Welcome to Stock Talk hosted by Kirsten Williams. On today’s episode Kirsten is joined by Jilly Duncan Grant, Founder & CEO of Herd Advance Ltd. Jilly has a real love for agriculture and her varied career led to a focus on data driven decision making and developing Herd Advance with her husband to improve herd performance, profitability and wellbeing. 

Episode Timestamps

00.42 Introducing Jilly Duncan Grant – a Jill of all trades!

09.18 What is Herd Advance?

23.49 The family farm – managing ‘boom and bust’ fluctuation in the marketplace

27.55 QMS board member role

31.03 What motivates Jilly to keep pushing forward

FAS Resources

Data Driven Decision Making for Finishing Cattle | Helping farmers in Scotland

Data Driven Decision Making for Suckler Herds | Helping farmers in Scotland

FFBC_Case_Study_Improving_weight_data_capture_Glenkilrie_

Other Resources

Herd Advance

For more information, visit www.FAS.scot

Facebook: @FASScot

National Advice Hub

Phone: 0300 323 0161

Email: advice@fas.scot

In this episode, we sit down with Angus Buchanan-Smith, Co-Founder and Director of The Free Company, an organic farm and restaurant guided by regenerative methods, at the foot of the Pentland Hills. We explore the history of the business, the transition to organic farming and the various complimentary enterprises they operate, from their onsite restaurant, to veg boxes, pigs and engaging with their local community.

With a deep respect for the land and experimenting with what works for them to ensure a resilient future, they share their ethos, the practices they use and how they are producing food that feeds both their local community and their on-site restaurant. We explore how they create meaningful links between food and place, and the challenges and benefits of transitioning to organic.

Whether you're a grower, eater, or someone curious about the future of food, this episode offers an honest, grounded look at how farming with nature can nourish people, planet, and community

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

Timestamps:

0:56 – 15:29 Intro to the Free Company, transitioning to organic farming and finding out what worked for them.

15:30 – 27:06 Getting the most out of the land, a regenerative approach and benefits to biodiversity, soil and carbon.

27:07 –40:24 Local food production, customer experiences and their various enterprises.

40:25 – end. Challenges, recommendations for others and future plans.

Related FAS resources:

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

Organics: https://www.fas.scot/organics/

Other Related Resources:

The Free Company: https://www.the-free-company.com/

Pasture for Life: https://www.pastureforlife.org/

Welcome back to Crofting Matters. On today’s episode, Siobhan is joined by Graham Fraser (SAC Lerwick) to discuss an often asked question – how to start up a croft, smallholding or farming business.

The Farm Advisory Service has an Advice Line – free to call or email for advice. Every year the team receives lots of questions about starting up a farming business. It can be tricky to get a croft, but tenancies and purchases do come up so if you are looking for an opportunity, then this will help you understand the process when it happens.

Graham and Siobhan talk about setting up an agricultural business with particular emphasis on crofting and chat through some of the questions they have received through the advice line.

Timestamps:

01.07 Starting up in crofting – things to consider

03.09 Owner occupier, tenancy and assignation explained

05.14 Land that goes with a croft

08.39 Common grazing shares

10.05 The 3 duties of a crofter

12.39 Common grazing responsibilities

13.45 Subsidies and grants that a new crofter could be eligible for

18.13 Preparing for Sustainable Farming (PSF)

19.33 Applying for BPS (Basic payment Scheme) & LFASS (Less Favoured Area Support Scheme)

20.31 Getting a BRN (Business Refence Number)

27.36 Numbers of livestock on a common grazing

29.23 Keeping livestock for the first time

30.56 Getting your own flock/herd number

33.01 Getting registered and set up – the order of events

FAS Resources

FAS - New Entrants -Getting Started

FAS Introduction to crofting - Gaelic

FAS -Introduction to crofting - English

Other Resources

Highlands and Islands Enterprise(business support)

Scottish Enterprise(business support)

CroftingRegister

Welcome| Crofting Commission

RuralPayments and Services

Animaland Plant Health Agency - GOV.UK

Preparingfor Sustainable Farming

For more information, visit www.FAS.scot

Facebook: @FASScot

National Advice Hub

Phone: 0300 323 0161

Email: advice@fas.scot

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.

The water environment is one of the defining features of the Scottish landscape, shaping both its character and its ecological richness. Rivers, lochs, wetlands and coastal waters weave through glens and straths, carving valleys, feeding fertile soils and sustaining a remarkable variety of wildlife. They provide vital habitats for species such as salmon, trout and eels, which have long been part of Scotland’s natural and cultural heritage, while also supporting birds, mammals and plants that thrive in and around freshwater. But historic practices meant to improve productive activity and improve our management of water has proven detrimental some species, obstructive them from travel up and downstream, meaning that overtime, our rivers have become less dynamic and alive. In this episode Struan Candlish from the Ayrshire Rivers Trust talks us through the actions needed to restore our rivers and the benefits and incentives for farmers, crofters and land managers.

Want to get in touch with Struan? She can be contacted at Ayrshire Rivers Trust via email enquiries at struan@ayrshireriverstrust.org.

Related FAS Resources

Scotland's Priority Catchments | Helping farmers in Scotland

Alternative watering for field grazed livestock | Helping farmers in Scotland

Water Margins | Helping farmers in Scotland

Welcome back to the Rural Roundup. On today’s episode George Chalmers and Mary-Jane Lawrie highlight what’s happening in Scottish agriculture and are then joined by Peter Lang from SEPA to discuss new regulations for the application of waste to land, which will come into effect on 1st November 2025.

FAS Resources

Preparing For The Future | Helping farmers in Scotland

Other Resources

Use of waste on land - changes to regulations | SEPA

Contact us - SEPA (Scottish Environment Protection Agency)

Scottish Suckler Beef Support Scheme (Mainland and Islands) full guidance

Scottish Upland Sheep Support Scheme full guidance

For more information, visit  www.FAS.scot

Twitter: @FASScot

Facebook: @FASScot

National Advice Hub

Phone: 0300 323 0161

Email: advice@fas.scot

In this episode Tiffany Stephenson is joined by Robert Meadley to discuss some of the considerations which should be made when deciding to replace or invest in a piece of machinery.

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 Cameron Waugh, Executive Producer Kirstyn Blackwood, in association with the Scottish Government.

Related FAS Resources

Getting Started In Arable Agriculture - Machinery Appraisal | Information helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service

Other Related Resources

Robert Meadley LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-meadley-85652223/?originalSubdomain=uk

Machinery costing calculator | AHDB

Content Warning: The following episode mentions pregnancy loss.

Mary-Jane Lawrie is joined by Eilidh Verstage from Arngask Home Farm. Eilidh and her husband Lloyd are new entrants, who purchased Arngask 4 years ago. They have rare breed pigs and this year have just started growing chemical free vegetables to sell wholesale, at markets and locally in weekly veg boxes. They have also branched out into running events with a neighbouring farm. Community is at the heart of what they do, and this evident from the volunteers who support the veg enterprise, the local community, frequenting their honesty horse box, and the vibrant digital community that Arngask Home Farm have built on social media.

Thanks for joining us for this episode of Agri Culture. If you’d like to get in touch or find out more about Arngask Home Farm, the Oxford sandy and black pig foundation, or the rare breed survival trust, 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:

ABOUT | Arngask Home Farm

Arngask Home Farm (@arngaskhomefarm) • Instagram photos and videos

Arngask Home Farm - Facebook

Oxford Sandy and Black Pigs - Oxford Sandy and Black Pig Foundation Charity

Ooooby | Ecommerce for small farms, veg boxes, food hubs, CSA's and craft food.

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 economic cost of infertile gimmers.

Show Notes

00:34 News in Brief

04:05 Policy Briefs – Payment rates for BPS and Greening 2025, Sustainable and Regenerative Agricultural Practices amongst LFA Farmers and Crofters, Electronic Cattle Tagging Update, Building Climate Resilience, Organic Farming, Community Right to Buy, Key Dates.

13:36 Cereals – latest arable news and market update

19:41 Beef – Consumer demand, imported beef, finished prices, store cattle demand, Cull cow trade

25:27 Sheep – August trade roundup, global position, EU outlook

31:01 Milk – Milk production data, Farm-gate prices, Dairy commodities and market indicators, Great British Calf Week, Heat stress 

36:42 Sector focus – The economic cost of infertile gimmers

41:16 Further articles – How are your cows coping in the warm weather? In the face of adversity, try diversity! Is organic farming in your future? Stock Talk - Livestock Health: Laying it All Out. FAS TV: Improving Efficiencies in Sheep Systems. FAS TV: Gaelic Culture, Tradition & Heritage on Uist.

FAS Resources:

Newsletters - Business & Policy Edition - Farm Advisory Service

Other Links:

LFA Farmers and Crofters - sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices - Report

Nature30 Nomination Form - Nature Scot

Email nomination form to: 30x30@nature.scot

Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016

Community right to buy: review - Scottish Government consultations - Citizen Space

Community right to buy consultation – Gaelic version: Leriche’s air Còir-cheannaich Coimhearsnachd co-chomhairle

AHDB - GB calf week

Heat stress on fertility traits in dairy cows - Journal of Dairy Science

Dairy cows - warm weather

Beef cows and heat stress

Reducing Heat Stress in Calves |...