Agrimart March 2023 Issue

Wooler

Established in 1969

Scotland’s largest installer and maintainer of grain handling and process equipment.

Make sure you are harvest ready this year - competitive rates offered for servicing all grain drier manufacturers with extensive spares carried in stock. Book your service now by scanning the QR code below or email servicing@edwardsengineering.co.uk

www.edwardsengineering.co.uk

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 •

Kit Building – 60 x 40 x 14 ft

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

• Electronic Cattle & Sheep Weigh Systems

• 9”x3” Timbers & 6”x3” Timbers In Stock

• Big Six Fibre Cement Sheets In Stock

Wooler : 01668 281464

Cattle Feed Bunker Octoposts

Hexham : 01434 603078

Suppliers of:

Email : info@glendaleegineering.co.uk

Wooler : 01668 281464

-Cattle Handling & Feeding Equipment

Graeme Wilson : 07971 880275

-Sheep Handling & Feeding Equipment

Web : www.glendaleengineering.co.uk

-Sheep Portarace

John Common : 07981 890999

- ATV Trailers

Bob Clapham : 07954 363979

- Agricultural Buildings

info@glendaleegineering.co.uk

-Electronic Cattle & Sheep Weigh Systems

www.glendaleengineering.co.uk

- Large quantity of box section and pipe, Phone for special offers

Wooler : 01668 281464

Hexham : 01434 603078

Email : info@glendaleegineering.co.uk

Web : www.glendaleengineering.co.uk

01738 627101

Octoposts

Calf Creep

Cattle Feed Trailer

Building

Bunker ATV Trailers Octoposts Sheep Snacker Calf Creep Cattle Feed Trailer

Feed Bunkers

Cattle & Sheep Ring Feeders

Suppliers of Grass & forage crops / arable silage mixtures / cover crops / seed grain / organic seed

• All mixed and produced on site in Haddington

• Our grass mixtures only include SRUC 1st choice varieties certified to HVS (Higher Voluntary Standard) ensuring the highest possible purity standards are met.

Interested in regenerative agriculture / biological farming? We are working with several customers on reducing inputs whilst rejuvenating soil health and would be delighted to have a chat.

Dodseed.com

PLENTIFUL

WHEREVER AND WHENEVER YOU NEED IT

Supplying dependable and powerful generators in the North of England and Scotland

If you require dependable, plentiful source of power, our fantastic generators won’t let you down. Marshall Green’s expert team offer generators for sale to a diverse range of clients through out northern England and Scotland. We are available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week to make sure you have all the power you need, when you need it.

SALES SERVICE HIRE

NEW 2023 ATV'S IN STOCK NOW

• Bigger fuel tank

• New dashboard

• More storage space

• New exterior design

• Higher air intake position

• Improved rider ergonomics

• Lighter weight but stronger frame

• Overall noise and vibration reduction

• Heatshield improvement on lower leg area

• 25% tighter turning radius over previous model

• Arched front A-Arms for increased ground clearance

CF450 £5,350

2 years warranty

2 years 0% finance

CF520 £5,950

2 years warranty

2 years 0% finance

We are a forestry machinery and plant dealership with expertise in excavator attachments and woodchippers. We deliver specialist equipment to clients in the UK operating within a range of different sectors.

Field and Forest Machinery Ltd pride ourselves on supplying the highest quality equipment supported by our industry knowledge and a customer first approach. Our business is based on our strong relationships with our customers and suppliers.

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

info@best-tanks.co.uk www.best-tanks.co.uk

Northbank Farm, Cameron, St. Andrews, Fife, KY16 8PE

Storage Tank Sales & Hire UK-Wide Service

SAS Mobile Seed Cleaning

We offer a high output service producing 10 - 14 tonnes per hour of gravity separated seed

We use gravity tables, the only real method, not gravity selectors

We supply 2 men per machine - farm input only 1 man*

We have long serving members of staff who are time served and highly skilled

Our full time staff are employed from the local community

We will be processing spring barley, spring wheat, oats, spring osr plus peas & beans this Spring with:

Redigo pro - treatment for barley covering loose smut, leaf stripe & fusarium

Beret Gold - treatment for fusarium in spring wheat & oats

Austral Plus - for wireworm & fusarium control and slug deterrent in all cereals

Manganese - for enhanced root establishment in all crops

Steven Wade 01337 810428

Euan Amos 07883 003142 Email

EXTENDED TERRITORY

Sales | Service | Parts George

Marshall Tel: 07703 535222

• Group Service Manager

• X2 Area Sales Managers (Macmerry)

• X1 Parts Manager (Macmerry)

• X2 Service Administrators (Macmerry & St Boswells)

• X2 Depot Service Managers (Macmerry & St Boswells)

• Qualified Service Engineers (Macmerry & St Boswells)

• Service & Parts Apprentices (Macmerry)

Please contact David Marshall in the strictest confidence on: Mob: 07929 167819 Email: davidm@gmarshall-tractors.co.uk

Case IH Luxxum 120 2019, 2450 hours, LRZ 120 loader, HD back end, 40 kph, tyres good, excellent condition. £POA

Franchise dealers for:

David Marshall: 07929 167819 | David Watson: 07772 539104 | David Hunter: 07823 684331

As a result of our expansion we are looking to recruit staff to join us in this exciting new chapter of G Marshall Tractors history:

Case IH Maxxum 115 2019, 2648 hours, 40kph, cab suspension, big pump, excellent condition. £POA

+ VAT

Intelligent

HORSCH PT8300

HORSCH Terrano 4MT Cultivator

HORSCH PRONTO 4DC

LEEB 6GS / 7GS / 8GS TRAILED SPRAYERS

Massey Ferguson 6S.180

RB electrical are approved Electrical Engineers and Contractors based in the Scottish Borders. We offer services to the agricultural sector such as breakdown, fault finding and repair, design and installation of all types of machinery.

We are experienced in

• Grain handling systems

• Grain drying

• Bruisers

• Biomass plants

• Poultry & dairy sectors

• Sawmilling & chipping

• Standby generators

• General electrical installation works

Rhys Boni: 07879 053047

We offer a 24hr breakdown service during harvest months

Email: rbelectrical_controls@hotmail.com

NOW AVAILABLE IN BOTH TABLET & LIQUID FORM

For more information contact Ian Watson: 07789 128 756

Keiran Wilkinson: 07772 918 772

performancefeeds17@outlook.com

AJB Spence, Bridgend, Reston TD14 5JU

Contact 01890 761 378

What they say:

“All lambs are given a MonoShield tablet at birth and I can honestly say we haven’t lost a single lamb to watery mouth since switching to MonoShield. We purchased a few cade lambs last year which were showing symptoms of watery mouth soon after their arrival here. I gave them two tablets and repeated the dose the following morning, I was amazed by their recovery. We are now three years antibiotic and watery mouth-free.”

“We run 1,300 ewes scanning around 190% and in the past two seasons since using MonoShield we have only used one bottle of antibiotics at lambing time which is quite remarkable. MonoShield gives us peace of mind; the tablets are doing the job we needed them to do and we wouldn’t lamb without them now.”

Peter and Emily Jones Garnwen Farm, Tregaron

Williams Family Gwythrian, Llŷn Peninsula

I DON’T LIKE THE COLD

It was -8°C outside, I was happily dozing in a warm bay where the woodchip is stored, when there was a great commotion outside. Eventually he hauled himself up my ladder at the back end and proceeded to the drivers seat. ‘If you think I am going to go outside in this weather, you’d better think again’. He engaged the starter switch but the best I could do was to give a grrrumph. Down he climbed and took my necklace from the front and attached it to my rear end, the loader backed up and soon Bogdan was pulling me in reverse. ‘No way, José, I do not jumpstart going backwards’. The chain was taken round to my bumper and this time I did burst into life. You should have seen the effects of a cold night on my breathing - coughing and spluttering all over the place.

We were supposed to be going up to Midlem to pull Gibby’s hen house but I had no brakes, the air just would not build up. He left me out in the sun with the engine running and after an hour or so the ice thawed and I felt safe enough to go on the road.

The pull went well despite the snow and soon I was back home snoozing again. The next job was to move Shed 4 at home, this is the first time this house has been moved here which always makes for a nervous moment. Fortunately all went well, although I have made two large ruts in a field of oats as I had to drive on the crop to pull the shed into the correct position.

Then I had to move the rearing shed which has been rebuilt up at Longnewton Forest. It was sitting in rather a wet hole, it is now ready for the chicks that are due this week.

Lastly, today I pulled a shed for the Aynsley family up at Synton. So all in all a busy month, I also had the opportunity to recover a bogged digger in East Lothian, I turned this down as it meant travelling across a wheat field, something I am not confident about at this time of year.

The first pull of a newly reconstructed shed is always a nervous moment

Another happy customer on a beautiful day in the hills above Selkirk

IPC RIDE ON SWEEPER

1050 RIDE ON SWEEPER

* POWERED BY 24v BATTERY OR PETROL ENGINE

* LARGE CAPACITY 70lt HOPPER

* 1050 mm BRUSHING WIDTH

* 2 SIDE BRUSHES + MAIN ROLLER BRUSH

*OTHER MODELS AVAILABLE

BLINKBONNY QUARRY

• ALL GRADES OF AGGREGATE PRODUCED

• DELIVERY

• COLLECTION

IPC PEDESTRIAN SWEEPERS

512 & 712 PEDESTRIAN SWEEPERS

* 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 OF PRESSURE WASHERS AND FLOORCARE EQUIPMENT, INCLUDING SCRUBBER DRYERS, SWEEPERS AND VACUUMS

ALL MAKES SERVICED AND REPAIRED REFURBISHED HOT PRESSURE WASHERS ALWAYS IN STOCK.

VISIT OUR WEBSITE TO VIEW THE COMPLETE RANGE

MOBILE 07860 261088

E: info@lbpressurewashers.co.uk

W: www.lbpressurewashers.co.uk

• READY-MIX CONCRETE

• AGRICULTURAL MIXES FOR ALL PURPOSES

• DELIVERY AND COLLECTION

FOR SALES AND ORDERS CALL BLINKBONNY WEIGHBRIDGE: 01573 460200 or 07974 968148

PART OF BREEDON GROUP– FOR OTHER LOCATIONS PLEASE VISIT: https://www.breedongroup.com/location-finder

We have 4 vans with 4 squads working covering all of Scotland and north England. All carry out all roofing works and roughcasting which includes:

• SLATING & TILING

• BUILT UP FELT SYSTEMS

• GUTTER REPAIR & RENEWAL

• VELUX SUPPLIED & FITTED

• ALL LEAD WORKS

• RENDER & HARLING

• MEWP WORKS

• ROPE WORKS

All tradesmen are City and Guilds qualified. We have IPAF and PASMA certificates.

10% discount with this advert

We are members of Safe Contractors, Confederation of Roofing Contractors and Federation of Small Business. (See below)

Fully insured for all working at height, gas and rope works.

07738 659 959 or 0131 364 4212

george@clelandroofingsolutions.co.uk

www.clelandroofingsolutions.co.uk

George Cleland - Managing Director

Head office: 6A Lothian Street, Bonnyrigg EH19 3AD Office: 146/2 Turnhouse Road, Edinburgh EH12 0AD

We have over 100 years combined experience in the trade

• Imported and graded by us • No waste

• Large lump size • Delivered nationwide

If it’s not our name on the bag, It’s NOT our salt!

• Imported and graded by us • No waste

• Large lump size • Delivered nationwide

www.ballofmadley-hereford.co.uk

01981 250301 ‘Hand selected from the Himalayas’

The Old Smiddy, Graden, Kelso, TD5 8BS Telephone : 01573 430338

Email : info@walkergroundworks.com

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

• In house Welding Engineer/Steel Fabricator

• In house setting out engineer/surveyor

Proud to sponsor Event riders: Olivia Wilmot, Laura Swinnerton, Laura Mitchell, Ellie Bryce, Sarah Hutchison & Morag Sutherland

BORDER AGGREGATES

LANDSCAPING SUPPLIES &

01573 228 009

border.agg@btconnect.com borderaggregates.com

NEW For

• Crushed rubble

• Tarmac planing

• Screened soil

• Unscreened soil

MACHINE HIRE

• 6 Diggers

• 1 Breaker

• 2 Dumpers

GARDEN SHEDS

• Heavy duty

• Made to order

FENCING & GATES

AGGREGATES CONCRETE

• Steel gates made to size

• Fence panels

ALL YOUR LANDSCAPING NEEDS

MUNGO G RIDDELL

07836 637638 • MungoGRiddell@live.co.uk

• Concrete posts 5’ to 9’

• Concrete lego blocks

• Fences built to suit

• 6” & 12” gravel boards

• 6” & 8” round top edging

OXDALE PRODUCTS

TM400 Wide Base Linkage Mounted Hydraulic Log Splitters available from stock for prompt delivery

AERWORX

Large Drum Trailed Aerator available for hire, remove pasture pan & improve sub surface soil structure in one pass, improve plant root development & sward growth, call too book your 2023 Season Requirements

STURDY PRODUCTS

Loader Mounted Feed Tidy, simple & effective

FEROBIDE

Weldable Tungsten Tiles, all popular sizes available from stock, prolong earthwearing parts life & reduce down time changing parts

WARTHOG

Warthog Machinery Loader Mounted Big Rectangular Bale Shredder, simple, robust & reliable, ideal for busy livestock producers

NAUD PLOUGH

Naud 4 Furrow Poly Prima Auto Reset Reversible Plough, Adjustable Furrow Width, Hyd.Front Furrow, Depth & Transport Wheel

McCORMICK

MC135 Power 6 4wd Tractor, 2005 model, 4700hrs, 40kph, Front Suspension, Front Linkage & Air Conditioning

ALL NEW & SECONDHAND EQUIPMENT ENQUIRIES WELCOMED

LOCAL COMPANY WITH OVER 45 YEARS EXPERIENCE

SURFACE DRESSING WITH NATURAL STONE FINISHES

SILAGE PITS, FARM ROADS, DRIVEWAYS, ESTATES

BLOCK PAVING OF PATHWAYS, DRIVEWAYS & CAR PARKS

SCHOOL PLAYGROUNDS, PATHWAYS, CAR PARKS

DRAINAGE, KERBING, GROUNDWORKS

TARMACADAM, ASPHALT, PATCHING & POTHOLE REPAIRS

PRIVATE & COMMERCIAL WORK UNDERTAKEN

Passion vs Profit

As costs continue to rise, it is crucial to breakdown your different income streams and recognise which ones are ones are profitable.

You need to have a clear understanding of what is actually making you money on the farm, whether that be a particular group of livestock, a certain crop or alternative income such as accommodation.

Our agriculture accounting and tax specialist, Victoria Ivinson, can help you to break down the numbers and ensure the farm is structured in the most sustainable and profitable way.

Email victoriai@dhco.co.uk and find out more about how we can offer advice to assist your business in these uncertain times.

VICTORIA IVINSON DIRECTOR

One of our exciting new services is doing field conductivity scanning and some soil sampling. The main aim here is to identify differences in soil types as you can see from the map below. First we RTK all field boundaries and load them into your ‘My John Deere’ account. Then we can overlay yield maps, create Variable Rate Application seed files, offer soil nutrient analysis. Once the VRA plans have been created, we can turn them into work plans within your ‘My John Deere’ Account. If you would like to know more, please don’t hesitate to give us a call on the Technology Hotline number below, or scan the QR code to download the Sherriff Expert Connect App.

TRACTORS

TRACTORS

TELEHANDLERS/WHEELED LOADERS

TELEHANDLERS/WHEELED LOADERS

FARM TRAILERS

CULTIVATION

ATV/UTILITY VEHICLES & ATTACHMENTS

CROP CARE

Combine Harvester

Your partners in property

There’s more to making your move.

We go further to offer the right property advice for you.

Let’s talk about what really moves you.

Efficient Harvesting High Nutrient Retention Low Dry Matter Losses

All agricultural feeds and Anaerobic Digester feedstocks can be stored:

Grass Silage

Wholecrop Silage (wheat, barley, oats, arable mixes)

Maize Silage

Brewers Grain & Grain feeds

Pressed Sugar Beet Pulp

Great Flexibility

There are many benefits of using the Ag-Bag system, both in the way it works and the results that it produces

Crop compaction - quickly lowering pH

Low storage losses (typically 2-3% compared with sometimes >20% using other methods

Small feedout face - 10Ft or 12Ft diameter bags

Complete flexibility and scalability

30 years Ag-Bag experience with Bill Rae

Contracting

MOIST GRAIN CRIMPING & DRY ROLLING SERVICE

"Why not save on expensive drying costs this year, crimp and Ag-Bag your feed grain"

"Less plastic used per tonne of forage stored, versus baling & wrapping"

R & S Nixon & Co

• Umbilical cord slurry spreading with a 24 meter dribble bar in crops

• 12 meter trailing shoe in grass

• Slurry tankers fitted with trailing shoes

• Muckspreading

• All silage work under taken, grass & wholecrop - complete or part job

• Square baling & wrapping

• Ploughing & sowing including grass seeds

• Stubble to stubble contracts All Agricultural work under taken Contact Paul on 07768 273589

J.W. & M.A. SCOTT

BM EXCAVATIONS LTD

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.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

MOBILE - 07788 242 638

EMAIL - bmexcavations@outlook.com

ROAD CRUSHING AND GRADING SERVICES

SANDYSTONES

On Our Farm

February 8th 2023

Hugo Lee farms in partnership with his father, Guy, at Sandystones, near St Boswells. Arable crops of wheat, oilseed rape, malting barley, oats and rye are grown, 400 Angus cattle are finished annually, 8000 organic hens produce eggs for Waitrose and 14,000 organic point of lay pullets are reared each year. This is the hardest article I have ever had to write and I really don’t know where to start. David Jeffrey, who has worked for us for four years, died peacefully in his cottage at Sandystones on Monday night, he was only 53. Davie had worked a normal day on Monday collecting eggs and unloading new pullets. I spoke to him when he finished that evening and he seemed his usual jovial self, it is just such a massive shock. Davie was huge asset to Sandystones; he always turned up to work early with a big smile on his face, full of enthusiasm and keen for a blether. His main job was collecting eggs but he was willing to help and get stuck in to any job on the farm without a complaint. He was always very welcoming to everyone that bought eggs from the steading, many who knew him well and enjoyed their weekly catch up over a box of eggs. Davie was a countryman at heart and absolutely loved hunting. During the season he took every Tuesday off to follow his beloved Jedforest hounds with his father Harry. Davie’s passing has left a big hole in the local hunting community and at Sandystones. We will all really miss him. The last few weeks have been very busy as we prepare for our first batch of chicks to arrive at the rearing shed. We moved the shed back in October from Kelso to Sandystones. The main structure was rebuilt in November. All works were then paused as we went through a very long and complexed contract renegotiation process with our egg packer. With a new contract finally secured in mid-January the race was on to get the shed finished in time. Water, electric, feed bin and access track have all been installed. Thank you Gibby! The shed has been washed, disinfected, water lines cleaned, alarms tested, fans and heaters checked. Fingers crossed we will be ready for Friday morning when the first batch arrive.

As well as getting the pullet shed ready we have also been moving, washing and re stocking one of our hen sheds. Bogdan and Davie did a fantastic job getting the shed washed, cleaned and back together in not ideal weather conditions. All the hen manure has been removed and will be stored in our muck barn until we can travel safely on the silage fields to spread it.

After many years patching up the entrances to the steading with part loads of concrete/tarmac we decided to bite the bullet and get it done properly. As I am sure most of you know tarmac is not cheap and I almost fell off my chair when I read the quote! However, I was really impressed with the tarmac company as they were very professional and appear to have done a fantastic job. The big test will be grain lorries and trailers in the heat of the summer.

Davie Jeffrey

out hen manure to store under

Agriparts Borders Ltd

Technical Arc - PROF-MIG Universal C221 230V 20 -220A, 130@60% - £ £595 plus vat

Technical Arc - T-MIG 281HD, 230V 1 phase 20 -300A, 255@60%, 4 roll drive - £ £1095 + vat

T Technical Arc - T-MIG 321HD, 230V 1 phase 20 -340A, 290@60%, 4 roll drive - £ £1155 + vat

Technical Arc - T-MIG 323HD, 400V 3 phase 20 -340A, 290@60% 4 roll drive - £ £1155 + vat

GYS-Welding - MI160P Inverter, Hot Start, Anti Stick, 3.2 rods on 13amp - £ £189 + vat

GYS-Welding - Easymig 160, Mig, Stick - Gas or Gasless, takes 0.8 wire - £ £480 + vat

GYS-Welding - Easymig 180, Mig, Stick - Gas or Gasless, Takes 1mm wire - £ £545 + vat

GYS-Cutting - Easycut 40 Plasma, Cuts 15mm Clean, 8kg Only, 16amp. - £ £689 + vat

GYS-Cutting - Cutter 45 Plasma, c/w MT -70 Torch, 20mm Clean, 14kg - £ £1345 + vat

Cebora - Pocket Pulse c/w Alu Kit, Dial in metal & Thickness - £ £1290 plus vat

Cebora - Plasma 36 Air, Compressor inside so plug in and cut - £ £1345 plus vat

Hypertherm - PMX30 Air, Compressor, Dual Voltage, Severs 16mm - £ £1680 plus vat

MOSA - GE SX-6000 YDM 230/110V Super Silenced Diesel Generator - £ £3795 00 + vat

MOSA - GE SX-9000 KDM 230/110V Super Silenced Diesel Generator - £ £6395 00 + vat

MOSA - GE SX-16000 KDT 230/110V Super Silenced Diesel Generator - £ £7195 00 + vat

Power Harrow Tines & Levelling Boards

Our own Tungsten Coating improves the life of a tine by approximately 4 times.

Levelling Boards for Kuhn 3m, 3.5, 4m & 6m

Evolution - S355 MCS H/D Metal Cutting Mitre Saw, Ideal for small w/shop - £ £635 00 + vat

Evolution - R210MS-300+ 210mm Slide Compound Multi Material Mitre Saw - £ £159 + vat

Evolution - S355CPS 355mm Metal Cutting Chop Saw With TCT Blade - £ £279 + vat

Evolution - R355CPS 355mm Chop Saw With TCT Multi -Material Blade - £ £215 00 + vat

Metabo - CS23-355 Metal Cutting Chopsaw, 230v, 14” Carborundum Blade - £ £125 + vat

FIAC - WR3HPXX -200S -1 Workhorse Air Compressor 3HP 200L 230V - £ £764 00 + vat

FIAC - WRN10HP Workhorse Compressor - 3 Phase - 10HP 270L - P O A

Pramac - P3500i 3500W Petrol Inverter Generator Electric & Recoil Start - £ £635 + vat

Winntec - Winntec 30 tonne Shop Press Y461530 - Pneumatically operated - £ £865 + vat

SGS Gases

Welding & Cutting Gases in 10L, 20L & 30L Bottles.

Pay 1 deposit (no rent)

Pro Fuel is nearly the same heat as ACET

Front Weight / Toolbox

Calf Creep

Feed Hopper

Bateman Bespoke Cattle Handling

Ritchie Calving Gate

Grain Pusher

Bale Trailer

LAND

DRAINAGESPECIALISTS

Specialising in drainage works large and small Providing free advice and quotations

LAND DRAINAGESPECIALISTS

GGW – Upgrade private or mains water supply systems to meet the current legislation

GGW – Construct farm and forestry roads and ground works for new buildings

GGW – Carry out all types of flood prevention works

Glendinning Ground Works Limited have been specialists in land drainageworks the last 50 years. We carry out small repairs to existing drainage schemes and install large scale drainage schemes using our trenchless system. We have just invested in a new Inter-Drain 2040 GP Trenchless Plough which is capable of installing up to 150 mm drainage pipe at various depths. Drainage systems are installed with a gravel infill to underside of topsoil for maximum effect. The Inter-Drain is mainly designed for land drainage but can also be utilised in other sectors such as cable and pipeline laying. The machine also incorporates a Topcon laser system which allows us to laydrainage systems wheregradientsare flat.

GGW – Are currently involved in the installation of large and small hydro electric power schemes

Glendinning Ground Works Limited have been specialists in land drainageworks for the last 50 years. We carry out small repairs to existing drainage schemes and install large scale drainage schemes using our trenchless system. We have just invested in a new Inter-Drain 2040 GP Trenchless Plough which is capable of installing up to 150 mm drainage pipe at various depths. Drainage systems are installed with a gravel infill to underside of topsoil for maximum effect. The new Inter-Drain is mainly designed for land drainage but can also be utilised in other sectors such as cable and pipeline laying.

Our experienced team offer professional advice and free quotations on all aspects land drainage.

GGW – Build all shapes and sizes of ponds and reservoirs

The machine also incorporates a Topcon laser system which allows us to laydrainage systems wheregradientsare flat. Our experienced team offer professional advice and free quotations on all aspects of

T: 01896 830487 T: 01896 831264

T: 01896830487 T: 01896831264

E:eileen@ggw.demon.co.uk

E:eileen@glendinninggroundworks.co.uk

www.glendinninggroundworks.co.uk

www.glendinninggroundworks.co.uk

T: 01896830487 T: 01896831264

E:eileen@ggw.demon.co.uk

www.glendinninggroundworks.co.uk

Members of

Talking......Business with Edwin Thompson

Members of

Members of

February

2023

Jack Frater is an Agricultural Consultant at Edwin Thompson, based in their office in Galashiels. Jack specialising in Farm and Estate Management.

Before I started this article, I looked back at what I said a year ago. The key message then was that adopting changes, however small, could make a big difference to a farming business. Since then, a lot has changed. Various Prime Ministers, a new King, and the war in Ukraine to name a few.

At a farm level there has been plenty of change to the cost of inputs, all of which have gone up. Since 2019 (the last ‘normal year’) nitrogen has gone up 240%, red diesel by 73% and livestock feed by 75%. Climate change has also had its say, the dry summer last year is arguably an indicator of what the farming year is going to be like in the future.

Thankfully better-than-expected yields and record wheat prices meant that those who purchased fertiliser early saw some impressive gross margins. It seems unlikely that gross margins will be anywhere near this coming year for arable producers as wheat futures for November 2023 have dropped down to around £225/t.

It is therefore important to consider how farming businesses remain resilient in the face of all this change. There is no silver bullet, but the answer may lie in a change of mindset. It seems highly likely that the new Scottish Agricultural Bill will have some focus on a move to regenerative farming which brings with it a different way of thinking. I have had some interesting discussions around this topic lately, with some comments certainly making me think, this includes a suggestion that the use of ryegrass should be stopped completely and replaced with herbal mixes to reduce fertiliser usage.

On the topic of mindset, I was lucky enough to attend the Farm Strong Scotland Tour to hear New Zealander Marc Gascoigne talk openly about his struggles with mental health, and how his mindset has changes as a result. The key message here was ‘Live well, farm well’ and I would highly recommend checking it out.

AECS is once again open for applications, albeit with some changes. Capital items such as hedging has been limited to a maximum of 500 metres and the treatment of bracken has been removed completed. To the relief of agents everywhere the deadline for applications has been put back to the 7th June, but if you are considering an application I still recommend making a start sooner rather than later.

Thankfully there are no changes to BPS rules this year but again it is advantageous to get your application started as soon as possible come the 15th March.

Finally, I need to acknowledge my incorrect Calcutta Cup prediction from 2022, so instead of embarrassing myself again this year I am going to keep any predictions to myself, all I hope for the 2023 Six Nations is a Welsh Wooden Spoon!

To discuss AECS, BPS, or if you would like further information on grant funding available through the Farm Advisory Service, please get in touch on 01896 751300 or email j.frater@edwin-thompson.co.uk

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Talking......Organic February 8th 2023

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.

This week I travelled up to Duns to talk at the Merse discussion group. It was a great evening and always good to meet new and familiar faces. I feel that I may need to travel to Lauderdale soon, as I’ve now talked at Duns, Hawick and Kelso… so just one left!

The new hens which went in in January are starting to lay. The challenge when the birds go out is cash flow. Eggs stop, and as we’re paid four weeks in arrears, it’s not until a month later the income stops. It’s not until six to eight weeks after the first eggs that you start to see any income and for the first few weeks there’s very few eggs and they’re generally very small. Our other looming challenge with the hens is that the other hens will be depleting whilst we’re calving and lambing. We’ve got the clean down team lined up to also muck out, as there’s no way we can manage that ourselves at that time. We’re continuing to keep our biosecurity levels very high and keep re-emphasising to the team about the AI risks. It’s still circulating, with a very large producer in Stranraer and also a broiler breeder in Fife being infected this last week.

We are starting to look at the new English Environmental Scheme on the farm to replace our existing Organic Uplands HLS. We have rolled it over the last year, and will roll it over again, and then hopefully get into Higher Tier Countryside Stewardship. This will result in quite a lot of our SFI being knocked out, but we’re going to sign up to SFI for the short term to try to replace some lost BPS. The schemes definitely have not been written with organic or upland producers in mind as a number of the options which would work really well on our farm are ruled out as we are organic upland farmers.

We are scanning next week, so fingers crossed that its plenty of twins and just a few triplets. The lambs are still finishing off the brassicas but we’re continuing to get them away at reasonable prices, however, they are starting to drop. It’s encouraging to get a beef and egg price increase. Are these prices are where they actually need to be, when you take into account ag-inflation being over 30% these past 12 months? The reality is given the Government’s chosen direction of travel, certainly in England, sales prices will need to continue to strengthen and food prices subsequently will have to rise, otherwise production will start to fall as given the hefty rises in costs we are facing, without these increases the job would be completely unsustainable. However, what none of us needs is yo-yo economics! A bit of stability is required.

We’re away next week to Norway to take the Children skiing. I’ve never been there, so I am really looking forward to it. However, yet again I am missing the Galloway Bull sale at Castle Douglas, which is frustrating.

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Talking......from the boundary

Guy Lee

February 7th 2023

I can’t help but feel our politicians and those who make the rules that govern our lives are living in a parallel universe. Whilst there is the most horrific war going on in Ukraine whose residents are fighting for their very survival as an independent democratic nation and now the appalling natural disaster in Turkey.

All the while our politicians are debating the definition of a man and a woman. How can one be forced by law to call a man ‘she’ who can gain access to all the facilities designed for females if the person has male genitalia. That can all happen because ‘he’ decides ‘he’ wants to be ‘she’ without any medical diagnosis or intervention. At the same time Edinburgh City Council are patting themselves on the back for becoming the first city in Scotland and the first capital city in Europe to endorse the Plant Based Treaty. This is the council press release:

“By declaring our endorsement, we are acknowledging that food systems are a main driver of the climate emergency and that a shift towards plant-based diets can go a huge way in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Plant-rich diets are also a ‘win-win-win’ for society: they have a lower environmental impact, significant health benefits, and reduce animal welfare impacts.”

This is in a city with such strong agricultural roots and history. Within the city limits one of the most famous agricultural shows in the world is held where the best of British cattle and sheep are shown.

RHASS was founded in 1784 to promote the regeneration of rural Scotland, as well as the preservation of its poetry, language and music. Today, in the 21st century, the Society is for people who value the rural areas of Scotland. It is for everyone who supports the very best standards in agriculture, forestry and stewardship of the countryside, which are such an essential part of our heritage - and our future.

The majority of Scotland consists of grassland totally unsuitable for the production of vegan feeds, and indigestible to humans but through a ruminant animal this grass can be processed into high quality protein. This comes with a massive contribution to carbon mitigation through sequestration. A very well written article by James Porter in last week’s Scottish Farmer highlighted the inaccurate assertions that are being thrown at livestock. According to Mike Robinson, CEO of the Royal Geographical Society, methane is being wrongly treated as a long term gas when it is a shorter term one in Agriculture.

On Page 54 you can read of the great initiative started by Mark Laird (Chief Executive of Central Plains Group, who farm in Ukraine) and supported by Angus Seed. They are looking for donations of pick up trucks and other hardware to help the Ukrainians in their fight against the invading Russians.

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Kelso Agricultural Discussion Society

Monday 27th February 2023

7.30 pm at the Cross Keys Hotel

How I Farm

We are delighted to invite you back to our final winter meeting and AGM. We will be joined by two very inspirational farmers

Jack Parsons: Mertoun Estate Farms Ltd

Jack manages ~1,500ha, which includes two contract farming arrangements and rented ground for potatoes. Cropping consists of combinables, seed potatoes and peas for Scottish borders produce The farm is managed alongside an Agri environment scheme as well as contract drying and storage. Precision farming is a major focus of the farming policy

Sion Williams: Bowhill farming Ltd

Sion manages approximately 16,500 acres at Bowhill farming Ltd, which is part of Buccleuch estates The farm consists mainly of inbye and hill parks alongside 200acres spring barley/oats, 180acres kale, with current livestock numbers consisting of 8,300ewes, 540 suckler cows, 330 breeding hinds and 32,000hens The farm is both a LEAF demonstration and Agri epicentre farm.

Admission Fee

Farmers £15.00 for the whole season (4 meetings) or £5 for a single meeting

Farm staff and under 18s £3 for the whole season or £2 for a single meeting

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Talking......North of the Forth February 6th 2023

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.

Following last month’s harvesting operations, timber lorries have been trundling out the farm road carrying the recently felled timber. The volume of timber coming out is more than expected but most is falling into the lower grade “Fuelwood” or “Firewood” pricing bracket compared to the more favourable ”Palletwood” or “Green logs”. This was to be expected as the woodland cleared wasn’t scheduled for felling but was a victim of storm Arwen and was a salvage job rather than a commercial harvest. With a 24 tonne load only worth a few hundred pounds it’s not very exciting from a business perspective. More exciting was the arrival of a new plough. It’s not often new metal arrives here with the last plough being bought in 2008. Not only has the change from Lemken blue to Kevernland red been made but also from slatted bodies to full mouldboards. The biggest unforeseen problem with this change was the task of shining up the new mouldboards for work. I was horrified when it was necessary to attack the new bit of kit with paint stripper to stop the soil sticking to the boards. I paid good money for that paint!

The new plough under the excellent guidance of Colin is making short work of the winter ploughing and should be finished this task in the first week of February. One field of experimental cover crop is being left to green up in the spring before tilling. The mix of phacelia and clover was sown on the 26th August into good conditions but hadn’t shown much progress going into winter. I will see what happens as soil temperatures increase but it will have to show serious growth to make this green manure crop worthwhile. I have already lost patience with two other cover crop fields sown on the 1st September and ploughed these in last week as conditions were good and pre winter growth limited. Conditions were perfect last autumn with good growthy weather but for whatever reason these cover crops have struggled. Perhaps only earlier (early to mid-August) sowing dates work?

Last month we also pregnancy scanned the red deer hinds. This was the first time we have done this since setting up the herd in 2018. With disappointing weaning percentages in autumn 2022 it was essential we scanned this year to get a handle on where losses were coming from and start culling any unproductive animals. 87.5% of hinds were in calf which is better than expected. Calves scanned all appeared to be a good size which points to an early and active rut. The scanning was a smooth and rapid task with hinds being easy to handle and the vet scanning quicker than I could record! We have also recovered more of the missing deer following the breakout last year with only four now unaccounted for. The lengthening days are a welcome relief and thoughts turn to spring work. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. There is still potential for plenty of wintery weather to head our way.

New plough fresh off the lorry

The man who scan. Gareth Boyes from Ark Vet Centre, Lockerbie made short work of scanning the hinds.

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Talking......New Zealand

February 6th 2023

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. Harvest is in full swing and it looks like the crops are delivering as well as they looked. The autumn sown milling wheat has been running at 10-11t/ha, the dry land wheat showing the most variation. We had some feed wheat grown for the dairy farm and that has yielded between 13.5 and 14t/ha which means we’ll have a surplus to sell into the market. We’ve sold most of the milling wheat forward at $630-650/t which despite high fertiliser and diesel costs should still deliver a good gross margin. Feed grain prices have dropped $100/t I think on the expectation of our better harvest and the end of the war in Ukraine. When you live 12000 miles from the conflict you can live in delusion.

I see our slightly deluded PM has walked away. This is a good thing. She thought she could do miracles for our less well off by subsidising them to sit in Auckland doing nothing rather than encouraging them to find work and homes in other parts of NZ where we are desperate for staff. At the same time she punished NZ’s primary industries with new taxes, compliance costs and bureaucracy that has caused huge stress (both financial and physical) to our family farming businesses.

I think the thing that is the most galling is that she and her government have gone out of their way to blame the rural sector for everything that is going wrong with the world… from global warming to high food prices (you’d think that they would make the connection between imposing punitive taxes on food producers and food shortages)… even the recent floods in Auckland have been blamed on our dairy industry.

Urban Kiwis have been told that they are the victims of greed and incompetence by those of us in the provinces. They then keep electing these dodgy incompetents to power and are left wondering why nothing changes. To add insult to injury Jacinda encouraged a huge divide between those who identify as Māori and the rest of us for rather cynical political gain.

No country is perfect, but NZ has for generations been a country with no class, race or religious divisions. Suddenly we have to choose our ethnicity, and apologise if by stint of hard work we have been successful.

Choosing what we are is a fairly random process. One of my fellow councillors who has been appointed (rather than elected) is a professional Māori (hence his appointment to council) and yet he occasionally identifies as Welsh, Tongan and even Hawaiian. I have to ask him before each meeting what he is today so I know whether I have to acknowledge my inferiority for being just a NZer.

It is a huge relief to be able to escape home to move another irrigator.

Delivering the first of the lambs

Wheat harvest going well

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Talking......from Lincolnshire

February 5th 2023

Will Howe is an arable farmer from Sleaford, Lincolnshire. The soils are predominantly heavy. There is 500ha of cropping including winter wheat, spring beans, spring oats and oilseed rape. He also manages a contracting business Thorpe Farming Ltd.

What excitement! My new office has arrived and I am not moving again. This is my third “office” in 6 months and my final one I hope. After much research on the internet and an unexplainable urge to build one myself I relented and bought it from a company who makes such things down in Sussex. The cost of the timber, time and lack of any resale value meant the best option was to buy something which could be moved/ sold should the occasion arise.

I did the design which allows for plenty of light, and makes use of the view across part of the farm. And more importantly I am in the yard which makes me far more accessible to everyone. My 4G dongle works a dream so I am good to go!

Last month I was raving on about too much water, this month not so much. We only managed 22.5mm in January and we need some more. There is not the buffer capacity in the soil, and this coming week we will be out applying the first of the fertiliser and there will literally be dust coming up from behind the sprayer. That said the crops all look very well with the exception of the oilseed rape at Worth’s Farm. Two new gas bangers both arrived with faulty circuit boards so the pigeons have been having an absolute field day. The bangers would connect to my phone, they would test “bang” correctly, but just were silent the minute I left the farm… I am yet to read the updated ELMS offering in full but am not going to get very excited. I can’t help but think that there is a massive opportunity missed for both the public and the agricultural industry to reconnect and recover a mutual admiration, or at least an understanding. I will comment further when I have read it in full which will have to be soon as I have a CFA meeting on Wednesday!

In response to my ongoing drill quandary, I have had 2 meetings with a drill company which have both been very positive. Being a bit of an awkward sod I compliment the manufacturer on their machine, but then tell them what will need to be changed in order to make it suitable for me. I am only an amateur engineer but do like to get involved which I am sure irritates the hell out of those with a Bsc. Eng after their names! The question currently is which size drill to go for? We have large fields that range from 1.75ha to 85ha. An 8m would suffice, but as we only drill at 7km/hr that is limiting us to 40ha/day and doesn’t allow any future proofing. 10m would actually suit the farm better from a CTF point of view moving forwards. A 12m means the drilling will get done in good time without messing about in the wet and most importantly will make the neighbours think I really am big time. And then you have to pick yourself up off the floor after reading the quote!

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The new office complete with protection from Dad at harvest!

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