Home   News   Article

Grantown farm has 'a really interesting story to tell'





Malcolm Smith (centre) along with wife Sammie and son Calum will be welcoming visitors to their farm.
Malcolm Smith (centre) along with wife Sammie and son Calum will be welcoming visitors to their farm.

A range of speakers and topics will feature at three open meetings for the North Monitor Farms soon with the host farming families updating visitors on their progress since starting the programme.

The trio includes the 325 hectares Auchernack Farm by Grantown which has been farmed by the Smith family since 1936.

The Strathspey Monitor Farm will play host on Thursday June 8 with a talk entitled ‘Taking stock at Auchernack’ with the event running from 5pm–8.30pm.

Farmer Malcolm Smith will discuss nutrient management while Jane Thomson from Shearwell will talk about cattle EID and handling and Nikki Yoxall, Pasture for Life, will speak about how to improve biodiversity on an upland farm.

Following the meeting, visitors are invited to take part in a stockjudging competition with entry fees going to the RHET (Royal Highland Education Trust), the charity that brings farming to life for young people.

The Smith family have 140 suckler cows and 120 store cattle with a focus on store calf production using mostly Limousin sires at their farm just off the B970 Grantown-Nethy Bridge road.

Cattle are overwintered indoors, and calving is split with a third of the herd calving in autumn/winter, the remainder in spring.

Sammie Smith, Malcolm’s wife, is also a partner and runs a successful self-catering business.

There will also be events at Bonnytonhill Steading, Sauchentree Farm, New Aberdour (June 2) and Upper Ingliston Farm, Inverurie, Aberdeenshire (June 17).

Monitor Farms' regional adviser Peter Beattie said: “Anyone who is interested in the Monitor Farms is invited to attend, and we hope to see many of the people who came to our first meetings returning.

“Each farm has a really interesting story to tell, and is on an exciting journey. We have invited great external speakers who are tackling some specialist areas and giving visitors a chance to discuss current issues.

“Each meeting will be a fantastic opportunity to learn more about what’s happening on-farm and what changes can be made to improve farm profitability and sustainability.”

As catering is provided, booking is essential for each event, and can be done via the Monitor Farm website, https://www.monitorfarms.co.uk/events/ or by emailing monitorfarm@qmscotland.co.uk

For all meetings, visitors are asked to come with clean cars, footwear and clothing for biosecurity reasons, and to car share wherever possible to help with limited parking.

The Monitor Farm Scotland Programme is managed by Quality Meat Scotland with support from AHDB and funding from Scottish Government.

It aims, through meetings and benchmarking, to improve the resilience and sustainability of Scottish farm businesses.

The nine farms chosen to take part in this four-year programme reflect the diverse tapestry of livestock and mixed farming across Scotland.

The aim of the programme is to help to farms reach full economic, social, and environmental sustainability by optimising production.

Find out more about Monitor Farms Scotland by clicking here


Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.



This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies - Learn More