Here at Glendale Engineering, we are proud to be able to say that we have over 35 years’ experience designing and manufactur ing Agricultural Buildings & Equipment.
• Special offers available on Cattle & Sheep Hurdles, Gates & Water Troughs •
Suppliers of:
Suppliers of:
-Cattle Handling & Feeding Equipment
• Cattle Handling & Feeding Equipment
-Sheep Handling & Feeding Equipment
-Sheep Portarace
• Sheep Handling & Feeding Equipment
- ATV Trailers
• Sheep Portarace
- Agricultural Buildings
• ATV Trailers
-Electronic Cattle & Sheep Weigh Systems
• Agricultural Buildings
- Large quantity of box section and pipe, Phone for special offers
• Front - rear - side or o set for tractors 10hp - 400hp
• Mulchsysteme gives proven control of pests and weeds while stimulating healthy crop and pasture growth Simon Richard Ltd, Crown Tailrig, Bonchester Bridge, Hawick, TD9 8RA
With a luxurious cab and cutting-edge transmission technology that sets it apart from the rest, whether your focus is transport tasks, loader efficiency, grassland or arable farming, there is a Vestrum designed for you.
Speak to your local dealer today to find out how Scottish Machinery Ring Members can benefit from exclusive rebates on all Case IH machines.
DEALERS (MAIN DEPOTS)
AL Agri, Forfar, 07709 215713
Davidson Tractors Ltd, Newton Stewart, 01988 840272
Everitt & Marshall Ltd, Hexham, 01434 603194
G Marshall Tractors Ltd, St Boswells, 01835 823240
SULKY 3M GRAIN & FERTILISER COMINATION UNIT full spec EX DEMO
SUMO 3M TRIO c/w 6 leg auto reset and packer. Straight leg model £9,500+VAT
SUMO 3M FRONT MOUNTED MULTIPACKA c/w tines
Valtra T195D 145 hours, Front PTO, 2 front Valves, 4 Rear Valves, Hydraulic Top link, 650/75R38 –600/65R28 Trelleborg £128,850
SUMO LDS 4M FOLDING 2023, c/w Stocks seeder unit & Sumo SDO units
TEAGLE 8100 TRAILED STRAWBEDDER c/w swivel chute, 2012 model
3 POINT LINKAGE WEIGHTS selection of new and used
NEW / EX STOCK
FENDT FORMER, SINGLE ROTOR RAKE 351
FENDT 160 V COMBI EX STOCK
NEW NC FORK MOUNTED YARD BRUSHES 2.5m & 3m EX STOCK
NEW TEAGLE 8500/9500/1010 STRAW/SILAGE BEDDER FEEDERS EX STOCK
MERLO TF35.7 Boom Suspension, LED work lights, Full spec NEW
MERLO TF42.7CS Cab & Boom suspension, LED work Lights, Full Spec EX DEMO
SKY X40+ ECONOV FERTILISER SPREADER weight cells
SKY X30+ FERTILISER SPREADER
SUMO 5-4-3 LEG SUBSOILERS c/w auto reset EX STOCK
SUMO 3M TRIO EX DEMO
TEAGLE DUAL 280 & 300 FLAIL TOPPERS
NEW SUMO FRONT WEIGHTS 1000kg, 1500kg, 2000kg EX STOCK
The Old Smiddy, Graden, Kelso, TD5 8BS Telephone : 01573 430338
Lothians
Email : info@walkergroundworks.com
Our highly skilled and dedicated team are here to help with any of the following works Earthworks/Site Preparation/Roads Crushing Groundworks/Plotworks
Walker Groundworks are a long-serving company, established in 1996, covering a working area including but not restricted to the Scottish Borders, Northumberland and the Lothians.
Our highly skilled and dedicated team are here to help with any of the following works:
• Earthworks/Site Preparation/Roads
• Crushing
• Groundworks/Plotworks
• Deep Drainage
• Field Drainage & Ditching
• River Works
• Concrete Flooring for Agricultural/Industrial Shed (Laid with highly accurate Laser Screed, with finish to meet clients' requirements)
• All Timber work undertaken – including Harvesting, Hand Cutting, Thinnings & Clear Fell
• Haulage including Heavy Plant Movement, Timber Haulage & Hiab Hire
* 2 SIDE BRUSHES + MAIN ROLLER BRUSH *OTHER MODELS AVAILABLE
* POWERED BY 24v BATTERY OR PETROL ENGINE
* LARGE CAPACITY 50lt HOPPERS
* 500 & 700 SWEEPING WIDTHS
* ONE SIDE BRUSH + MAIN ROLLER BRUSH
* OTHER MODELS AVAILABLE
LOTHIAN & BORDERS PRESSURE WASHERS ARE DISTRIBUTORS OF QUALITY CLEANING EQUIPMENTFOR ALL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS.
ALL TYPES
Earlston
Thorburn Group, Duns
Lower Mansfield Road, Hawick, TD9 8AW
Willowford Farm, Jedburgh
Thorburn Group, Duns
LEEB GS TRAILED SPRAYERS
Pronto 3 - 4 DC
RESCUING A RESCUER
Opportunities like this probably only come round once in a lifetime. It was May 23rd, I was relaxing as ladies of my age do, I had just pulled the pullet rearing shed at Longnewton Forest and was reflecting on a job well done. His son had been operations manager for the day and we had got on well, never stressing or shouting like he does. We just quietly got on with the job. I could overhear telephone calls between the two of them and suddenly we were off, down the A68 heading North but where were we going? At a secret location we met the men from the forces, it took me straight back to my youth. I had not seen uniformed soldiers for such a long time it sent shivers down my chassis, and bought memories of such happy times all those years ago. Why were we there? More importantly why were they here? It transpired there had been an accident with a light plane and they had come to recover the wreckage and take it away for analysis. The lorry being used to remove the aircraft had got itself bogged and that is where my help was needed. I had to be very careful not to end up getting myself stuck in the same hole. Gingerly I turned round, my lock is not the tightest and I had to shunt back and forth many times to ensure I stayed on the hard track. Eventually I was facing the way out, my cable was pulled out with a loader and attached to the lorry. Out she came no problem and soon was back on the road. The funniest part of the episode is the driver who drove the lorry into the bog is one of only four men who are qualified drivers of recovery vehicles. His comrades thought it highly amusing that I had to be called out to recover him.
I look forward to seeing you at The Border Union Show, as it is my big birthday this year we are in a great location. If you want to bring presents please do. No one likes a dollopful of grease or the smell of an oily rag more than me. Please excuse my looks I need another visit to the beauty parlour, I don’t think I am in this year’s budget so you will have to take me as I am.
• Our grass mixtures only include SRUC 1st choice varieties certified to HVS (Higher Voluntary Standard) ensuring the highest possible purity standards are met.
USED 2021 McCORMICK X7.624VT 40HP, VT 50KPH TRANS., AIR BRAKES, FRONT LINK., FRONT PTO, CAB & AXLE SUS., LED LIGHTS, HEATED MIRRORS, 4600 HRS, ISOBUS, TOPCON AUTOSTEER, 6 ELEC. SPOOLS
USED 2016 VALTRA T144 155 HP, POWERSHIFT 50KPH TRANSMISSION, AIR BRAKES, FRONT LINKAGE, FRONT PTO, CAB & AXLE SUSPENSION, MANUAL SPOOLS, 6700 HOURS
USED 2020 McCORMICK X7.690 225HP, POWERSHIFT 50KPH TRANS., AIR BRAKES, FRONT LINKAGE, CAB & AXLE SUS., 6 ELECTRIC SPOOLS, ISOBUS, AUTOSTEER READY, 5800 HOURS
NEW McCORMICK X6.415
ALL LEADING BRANDS & SIZES OF TYRES & WHEELS
AGRICULTURAL TYRES
COMMERCIAL TYRES
CARS / VANS / 4X4 TYRES
PURPOSE BUILT DEPOT
FULLY EQUIPPED BREAKDOWN VEHICLES
COMPUTERISED 4 WHEEL ALIGNMENT
For a free quotation or technical advice ring 01573 225454 or e-mail sales@candrtyres.co.uk
C & R TYRES LTD
STATION YARD, SPROUSTON ROAD KELSO TD5 8EU www.candrtyres.co.uk
Storage Tank Sales & Hire UK-Wide Service
Specialising in the supply of high quality used storage tanks and bowsers for sale and hire throughout the UK. We keep a varied stock of fully bunded and singleskinned mild steel, stainless steel, plastic and GRP tanks and bowsers ideal for storing fuels, oils, water, effluents, fertilisers and feed products
We also purchase tanks - please get in touch to discuss your requirements.
Andy mobile: 07853 905018 Tel: 01334 827 090
www.best-tanks.co.uk
info@best-tanks.co.uk
Northbank Farm, Cameron, St. Andrews, Fife, KY16 8PE
Plan for Posterity
Inheritance tax planning may require changes to title deeds or registration of land with Registers of Scotland:
With over 20 years of experience, Landmaps specialises in creating detailed, precise land registration and title deed plans tailored to meet its customers needs.
Other services include:
• GIS Mapping Solutions
• Custom Mapping Services for Farmers & Landowners
• Land Registration Plans
• Single Farm Payment Areas
SURFACE DRESSING WITH NATURAL STONE FINISHES
SILAGE PITS, FARM ROADS, DRIVEWAYS, ESTATES
BLOCK PAVING OF PATHWAYS, DRIVEWAYS & CAR PARKS
SCHOOL PLAYGROUNDS, PATHWAYS, CAR PARKS
TARMACADAM, ASPHALT, PATCHING & POTHOLE REPAIRS
DRAINAGE, KERBING, GROUNDWORKS
PRIVATE & COMMERCIAL WORK UNDERTAKEN
Warreners House, Morpeth
The Stiel, Yarrowford
Broad eld Farm, Symington
Langtonlees Farm, Duns
John Deere 6110RC, 2016
John Deere 6120R, 2017
John Deere 6215R, choice
John Deere 6250R, Choice
John Deere 6155R, 2018
John Deere 6155R, choice
John Deere 6155R, choice
John Deere 6155R, 2018
John Deere 6155R, 2018
John Deere 6155R, 2018
John Deere 6155R, 2018
John Deere 6175R, Choice
John Deere 6175R, Choice
John Deere 6195R, 2022
John Deere 6195R, 2022
John Deere 6195R, 2015
John Deere 6195R, 2015
John Deere 6215R, 2019
John Deere 6215R, 2019
John Deere 6250R, 2021
John Deere 6900, 1997
John Deere 6900, 1997
John Deere 7R 330, 2021
John Deere 7R 330, 2021
John Deere 8400R, 2018
John Deere 8400R, 2018
CaseIH Puma 165, 2018
CaseIH Puma 165, 2018
Fendt 724 Vario, 2020
Fendt 724 Vario, 2020
Valtra T194, 2019
Valtra T194, 2019
USED TELEHANDLERS/WHEELED LOADERS
USED TELEHANDLERS/WHEELED LOADERS
Kramer KT356 Telehandler ex-demo
Kramer KT356 Telehandler ex-demo
Kramer KT357 Telehandler ex-demo
Kramer KT357 Telehandler ex-demo
Kramer KT3610 Telehandler ex-demo
Kramer KT3610 Telehandler ex-demo
Kramer KT276, Telehandler choice
Kramer KT276, Telehandler choice
Kramer KT306, Telehandler, 2021
Kramer KT306, Telehandler, 2021
Kramer KL38.5 Wheeled Loader
Kramer KL38.5 Wheeled Loader J
Kramer KT407 Telehandler ex-demo
Kramer KT407 Telehandler ex-demo
Merlo TF35.7 Telehandler, 2022
Merlo TF35.7 Telehandler, 2022 Ha
MACHINE OF THE MONTH
MACHINE OF THE MONTH
USED John Deere R732i Sprayer
USED John Deere R732i Sprayer USED TRACTORS
3200 litre tank capacity
John Deere 6110RC, 2016
John Deere 6120R, 2017
John Deere 6215R, choice
John Deere 6250R, Choice
John Deere 6155R, 2018
8.2m folding rollers
John Deere 6155R, choice
GRASSLAND/BALERS
John Deere 6155R, 2018
John Deere 6250R, 2021
John Deere T560 combine, 2017
John Deere 6900, 1997
John Deere T560 combine, 2021
John Deere 7R 330, 2021
John Deere 6155R, 2018
John Deere 545 Round Baler
John Deere 8400R, 2018
John Deere 6175R, Choice
John Deere 550 Round Baler
John Deere 6195R, 2022
John Deere 960 Round Baler
John Deere 6195R, 2015
John Deere V451M Round Baler
John Deere 6215R, 2019
John Deere V451R Round Baler
John Deere V451R Round Baler
John Deere V461R Round Baler
John Deere 830 MoCo
Kramer KT356 Telehandler ex-demo
Kuhn GA6501P Windrower
Kuhn GF6502 Tedder
Kramer KT357 Telehandler ex-demo
Kuhn PZ190 Drum Mower
Kramer KT3610 Telehandler ex-demo
Kramer KT407 Telehandler ex-demo
Kuhn VKM280 Flail Topper Shredder
Class 3600 4 Rotor Windrower
Class 385 Round Baler
F5500 Round Baler
Novacat 3007T centre pivot MoCo
175 Shear Grab
ATV/UTILITY VEHICLES
John Deere XUV855D, 2017
John Deere XUV855D, 2015
John Deere XUV855M, 2019
John Deere XUV855M, 2018
John Deere XUV865M, Choice
John Deere XUV865M, 2023
CROP
CARE
CaseIH Puma 165, 2018
John Deere M732i Sprayer
Fendt 724 Vario, 2020
John Deere R732i Sprayer
Valtra T194, 2019
John Deere R4140i SP Sprayer 2021
John Deere R4040i SP Sprayer J
Allman front tank 600 Litre capacity
Kramer KT276, Telehandler choice
MISCELLANEOUS
Kramer KT306, Telehandler, 2021
Kramer KL38.5 Wheeled Loader
Kuhn 3570M Straw bedding machine
Merlo TF35.7 Telehandler, 2022
Kuhn 3570M Straw bedding machine
Kuhn 5570M Straw bedding machine
Kuhn Profile 13.1C Feeder Wagon
Richard Western D12 Muck Spreader
MACHINE OF THE MONTH
Chapman TF350 Twin Axle Snacker
Shear Grab 175
FARM TRAILERS
Stewart GX15 Flat Trailer
Stewart GX16-21S
BC25 Cattle Trailer
Ace 12 Tipping Trailer
Trailer 12T Tipping Trailer
John Deere XUV865M, choice
John Deere XUV865M, choice
36FT Livestock trailer
trailers 1.5 ton
John Deere 331 Mower
When you own a John Deere MoCo you don’t have to worry about the weather. You get quick-drying forage faster – so you can harvest your crop before any unexpected rain hits your fields. Excellent Ground Following High speed steel impeller Best Visibility
Whether you run a baling service for customers or produce your own bales, you want high quality bales at the lowest cost. The optimised crop-flow – common to all models - guarantees high working speeds and maximum productivity. Their rugged design and good reputation also ensures a high resale value. When you add the two together, John Deere gives you the lowest possible cost per bale.
More than 30 tonnes/hour in straw Proven extra high density Premium specifications Excellent for all crops
Your Demo For Grass Season Now
Supporting rural businesses in South East Scotland
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Contact
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Fuelling UK Farms
Contact:
Connon Construction Ltd.
Construction of shuttered slurry tanks and silos (all built to SEPA requirements)
Christopher07843 208 544
Patrick07701 040 681
Contact:
Christopher07843 208 544
Slurry spreading available with umbilical, dribble bars and ferry tankers. Tractors on floatation tyres
Dung spreader hire or complete service
Complete silage service
All types of digger work undertaken
Patrick07701 040 681
Connon Farms / Connon Construction
Connon Farms / Connon Construction
BLUE CHIP FORESTRY AND
VEGETATION
MULCHING
All types of Brash, Gorse, Willow and Rhododendron mulched to 3 inches below ground level
High-Capacity Mulcher powered by 500 HP Fendt
Quickly clears large areas with ease
EXCAVATOR & MULCHING HEAD
Various sizes of machines
For Hard to access areas
BIOMASS CHIPPING
Biomass G30 and G50 Chipping
High-Capacity Chipping up to 300 cube per hour
Brash Chipping
Site Clearances
ROBOTIC FORESTRY
MULCHER & FLAIL
Minimise ground disturbance
Slopes up to 55 degrees
High Performance Fixed Tooth mulching head
TREE HARVESTING
● Clear Felling & Wind-blown trees
● Thinning’s
● Timber Forwarding
● Felling Licences
● Brash Recovery
Prentice Agriculture Straw and Baling
● 1.3m Cutting head with a variety of flails for grass cutting & Vegetation Choice of bale size, either; 8’ × 4’ × 3’ or 8’ × 4’ × 2.5’ Also 2 x 32ft bale trailers can be supplied if required to clear fields. Substantial quantity of barley/wheat straw in the swath required. Cleared by bale chaser where possible. For more info please contact either: Keith on 07703 199 255 Mark on
• Complete combining service in any crop with 4WD Montana combine
• Big square baling & wrapping, pit silage complete or part Job
• All slurry & work with an umbilical cord or with tankers
• Stubble to stubble contracts
• Grass sowing, with combination harrow, roller & seeder in a one pass set up for new grass lays or over seeding old lays
All
John Gray Contracting Services
Two
Direct
Contracting Services
Rejuvenation
Ploughing / Sowing
Fertiliser Spreading
Agri Haulage
Our new McHale Fusion Vario Plus is a fully automatic variable chamber baler wrapper which can apply film or net wrap to the barrel of the bale. Delivering optimum bale shape and a high density with a 25 knife chopper unit. The advantages of a chamber film system are:
Groundworks / Dump trailers
Topping & Mulching
~ Acts as a wrapping layer for silage,straw or hay keeping them dry up to 6 foot diameter
Tubeline Bale Wrapping
Other jobs include:
Topping grass
Muck spreading
Combining
~ Results in better shaped bales
~ Delivers high quality silage
~ Makes recycling easier Should net wrap be required for hay or straw, this can be done with a simple changeover.
Perfect to bale your herbal leys
Direct Drilling Grass drilling
Cultivating
Subsoiling
John Gray Contracting
Slurry spreading
John Gray Contracting Services
Our new McHale Fusion Vario Plus is a fully automatic variable chamber baler wrapper which can apply film or net wrap to the barrel of the bale. Delivering optimum bale shape and a high density with a 25 knife chopper unit. The advantages of a chamber film system are:
• Acts as a wrapping layer for silage,straw or hay keeping them dry up to 6 foot diameter
• Results in better shaped bales
• Delivers high quality silage
• Makes recycling easier
Should net wrap be required for hay or straw, this can be done with a simple changeover. Perfect to bale your herbal leys
Due to further expansion
High density round baling
MF 2170 baler with automatic preservative applicator attachment
Mowing with triple mowers,GPS
Raking
Merging
Tedding
Buckraking
Bale wrapping with front mounted tanco s200 wrapper.
Spraying 12, 24, 36m
John Gray Contracting Services
Other jobs include:
• Topping grass
• Muck spreading
• Combining
• Direct drilling
• Grass drilling
• Cultivating
• Subsoiling
• Slurry spreading
• High density round baling We run
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J
Scotland’s Spreading Specialists
5 spreaders available to meet your precision spreading requirements
High output LGP machines to minimise soil and crop damage
Weighing systems and auto steer fitted
We supply our own loader and fuel to minimise disturbance to the customer
Blanket or variable rate lime spreading compatible with all mapping systems
The following can be supplied and accurately applied
Lime, Compost, Slag, Henpen, Fibrophos, FYM, Gypsum, other organic materials
Soil Mapping service
• correct variations across fields
• independent analysis
• 4 samples/ha for accurate pH maps
• all nutrients can be tested
• recommendations to suit your enterprise
Contact us to discuss how we can help reduce your costs with the use of organic products Tel 01875 320363 Mob 07703 113178
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u SMALL SEEDS DRILLING – Einbock 12m (grass/kale/oilseed rape) CONTACT:
OFFICE : 01890 840 251
MOBILE : DAVID 07971 409 367
KENNY 07971 409 371
E.MAIL : rwoodandsons@btconnect.com
WEBSITE : www.rwoodandsons.co.uk
Film binding instead of net wrap results in more plastic where the bale needs it most on the barrel, only one recycling stream as well. 25 knife bank giving 45mm chop length with bale getting wrapped immediately out the bale chamber. Onboard bale weighing giving average bale weight and total weight of crop baled. Application of inoculants or additives.
CONTRACTORS SERVICES
On Our Farm
June 11th 2025
Hugo Lee farms in partnership with his father, Guy, at Sandystones, near St Boswells. Arable crops of wheat, oilseed rape, malting barley and oats are grown, 500 Angus cattle are finished annually, 8000 organic hens produce eggs for Waitrose and 8,000 organic point of lay pullets are reared each year.
Unfortunately the rain did not come quick enough for the majority of our spring barley land. Despite getting off to a fantastic start it dropped most if its tillers and headed very early. The only fields which are looking ok are those that have been regularly mucked or are normally very wet. The gate has now been closed on all crops with winter wheat T3’s and spring barley T2’s being applied 2-3 weeks earlier than normal. It is looking like we could be in for an early harvest this year and certainly not any record breaking yields.
First cut silage was made on 20th May as it had started to head and was rapidly losing quality due to drought stress. Yields were 40% down compared to last year which was not unexpected. All fields have had NPK fertiliser just before the rain. We have now had 65mm since the 24th May and regrowth is looking encouraging. We will definitely need to take a third cut this year.
The prolonged dry spell has resulted in grass growth not being able to keep up with the cattle in some fields and we have had to start feeding them silage. Something we have never done before in the summer let alone in May! Fortunately I managed to buy some extra silage bales in February so we should have enough to get us through this period. All this is extra cost which I could really do without, especially as the fat cattle price is falling fast.
The recent weather woes were put in perspective when I received the devastating news that my great friend Jamie Tweedie had died after a long and hard-fought battle with a brain tumour. Growing up in the Borders I knew of Jamie, however with different career paths and a 10 year age gap our lives did not cross again until Jess and I moved home in 2017. We immediately struck up a great friendship bonding over farming and southern wives! He was one of those friends you could speak to however good or bad your day had been and he would always make you laugh. Forever bouncing new ideas off each other as we strived to improve our businesses, he was a passionate farmer. Jamie was kind, caring, loving and humble. He loved nothing more than his family and Middlethird, one of the leading mixed farms in the Borders. He is a huge loss to the local farming community and will be sorely missed.
I hope to catch up with many of you at the Highland Show which once again promises to be a great event.
• Public sewer connections • Adoptable sewer installations
• Pumping mains/stations installations
Tel: Kelso 01573 225249 Mobile: 07793 361023
e-mail: enquiries@gwcwateranddrainage.co.uk
UStor Business units, Unit 8/1 Spylaw Road, Kelso TD5 8DN
excavators (new Bobcat E10) to 1.5t and up to 3t (Bobcat E27)
ROLLER Terex 1200 2.9t vibrating ride on, 1.2m wide
Drive away with our 3t trailers to suit or delivery by us
IF YOUR FARM TRACK OR FOREST ROAD NEEDS SOME ATTENTION, WE HAVE THE SKILLS, MACHINERY AND EXPERIENCE TO DELIVER A LASTING SOLUTION.
• REDUCES OR ELIMINATES THE NEED TO IMPORT MATERIALS.
• IMPROVES DRAINAGE TO PREVENT FURTHER DAMAGE.
• QUICK AND EFFECTIVE SOLUTION THAT MINIMISES DISRUPTION TO TRAFFIC MOVEMENTS.
Are you having problems with your Fixed line Broadband speeds?
We have launched 100gb, 200gb and 300gb data bundles to complement our range of mobile routers.
This finally let’s you cut loose from the fixed line network. Call the team at Scotphone to discuss your requirements.
Talking......Organic
June 11th 2025
Simon Bainbridge farms in partnership with his wife Claire and his parents, Ivan and Elisabeth in Northumberland. They run suckler beef, sheep and laying hen enterprises across 650 ha of mainly SDA and moorland - organically.
It’s been a month of ups and downs. The relief when the last housed cow has finished calving, but then a few days before, the stress with a tricky caesarean with an enormous Luing calf out of a heifer and a set of twins all within a couple of hours. With just a handful of Galloways out in the field left to calve, on paper it’s been a really successful calving however in practice it has had its challenges and there have been lessons learned. Primarily not to use a Luing bull on Luing heifers. We have already purchased the Angus bull to run with this year’s heifers.
The uncertainty of farm policy has made juggling the risks on the cash flow more and more tricky for many agricultural businesses. A small headline about farming funds set to be slashed in Rachel Reeves budget, whether it’s true or not, or some elaborate media spin, can set the mind racing about the short to mid term future and the reliance on stewardship schemes. Countryside stewardship is definitely part of our cash flow. However, going forward, we need to make our business more resilient so when the headline hits us that Rachel Reeves is slashing more budgets or changing policies or ripping the rug up from underneath agriculture’s feet, we are then more able to cope with the shocks that this government keeps sending our way.
The welcome rain is slowly setting the grass away however we’re definitely going to be on for a later silage crop this year and then hopefully a little second cut later in the season.
We depopulated one of the hen sheds on Sunday night which was successful. Success being measured that the catching team turned up and the wagons arrived on time.
Catch times are being handled much earlier in the evening. Previously we would start catching at midnight or 1:00 am however we caught at 7:00 pm. This has the benefit that the job is done before midnight and sleep patterns aren’t disrupted too much - the downside is that an earlier catch in the summer months means that as soon as the doors are opened for the moffats to bring the catching crates in the daylight floods in and the birds are all awake.
The challenge with hens is you’re always trying to plan ahead for unknown challenges especially in organic production. Two weeks ago Claire administered a vaccine into the hens that are here for another 30 weeks in order to protect them from any disease that might carry on the wind from the mucking out of the other shed. With the lifting of the housing order a few weeks ago we have opened our pop-holes and reacclimatised the birds to the wonders of fresh air. Unfortunately, we received unwelcome news from the hen team yesterday as an uninvited intruder had made its way into the hen shed with the result of a dozen hens dead, missing heads and with feathers all around. Either a fox or a mink has breached our external fences. Another unwelcome challenge.
Agriparts Borders Ltd
Technical Arc - Ci 251 PRO Inverter Mig Welder 230v - 4 roll drive - £1299.00 + vat
Technical Arc - Ci 303 PRO Inverter Mig Welder 400v - 4 Roll Drive - £1425.00 + vat
Tom Pate farms 240ha of arable on a tenanted farm in Angus. Cropping includes wheat, spring barley, rye and oilseed rape along with land let for potatoes and vining peas. Additionally, around 6500 pigs are reared annually under contract and 600 Christmas turkeys sold directly to the public under the KellyBronze franchise. On his wife’s 380ha family farm in the Angus Glens they also run 200 red deer hinds plus followers for venison production, along with developing a forestry enterprise.
The rains that finally arrived after a prolonged dry spring probably came too late. The spring barley has made up some height but is thinner than ideal and the wheat seems to have gone into survival mode by throwing the ear out earlier than expected. If we had received the rain even a week before I think the crops would look more promising. My silage ground is probably the worst affected by the dry spell with what little grass there is going almost straight to head. I usually try and take a cut before the Highland Show but will wait a bit longer to see if it bulks up with fresh growth now that fertiliser has finally been washed in.
In early May we drove down to KellyBronze Turkeys’ HQ in Essex for a meeting of independent turkey farmers. A great couple of days sharing technical and marketing information and catching up with some other KellyBronze franchisees socially. Two messages conveyed to us at the conference have given me food for thought.
Quality Steel
Framed Buildings
Providing the complete package for all steel framed building requirements
• Straw Sheds
• Stable Blocks
• Riding Arenas
• Muck Middens
• Grain Stores
• Silage Pits
Firstly, that the supermarkets are actually very supportive of the British turkey industry, generally stocking home grown product. The butcher trade, however, is not so patriotic and happy to buy cheaper product from Poland and Italy. Funnily enough the provenance of these turkeys is not conveyed to the customer who would generally assume that butchers would buy local. The butchers who make a hefty margin on this trade are unlikely to change their ways unless customers start asking where their Christmas bird comes from.
Secondly a bird flu vaccine could in theory be used on the British Christmas turkey flock. A vaccine has been developed and is already being used in certain parts of Europe such as in French farmed ducks. The barrier to freely using vaccines in all poultry is that it prevents export. In the case of French ducks and British Christmas turkeys nothing is exported so the vaccine could be used without any implications. Despite the vaccine gaining approval for certain use in Europe the British bureaucrats wish that all testing is undertaken again before allowing the vaccine to be used here in UK. I thought that Brexit was promised to free us of bureaucracy and allow us to be more fleet of foot compared to our continental neighbours in supporting industry but once again this hasn’t materialised. The vaccine won’t help the Christmas turkey flock of 2025 and we once again run the gauntlet of this most devastating disease.
Preparations for the turkeys arrival coincides with a pig shed empty, muck out, wash out, disinfection, restraw and restock so a busy time on the farm. Thankfully the spraying workload is tailing off but with an early harvest on the cards there is no time for rest!
While sneaking up a fence line I was fortunate to stumble across a newly born calf with her mother. Usually calving in secret, it was a rare treat to witness
We are lucky to have abstraction from the Fithie Burn. An amazing wee waterway that rises at the foot of the Sidlaw Hills and runs for only 7 miles before joining the mighty Dighty Burn (Dundee’s less famous river). It has never let us down and even this spring kept two irrigators going with plenty of water to spare
Talking......New Zealand
June 8th 2025
Ian Mackenzie is an arable and dairy farmer from the Canterbury Plain in the South Island of New Zealand. He runs a number of fully irrigated intensive cropping farms, producing grain, vegetable and grass seeds with some stock finishing.
April was a stunning month, but May has been difficult.
We had 175mm of rain on the 1st of May which put all our farms under water. Milk production collapsed, somatic cell counts doubled, newly sown wheat crops were drowned and stress levels reached dangerous levels.
We’ve now had another 125mm of rain through May so any hope of doing any meaningful farming before spring has been dashed. The general consensus seems to agree we’ve never been wetter. The cows have been dried off and sent to their holiday resort for 2 months. It is a relief to have them off the dairy farm pastures.
A team from the vets came in and applied the “dry cow therapy” and then William sent in a convoy of his trucks to shuttle the cows up to the runoff. The whole operation was easy and efficient taking just a few hours.
The cows have gone onto grass and straw and will then be transitioned onto eating fodder beet over a couple of weeks.
Despite the early end to the milking season it has been a good 10 months for the cows with production about 5% up on average and talk of a $10/ kg milk solids payout.
Lamb prices are looking good for spring but crop prices are as depressing as the weather.
We’ve been growing high grade milling wheat for the flour mill in Christchurch for many years but the mill has now decided to pull out of buying local wheat, using imported grain instead. The mill is owned by off shore interests and I’m guessing the decisions are being made in Singapore, or some other location, by young men trying to establish they are smarter than the old fellas they replaced. They won’t be and it is inevitable the mill interests will realise their own stupidity in a year or two. In the meantime there’s a high probability a significant amount of cropping country will be converted to dairy farms, increasing the demand for feed grain and reducing the land availably to grow it.
These same mill executives will make great trade negotiators for the Trump regime when they get rewarded for their short sightedness.
End of the season and dry cow therapy
Loading the cows for their winter holiday
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Talking......from the boundary
Correct selection of intended recipients for all forms of digital communication is essential to save embarrassment and unintended consequences. On Sunday evening I received a very informative and potentially useful piece of information about a product that might have helped my condition if I was a woman of middle age. Being of the male sex and well into the later years of my life I don’t think ‘Ovesse’ is something I should be rubbing onto any part of my body! One of our children’s mothers in law had seen this advertised on the back of a lavatory door in a motorway service station and inadvertently WhatsApp’d it to me rather than a female friend! If it had been from her husband with a photograph of some of the things we see advertised when we stand at the urinal that might have been more useful!
It is always good to get away from the coal face and take a reflective look at what we are doing and why. As Chairman of Scottish Agronomy, I proposed a ‘Directors Away Day’ with an overnight visit to our farm. We had a good turnout last week with seven directors plus Adam Christie, the managing director and George Lawrie our retiring Company Secretary. It was very useful 24 hours with a sociable evening followed by a look around all the enterprises we have here. Too often we only meet at Board Meetings, discuss the Agenda and company business and then drive home without really getting to know each other. I made the comment that we have a diverse board with directors who grow arable crops from North of the Black Isle to the Borders and all points in between. I was corrected and told that the only diversity we have is one female director. We are all white, from similar types of business and backgrounds and not really diverse in todays world.
I am never that sympathetic to the growing number of cyclists on the roads. They are usually very earnest, never looking up to smile or apparently deriving pleasure from the activity they have chosen as a means of staying fit. One has to be patient if they are holding up the traffic and overtaking is dangerous. But when I am on my bike I become one of them! For the next four days 10 of us are pedalling round the Borders on our electric bikes, the aim is to view one of the four ‘Borders Abbeys’ on each day – Jedburgh tomorrow, then Kelso, Melrose and Dryburgh on Sunday. We will be enjoying ourselves which will hopefully come across in our demeanour. In the evenings we go to The Borders Book Festival - hopefully not too much of an exhausting schedule.
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Mill Ind Est,
Mill Road, Earlston, TD4 6FA
HYDRAULIC HOSE SERVICE
We also offer a hydraulic hose repair service. We hold a wide range of hose & fittings in stock from 1/4” to 1 1/4” 4 Wire.
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PUTTING YOU IN TOTAL CONTROL
Talking
For more information on new & used farm machinery, contact
Alnwick Tel: 01665 604555 I Stuart Allen
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......from Lincolnshire
June 8th 2025
Will Howe is an arable farmer from Sleaford, Lincolnshire. The soils are predominantly heavy. There is 1000ha of cropping including winter wheat, spring beans, spring oats and oilseed rape. He also manages a contracting business Thorpe Farming Ltd.
I am sure it is grossly irresponsible, but I have given up looking at the futures market, instead I am waiting for a friendly trader to ring me telling me wheat is North of £200/t. That is a dream we won’t be seeing turning to reality for at least the next 12 months which coupled to a below average harvest in the bread basket of the Eastern Counties could well lead to more inheritance and business planning meetings than even Rachel Thieves has managed.
There really are some truly dreadful spring crops about. After mentioning blackgrass in my last article, I have written off 7% of the spring barley at Worths, and there was a real case to write off 30% at East Heckington but the farmer was not in agreement. That land is now destined for spring barley for many more years to come.
In a bid to reduce pressure on our core harvest team I have been busy recruiting a harvest helper on social media. I feared that I had left it too late (Early May), yet was overwhelmed by the number of applicants. Many had not read the advertisement thoroughly as they needed to be back at school for the beginning of September and the end date was clearly mid-October and were hoping for training from a base level of zilch. I put them in the Clarksons Farm pile. Fortunately, there were 4 good candidates who I invited for interviews on the same day. I am not sure what is wrong with people but only one turned up. Luckily he seemed excellent, polite, experienced and keen so we look forward to Ryan joining the team in a few weeks. The others? Goodness knows. One lad even phoned up an hour before his interview to confirm the address and I never heard from him again. I tried calling and messaging to check he was ok but I fear to use modern parlance I have been “ghosted”.
Last month I mentioned this being a time of opportunity within the industry (as long as you don’t depress yourself with the grain markets…). By complete coincidence within a matter of days I had been contacted about a possible joint venture which I am now exploring. It will add another enterprise to the business without removing any land from the current farmed area which is exciting. The financials all look positive, but it comes down to how I manage the enterprise so as not to over burden myself. Whilst I am eager to don my overalls and get involved “on the ground” my place will then be to oversee and help, as opposed to being a full labour unit. This does go against my natural instinct but if not careful, my obsessive control which I like to think has built the business to where it is today will actually become the limiting factor to future profitability and growth. Exciting times.
Winter Bird food planted in perfect conditions
Tidying up some dodgy historical concreting at Worths
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Talking......Business with Bell Rural Solutions June 2025
Michael Bell is Managing Director of Bell Rural Solutions, based in their office in Earlston. Michael provides professional advice to clients on a variety of issues throughout Scotland and Northern England, is a Member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, an RICS Registered Valuer and Agent for the AMC.
Major Changes to BPS and EFA Requirements from 2026 – What Farmers Need to Know
Significant changes to the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and Greening rules will come into effect from 2026, with implications for all Scottish farmers and crofters. To remain eligible for support, it’s essential to act now.
Whole Farm Plan Requirements – From 2026, BPS claimants must complete at least two of five elements of a Whole Farm Plan, depending on their type of enterprise. Failure to do so will result in a full loss of BPS payments.
The five options include: Carbon Audit (available to all); Soil Analysis (mandatory for Region 1 land with fertiliser use); Biodiversity Audit; Animal Health & Welfare Plan (for livestock holders); Integrated Pest Management Plan (for those using pesticides/herbicides).
Some audits qualify for Preparing for Sustainable Farming (PSF) grants: £500 for a carbon audit, up to £750 for animal health and welfare, and support for soil analysis. However, this funding is expected to end on 31 December 2025, so farmers are encouraged to act promptly.
Capital Grants Scheme – A capital grant scheme is due to launch in summer 2025, with further details expected at the Royal Highland Show. Funding will be flexible, helping businesses invest in improvements that benefit climate, nature, and efficiency. New and young entrants will be prioritised. Payments are expected upfront, with proof of purchase required by 31 December 2025.
Greening and Ecological Focus Areas (EFA) – From 2026, the majority of Greening exemptions are being removed. If your farm has more than 15 hectares of arable land (including temporary grass), you must commit 5% of it to Ecological Focus Areas (EFAs) annually. This may increase to 7% in 2027.
New and updated EFA options now total 11, including: Fallow land (now must include specific cover types); Margins (minimum 3m width and more diverse vegetation); Green cover and catch crops (expanded species list and new rules on grazing); Nitrogenfixing crops (more species allowed and relaxed harvest dates); Hedges (stricter cutting rules and clearer definitions). New 2026 Options: Low Input Grassland; Herb & Legume Rich Pastures; Agroforestry – Low Density Planting; Unharvested Crop Margins.
EFA maps are no longer required with applications, but must be retained for inspections.
Permanent Grassland Rules – From 2026, nitrogen and lime plans for permanent grassland are no longer mandatory. However, new environmental management practices may be introduced from 2027. Suggested practices include regenerative grazing, reduced nitrogen inputs, and wildlife-friendly mowing.
What Farmers Should Do Now: Complete required audits while PSF funding is still available; Begin planning for your 2026 EFA commitments, especially if growing forage crops that could push arable area over 15ha; Prepare for new capital grant opportunities; Review long-term grassland management to align with 2027 proposals.
For full details, visit the Rural Payments website or speak to your adviser. With compliance tied directly to payment eligibility, early action and planning is vital.
For more information, please get in touch with Michael Bell on 01896 802252, 07584 644246 or mbell@bellruralsolutions.com
Calf Creep
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