BLACK ISLE MONITOR FARM

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1 BLACK ISLE MONITOR FARM Ballicherry Farm Mr & Mrs Matheson Project Summary - Final Report Contact: Derek Hanton SAC Consulting Inverness An Lochran Plot 10 IV2 5NA Tel: Mob: derek.hanton@sac.co.uk

2 FARM BACKGROUND Brian and Caroline Matheson bought Ballicherry 17 years ago, seeing it as an ideal opportunity to expand their farming business. The farm extends to 363 ha (908 acres) with; 166 ha owned, 24 ha on long term rent, 64 ha on short lets and a further 113 ha on contract farming agreements. The land is classed as Grade 2-3 and grows Winter Wheat, Winter Oilseed Rape and Spring Barley, both for certified seed production and malting. Land is also let out to Rosefarm for potatoes and to Huntapac for carrots. There is a flock of 100 Texel cross and Mule ewes, in addition the farm takes on cows taken in for wintering. SUMMARY OF MEETINGS The initial meeting was held on Thursday 5 th December 2013, with the final meeting taking place on Thursday 23 rd December There have been 18 meetings in total both on farm and at local venues such as Resolis Memorial Hall located on the Black Isle close to Ballicherry Farm. Over the last three years there has been a wide variety of topics covered. Meetings 1 5 As could be expected, the initial meeting was mainly about the project finding its feet. The first meeting opened with Brian providing the group with an overview of Ballicherry Farm and market updates. Following on from the initial meeting there was a range of topics covered these included; Regular market updates The pros and cons of using GPS systems Seed rates, varieties and sowing dates Benchmarking and business structure CAP models Grain drier options The 3 crop rule Pros and cons of different fertiliser use. The meetings were generally well attended; the second meeting in particular had a very good turnout. Standout events included the group crop walks and discussions during the first on farm visit regarding the sowers on display. There seemed to be a keen interest paid to a discussion regarding greening and changes to the CAP. There was high participation from the group with a lot of enthusiasm throughout the day, even in less than ideal weather conditions. Meetings 6 10 The sixth meeting marked the first birthday of the project and got off to a frosty start (literally) it was a particularly important meeting as Brian revealed his plans to implement some of the lessons from the first few meetings. These included; his decision to either look at creating a

3 Ltd company or split the farm into two separate entities, he also revealed his intention to buy a new drier. The meeting was also important as it marked the first real look at compaction and soil structure with a crop walk and a look at pests and diseases. The meeting in the field was also useful for fuelling a discussion around rotations and in particular the use of root crops in an arable rotation and more importantly that it can be done without causing damage to the soil. Following on from the sixth meeting the group attended a LAMMA visit which resulted in a discussion about the need for a drier to a close with the purchase of a 24t MECMAR automatic drier. Brian also decided at this time to put away his lambs at 82 fat and 75 store. In addition the group also discussed topics such as; A look at GAEC and protection of the water environment A further look at benchmarking with comparisons to the Aberdeen-shire Monitor Farm Potential use of the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme. During this time attendance remained good and enthusiasm high as Brian began to put in place some of his chosen changes. Meetings 11 final The eleventh meeting began with a global markets update and a farm update from Brian. He revealed his thoughts on the recent AHDB trip to Birmingham, more specifically his impressions of the farm visits, grain store and cider plants. He also discussed his decision about purchasing liquid nitrogen and new tractors, citing that repairs had become to frequent. During this meeting the group also looked at: Yield mapping Correct use of appropriate tractor tyres The Yield Enhancement Network A look at the viability of oil seed rape The decision to apply for the agri-environment climate scheme. The Monitor Farm Open Day Event took place in July 2016 at Ballicherry Farm this allowed attendees to participate in a set of workstations on farm. At this meeting there were relevant industry speakers from AHDB, Michelin Tyres, Muzri and X Agrii each speaker covering their respective topics such as; Rooting and compaction, Tyre pressure and compaction, Spring barley drilling methods and oil seed rape, varieties and agronomy. The event was well attended and concluded with closing thoughts from Brian and a barbeque lunch that went over very well. Moving into the autumn the group focused on markets and cropping issues with presentations centred on the threat of black grass and crop and soil nutrition. There was a strong emphasis on creating the best possible nutrient uptake potential and a look at yield

4 and method of establishment relationships, with a min-till system taking the edge over ploughing. The final meeting was held at Resolis Memorial Hall on the 23 rd December. This meeting was to summarise the project as a whole looking at the changes and benefits the experience had on Brian himself, his family and the business. The meeting also allowed for the group to cross examine the production figures for barley, oilseed rape and wheat. Brian noted that improvements had been made in production but admitted that there was room to get better, particularly regarding oilseed rape. Attendees were then given a chance to highlight some of the areas covered that they found beneficial as well as providing areas they felt could have been improved upon, from this the following points were noted; The importance of trace elements The event as a whole being very worthwhile as well as enjoyable The market updates were helpful as without these events the group would be none the wiser about many point discussed The fact Brian was willing to try new things and not afraid to place himself and his business under stuck scrutiny Open critical analysis within the group and the overall emphasis on attention to detail was seen as beneficial Others appreciated the opportunity to network at the events The management group wasn t seen as very structured beforehand Roles of the management group weren t defined enough Pre-planning some things also seemed to be a bit of an issue Some of the group were very specific about what they enjoyed, some of the particular stand outs included soil and compaction, lime and ph, tyres and looking at fixed costs rather than variable In addition the group agreed that the trips away were excellent and well worth time However no event is flawless and the group generally felt that the role of the management group could be more clearly defined so as to hit the ground running faster. The event was very well attended with 45 of the group in attendance, members of SAC Inverness and AHDB where also in attendance for the final meeting of the project. After a sit down meal for lunch the day/project was finished off with a vote of thanks to the Matheson family, the facilitators of the event and all those involved. CONCLUSION From the above we can conclude that the Black Isle Monitor Farm project has been successful in its attempt to be innovative and thought provoking. There has been a series of diverse topics presented and discussed over a period of 18 meetings the experience has made a profound and impactful change to the Matheson family and the wider attendees group. There was an expression of interest to continue the group on a far less regular basis; however no decision has yet been taken on that.

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