Published: Wednesday, 16th October 2019
In the last week, there has been a large increase in cases of hypomagnesemia (Grass Staggers) in beef cows.
Published: Monday, 14th October 2019
With the outcome of Brexit still far from certain, many farm businesses have little clear idea of what they could – or should – be doing to prepare.
Published: Wednesday, 9th October 2019
Forestry professionals are set to share their expertise on how to boost the productivity of existing woodland.
Published: Monday, 7th October 2019
An award-winning farmer will be among the experts discussing the impact of different grazing methods on soil health and animal performance at a conference next month.
Published: Friday, 4th October 2019
Dairy farmers will learn about reducing calf losses, the impact of early disease detection, calf nutrition and maximising growth performance at an open farm event organised by SRUC.
Published: Friday, 27th September 2019
The launch of a new land matching service to tackle the issue of an ageing farming population and improve access for new entrants has been welcomed by consultants at Scotland’s Rural College.
Published: Wednesday, 25th September 2019
Farmers are being advised to minimise the effect of fertilisers on the environment by taking part in specialist training courses.
Published: Tuesday, 24th September 2019
An EU network to increase sheep productivity and flock profitability by knowledge exchange is celebrating the end of its three-year partnership with an event in Perth.
Published: Friday, 13th September 2019
Farmers are being warned about the dangers posed by heavy straw bales due to the recent poor weather conditions.
Published: Wednesday, 11th September 2019
Specialist support and advice worth up to £1,000 has been announced for farm resilience planning in the face of current Brexit and market uncertainty.
Published: Monday, 9th September 2019
The benefits of woodland and timber crops will be highlighted at an event aimed at farmers who are growing their business, diversifying or planning for succession.
Published: Friday, 30th August 2019
A beef expert at Scotland’s Rural College has highlighted the importance of checking cattle following reports of large numbers of summer mastitis cases.
Published: Monday, 12th August 2019
A strong demand for wood fuel means pioneering Aberdeenshire farmers are now reaping the rewards of trees planted 20 years ago.
Published: Tuesday, 6th August 2019
The importance of managing body conditioning scores has been highlighted following reports of an increased number of caesarean sections in calving cows.
Published: Tuesday, 16th July 2019
Nearly half of the soil samples collected from the Farm Advisory Service Soil and Nutrient Network farms are suffering from low pH levels according to a new report.
Published: Friday, 5th July 2019
Having early and honest conversations with family is vital in the farm succession process.
Published: Tuesday, 18th June 2019
Wheat and barley growers affected by the ban of a widely used fungicide will be able to seek expert advice at a free trials event.
Published: Wednesday, 29th May 2019
Experts from SAC Consulting, part of SRUC, will be taking part in a free website focussing on how Scottish growers can maximise the potential of fodder beet.
Published: Tuesday, 28th May 2019
A climate change researcher at Scotland’s Rural College has reached the semi-finals of this year’s Converge Challenge.
Published: Monday, 27th May 2019
A Scottish sheep farmer who achieved “phenomenal” lamb loss results of only 6 per cent last year – around 10 per cent below the national average – will be among the speakers at a free industry event.
Published: Wednesday, 22nd May 2019
Funding has been granted to initiatives across Scotland to help celebrate Scotland’s regional food and drink industries.
Published: Tuesday, 14th May 2019
Cattle breeding needs to adapt to changing market demands, a senior beef consultant will tell farmers ahead of this year’s national Beef Expo event.
Published: Wednesday, 8th May 2019
A new farmer-led initiative is aiming to drive low-carbon, environmentally sustainable farming practices in Scotland.
Published: Wednesday, 8th May 2019
SRUC is one of three industry organisations to have joined forces to launch a brand new field-based arable event for Scotland.
Published: Thursday, 2nd May 2019
Glamping, distilling, adventure tourism and even outdoor farm fitness are among the novel opportunities open to rural businesses looking for “diversification inspiration”.
Published: Wednesday, 24th April 2019
Following the sale of its Drummondhill site, Scotland’s Rural College is looking to reinvest in Inverness.
Published: Monday, 8th April 2019
Climate change researchers are exploring ways that farmers could reduce emissions from nitrogen fertiliser use.
Published: Monday, 25th March 2019
Dairy farmers will learn about the importance of effective cow transition management at an open farm event organised by Scotland’s Rural College.
Published: Wednesday, 13th March 2019
The Head of Integrated Land Management at SRUC will be among the speakers at a special event focussing on Britain’s uplands.
Published: Thursday, 7th March 2019
An online tool which has helped thousands of UK farms to reduce their carbon footprint has won a major industry award.
Published: Wednesday, 27th February 2019
Aspiring farmers were told “attitude is key” at an event for new entrants to the agricultural industry this week (Tuesday 26 February).
Published: Tuesday, 12th February 2019
Top line-up of speakers at New Entrants to Farming Gathering.
Published: Thursday, 24th January 2019
Two prizes of £1,000 are on offer for the finest farm woodlands in Scotland in the country’s annual ‘Tree Oscars’, with SAC Consulting among the sponsors.
Published: Wednesday, 23rd January 2019
With current high timber prices, now is a good time to thin crops.
Published: Thursday, 17th January 2019
Fodder beet is an “exciting crop” that provides ewes with essential protein and energy while also reducing the cost of feeding over winter.
Published: Thursday, 20th December 2018
The A-Listed Capenoch House will form an impressive backdrop to the first of two free Farm Advisory Service (FAS) events in Dumfries and Galloway.
Published: Friday, 14th December 2018
The implications of one of the hottest and driest seasons on record will be one of the main topics of discussion at a major potato industry event.
Published: Thursday, 13th December 2018
Forestry experts from SAC Consulting are joining the annual celebration of the country’s most inspiring woods.
Published: Friday, 23rd November 2018
SAC Consulting, part of Scotland’s Rural College, is playing a key role in a new hub allowing farmers to set up a connection to go into business with one another.
Published: Wednesday, 14th November 2018
A comprehensive new assurance scheme aims to reduce the pollution caused by spreading organic materials on UK farms.
Published: Wednesday, 14th November 2018
Oatridge students will help SAC Consulting’s Senior Beef Specialist to deliver an interactive demonstration at AgriScot.
Published: Friday, 9th November 2018
With its stunning scenery and the ethereal majesty of the Cuillin, the Isle of Skye is one of Scotland’s most popular and iconic tourist destinations.
Published: Tuesday, 23rd October 2018
Women working in Scottish agriculture will be “making their voices heard” at this year’s autumn conference.
Published: Friday, 19th October 2018
With a “no deal” Brexit looking more likely than ever, farmers are being urged to ‘plan for the unexpected’ with the new edition of The Farm Management Handbook.
Published: Tuesday, 16th October 2018
A series of ‘Planning for the Future’ roadshows, which will offer Scottish farmers advice on everything from accounting to writing a will, are being held around the country.
Published: Tuesday, 16th October 2018
Scottish dairy farmers are being offered the chance to learn how scientific research can be practically applied to reduce lameness in dairy cows.
Published: Tuesday, 18th September 2018
A series of ‘Planning for the Future’ roadshows, which will offer Scottish farmers advice on everything from accounting to writing a will, are to be held around the country.
Published: Friday, 14th September 2018
This year’s Scottish silage crops are of high quality, but farmers must calculate stocks and ration to deal with the shortfall.
Published: Monday, 10th September 2018
A comprehensive ‘MOT for the soil’, measuring everything from pH levels to earthworm activity, has been created by Scotland’s Rural College.
Published: Friday, 31st August 2018
A new research project into marine animal entanglements in Scottish waters has been launched.
Published: Friday, 24th August 2018
A motor racing marketing guru who went on to create an award-winning gin company is set to explain the winning formula for diversification.
Published: Wednesday, 15th August 2018
With 2018 proving a particularly challenging year in terms of grass growth, a series of webinars has been created to help farmers get the most from their pastures.
Published: Monday, 6th August 2018
The importance of body condition scoring mature ewes at key stages in the year, such as weaning and pre-tupping, has been highlighted by the Scottish Government’s Farm Advisory Service (FAS).
Published: Wednesday, 18th July 2018
A sheep expert at SAC Consulting, part of Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), has been taking livestock farmers through the principles of how to make the most of pasture quality.
Published: Tuesday, 17th July 2018
Scotland’s Rural College is to host a course designed to help dairy entrepreneurs become the cream of the crop.
Published: Monday, 16th July 2018
‘Green engineering’ techniques that help to stabilise river banks and halt the erosion of fields are to be showcased at a free event organised by the Scottish Government’s Farm Advisory Service (FAS).
Published: Tuesday, 10th July 2018
The parents of a popular member of Scotland’s Rural College staff who died suddenly last summer attended last week’s graduation ceremony to accept a special award posthumously on their son’s behalf.
Published: Monday, 9th July 2018
Biosecurity is a key consideration when it comes to housing beef cattle.
Published: Friday, 22nd June 2018
SAC Consulting, part of Scotland’s Rural College, will deliver a major project aimed at stamping out Bovine Viral Diarrhoea.
Published: Tuesday, 19th June 2018
A new initiative to help drive, celebrate and promote locally sourced and produced food and drink has been created, with a total of £250,000 available for applicants.
Published: Monday, 18th June 2018
Ensuring that Scottish cereals remain “the supply of choice” for the whisky and gin markets will be among the topics discussed at a trials event at Cauldshiel Farm in East Lothian later this month.
Published: Wednesday, 16th May 2018
With the planet abuzz with activity for the recent World Bee Day, new advice demonstrates how farmers can improve their crop yields by providing habitats for insects.
Published: Monday, 14th May 2018
The advantages of using organic fertilisers are highlighted in a free online resource for Scottish farmers.
Published: Monday, 7th May 2018
Farming For a Better Climate showcased at County Show.
Published: Wednesday, 25th April 2018
Electricity storage systems on farms could play a major role in the next step of the “energy revolution”.
Published: Monday, 9th April 2018
Researchers from SRUC and the James Hutton Institute, both part of the SEFARI collective, are speaking at this week’s OECD Rural Development Conference, Enhancing Rural Innovation, in Edinburgh.
Published: Friday, 6th April 2018
An Ayr-based agricultural consultant has retired after almost 43 years with Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC).
Published: Thursday, 5th April 2018
Last summer’s weather has forced Scottish farmers to pay £50 per tonne more for straw, according to new SRUC research.
Published: Tuesday, 27th March 2018
As Easter approaches, poultry experts at Scotland’s Rural College have laid out the details of a special webinar for small and medium-sized egg producers.
Published: Friday, 23rd March 2018
A vibrant audience gathered to hear from a strong line-up of speakers at this year’s New Entrants Gathering.
Published: Thursday, 15th March 2018
Simplification of the exemptions from Crop Diversification and Ecological Focus Areas (EFA).
Published: Friday, 9th March 2018
Scottish farmers are being advised to take steps and plan fodder usage now, with experts predicting a late spring.
Published: Wednesday, 7th March 2018
A series of free events offering inspiration and advice for women working in Scottish agriculture has been announced.
Published: Thursday, 8th February 2018
Three dairy farmers in the South West have formed the first working group in Scotland’s new Rural Innovation Support Service (RISS), an initiative supported by SAC Consulting.
Published: Tuesday, 6th February 2018
Those attending this year’s New Entrants to Farming Gathering can look forward to hearing from an impressive line-up of speakers.
Published: Tuesday, 30th January 2018
Continuing uncertainty over Brexit means farmers should waste no time in reviewing their businesses and also make full use of developments and technology.
Published: Wednesday, 24th January 2018
A subsidised scheme that could save farmers significant money and time in the animal post-mortem process has been set up in Dumfries and Galloway.
Published: Monday, 22nd January 2018
The increasingly important role played by state-of-the-art technology in Scotland’s dairy industry will be explored in a special open farm event in Dumfries.
Published: Monday, 15th January 2018
Scottish farmers are being reminded that free laboratory testing for sheep scab is available from SAC Consulting Veterinary Services.
Published: Tuesday, 9th January 2018
The Secretary of State for Scotland and the President of NFU Scotland are set to take part in a special ‘Question Time’-style Brexit event in Dumfries.
Published: Friday, 5th January 2018
The continuing uncertainty over Brexit and the challenges facing conventional pesticides will be among the important topics on the agenda at this year’s potato industry conference.
Published: Tuesday, 5th December 2017
Pupils from Reston Primary School recently joined other members of the Reston and Auchencrow communities to help plant around 200 trees in a scheme facilitated by SAC Consulting, part of SRUC.
Published: Thursday, 16th November 2017
Moredun Research Institute and Scotland’s Rural College have announced a new strategic partnership they describe as ‘game-changing’ in advancing livestock health, welfare production and resilience.
Published: Thursday, 16th November 2017
State-of-the-art computer software is helping to equip Scottish agriculture students with the skills they need to become the farmers of the future.
Published: Monday, 13th November 2017
An interactive beef demonstration at AgriScot this month is set to highlight the herd management and profitability benefits of regularly weighing cattle.
Published: Monday, 13th November 2017
As television audiences watch competition continue to heat up on The Apprentice, a new campaign has been launched to inspire staff and students at Scotland’s Rural College through entrepreneurship.
Published: Wednesday, 1st November 2017
38th edition ‘invaluable resource’ amid Brexit uncertainty.
Published: Wednesday, 11th October 2017
Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Andrew Lacey as the new Head of SAC Consulting Solutions.
Published: Thursday, 14th September 2017
Three SRUC students have enjoyed 10 week placements in offices around the country with SAC Consulting, part of Scotland’s Rural College.
Published: Thursday, 14th September 2017
A healthy audience of over 30 crofters and farmers gathered last weekend on the Isle of Skye to hear from experts on all the stages of managing cows for suckled calf production through to sale.
Published: Wednesday, 13th September 2017
SAC Consulting, part of Scotland’s Rural College, is calling on all livestock farmers in areas affected by wet summer weather to plan for the coming winter to ensure adequate feed levels.
Published: Wednesday, 13th September 2017
SAC Consulting is encouraging livestock and arable producers in the west who are suffering from the very wet autumn to co-operate for mutual benefit.
Published: Monday, 11th September 2017
An innovative graduate trainee programme has been launched by Scotland’s Rural College to help identify and train the new consultancy stars of the future.
Published: Wednesday, 30th August 2017
SAC Consultant Aileen Buchanan featured on a recent BBC Radio Scotland broadcast which featured organic farming.
Published: Wednesday, 30th August 2017
After much bravery, some tears, a bit of sweat, prosecco and one spectacular soaking in a highland loch teams from SAC Consulting completed the RSABI team building Great Glen Challenge.
Published: Tuesday, 1st August 2017
Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) and Rural England have today launched a consultation focused on how to maximise the potential of the internet and technology to boost the digital economy across the UK.
Published: Wednesday, 14th June 2017
The new mobile CT scanner run by SRUC faces a busy summer on the road.
Published: Wednesday, 14th June 2017
SAC Consulting was represented at the recent International Agricultural Fair in Novi Sad, Serbia.
Published: Wednesday, 31st May 2017
The health and reputation of a Scottish industry worth around £100 million a year depends on the work of “tattie roguers” - and it needs more of the potato disease police.
Published: Wednesday, 17th May 2017
SAC Consulting has strengthened its commitment to the dairy sector by appointing Csaba Adamik as Senior Dairy Consultant bringing with him a wealth of experience in the Scottish dairy industry.
Published: Wednesday, 17th May 2017
A new European Twinning project which focuses on plant protection products in Serbia is being managed by an agricultural consultant from SAC Consulting.
Published: Tuesday, 28th March 2017
SRUC has added its support to a bold new growth target set for Scotland’s food and drink sector.
Published: Monday, 27th March 2017
Inverness and Aviemore will be the focus for a Highland gathering of world experts in animal health and disease control this week.
Published: Wednesday, 15th March 2017
Scientists from SRUC are warning that this spring there is a high risk of damage to spring cereals from Leatherjacket grubs.
Published: Tuesday, 28th February 2017
Rural Economy Cabinet Secretary Fergus Ewing has indicated he hopes to increase the funding available to new entrants and young farmers.
Published: Tuesday, 14th February 2017
SAC Consulting Food and Drink has welcomed Kerry Allison to the team – bringing with her a decade of experience in the food service and production industries.
Published: Tuesday, 14th February 2017
Ceri Ritchie, SRUC’s Senior Manager Food and Drink was all curried out recently after her spell on the judging panel for the Aberdeen’s Best Curry Awards.
Published: Wednesday, 1st February 2017
Over 1,500 Scottish farmers and crofters have benefited from attending nearly 80 events run by the new Farm Advisory Service (FAS) over the first four months since it was launched last September.
Published: Wednesday, 1st February 2017
SAC Consulting Food and Drink have welcomed Alistair Trail to the team – an industry stalwart who brings with him over 11 years experience working in Scotland’s food, drink and environmental sectors.
Published: Wednesday, 1st February 2017
Vertical farms, rooftop salads and bull frog meat are all part of farming Singapore style.
Published: Monday, 30th January 2017
Consultants and researchers behind an innovative project which improved milk quality and boosted cheese yield have been shortlisted for the prestigious Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards.
Published: Wednesday, 18th January 2017
Poppy Frater has joined SRUC’s Beef and Sheep Select team, based in the St Boswells Office, to focus on grass management and sheep production.
Published: Wednesday, 18th January 2017
With anecdotal evidence of an increase in “joint-ill” - a disease affecting the joints of young lambs - investigators from SRUC are offering free post mortem tests to sheep farmers and their vets.
Published: Wednesday, 21st December 2016
Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham recently spelled out the cash benefits of farmers cutting their carbon footprints at an event held on a Milnathort Farm in Perthshire.
Published: Wednesday, 7th December 2016
For the first time the iconic SAC Consulting Farm Management Handbook has been made available online giving farmers greater accessibility to a wealth of knowledge.
Published: Wednesday, 7th December 2016
SAC Consulting will play a key role in a new £3 million scheme to help Scottish food and drink businesses build upon the success of the sector by strengthening the local food and drink supply chain.
Published: Wednesday, 9th November 2016
SRUC experts are urging livestock farmers to beware of an increased risk posed by feed grain contaminated with ergot - a fungal disease that can be toxic to animals or humans.
Published: Wednesday, 9th November 2016
The discussion about field drainage was one of the first organised under the Scottish Government’s newly launched Farm Advisory Service (FAS), delivered by SAC Consulting, part of SRUC.
Published: Thursday, 13th October 2016
A new Veterinary Investigations Officer for SAC Consulting based at St. Boswells in the Borders is the new President of the Sheep Veterinary Society (SVS).
Published: Thursday, 13th October 2016
An idea developed by Australian sheep farmers, with the help of a friendly taxidermist, will be introduced to Highland flockmasters by advisers from Scotland’s Rural College.
Published: Thursday, 13th October 2016
The contribution crofters and island farmers make to managing land of high nature value will be the focus of a short film and following panel discussion.
Published: Wednesday, 28th September 2016
Scotland’s newly launched Farm Advisory Service is part of the Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP) which is co-funded by the EU and Scottish Government.
Published: Wednesday, 28th September 2016
Matthew Brown, based at the SAC Consulting office at Elmwood in Cupar, recently returned from EU Twinning project interview duties in Kiev, Ukraine’s impressive capital city.
Published: Wednesday, 28th September 2016
It can take 500 years to replace 25 mm (1 inch) of top soil, yet in the UK it is estimated that 2.9 million tonnes of soil are eroded each year, and soil quality is diminished by poor practices.
Published: Wednesday, 7th September 2016
SRUC is a key tenant of a new collaborative centre in Inverness which was opened recently by Deputy First Minister John Swinney.
Published: Wednesday, 7th September 2016
Staff from the SAC Consulting Office in Portree had a busy day at Skye Show with their exhibit on the condition of the soils on the island.
Published: Wednesday, 7th September 2016
SAC Consulting will be represented at a forthcoming Farm Diversification and Rural Enterprise Event being held by the West Lothian LEADER Rural Funding Programme.
Published: Monday, 5th September 2016
With the loss of reliable chemical controls, experts at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) are advising farmers to start planning now if they want to limit leatherjacket damage to crops and grassland.
Published: Wednesday, 17th August 2016
A trio of third year students, studying at Scotland’s Rural College, have been enjoying their 10 week placements in local offices of SAC Consulting.
Published: Wednesday, 3rd August 2016
British farmers with elite sheep flocks or goat herds now have easier access to the testing facilities needed for export approval.
Published: Tuesday, 19th July 2016
Cattle and sheep farmers in the South West have been warned to look out for mud snails and any signs that their animals may have fallen prey to the parasites the snails carry.
Published: Tuesday, 19th July 2016
Inverness-based SRUC staff have just relocated from Drummondhill to the brand new Inverness Campus.
Published: Tuesday, 19th July 2016
Dumfriesshire farmers have been given some straightforward advice with regards to EU record keeping – “Keep it simple and don’t get into a muddle.”
Published: Wednesday, 6th July 2016
A chance to look round a successful livestock farm and an opportunity to quiz a knowledgeable farming industry panel is on offer.
Published: Tuesday, 21st June 2016
A chance to look round a successful local farm and quiz an industry panel is on offer as the well respected MacDonald family hosts a free event at their Castle Grant Home Farm on Tuesday 5 July.
Published: Tuesday, 21st June 2016
Farmers and land managers are being welcomed to a new show attraction this year.
Published: Thursday, 26th May 2016
It can take 500 years to replace 25 mm (1 inch) of top soil, yet in the UK it is estimated that 2.9 million tonnes of soil are eroded each year, and soil quality is diminished by poor practices.
Published: Thursday, 26th May 2016
The health and reputation of a Scottish industry worth around £120 million a year depends on the work of “tattie roguers” - and it needs more of the potato disease police.
Published: Thursday, 26th May 2016
Portree-based SAC Consultant Janette Sutherland has reminded west coast calf producers they have only until Tuesday 31st May this year to sign up for the Scottish Government's Beef Efficiency Scheme.
Published: Thursday, 26th May 2016
The Milne family’s dairy farm at East Pitforthie near Brechin hosted the first Scottish event in the GB wide programme targeting Johne’s, a debilitating cattle disease.
Published: Wednesday, 11th May 2016
Renewable Energy Team leader Jim Campbell and his colleagues from SAC Consulting represented Scotland’s Rural College at the recent All-Energy event held in the SECC in Glasgow.
Published: Thursday, 7th April 2016
Following the recent shift to a main base in the J36 Rural Auction Centre at Kendal SAC Consulting England has consolidated its service for local famers and rural businesses.
Published: Thursday, 7th April 2016
At the recent Grampian Food Forum Innovation Awards Ceri Ritchie and Patrick Hughes of SAC Food and Drink presented a NE brewery specialising in Belgian style beers with the Best Young Business Award.
Published: Thursday, 7th April 2016
Following recent meetings in Angus and Moray, Consultants from SRUC are urging farmers to check key elements of the environmental or “Greening” regulations under the new CAP regime.
Published: Thursday, 24th March 2016
Oban’s SAC Consulting team has welcomed a new addition to the team.
Published: Thursday, 10th March 2016
Scotland’s organic farmers and food producers gathered to explore how best to tackle the challenges facing their sector at a free one day conference on 7 March organised by SRUC in the Black Isle.
Published: Friday, 26th February 2016
A casualty animal recently submitted to one of SRUC's Veterinary Investigation Centres confirms earlier fears that some silages being fed to livestock this winter are low in protein.
Published: Friday, 26th February 2016
Scotland’s Rural College has strengthened its commitment to the Scottish dairy sector with the appointment of Dr Lorna MacPherson as a Dairy Consultant for the north, working within SAC Consulting.
Published: Thursday, 11th February 2016
Members of the Lanark “New Entrants to Farming” group recently followed a consignment of cattle from the farm through to the abattoir to find out more about managing livestock to meet market needs.
Published: Wednesday, 13th January 2016
Cereal growers, advisers and agronomists will be attending a series of four local events planned for January by SRUC and levy funded body AHDB.
Published: Thursday, 10th December 2015
Last week SAC Consulting ran the first of four free events to highlight the benefits of anaerobic digestion with 36 local farmers and crofters attending the Inverness event.
Published: Thursday, 26th November 2015
A team of students from the Edinburgh Campus of Scotland’s Rural College triumphed at the latest Mains of Loirston Winter Wheat Challenge.
Published: Thursday, 26th November 2015
SRUC joined 18 of Scotland’s Higher Education Institutions (HEI) at an inspiring event held recently at the Scottish Parliament profiling the nation’s undergraduate entrepreneurs.
Published: Thursday, 26th November 2015
SRUC’s Farms’ carbon footprint is measured annually in order to comply with good farm management practice.
Published: Wednesday, 11th November 2015
The 36th edition of the Farm Management Handbook has just been published.
Published: Wednesday, 11th November 2015
A local project will help dairy farmers in Kintyre and Gigha improve their milk quality which should in turn increase the cheese yield at the Campbeltown Creamery they supply.
Published: Wednesday, 11th November 2015
Mike Halliday, an Agricultural Consultant from the SAC Consulting Dumfries office, was part of a group of ten who travelled to Papua New Guinea (PNG) during October.
Published: Thursday, 29th October 2015
SAC Consulting is warning that a significant proportion of beef and sheep will be severely short of protein with major consequences on performance.
Published: Thursday, 29th October 2015
SRUC Vet George Caldow was recently presented with the British Cattle Veterinary Association (BCVA) President’s Award.
Published: Thursday, 29th October 2015
Almost a quarter of ewes tested for Maedi Visna (MV) by SAC Consulting Veterinary Services are carrying the disease.
Published: Thursday, 24th September 2015
Farmers and crofters who look after their soils and have plenty of earthworms are helping feed populations of wading birds like lapwing; a threatened species in much of the UK.
Published: Wednesday, 16th September 2015
SAC Consulting’s organic and conservation specialists, as part of the Scottish Organic Forum, recently hosted an organic and agri-environment workshop and farm walk at Lurgan Farm near Aberfeldy.
Published: Tuesday, 8th September 2015
Farmers and crofters in the north of Scotland have hard decisions to make to ensure their cattle are in fine fettle come spring.
Published: Thursday, 3rd September 2015
The Scottish Government’s Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) eradication programme has shown low levels of disease in Skye and Lochalsh.
Published: Thursday, 27th August 2015
Several expert speakers including SRUC’s Senior Dairy Consultant, David Keiley and Harbro’s Ruminant Nutritionist, Matt Palmer will advise on how to maximise dairy cow fertility while managing costs,
Published: Friday, 21st August 2015
SRUC experts are advising farmers to make better use of their slurry and manure to increase profitability and reduce their environmental impact.
Published: Wednesday, 19th August 2015
SRUC experts outlined some serious challenges for potato growers at this year’s Potatoes in Practice event, held in conjunction with the James Hutton Institute.
Published: Wednesday, 19th August 2015
Scotland has recently launched its first ever Ice Cream Trail designed to celebrate and promote one of the nation’s favourite dairy delicacies.
Published: Wednesday, 29th July 2015
Experts from SRUC are encouraging beef and sheep producers in Scotland and the North of England to get their silage analysed as soon as possible to give them maximum warning of potential problems.
Published: Wednesday, 29th July 2015
Staff from Scotland’s Rural College are working with the Scottish Organic Forum (SOF) to write a new Organic Action Plan by engaging with a wide range of people and organisations.
Published: Wednesday, 29th July 2015
Three third year students studying at Scotland’s Rural College are settling in well to their 10 week summer placements with SAC Consulting offices in Ayr, Inverness and Kirkwall.
Published: Wednesday, 29th July 2015
Students from Scotland’s Rural College competing in this year’s Mains of Loirston Winter Wheat Challenge were looking for positive feedback at recent demonstrations.
Published: Monday, 27th July 2015
A Berwickshire farming business is the latest to open its doors and welcome neighbours and other local farmers exploring ideas for saving energy and other costs through improved business efficiency.
Published: Monday, 27th July 2015
Orcadian Gina Marshall (20) , a third year BSc Applied Animal Science student from St Ola, is settling in to her 10 week placement with the Kirkwall office of SAC Consulting, part of SRUC.
Published: Monday, 27th July 2015
Black Isle farmer’s son Malcolm MacDonald(22), who has just completed the third year of his Honours degree course in Agriculture, has enjoyed the first few weeks of his 10 week placement.
Published: Monday, 27th July 2015
Louise Paterson (20), a third year BSC Agriculture student from Amisfield in Dumfriesshire, is settling in to her 10 week placement with the Ayr office of SAC Consulting, part of SRUC.
Published: Wednesday, 15th July 2015
Matthew Brown of SAC Consulting Solutions has just completed a successful, 20 day assignment on behalf of the EU Delegation to Ukraine.
Published: Wednesday, 15th July 2015
Scotland has recently launched a Berry Trail, supported by SRUC, which celebrates and promotes berry farmers throughout the country, during their short but sweet growing season.
Published: Friday, 10th July 2015
Consultant Douglas Bell and researcher Steven Thomson, both well known and respected members of SRUC staff, have shared an award.
Published: Wednesday, 1st July 2015
The strength of the contingent of SRUC researchers and consultants at the recent Highland Sheep event highlighted the many ways that Scotland’s Rural College supports sheep farmers.
Published: Wednesday, 17th June 2015
SRUC suggests farmers whose first cut of silage had been less than expected should consider ensiling draff, a valuable residue from the whisky making process, to boost winter feed supplies.
Published: Wednesday, 17th June 2015
As the biggest event in Scotland’s agricultural and rural calendar kicks off, SAC Consulting Food & Drink team celebrates and showcases the excellent work being achieved through the ‘Think Local’ initiative with the production of a new video.
Published: Tuesday, 9th June 2015
Aberdeenshire dairy farmer Jean McLean and son John are hosting a dairy focussed event organised by Scotland’s Rural College at New Deer on Wednesday 24th June.
Published: Tuesday, 9th June 2015
An Angus farming business is the latest to open its doors to neighbours and local farmers interested in exploring ideas for saving costs through improving the efficiency of their business.
Published: Wednesday, 3rd June 2015
Ways to reduce some medication use by 50% was a feature of the SRUC / SAC Consulting stand at the North Sheep event at Cockermouth in Cumbria.
Published: Wednesday, 3rd June 2015
Mike Wijnberg has begun work as the Managing Director of SAC Consulting, part of Scotland’s Rural College.
Published: Wednesday, 3rd June 2015
Samantha Wilson, a scientist at the SAC Consulting Veterinary Services Disease Surveillance Centre in Dumfries, has achieved outstanding competition success in riding side saddle.
Published: Monday, 25th May 2015
Farmers attending a free event on Nether Aden Farm, Mintlaw are invited to bring a “spit” of their soil with them for experts to assess.
Published: Wednesday, 20th May 2015
The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Food and the Environment visited Upper Nisbet Farm near Jedburgh to thank them for their participation in the Farming for a Better Climate (FFBC) initiative.
Published: Wednesday, 20th May 2015
2015 is Scotland’s Year of Food & Drink which aims to inspire Scots and visitors alike to celebrate Scotland’s outstanding natural larder, and develop its reputation as being a Land of Food and Drink.
Published: Wednesday, 22nd April 2015
Scotland’s Rural College has invested in the future of Scottish agriculture and its’ SAC Consulting Division by appointing new consultants and technical support staff.
Published: Wednesday, 22nd April 2015
2015 is Scotland’s Year of Food & Drink which aims to inspire Scots and visitors alike to celebrate Scotland’s outstanding natural larder, and develop its reputation as being a Land of Food and Drink.
Published: Wednesday, 22nd April 2015
The health and reputation of a Scottish industry worth some £116 million a year depends on the work of “tattie roguers” and it needs more.
Published: Wednesday, 8th April 2015
Experts from Scotland’s Rural College are to play a full part in the Action Johne's Initiative launched recently by the UK dairy industry.
Published: Wednesday, 8th April 2015
Experts from SRUC warn those working with livestock to take care. The spring calving period for Scotland’s beef herd has started and already people have been injured by cows with new born young.
Published: Wednesday, 25th March 2015
The stable yard on the Oatridge campus of Scotland’s Rural College is the latest accredited to a UK wide scheme protecting horses from Strangles.
Published: Wednesday, 25th March 2015
The Food and Drink Team from SRUC played their usual active role in the recent Grampian Food Forum Awards, this time judging a category and congratulating the winner at the ceremony.
Published: Wednesday, 25th March 2015
All three SRUC Divisions were represented at the initial meeting in Edinburgh of an SRUC led, EU funded, research project into the challenges parasites pose for organic farming.
Published: Wednesday, 11th March 2015
The Board of SAC Consulting, part of Scotland’s Rural College, has confirmed the appointment of Mike Wijnberg as the business’ new Managing Director.
Published: Wednesday, 4th March 2015
With lambing time approaching, vets from Scotland’s Rural College are reminding dog owners to keep their pets under close control near livestock and to avoid going near sheep at all, if possible.
Published: Wednesday, 4th March 2015
The catalogue of SRUC’s short, practical field guides has been extended and revised with a number of additions to the list available on the SRUC website.
Published: Wednesday, 4th March 2015
The first in a series of events designed to let horse riders and land managers in Scotland address access issues is planned for a farm near North Berwick on Friday 6 March.
Published: Tuesday, 24th February 2015
SAC Consulting (part of SRUC) is seeking to support the continued viability of dairy farms in Kintyre and Gigha by holding a series of free, focused workshops tailored for local producers.
Published: Wednesday, 18th February 2015
Andrew Edgar, one of the pioneers of the Dairy Skills initiative running in Dumfries and Galloway has been offered a post by a local dairy farmer.
Published: Wednesday, 18th February 2015
It was a long night with many questions in Forfar at the most recent of the CAP reform workshops SAC Consulting is holding in Scotland.
Published: Wednesday, 18th February 2015
Nearly 100 delegates from across the south of Scotland attended the recent New Entrants to Farming Gathering in New Cumnock, organised, as part of a Scottish Government programme, by SRUC.
Published: Wednesday, 18th February 2015
Highlighting the agricultural efficiency, nutrient and pollution management benefits gained from well managed drainage systems was the focus of an event at SRUC's Kirkton and Auchtertyre farms.
Published: Wednesday, 18th February 2015
Respected Ayrshire hill farmer Stevie Guild of Ashmark Farm will host an event focused on improving the profitability of ewes, the breeding females at the heart of the sector, on Tuesday 24 February.
Published: Wednesday, 11th February 2015
With pregnant ewes getting heavier as lambing dates get closer specialists from Scotland’s Rural College urge sheep farmers to check the quality of the silage they are feeding.
Published: Wednesday, 11th February 2015
A well attended annual meeting of organic producers at the Lamancha hub on Whitmuir Farm in the Borders included delegates who had travelled from as far afield as Bristol and Bury St Edmonds.
Published: Wednesday, 11th February 2015
The SAC Consulting Food and Drink team are looking forward to a busy year of events and collaborations as Scotland celebrates the 2015 year of Food and Drink.
Published: Monday, 9th February 2015
East Lothian farmer Bob Simpson will welcome farmers from across the area on Thursday 26 February when he hosts the latest in a series of events helping farmers improve business efficiency.
Published: Monday, 9th February 2015
Clackmannanshire dairy farmer Ross Logan will welcome farmers from across the area on Wednesday 25 February when he hosts the latest in a series of events helping farmers improve business efficiency.
Published: Wednesday, 28th January 2015
After four years work in Cuba a group including specialists from SRUC has finally achieved their goal, producing renewable energy while returning abandoned sugar cane land to food production.
Published: Wednesday, 28th January 2015
Vets from Scotland’s Rural College believe many commercial sheep flocks could be threatened by a rise in the incurable viral disease Maedi Visna (MV).
Published: Wednesday, 28th January 2015
Innovative farmers explaining their ideas proved a highlight during recent cereal grower events organised Scotland’s Rural College and sector levy body HGCA.
Published: Wednesday, 28th January 2015
Potential new entrants to farming can quiz those already having a go when they attend one of two meetings planned by SRUC in New Cumnock and Elgin.
Published: Tuesday, 27th January 2015
A new, independent quality assessment service for veterinary practices using in-house biochemistry and haematology analysers is being offered by SAC Consulting Veterinary Services, part of SRUC.
Published: Monday, 26th January 2015
Anyone interested in becoming a farmer can learn from industry specialists and the recent experience of Craig Malone, a Forestry Commission starter farmer, at New Cumnock on Tuesday 10 February.
Published: Tuesday, 20th January 2015
Douglas Bell, SAC Consulting Senior Agricultural Consultant will be updating Aberdeenshire farmers with the latest information on CAP Reform at Thainstone Exchange, Inverurie on Wednesday 28 January.
Published: Monday, 19th January 2015
Scotland’s organic farmers and food producers will be in thoughtful mood as they gather at Lamancha for their annual conference on Thursday 5 February.
Published: Monday, 19th January 2015
Huntly beef producer Gary Christie will talk about his own approach to efficient calf production when he welcomes visitors to the Midtown of Glass herd at 11am on Wednesday 4 February.
Published: Friday, 16th January 2015
Maximising the efficiency and accuracy of inputs should be a priority for any profitable farm business.
Published: Thursday, 15th January 2015
Smart Farming, definitions of sustainable intensification, calls for more near market research and knowledge exchange all featured strongly at this year’s Oxford Farming Conference.
Published: Thursday, 15th January 2015
SAC Consultants Elaine Henderson and Robert Ramsay found their recent study tour of Argentinian farming a real eye opener.
Published: Thursday, 15th January 2015
With Scotland’s potato growers reeling from the fall in demand for fresh potatoes and low prices from over-supply, a conference in Perth will stress the positive messages for an important industry.
Published: Thursday, 15th January 2015
Common Grazings Clerks in crofting areas are reminded that shareholders risk receiving reduced CAP payments if they don’t check the accuracy of details just issued by the Scottish Government.
Published: Monday, 5th January 2015
A passion for doing a good job and the rewards of paying close attention to detail will come across when a respected Strichen farmer explains his approach to successful cereal production on 21 Jan.
Published: Thursday, 18th December 2014
Agricultural and veterinary research at SRUC and the University of Edinburgh has been ranked as most powerful in the UK in the Research Excellence Framework (REF).
Published: Wednesday, 17th December 2014
Euan Fraser has been appointed SAC Consulting’s Senior Potato Consultant.
Published: Wednesday, 17th December 2014
SAC Consultant and our man in Moldova Matthew Brown has successfully completed the EU project that he has worked on for 33 months.
Published: Wednesday, 17th December 2014
Experts from Scotland’s Rural College were recently joined by partners in showcasing progress of research, much of it Scottish Government funded, in efficient beef production.
Published: Wednesday, 17th December 2014
The SMART farming technology showcase organised by the Research Division of Scotland’s Rural College drew an attentive crowd.
Published: Wednesday, 17th December 2014
Building yields will be the focus of three events for cereal growers, beginning in the Borders at The Lodge, Carfraemill on Tuesday 13 January.
Published: Tuesday, 16th December 2014
Two free meetings, planned for Orkney Beef farmers in early January by SAC Consulting, will consider some of the key health issues affecting production efficiency.
Published: Wednesday, 10th December 2014
With new CAP arrangements coming into force, crofters and farmers with beef cattle have only a few days to register calves born under the previous regime, if they want to claim the cash due.
Published: Wednesday, 10th December 2014
With price pressures and reductions in CAP funding many farmers are looking hard at the efficiency of their businesses and the way they use resources like energy, nutrients, soil, slurry and water.
Published: Wednesday, 3rd December 2014
Tasting panels and the latest computerised scanning techniques are to be used in a research project between Morrisons and SRUC aimed at improving the eating quality and production of UK lamb.
Published: Wednesday, 3rd December 2014
SRUC research giving a snapshot of how UK dairy farmers house and feed their herds has been published in the official journal of the American Dairy Science Association.
Published: Wednesday, 3rd December 2014
Progress with some of SRUC’s research of grain quality in malting barley was presented to the latest meeting of the BBSRC’s Crop Improvement Research Club.
Published: Wednesday, 3rd December 2014
While SRUC students were winning Agriscot Business awards and accepting Winter Wheat Challenge trophies, Scotland’s Rural College was making further contributions to the successful event at Ingliston.
Published: Wednesday, 3rd December 2014
A consortium of continental researchers, including Professor Davy McCracken of SRUC, have had the importance of their research into High Nature Value Farming recognised by the European Commission.
Published: Wednesday, 19th November 2014
The offices of SAC Consulting, part of Scotland’s Rural College, are playing their part in the national “Farming with Dyslexia” campaign, led by NFU Scotland.
Published: Tuesday, 18th November 2014
SAC Consulting will be running a series of three Beef Health Seminars across the region at the beginning of December.
Published: Tuesday, 11th November 2014
Those attending a free event planned on Thursday 27 November will focus on the farm’s suckler cows and consider efficiencies linked to the fertility, nutrition and health of the herd.
Published: Friday, 31st October 2014
With the harvest over and the autumn sales running their course this is a time for farmers to look forward.
Published: Wednesday, 29th October 2014
Scotland’s Rural College has enhanced its service to the dairy industry.
Published: Wednesday, 29th October 2014
Scotland’s Rural College has launched a new Monogastric Science Research Centre, a focus for the College’s work on pigs and poultry, in particular bringing together vital research on nutrition.
Published: Wednesday, 29th October 2014
As a member of the Easter Bush Research Consortium, SRUC is collaborating with animal health company Zoetis in a new European centre to identify emerging diseases in livestock and companion animals.
Published: Wednesday, 29th October 2014
A recent Innovation in Ewe Management event, organised at Alyth by SAC Consulting, used the lessons learned from SRUC research to focus on practical ways to improve sheep flock efficiency and returns.
Published: Wednesday, 29th October 2014
Researchers in Edinburgh have been awarded £479,000 by the UK Government’s Rural Affairs Department (Defra) to study teenagers’ attitudes and behaviour towards animals.
Published: Monday, 27th October 2014
While the falling price of milk is bringing some groups of dairy farmers onto the streets in protest every producer is having to take a long hard look at their costs.
Published: Tuesday, 21st October 2014
Balancing biodiversity and climate change with the need to feed our growing population is a key focus of much of the research at Scotland’s Rural College.
Published: Tuesday, 21st October 2014
This autumn SAC Consulting is launching a series of meetings targeted at upland farmers.
Published: Monday, 20th October 2014
As the Crofting Commission begins its inaugural census of crofters and common grazings, SAC Consulting staff are offering support should there be any concerns regarding completion of the new forms.
Published: Wednesday, 15th October 2014
A free event on Tuesday 4 November at Easter Auquharney, Hatton near Peterhead will explore ways to improve the production efficiency and business returns of beef finishers.
Published: Wednesday, 15th October 2014
The exciting science of modern day land use will be on display at the Future of Farming and Forestry Fun Day at SRUC Barony on Saturday 1 November.
Published: Wednesday, 15th October 2014
Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) is enjoying one of the most exciting periods in its 100 year history, Chairman Lord Jamie Lindsay has said.
Published: Wednesday, 15th October 2014
Scotland’s Rural College is one of 22 research organisations contributing to Defra’s new £4.2m series of projects investigating ways to increase production through sustainable intensification.
Published: Wednesday, 15th October 2014
Yorkshire farmers are being invited to the launch of a new business support initiative run by SAC Consulting and funded through The Prince’s Countryside Fund.
Published: Tuesday, 7th October 2014
The second phase of a series of six on-farm events focusing on soil management and nutrient efficiency will kick off at Ednie Farm, St Fergus, Aberdeenshire, on Thursday 16 October at 1.30pm. It is organised by specialists from SAC Consulting, part of Scotland’s Rural College.
Published: Wednesday, 1st October 2014
Farmers are warned to be on their guard for lungworm this year.
Published: Wednesday, 1st October 2014
SRUC’s Veterinary Services has launched a new test for measuring levels of the essential trace element manganese in cows to help reduce long bone deformity of their suckled calves.
Published: Wednesday, 1st October 2014
Once again Scotland’s Rural College attended the annual Scottish Smallholder and Grower Festival in Lanark market this month.
Published: Thursday, 18th September 2014
Dumfries-based David Keiley has been appointed Senior Dairy Specialist with SAC Consulting, part of Scotland’s Rural College.
Published: Thursday, 18th September 2014
Through its SAC Consulting division Scotland’s Rural College is encouraging farmers in Scotland to assess the impact of the coming CAP reforms sooner rather than later.
Published: Thursday, 18th September 2014
With the question of food security a growing issue worldwide, two SRUC experts will deliver public lectures in Aberdeen which tackle one of the fundamentals when it comes to producing food.
Published: Thursday, 18th September 2014
In light of recent publicity around farm accidents, SAC Consulting is reminding farmers that they are able to support them with any health and safety concerns.
Published: Thursday, 18th September 2014
A livestock farming family are collaborating with two other Highland families in a Scottish Government- funded project aimed at improving farm efficiency and reducing the industry’s carbon footprint.
Published: Tuesday, 16th September 2014
SAC Consulting, a division of Scotland’s Rural College, is holding a free open day focused on advising farmers on the health and fitness of their rams to ensure a successful tupping.
Published: Wednesday, 10th September 2014
The RSPB, Bumblebee Conservation Trust (BBCT) and SAC Consulting plan to team up with farmers to help them improve the condition of their soil, and help increase the local wading bird population.
Published: Wednesday, 10th September 2014
An Ayrshire dairy farm is making its contribution to a Scottish Government funded programme aimed at improving farm efficiency and reducing the industry’s carbon footprint.
Published: Tuesday, 2nd September 2014
The vastly growing problem of horse obesity will be the subject of two free SAC Consulting events held in the north east in October.
Published: Tuesday, 2nd September 2014
Pneumonia vaccines and sheep and cattle inspections will be just two of the topics up for discussion at a Planning for Winter Success event in Caithness on 30 September.
Published: Tuesday, 2nd September 2014
Aberdeenshire farmers at Nether Aden farm near Mintlaw will host the latest in a series of events helping local farmers explore ways to improve their business efficiency, on Thursday 9 October.
Published: Tuesday, 26th August 2014
Scientists from Scotland’s Rural College are inviting farmers’ help for a GB wide dung sample survey investigating the prevalence of E. coli O157 infection amongst cattle destined for the food chain.
Published: Tuesday, 26th August 2014
Third year students from Scotland’s Rural College have found summer placements in the College’s SAC Consulting Division incredibly helpful to both their studies and their future career prospects.
Published: Tuesday, 26th August 2014
The vastly growing problem of horse obesity will be the subject of three coming SAC Consulting events with the first held just outside Glasgow on Friday 29 August.
Published: Tuesday, 26th August 2014
Staff from the Kendal office of SAC Consulting are running a series of sheep focus farm meetings in Cumbria and Lancashire.
Published: Tuesday, 26th August 2014
SAC Consulting, in conjunction with the British Horse Society Scotland, is running a workshop on restoring and managing grassland for horses.
Published: Wednesday, 13th August 2014
The highly successful Scottish Enterprise Rural Leadership programme is seeking its latest group of recruits.
Published: Tuesday, 29th July 2014
SRUC and the University of Edinburgh showcased their research and development work on livestock breeding and genetics during a learning visit from Bill Gates, of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Published: Tuesday, 29th July 2014
The issue of antibiotics versus trimming as a means of controlling lameness in sheep is often debated, so a new trial at Marrick Abbey Farm in North Yorkshire, aims to shed light on the best approach.
Published: Tuesday, 29th July 2014
SAC Consulting Veterinary Services (part of SRUC) is organising two free on-farm meetings in South West Scotland focusing on dairy herd health and production.
Published: Tuesday, 29th July 2014
SAC Consulting has won £50,000 of funding from the Prince’s Countryside Fund for a two-year project to help Yorkshire Dales farmers get the most from their businesses.
Published: Tuesday, 29th July 2014
Researchers at the John Innes Centre and SRUC have found that barley plants which are tolerant to drought also have improved resistance to Ramularia leaf spot.
Published: Tuesday, 29th July 2014
More than 30 local farmers and crofters attended the recent SAC Consulting Suckler Cow and Bull Management Workshop in Kilmalaug, Skye.
Published: Tuesday, 29th July 2014
Two SRUC experts have been lending their knowledge recently to farmers and those in the agriculture industry in Russia and Moldova.
Published: Tuesday, 15th July 2014
More than 160 graduands attended the Scotland’s Rural College graduation ceremony on 11 July 2014 at Bute Hall, University of Glasgow.
Published: Tuesday, 15th July 2014
Nigel Miller, President of NFU Scotland, has been awarded an Honorary Fellowship of Scotland’s Rural College.
Published: Tuesday, 15th July 2014
Dr Lutz Bunger, was conferred as Professor of Growth Genetics at SRUC’s Graduation ceremony in Bute Hall, University of Glasgow on 11 July 2014.
Published: Tuesday, 15th July 2014
Dr Simon Turner, an internationally recognised expert on aggressiveness in farm animals was awarded a Readership by Scotland’s Rural College.
Published: Tuesday, 15th July 2014
Gavin Hill, Assistant Regional Manager for SAC Consulting, is the latest recipient of the RC Stewart Prize.
Published: Tuesday, 15th July 2014
Lecturer Dr Lou Ralph was nominated for an Excellence in Teaching Award by students from Scotland’s Rural College in Aberdeen.
Published: Wednesday, 9th July 2014
Scotland’s Rural College has announced new developments in relation to its consultancy division, SAC Consulting.
Published: Wednesday, 9th July 2014
It may be hard to find a listening bank these days but Siobhan Stainton’s clients often call her the “Listening Book Keeper”.
Published: Wednesday, 9th July 2014
SRUC vets believe that a young humpback whale found drowned off the coast of Mull died after swimming into a fish farm.
Published: Wednesday, 25th June 2014
Vets from Scotland’s Rural College are appealing to sheep farmers across the UK to be alert to an increasing threat from Maedi Visna (MV); an incurable viral disease of sheep.
Published: Wednesday, 25th June 2014
Interactivity, high tech farming, Trolley the Sheep and chocolate all played their part in a busy and successful Royal Highland Show for Scotland’s Rural College.
Published: Wednesday, 25th June 2014
Two Aberdeen-based senior food consultants with Scotland’s Rural College, David Lamb and Patrick Hughes, have been awarded the 2014 Inverarity Prize.
Published: Wednesday, 25th June 2014
SRUC’s Highland Show stand was the venue for the launch, by Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Food and the Environment, Richard Lochhead MSP, of Scotland’s Chocolate Trail.
Published: Wednesday, 25th June 2014
Bat boxes built with the help of Students from SRUC's Ayr Campus contributed to Dreghorn primary school’s “Scotland’s Finest Woods Award” presented on the Crown Estate's stand at the Highland Show.
Published: Wednesday, 25th June 2014
Trial plots on the Aberdeen Campus of Scotland’s Rural College have been providing important information for farmers, growers and researchers since 1922.
Published: Wednesday, 18th June 2014
The displays have been printed, the staff rota is complete, and the pavilion stands ready, awaiting the thousands of visitors who will pour through the doors over the next few days.
Published: Wednesday, 18th June 2014
Cabinet Secretary for Food Richard Lochhead will launch Scotland’s Chocolate Trail at the Royal Highland Show on Friday.
Published: Wednesday, 18th June 2014
SAC Consultant, Tim Kneale, recently returned to Scotland as a clay pigeon world record holder.
Published: Wednesday, 18th June 2014
A West Lothian project has joined forces with Broxburn Primary School to produce a new Farming in West Lothian education pack.
Published: Wednesday, 11th June 2014
Following today’s announcement by Cabinet Secretary Richard Lochhead MSP, SRUC makes the following comments.
Published: Wednesday, 4th June 2014
Everyone from private horse owners to those managing commercial yards received key advice on avoiding a disease threat during the recent Welfare Conference in Bristol.
Published: Wednesday, 4th June 2014
The Hospitality education provided by the Elmwood Campus of Scotland’s Rural College was ranked first in the recent Catering in Scotland Excellence Awards.
Published: Wednesday, 4th June 2014
Scotland’s Rural College has formalised a bond with Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University following the recent signing in Edinburgh of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
Published: Wednesday, 4th June 2014
Nearly fifty delegates and speakers from a range of organisations gathered at the Edinburgh Campus of Scotland’s Rural College recently for a Veterinary Microbiology Workshop.
Published: Thursday, 29th May 2014
A number of staff from Scotland’s Rural College were on duty at the successful Grass Tech Event held near Elgin by the Royal Northern Agricultural Society.
Published: Thursday, 29th May 2014
The next round of Farming for a Better Climate, a scheme to help farmers reduce their carbon footprint, has been a launched with additional Government funding.
Published: Thursday, 29th May 2014
A new web based tool for farmers needing to know how efficiently they are using resources has been launched by the Consulting Division of Scotland’s Rural College.
Published: Tuesday, 6th May 2014
A researcher from Scotland’s Rural College has embarked on a long-term study which aims to increase insect pollinators in commercial orchards.
Published: Tuesday, 6th May 2014
Vets from SRUC warn sheep farmers that while liver fluke epidemics may have failed to hit the headlines during this recent winter, they have not disappeared and should not be forgotten.
Published: Tuesday, 6th May 2014
With home poultry keeping increasingly popular amongst both country and town dwellers Scotland’s Rural College is organising a one day course near Ayr for those who would like to know more.
Published: Tuesday, 6th May 2014
A leading animal geneticist from Scotland’s Rural College has been presented with a prestigious award for her contribution to the livestock industry.
Published: Tuesday, 6th May 2014
SRUC researchers and lecturers will join colleagues from SAC Consulting at GrassTech, the specialist grassland event held near Elgin by the Royal Northern Agricultural Society, on Tuesday 27 May.
Published: Tuesday, 6th May 2014
Get ready for a family day filled with fun and adventure at the SRUC Barony Campus Open Day!
Published: Wednesday, 30th April 2014
Farmers, groundsmen and park keepers across Scotland are warned leatherjacket densities are at their highest recorded levels in 39 years.
Published: Wednesday, 30th April 2014
A new briefing by Crichton Institute warns that Dumfries and Galloway is predicted to soon be responsible for 18% of Scotland’s onshore wind energy capacity.
Published: Wednesday, 30th April 2014
Sheep farmers and veterinary practices are warned that a fatal infection with Nematodirus battus gut worms has just been diagnosed in a lamb sent for post mortem to our St Boswells Veterinary Centre.
Published: Wednesday, 30th April 2014
Progress is being made in drawing together the issues involved in making better use of our land, but there is more to do in developing our understanding of, and communication about, pressures.
Published: Wednesday, 16th April 2014
The Oatridge Campus of Scotland’s Rural College, in collaboration with Rural Connect are throwing open the gates again for the 2014 Farm Open Day!
Published: Wednesday, 16th April 2014
SRUC and Lantra recently ran a very successful careers seminar at the Oatridge Campus of Scotland’s Rural College.
Published: Wednesday, 2nd April 2014
Andrew Taylor, a second year student studying BSc (Hons) Agriculture at Scotland’s Rural College in Ayr has won the prestigious Dairy Student of the Year competition.
Published: Wednesday, 2nd April 2014
SRUC’s Senior Sheep Consultant Dr John Vipond recently became a joint winner of the George Hedley Memorial Award, presented for services to the sheep industry by the National Sheep Association.
Published: Tuesday, 25th March 2014
The first case of cattle scab to be confirmed in Scotland since the early 1980s has been diagnosed by vets at SAC Consulting’s St Boswells Veterinary Investigation Centre.
Published: Friday, 21st March 2014
Consultancy staff from Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) need to be adaptable but for Matthew Brown flexibility has meant going beyond even the normal call of duty.
Published: Monday, 10th March 2014
Both livestock and soils have suffered from the adverse weather over the winter.
Published: Monday, 10th March 2014
A free event on Wednesday 19 March will raise awareness of the many possibilities renewable energy can offer to farmers and crofters in Orkney.
Published: Wednesday, 5th March 2014
Researchers from Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) are working on a new a new campaign to tackle a disease in cattle that costs the UK economy £300m each year.
Published: Wednesday, 5th March 2014
Cabinet Secretary Richard Lochhead was one of many who emphasized the need to support new farmers at a recent New Entrants to Farming Gathering held at Murrayfield.
Published: Wednesday, 5th March 2014
Over 5,500 dairy cows in north central Scotland stand to benefit from what their owners learned recently on a journey to the south west of England organised by SAC Consulting.
Published: Wednesday, 26th February 2014
Researchers at Scotland’s Rural College have begun a trial to test the effectiveness of using a CT scanner for selecting rams which sire lambs with an increased yield of useable meat.
Published: Wednesday, 26th February 2014
SRUC’s Food and Drink Team is encouraging Scottish food and drink businesses to sign up for a conference which will help them reach new markets at home and abroad.
Published: Wednesday, 5th February 2014
A special gathering is to be held at Murrayfield on Wednesday 26 February for anyone who has just become a farmer or for those wanting to be.
Published: Wednesday, 5th February 2014
SRUC and the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority (Teagasc), have begun a research project that will help growers and gardeners improve their soil by encouraging beneficial soil organisms.
Published: Tuesday, 4th February 2014
Wigtownshire’s mixed landscape and climate has helped it become an important area for Scottish Beef production.
Published: Tuesday, 4th February 2014
Farming is facing change, not only from the climate, as recent events have shown, but next year the way the Common Agricultural Policy works in Scotland will also be very different.
Published: Tuesday, 4th February 2014
Ayrshire farmers may not be suffering like those in Somerset but the recent storms in south west Scotland means plenty of local fields are waterlogged.
Published: Wednesday, 22nd January 2014
Experts from Scotland’s Rural College are warning livestock farmers that one downside of last year’s excellent summer is the risk their cows are overfat as they approach calving time.
Published: Wednesday, 22nd January 2014
Two experts from Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) are to deliver public lectures in Edinburgh on the crucial science of breeding healthy and productive livestock.
Published: Wednesday, 22nd January 2014
The latest recommendations on cereal varieties are now available to growers on the Scotland’s Rural College website.
Published: Wednesday, 22nd January 2014
Scotland’s organic farmers gather in the Borders on Thursday 6 February for their annual conference in a positive frame of mind.
Published: Tuesday, 21st January 2014
The contribution wood fuel and biomass have made to a Stirling arable farm with a diversified horse livery business will be the focus of a meeting planned for Tuesday 11 February.
Published: Wednesday, 15th January 2014
Researchers from Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) have been awarded £580,000 to study possible ways to reduce pig aggression, to improve welfare and the economic benefits to farmers.
Published: Wednesday, 15th January 2014
To avoid the risk to beef calves from a prolonged calving SRUC experts now recommend feeding pregnant cows an enhanced ration 2-3 weeks before giving birth.
Published: Wednesday, 15th January 2014
Time and tide wait for no man and in the case of Inverness based SRUC vet Andrew Brownlow the New Year tide at Joppa washed up a dead 26 tonne sperm whale.
Published: Wednesday, 15th January 2014
Farmers attending the first of the series of SRUC-HGCA agronomy workshops went home with a lot to think about.
Published: Wednesday, 15th January 2014
SAC Consulting Senior Beef Specialist Gavin Hill is one of a group of industry experts who will join Beef 2020, an initiative announced by the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment.
Published: Wednesday, 15th January 2014
Thousands of West Highland Way walkers pass through SRUC’s Kirkton and Auchtertyre farms every year.
Published: Tuesday, 14th January 2014
Traditionally generations of Scottish farmers have bedded their cattle with straw during the long winter months spent indoors and out of the elements.
Published: Monday, 13th January 2014
The contribution woodfuel and biomass have made to an Ayrshire family dairy farm will be the focus of a meeting planned for Tuesday 21 January.
Published: Monday, 13th January 2014
At a free meeting at Thainstone Mart on Monday 20 January sheep farmers will be reminded that the legacy of the tough winter of 2012-13 could still affect this coming lambing season.
Published: Wednesday, 8th January 2014
SAC Consulting is hosting a farmers’ meeting at Thainstone Mart on Monday 13 January to highlight the importance of both pre and post natal care for healthy cows and calves.
Published: Tuesday, 17th December 2013
The importance of good soil health and structure will be a key discussion point during the cereal growers workshops planned for the New Year.
Published: Tuesday, 17th December 2013
New research at Scotland’s Rural College is seeking to discover better ways to predict an outbreak of light leaf spot in oilseed rape crops.
Published: Wednesday, 11th December 2013
A livery yard at West Linton, in the Scottish Borders, is the first in the UK to become accredited under a new scheme to protect horses and premises from a debilitating and highly contagious disease.
Published: Wednesday, 11th December 2013
Experts from Scotland’s Rural College have issued a reminder that from January 1 farmers working within Scotland’s Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs) face regulation changes.
Published: Thursday, 28th November 2013
Joseph Williams, a student at SRUC’s Ayr Campus, won the recent AgriScot Business Skills competition, impressing the judges with his critical appraisal of a new agriculture product.
Published: Thursday, 21st November 2013
Staff and students have fun for Children in Need.
Published: Thursday, 21st November 2013
Iain Riddell and Kev Bevan from SAC Consulting led a pilot project identifying opportunities for the Scottish sheep sector to add value, reduce waste and become more competitive and profitable.
Published: Wednesday, 13th November 2013
This week's Mind the Gap conference saw the launch of new guidelines which aim to raise awareness of diffuse pollution regulations.
Published: Wednesday, 13th November 2013
Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs Richard Lochhead MSP heard that climate friendly farming can save money when he attended the recent round up meeting of the Farming for a Better Climate Initiative.
Published: Wednesday, 13th November 2013
Vets from Scotland’s Rural College are reminding farmers to beware of pneumonia in young stock.
Published: Wednesday, 13th November 2013
Specialists from Scotland’s Rural College played an active part in the latest, biennial, Sheep Breeders Round Table held near Nottingham.
Published: Wednesday, 13th November 2013
The SAC Consulting office in Stornoway has been taking a particular interest in BBC Scotland’s new Katie Morag series (CBeebies, on Sundays).
Published: Wednesday, 6th November 2013
SRUC consultants will be attending a series of roadshow events as part of a new Planning For Profit initiative aimed at helping farmers adjust their businesses for life after the new CAP reforms.
Published: Wednesday, 6th November 2013
The first of a series of seven on-farm events focusing on soil management and nutrient efficiency takes place at Ednie Farms, St Fergus, Aberdeenshire, on Tuesday 12 November at 1.30pm.
Published: Wednesday, 6th November 2013
Ten budding smallholders spent the afternoon practicing catching, turning and weighing sheep in Balfron recently.
Published: Wednesday, 6th November 2013
The risks bad muirburn management poses for moorland, and the potential of prosecution for landowners whose staff break the law, will be highlighted during a free event planned by experts from SRUC.
Published: Wednesday, 6th November 2013
SAC Consulting, a Division of Scotland’s Rural College, is running an event on agricultural pollution at Oban Livestock Centre on 14 November.
Published: Wednesday, 6th November 2013
With costs rising farmers and crofters across the country are having to make the most of their natural resources and that is equally true on Skye.
Published: Wednesday, 23rd October 2013
What a difference a year makes for farmers! Silage clamps have been filled and hay stores refilled. Meanwhile calves and lambs have performed well, with good grass and the sun on their backs.
Published: Tuesday, 15th October 2013
Wigtownshire’s Hugh McClymont, Farm Manager at Scotland’s Rural Colleges Crichton Royal Farm in Dumfries was declared Dairy Farmer of the Year in the Farmers Weekly 9th annual awards ceremony.
Published: Tuesday, 15th October 2013
SAC Consulting’s 34th Farm Management Handbook is now available.
Published: Tuesday, 15th October 2013
Staff from SRUC and SAC Consulting had a busy day at the Smallholders Festival, held this year in Lanark Auction mart.
Published: Wednesday, 2nd October 2013
A new European training programme has been launched which, in the UK, will help woodfuel producers meet the anticipated boom in demand created by the Renewable Heat Incentive.
Published: Monday, 30th September 2013
Experts at Scotland’s Rural College have revised their advice to farmers encountering Long Bone Deformity in their calves.
Published: Wednesday, 25th September 2013
The health and welfare of Manx beef and dairy cattle will be the focus of an open farmers meeting at the Creg-Ny-Baa, just north of Douglas, on the morning of Thursday 10 October.
Published: Wednesday, 25th September 2013
Scotland’s Rural College vets are warning farmers about a rise in the incidence of Blackleg in cattle in the Caithness area.
Published: Wednesday, 25th September 2013
Horses and their pastures were the subject of a recent SAC Consulting event held at SRUC’s Oatridge Campus in West Lothian.
Published: Thursday, 19th September 2013
Eighteen local food and drink initiatives are toasting their success after winning grants totalling more than £100,000 from the new Scottish Community Food Fund (CFF).
Published: Thursday, 19th September 2013
The innovative efforts of two Borders farmers to prevent their cattle drinking from open water courses will feature at a free event at Brockholes Farm near Grantshouse at 10.30am on Tuesday 1 October.
Published: Thursday, 19th September 2013
A vet from the SRUC-led Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme responded when the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) reported a rarely seen Sowerby’s beaked whale and its calf had become stranded.
Published: Wednesday, 11th September 2013
Scotland’s Rural College food marketing experts are involved with a move to protect the name of Dundee Cake through the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) scheme.
Published: Wednesday, 11th September 2013
Specialist vets at Scotland’s Rural College have been investigating whether there is a connection between three whale strandings which occurred off Scotland’s east coast over the past few week.
Published: Wednesday, 11th September 2013
SAC Consulting, in conjunction with the British Horse Society (BHS) Scotland, is running a workshop on restoring and managing grassland for horses on 20 September at SRUC Oatridge Campus.
Published: Wednesday, 28th August 2013
Mastitis Control Advice for Dairy Farmers.
Published: Wednesday, 21st August 2013
The growing problem of liver fluke will be the focus of a free farmers’ meeting at Nistigar on Westray next week (27 August), organised by SAC Consulting (a Division of Scotland’s Rural College).
Published: Wednesday, 14th August 2013
This year’s Potatoes in Practice event was described as the best ever.
Published: Wednesday, 14th August 2013
Over 70 farmers attended the latest progress report on the grazing regeneration project at the Oatridge Campus of Scotland’s Rural College.
Published: Wednesday, 14th August 2013
Vets from SAC Consulting are working with partners from the Moredun Research Institute on a Scottish Government supported pilot project, aimed at addressing the spread of Liver Fluke across Scotland.
Published: Wednesday, 14th August 2013
The efforts a farming family from Ochiltree in Ayrshire are making to keep their cattle from polluting a burn drew a large and interested crowd to a recent event organised by Scotland’s Rural College.
Published: Wednesday, 24th July 2013
Even farmers are enjoying the good weather, with lush, green grass and calves and lambs growing fast, with the sun on their backs.
Published: Wednesday, 24th July 2013
SRUC’s Principal and Chief Executive has welcomed this week’s launch of the UK Agricultural Technologies Strategy.
Published: Wednesday, 24th July 2013
A group from the Waitrose Farming Partnership ambled up north this week to visit Scotland’s Rural College.
Published: Wednesday, 24th July 2013
A scheme aimed at helping Cumbria’s rural workforce enhance its skills and knowledge is seeking more participants before it closes this Autumn.
Published: Wednesday, 24th July 2013
Three hundred Cumbrian farmers attended the final Spy It, Try It, Buy It event organised by SAC Consulting’s Kendal Office.
Published: Wednesday, 24th July 2013
The innovative efforts an Ayrshire farming family are making to avoid their cattle polluting a burn will feature at a free event on Orchardton Farm near Ochiltree at 12.30 pm on Thursday 1st August.
Published: Wednesday, 24th July 2013
With new and emerging diseases, parasite epidemics and the long term legacy of appalling weather the sheep industry is facing major challenges.
Published: Wednesday, 17th July 2013
Staff from both the Consultancy and Education Divisions of SRUC report a very positive response to the two initiatives they were launching at the recent Scottish Game Fair at Scone.
Published: Wednesday, 17th July 2013
Once again SRUC staff were on duty outside Harrogate at the Great Yorkshire Show.
Published: Wednesday, 17th July 2013
While the recent outstanding summer sunshine has done much to brighten the mood of farmers across the country the problems underlying their pastures remain.
Published: Wednesday, 10th July 2013
On a softly shimmering July day, in the elegant confines of Glasgow University’s Bute Hall, over a thousand happy souls sat; joy mingled with anxiety which bumped up against sheer unadulterated relief
Published: Wednesday, 10th July 2013
The way farmers are being urged to tackle climate change has been challenged by SRUC researchers in a paper published in prestigious journal Nature Climate Change.
Published: Wednesday, 10th July 2013
The first Honorary Fellowship of Scotland’s Rural College was one of several awards given to many deserving people on a glorious graduation day in July.
Published: Wednesday, 10th July 2013
The SAC Consulting office in Cupar has changed location.
Published: Wednesday, 3rd July 2013
SRUC has become a partner in the Centre of Excellence for UK Farming (CEUKF), an agri-food supply-chains alliance to help UK farming address production and sustainability challenges.
Published: Wednesday, 3rd July 2013
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has approved a new degree course from Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), designed for those keen to work in estate management, land and estate agency.
Published: Wednesday, 3rd July 2013
Staff linked to the Rural Policy Centre of Scotland’s Rural College were busy in the aftermath of the agreement in Brussels over the reforms of the Common Agricultural Policy.
Published: Wednesday, 3rd July 2013
Consultants from Scotland’s Rural College will launch a new Estate Management Service at the Scottish Game Fair.
Published: Wednesday, 3rd July 2013
Persistent rain didn’t deter about one hundred hardy souls gathering for this year’s Cereals in Practice event, but farmers will be hoping to see a lot more sunshine this month.
Published: Wednesday, 3rd July 2013
Local man Jonathan Grayshon is to lead a new farm advisory service for North Yorkshire and Humberside.
Published: Wednesday, 3rd July 2013
Researchers from Scotland’s Rural College have explained how Laser Methane Detectors (LMD) could provide a quick but reliable method of estimating of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from livestock.
Published: Wednesday, 26th June 2013
With a new name, a revamped pavilion and (mainly) sunny weather, it was odds on this year’s Royal Highland Show would be a success, and it certainly was.
Published: Wednesday, 26th June 2013
A third case of case of Schmallenberg Virus (SBV) has been confirmed in Aberdeenshire.
Published: Wednesday, 19th June 2013
Borders farmers are being urged to take their minds off the legacy of two of the most difficult growing seasons on record and look forward as they make their plans for next year.
Published: Wednesday, 19th June 2013
A case of Schmallenberg Disease (SBV) has been confirmed in a calf born to a homebred, suckler heifer on a farm outside Aberdeen.
Published: Wednesday, 12th June 2013
A new, UK wide, health scheme addressing the threat to horses from the disease Strangles has been launched by Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC).
Published: Wednesday, 12th June 2013
With sheep shearing underway and the first of the season’s ram sales soon, experts from SRUC recommend that, in preparation for the sale, UK breeders test their sheep for CLA or caseous lymphadenitis.
Published: Wednesday, 5th June 2013
The Community food Fund is open for applications.
Published: Wednesday, 5th June 2013
Two SRUC “students” are to represent Scotland in the national finals of the Young Shepherd of the Year competition.
Published: Wednesday, 29th May 2013
John Forster SAC Consulting’s man at the end of the Kintyre peninsular was one of those welcoming a visit to Argyle by over 100 members of the Ayrshire Cattle Society.
Published: Wednesday, 29th May 2013
SAC Consulting experts will be on hand to offer advice on coping with this year’s severe grass shortage at North Sheep near Harrogate on Wednesday 5th June.
Published: Wednesday, 22nd May 2013
Vets from Scotland’s Rural College fear young lambs are at risk from a mass hatch of Nematodirus battus worms they expect in the next few weeks.
Published: Wednesday, 22nd May 2013
Work by students at the Oatridge Campus of Scotland’s Rural College will advise farmers on ways to quickly restore grassland and grazing badly damaged by months of poor weather.
Published: Wednesday, 22nd May 2013
SRUC’s Crop Protection team is part of the Crop and Soil Systems Research Group.
Published: Wednesday, 22nd May 2013
Staff from the Elmwood campus of Scotland’s Rural College are providing technical and business advice for a scheme exploring a way for new entrants to get into food production.
Published: Wednesday, 8th May 2013
As the grass slowly gets greener and begins to grow farmers across the country are sighing with relief as they let their cattle out of the sheds they have been living in for far too long.
Published: Wednesday, 1st May 2013
Farmers and Crofters hoping the suffering liver fluke is presently causing their sheep and cattle won't be repeated should take note of future forecasts.
Published: Wednesday, 1st May 2013
A new web-based early warning service to help farmers decide when to protect their sheep from flies has been launched by the National Sheep Association and Scotland’s Rural College.
Published: Wednesday, 1st May 2013
For the first time this year SRUC’s 2014 undergraduate prospectus can be downloaded as an app, from the App Store or Google Play.
Published: Wednesday, 1st May 2013
SAC Consulting’s Forestry Unit has recently expanded to four with the arrival of Craig Dinwoodie at the Stirling FRBS office in May of last year.
Published: Wednesday, 1st May 2013
A sheep fair at St Boswells in 1977 began a series of events which led to former SAC Principal Karl Linklater receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Sheep Veterinary Association
Published: Wednesday, 1st May 2013
Scotland’s seed potato growers are on the lookout for qualified Tattie Roguers!
Published: Wednesday, 24th April 2013
Tests carried out by SAC Consulting: Veterinary Services and Moredun Research Institute have confirmed the first Scottish case of Schmallenberg disease on a Dumfriesshire farm.
Published: Wednesday, 10th April 2013
SRUC Specialist offers practical tips to sheep farmers.
Published: Wednesday, 10th April 2013
Our latest profile features the work of SAC Consultant's working in the Western Isles.
Published: Wednesday, 27th March 2013
Farmers have been urged to remain vigilant after the first evidence has emerged from Barony that Schmallenberg Virus (SBV) was circulating in Scotland in 2012.
Published: Wednesday, 27th March 2013
Frustrated crop trials staff at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) are anxiously waiting for the snow to clear and temperatures to rise.
Published: Tuesday, 19th March 2013
A new SRUC course will provide training in snaring best practice.
Published: Wednesday, 13th March 2013
An event planned for Colfin Farm, Lochans, Stranraer will give worried local farmers the chance to consider how to restore the condition of their soils after 18 months of wet weather.
Published: Wednesday, 13th March 2013
Plant pathologists from Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) are warning Scottish farmers that there is an almost unprecedented disease risk to spring barley this year after the heavy rains last season.
Published: Wednesday, 13th March 2013
A freecycle swop shop, habitat creation, a beach tidy and even a pedal power smoothie maker, there was a lot going on at SRUC’s recent Climate Week.
Published: Wednesday, 6th March 2013
An event to take place at the Auchincruive estate on Monday 25th March will give worried farmers the chance to consider how to restore the condition of their soils after 18 months of wet weather.
Published: Wednesday, 27th February 2013
A series of spring and summer events for livestock farmers has been planned to inform and update farmers on the progress of a research project on Johne’s Disease (paratuberculosis) in Scottish cattle.
Published: Wednesday, 27th February 2013
SRUC researchers are calling on all British farmers to take part in a survey on pain and disease in animals.
Published: Wednesday, 27th February 2013
Food manufacturers, caterers and retailers interested in a more direct source of supply have been invited to an event in The Store at Foveran outside Aberdeen on Tuesday 19th March.
Published: Wednesday, 27th February 2013
Other parts of Scotland may be sodden or snowbound but on Skye the early spring weather has been good enough to allow many land managers to begin muirburn earlier than usual.
Published: Wednesday, 20th February 2013
A brewery at Blanford Forum in Dorset was one of the venues chosen on a recent series of meetings organised to raise awareness of SRUC’s Premium Cattle Health Scheme.
Published: Wednesday, 20th February 2013
Fertiliser prices may have dropped a little from last year’s peak but they still represent a significant cost for most farm businesses.
Published: Wednesday, 20th February 2013
SAC Consulting is hosting its latest round of free seminars in Cumbria next week, to help the local farmers consider the implications of the forthcoming reforms of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)
Published: Wednesday, 13th February 2013
Farmers growing crops in Tayside and Angus continue to suffer from the effects a devastating 2012 had on their businesses.
Published: Tuesday, 12th February 2013
SAC Consulting is leading a project to help expand the European woodfuel sector by developing a new training programme for woodfuel production.
Published: Friday, 8th February 2013
Those who scan the future predict it wont be long before we see robots doing many farming jobs. In the meantime tractors are already packed with more computer power than early space craft.
Published: Friday, 8th February 2013
Slurry produced by housed livestock may be a valuable fertiliser, but after one of the wettest years on record and with snow and rain still falling, stores are overflowing and soils are waterlogged.
Published: Wednesday, 6th February 2013
Pregnancy scanning is as important to sheep farmers these days as expectant families. Scanning results can help save costs and reduce lamb losses.
Published: Wednesday, 6th February 2013
It was a tight squeeze at the recent Association of Potato Producers Conference, organised by SAC Consulting on Perth racecourse.
Published: Wednesday, 6th February 2013
Producers meeting outside Aberdeen for the 5th Annual SRUC Organics Prospects conference heard that whilst UK market growth has been limited, there is official support for the sector in Scotland/EU.
Published: Wednesday, 30th January 2013
In the last twelve months Cumbrian farmers have been buffeted by weather on all fronts. Rain at home made the harvesting of grain and grass a nightmare and encouraged battalions of pests and diseases.
Published: Wednesday, 30th January 2013
It was standing room only at SAC Consulting’s recent soil aeration event at SRUC’s Oatridge Campus.
Published: Wednesday, 30th January 2013
More than 90 South Lanarkshire businesses are set to make significant savings on their heating oil thanks to a new Rural Oil Club – and the door is open for more businesses to take part.
Published: Wednesday, 30th January 2013
A recent event held by the Rural Connect project at SRUC Oatridge has highlighted the importance of strong community links in West Lothian.
Published: Wednesday, 30th January 2013
SAC Consulting has a busy programme planned for Cumbria in February.
Published: Wednesday, 23rd January 2013
SAC Consulting is hosting a series of free seminars in Cumbria in early February considering the implications of the forthcoming Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reforms for local farmers.
Published: Wednesday, 23rd January 2013
“Frightening” levels of liver fluke infection in sheep in Scotland could be just the “tip of the iceberg”, according to vets from SAC Consulting, a Division of Scotland’s Rural College.
Published: Wednesday, 23rd January 2013
Widely respected Sheep Specialist Dr John Vipond recently celebrated 40 years with the one organisation.
Published: Wednesday, 23rd January 2013
There was a strong demand for places at the recent series of cereal famer workshops, organised by HGCA and SRUC.
Published: Wednesday, 9th January 2013
An open event planned for SRUC’s Oatridge campus on January 24th aims to help farmers facing the problems of waterlogged soils.
Published: Wednesday, 9th January 2013
SRUC, along with our consulting division, SAC Consulting, can now boast of even stronger expertise in the land-based sector after merging.
Published: Wednesday, 9th January 2013
Matthew Cooper, Senior Arboricultural Consultant with SAC Consulting, a division of SRUC, was recently admitted as a professional member of the Institute of Chartered Foresters (ICF).
Published: Wednesday, 9th January 2013
With rain, snow and mud everywhere, these are difficult times for local farmers and crofters who have livestock to feed and care for.
Published: Monday, 7th January 2013
The annual Association of Potato Producers Conference at Perth racecourse, organised by specialists from SAC Consulting on 30th January, will focus on issues growers faced in 2012.
Published: Monday, 17th December 2012
A meeting is planned for Perth Racecourse on January 10th to help arable farmers from Tayside, Fife and Angus plan their cereal crops for the coming year.
Published: Monday, 17th December 2012
A meeting is planned for Inverurie on January 15th to help northern arable farmers plan their cereal crops for the coming year.
Published: Monday, 17th December 2012
A meeting is planned for Carfraemill on January 9th to help Borders’ arable farmers plan their cereal crops for the coming year.
Published: Wednesday, 12th December 2012
Experts from SRUC, Scotland’s Rural College, are reminding sheep farmers of the next steps in their winter feeding programme.
Published: Wednesday, 12th December 2012
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has joined with SAC Consulting in urging farmers in Scotland to continue with strict protocols covering the mixing and handling of gypsum and slurries.
Published: Wednesday, 12th December 2012
Jenny Stott of SAC Consulting, Veterinary services, has become the first “Registered Scientist” in SRUC.
Published: Wednesday, 5th December 2012
SAC Consulting (a Division of SRUC) has played a key role in a ground-breaking agreement between the Cuban Government and a British renewable energy company.
Published: Wednesday, 5th December 2012
A strong constitution was required as faeces samples and semen testing took centre stage at a recent open day at SAC Consulting’s Veterinary Services Centre.
Published: Wednesday, 28th November 2012
SRUC has launched a survey of Scotland’s dairy farmers to investigate their views on practices that may improve their businesses’ financial and environmental performance.
Published: Wednesday, 28th November 2012
SAC Consulting, a Division of SRUC, is advising sheep farmers to take important ewe nutrition steps for winter, in preparation for successful lambing next Spring.
Published: Wednesday, 28th November 2012
A new scheme is being launched to help South Lanarkshire businesses tackle the ever-increasing cost of heating oil.
Published: Wednesday, 28th November 2012
A leading Scottish expert on Cryptosporidiosis (Crypto) in cattle will provide an insight into its growing incidence in the North East at an SAC Consulting calf welfare event in Turriff on 12 Dec.
Published: Wednesday, 28th November 2012
This year’s terrible weather has led many farmers to experience soil structural problems which, if left unchecked, can have a significant impact on crop growth and productivity.
Published: Wednesday, 14th November 2012
Exceptionally wet weather conditions this year have resulted in reduced quality and quantity of winter feeds available.
Published: Wednesday, 14th November 2012
Local farmers are invited to a free open day at SAC Consulting’s Veterinary Services Centre in Thurso from 11am to 2.30pm on Thursday 29th November.
Published: Wednesday, 14th November 2012
As the weather grows colder, the Thurso office of SAC Consulting will be delivering some warming advice about a new Government scheme that could pay you for heating your home or business.
Published: Wednesday, 7th November 2012
The SRUC-led scheme that investigates why marine mammals strand on Scottish beaches celebrated its 20th birthday with a major conference attended by marine specialists from across the UK.
Published: Wednesday, 31st October 2012
The latest edition of the popular Farm Management Handbook from SAC Consulting has been updated to reflect the way farming is changing.
Published: Wednesday, 31st October 2012
With planting complete the first Mains of Loirston Winter Wheat Challenge, organised by SRUC (Scotland’s Rural College) is underway.
Published: Wednesday, 31st October 2012
Sheep farmers readying their flocks for the season ahead had access to expert advice at the recent event near Edzell in Angus.
Published: Tuesday, 30th October 2012
Launch of West Lothian Beef Farmers' Group
Published: Tuesday, 23rd October 2012
A farm walk planned by SAC Consulting for Fettercairn on 13th November will focus on meeting ever tightening green targets.
Published: Tuesday, 23rd October 2012
A sheep farmers meeting in Edzell on 30th October will consider planning ahead after a difficult year.
Published: Tuesday, 23rd October 2012
Local food initiatives will be given much needed support thanks to Think Local, a new project launched by the Scottish Government in collaboration with SRUC.
Published: Tuesday, 23rd October 2012
An event exploring how farmers can help with flood prevention will take place at Crookston Farm, Heriot on Wednesday 14th November.
Published: Wednesday, 17th October 2012
Consulting staff from the FRBS (Farm and Rural Business Services) office in Elgin recently joined the Food and Drink Team in mounting a special display at the Elgin Food and Drink Festival.
Published: Wednesday, 17th October 2012
Paul Wheelhouse MSP, Minister for Environment and Climate Change, visited a Borders arable farm on Monday.
Published: Wednesday, 10th October 2012
Local dairy farmers turned out in force for the specialist Dairy Event held at the Barony Campus by Scotland’s Rural College, SRUC.
Published: Wednesday, 10th October 2012
The search is on for the next generation of top young farmers willing to pit their skills and judgment in this year’s AgriScot Business Skills award, worth £1,000 to the winner.
Published: Wednesday, 10th October 2012
Mid-September saw the kick-off of the new academic session for SRUC’s distance learning postgraduate programme in Organic Farming.
Published: Wednesday, 10th October 2012
The recent Scottish Smallholder & Grower Festival in Forfar saw over 70 registrations for courses run by SAC Consulting, a Division of Scotland’s Rural College. It was a busy day around the SRUC stand
Published: Tuesday, 2nd October 2012
SAC’s Consulting’s 12,000-plus customers can count on receiving the same high quality services they are used to following the launch of SRUC, Director Jonathan Cowens has said.
Published: Tuesday, 2nd October 2012
SRUC’s Barony Campus, at Parkgate near Dumfries, is hosting a special event offering dairy farmers advice on winter preparation.
Published: Tuesday, 25th September 2012
Cumbria’s first Spy it Try it and Buy it event for beef and sheep farmers takes place on the 15th October at the Westmorland County Showground.
Published: Tuesday, 25th September 2012
With the world prices of animal feeds like grain and Soya rising fast, farmers must make the very best use possible of the grass they grow at home.
Published: Monday, 3rd September 2012
The facilities at SAC’s Crichton Royal Farm are being used to host a meeting of the European Maize Growers Association during September 10th and 11th.
Published: Monday, 3rd September 2012
From biking to building, firewood to foraging, farm woodlands have a lot to offer.
Published: Monday, 27th August 2012
Generations have come and gone since an early farmer bought a pig in a poke but even in todays high tech world farmers tend to be wary of anything they cannot see working at first hand.
Published: Monday, 20th August 2012
SAC’s consultant on the Isle of Man Andy Macdonald was one of five judges involved in the DEFA (Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture) “Tomorrow’s Farmer” award.
Published: Monday, 6th August 2012
The search is on for the next generation of dynamic leaders for rural Cumbria.
Published: Monday, 6th August 2012
The cost and welfare benefits of forage-based ram diets is the focus of a new, free booklet written by respected SAC sheep expert Dr John Vipond.
Published: Friday, 3rd August 2012
With careful planning and management, establishing quality broadleaf woodland can reap excellent economic benefits for farmers. The key message behind a free SAC event near Montrose on 16 August.
Published: Tuesday, 24th July 2012
While farmers and crofters in the north and west are still adjusting to unprecedented drought conditions, in much of Scotland this year livestock farmers have battled torrential rain.
Published: Tuesday, 24th July 2012
Many livestock businesses in Scotland face a very difficult winter following the atrocious summer.
Published: Tuesday, 24th July 2012
Farmers, crofters and land managers are being urged to complete the Survey recently sent out by SAC on behalf of the Argyll and Isles Agricultural Forum.
Published: Friday, 20th July 2012
Sheep prices may be better than in recent years, but they are underpinned by an EU export market that is vulnerable to the uncertainties of the Eurozone and exchange rates.
Published: Wednesday, 18th July 2012
Many livestock businesses in Scotland face a very difficult winter following the atrocious summer.
Published: Tuesday, 10th July 2012
The number of flocks infected with Maedi Visna (MV) virus has doubled in a 15 year period, increasing from 1.4% to 2.8%, a survey has found.
Published: Friday, 29th June 2012
SAC welcomes the clarification and guidance issued by SEPA (Scottish Environment Protection Agency) over the use of Gypsum and Gypsum by-products on farm.
Published: Thursday, 28th June 2012
‘Grassmaster’ Charlie Morgan will be offering grassland management advice to Cumbrian farmers at the beginning of July.
Published: Monday, 25th June 2012
Barley is an important crop for Scottish farmers. For some their crop supplies the maltsters who sell their malt to whisky distillers.
Published: Wednesday, 20th June 2012
The drought in the south of England may have ended for the moment, but many crops in the Lothians and Borders have been at the other end of the water stress scale.
Published: Wednesday, 20th June 2012
With a serious threat hanging over the future of the only effective chemical for controlling bracken, farmers and crofters in Argyll and the islands are becoming increasingly concerned.
Published: Monday, 18th June 2012
Parents are always anxious to protect their young from infection and now research by SAC has shown that crops like barley can pass on defence against threats of disease to their offspring.
Published: Tuesday, 12th June 2012
SAC Consulting’s Kendal office is organising two events for Cumbrian farmers interested in diversifying their businesses.
Published: Monday, 11th June 2012
Senior Weed Consultant Mark Ballingall represented SAC at a recent meeting to consider the future for bracken control and the future of the essential bracken control herbicide, Asulam.
Published: Wednesday, 6th June 2012
While the accusations linking modern farming with falling wild bird populations often make the headlines, the positive steps farmers are taking to help the situation receive less attention.
Published: Wednesday, 6th June 2012
A meeting in Brechin on Thursday June 14th offers east coast dairy farmers an opportunity to discuss how their sector can tackle a debilitating disease of cattle.
Published: Wednesday, 6th June 2012
Every farmer knows a good farm hedge stops stock roaming while keeping them safe and sheltered.
Published: Friday, 1st June 2012
Meadows and pastures will be the subjects of the latest Cumbria Organic Focus Farm Group meeting on Thursday 14 June.
Published: Tuesday, 29th May 2012
Lord Taylor of Holbeach, the Parliamentary Under Secretary at DEFRA, recently visited SAC to see at first hand the research being carried out with DEFRA funding.
Published: Monday, 28th May 2012
Farmers and land managers across Argyll and the Isles are being urged to make their contribution to a survey being carried out by the local Agricultural Forum.
Published: Monday, 28th May 2012
When Borders farmer Alistair Hodge volunteered to put his farm in the spotlight he realised he was opening up his business to his peers.
Published: Friday, 25th May 2012
A recent Forestry planting scheme is interesting farmers and landowners in central Scotland, according to SAC’s new Forestry Consultant Craig Dinwoodie.
Published: Tuesday, 22nd May 2012
Staff at SAC’s Veterinary Surveillance offices in Ayr, Dumfries, Edinburgh and Aberdeen are reporting the early hatch of parasitic worms they forecast earlier this year, is happening.
Published: Tuesday, 15th May 2012
Farmers, like everyone else, are always seeking more efficient ways of running their businesses.
Published: Tuesday, 15th May 2012
A series of four early summer, free events for livestock farmers are being planned to discuss research underway into a debilitating cattle disease.
Published: Tuesday, 15th May 2012
After what was a very promising start the spring has quickly turned into one of the wettest and coldest for many years.
Published: Tuesday, 1st May 2012
Archaeological works on a farm at Meigle, Blairgowrie have identified a complete Pictish linear barrow cemetery.
Published: Tuesday, 1st May 2012
SAC and Scottish Government are developing a strategy for Agri-Renewables in order to support the uptake of renewable energy generation by Scotland’s agricultural sector.
Published: Tuesday, 1st May 2012
This is a time when oilseed rape growers are nervous about crop disease.
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