotland

For more information, visit  www.FAS.scot

Twitter: @FASScot

Facebook: @FASScot

National Advice Hub

Phone: 0300 323 0161

Email: advice@fas.scot