The impact of the crisis in Ukraine has been felt all across the globe and, while the focus rightly continues to be on doing everything we can to support the people there and address humanitarian needs, the wider consequences of the conflict also require attention.
To overcome challenges and move forward, particularly in uncertain times, farming businesses must be aware of risks and potential outcomes, better enabling themselves to make informed choices. Co-operatives are well-equipped to be part of the solution by helping promote resilience and risk management within the co-op and with their members. For this to be truly effective, co-ops must ensure they have strong, two-way communication channels with their members, and their members must be receptive to the idea of necessary change.
The report also acknowledged that, in addition to the impact of the Ukraine crisis, the Scottish food and drink supply chain has experienced a series of significant shocks, with Covid-19 and Brexit also disrupting supply chains and creating barriers to trade.
The farming sector is facing challenges from many angles, but the war in Ukraine has highlighted the vital role that farming plays within the food and drink supply chain in safeguarding and promoting food security. Unfortunately, co-ops and their farmer members are not immune to supply chain shocks and will continue to face challenges in the weeks and months ahead.
Communication is Key, Particularly in Challenging Times
update
As has been demonstrated, our farming sector plays a vital role within our food and drink supply chain and within our rural communities. Helping co-ops get through these current challenges isn’t just important for their farmer members or for their communities, it is vitally important for the country as a whole.
News from, and for, Scotland’s farmer co-ops - Autumn 2022
SAOS’s Patrick Hughes, the Scottish Agri Export Hub Manager, shares his views on the importance of co-operation and communication, settting the tone for several pieces with a communications focus in this issue.
Being part of a co-op can be of great advantage in times of crisis however. Ensuring the lines of communication are working effectively within the co-op allows members to feel less isolated in challenging times. Encouraging and sharing best practice, such as by highlighting cost saving measures or harnessing more innovative practices, are other ways in which co-ops can bring additional value to their farmer members during challenging times.
The situation continues to have wider impacts – adding to rising energy prices, acute labour shortages, challenges to logistics and transportation, and significant increases in the cost of raw materials, to name just a few. However, while there is greater external pressure on food supply, immediate resources of and human and animal food are secure.
In March, the Scottish Government set up a Short-life Food Security and Supply Taskforce to: “monitor, identify and respond to any potential disruption to food security and supply resulting from the impact of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine”. The report issued by the taskforce outlines a number of short, medium and longer-term recommendations including the creation of a Food Security Unit to: “monitor risks, increase resilience in food production and respond rapidly to emerging issues”.
Our Council Meeting and AGM in June marked several changes to the SAOS Board and Council. After many years of exceptional service, SAOS’s former President and Chairman, Gareth Baird, retired from both the Board and the Council. Stephen Cameron of Scottish Shellfish also stepped down from the Board, but remains on the Council. Ian Watson of Farmstock retired from Council, however, Vicky Warcup, who was on Council as our Next Generation representative, has taken Ian’s place. As James Withers has now left Scotland Food & Drink, we will shortly be filling his place with another representative from the organisation. Thanks to all our departees for their invaluable input. We also welcomed some new faces. Gary Catto of Highland Grain has joined the Board. We welcomed Carol McLaren and Ruth Taylor, the new representatives for RSABI and WWF respectively. Sarah Millar has also joined to represent QMS. Since June, Teresa Dougall of SQC, and Murray Forsyth of Aberdeen Grain have been co-opted to Council.
Murray Forsyth Aberdeen Grain
Carol McLaren RSABI
Stephen Cameron Scottish Shellfish
SAOS Council
Rory Christie Milk Suppliers Association
David Kilshaw Senior Independent Director
At the end of August, the Scottish Government initiated its consultation process for the proposed new Agriculture Bill to, frankly, disappointment and, in some corners, derision. There was certainly little fanfare. In the main, this reflects the frustration that everyone is feeling after waiting so long for more substantive and ambitious farming policy, and also because the nature of this Bill is quite ‘dry’ in its own right. Regarding the former, SAOS sits on the Agricultural Reform Implementation Oversight Board (ARIOB) and we continue to push for quicker, bolder reforms that will encourage more co-operation and support co-op business operations. We are gaining traction but progress is slow. On the latter, it’s important to appreciate that whilst it is dry, this is a legal framework to enable payments and schemes to be established that aren’t EU CAP legacies, but instead are programmes developed in Scotland for Scottish farming. In many ways it underpins the ‘why’ should payments be made - the more detail that we need in secondary legislation is the ‘what’. However we cannot have the latter without the former.
Gary Catto Highland Grain
Andrew Faichney East of Scotland Growers
Amanda Brown SAOS
SAOS Board (who also sit on Council)
• Co-operatives are specifically referenced as entities that could be eligible recipients of support under the Elective Tier 3 proposals.
Thomas Pate Scottish Agronomy
Tim Bailey SAOS
Andy McGowan Scottish Pig Producers
Agri Policy Consultation - Communicate Your Views!
• Activity in, and financial support for, collaboration within wider rural development is also mentioned. These may appear only to be small wins, but if these elements are enshrined in the enabling legislation then this becomes the skeleton upon which co-operation supportive schemes and funding can follow. We urge all our members and stakeholders to participate in this consultation and provide proactive feedback on these and other areas that underpin a new, positive future for co-operation and co-op businesses. Please get in contact with us if we can assist you with this.Please take a few minutes to make your views known. Access the consultation https://www.gov.scot/publications/delivering-vision-scottish-agriculture-proposals-new-agriculture-bill/at:SAOSBoardandCouncilseeDeparturesandnewAppointees
Peter Chapman Ringlink (Scotland)
Teresa Dougall Scottish Quality Crops
Ruth Taylor WWF Scotland
Andrew Marchant
saos news and views
Anne Rae MacDonald HBS
Angela Porchez Angus Growers
In terms of this consultation, there are good reasons for co-ops to be positive and where our proactive representation is yielding benefits, for example:
Michael Bayne BMR Liz Barron-Majerik Lantra Scotland
Vicky Warcup Farmstock Scotland
• Co-operative approaches are referenced to “optimise collaboration and knowledge exchange”
• It is acknowledged that new specific funding mechanisms for the agri-food sector will be necessary including financial support for “Agri-food co-operation”
Penny Montgomerie SAYFC
Richard Butterworth Scotlean Pigs
Tarff Valley
TBA Scotland Food & Drink
Sarah Millar QMS
David Bell Tayforth Machinery Ring
John Hutcheson
Jonathan Robinson United Farmers
Grainco Scotland Ltd
Jane Mitchell ANM Group
Scott Walker NFU Scotland
The programme’s first run is from October ’22 to March ’23. We have a couple of co-ops who are keen to get involved but a different time of year would work better for them – if you’ve similar (or any other) feedback, or to check for space/register interest, get in touch with us at saos@saos.coop
Businesses Keen to Invest in the Leaders of Tomorrow
Terms of Appointment for Directors
The first run of SAOS’s exciting new training programme, Growing Tomorrow’s Leaders, begins in October. As we go to press, applications are about to close, but please check if you’re keen as a space may have become available. Aimed at promising employees in agriculture/adjacent sectors, the programme has a strong focus on enabling participants for the strategic and operational challenges that businesses currently face, as well as those to come. SAOS’s Tim Bailey, explains: “We identified the vital need in our sector for investment in training with a strategic focus some time ago, and have been working together with our partners, NFU Mutual and NFU Scotland, and a wider steering group of our co-op members and industry to get the content for this programme right. We are delighted to be working on it with The Leadership Factory, who have a proven track record in delivering targeted leadership academies, and we’re excited to get things moving with our first cohort in October.”
Andindustries.”ScottWalker, Chief Executive of NFU Scotland, was also fully supportive of the programme, he added: ”Planning for the future, particularly succession planning, is often a real challenge for farms and agri businesses. Growing Tomorrow’s Leaders provides employers with the opportunity to invest in, encourage and stimulate promising employees, to fast track their potential and build the confidence required to take on more senior roles.”
saos news and views
Several of SAOS’s co-op members have put forward staff for the programme, along with other agri organisations, who have all welcomed the opportunity to invest in the development of staff members who they feel have strong potential and who they want to enable with new ways of thinking and doing. The training will provide the small cohort of participants with the tools and skills, not only to thrive personally, but also to help them become successful team leaders and builders, and the catalysts for change required in such challenging and uncertain times. Mark McBrearty explained why NFU Mutual was keen to support the programme: “For many years, NFU Mutual has supported training that helps increase competence in the workplace. This exciting new programme not only helps participants now, but will equip them for the challenges ahead, helping safeguard the future of the agri and related
It was great to learn that the programme is of particular significance to Penny Williams, who is Head of Operations at The Leadership Factory, she told us: “I’m really pleased to be involved in this programme. Having grown up in rural Aberdeenshire - an honorary Fyvie quine from age 9 - I feel deeply about the agricultural sector, so I’m delighted to be part of a programme supporting and developing leaders in this ever-evolving industry.”
Jim Booth, SAOS’s Head of Co-op Development, highlights two new templates available for SAOS IfMembers.anymember needs further explanation or a copy of the templates, please contact jim.booth@saos.coop
co-op is a serious commitment and that the co-op is professionally governed. It can be applied to all newly appointed directors or retrospectively to include all directors.
Code of Conduct for Directors
The Code of Conduct is a policy that outlines the principles and standards that all co-op directors should follow. It is a great route to promote positive behaviour in co-op boards that underpins a board’s effectiveness. The Code has been produced to help directors meet high standards of professionalism and ethics. Its structure is a series of principles that directors agree to commit to. By committing themselves to the Code, directors signal their willingness to apply high ethical and behavioural standards in their governance and leadership activities. It should be noted that the Code is complementary to the existing “Co-operative Corporate Governance Code” (2020) framework and directors’ fiduciary requirements.
New Governance templates for SAOS Members directors
Often new directors appointed to a co-op board are unclear of their role and responsibilities. Part of best practice is to provide clarity through a letter of engagement, which notes everything down on paper. There are sections on: the length of the appointment, the expected time commitment, the role and responsibilities, remuneration (if provided), induction, confidentiality, expected code of conduct, and ongoing training. The template document can be amended by the co-op can to suit its own situation. The individual and the co-op’s representative both sign the agreement. It is a great way to signal that being a director of your
The C2Network has had a busy summer, with new thinking from the ‘Decarbonisation on Farm’ webinar in March, leading to two discussion groups around the topics of Green Hydrogen and Revalorisation of Agri Waste and Co-products.
Exciting New Possibilities Build Momentum and Interest in the C2Network
The demands on any small business have never been greater, but farm businesses have an even longer list than many, with geopolitics, international trade, climate emergency, local community needs, legislation, employment, input cost inflation, the list goes on. I would argue that few family farms can effectively assimilate and prioritise these influences whilst still focusing on producing cost effective, safe, and affordable food. However, like-minded producers, working together, have the means to benefit all, and drive meaningful, sustainable solutions. This proactive approach will find valuable alliances in supply chains and amongst stakeholders - everyone is seeking solutions, and willing partners, to help enable their own sustainability journeys.
their own co-products. This will be the first step towards building collaboration between our co-op members with IbioIC (the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre) and the JHI, as co-ops explore feasibility and the business case for new income streams as part of their sustainability strategies. Momentum around green hydrogen is growing, as is the wide range of participating organisations (including seven co-ops) that the C2Network has brought together. The group now has the opportunity to visit David Smith’s Cloffrickford Farm in September where we will be hearing firsthand of how a farming enterprise could achieve their vision of creating and storing green hydrogen on farm, as well as checking out David’s hydrogen fuel cell-powered Land Rover. Elsewhere, enthusiasm for the Earth Observation (EO) theme continues to build as the C2Network member co-ops embark on a cross sector journey to address agriculture-related challenges around data capture and decision making. Equally enthused are the Scottish EO enterprises, who now have agriculture at the forefront of their innovative tech approaches.
saos news and views
As governments and food supply chains look to fulfill policy objectives, there is no better or quicker way to help people be more proactive, and co-ordinate long-term legacy from near-term policy, than by through co-operation. Co-operation with stakeholders empowers people, and provides a strong framework on which to deliver policy goals. Co-operation is a proven rural development tool that holds untapped potential in Scotland (and for much of the UK). Scotland has many leading co-operative lights, but our studies through ICCM led us to explore relevant and hugely successful co-ops in Scandinavia, Germany, France, Italy, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, South Korea, and the United States, which was fascinating.
If co-ops are to be a better understood and more widely used, bringing benefit to both farmer and customer (including policy makers) our co-op sector must assess meaningful value, look to improve, and communicate their sustainable co-operative benefit to all parties. We must engage further and get the message across that co-operatives are the ideal solution to so many of our current challenges.
In August, we hosted our New Thinking for Agri-waste and Co-product Revalorisation webinar, with over 100 delegates including six co-ops, attending. The aim was to explore the thinking around tech-based bioprocessing that can create valorised products from feedstocks and other farming co-products. The reinsertion to the supply chain, to achieve circular bioeconomy, can be done at different scales, from ‘island widescale’, as highlighted in Peter Murphy’s presentation, through to smaller scale opportunities that can be achieved through a collective approach – ably discussed by Professor Derek Stewart of the James Hutton Institute (JHI). Both examples were based on extensive experience and learnings from previous Followingprojects.onfrom the webinar, the C2Network is progressing possibilities with co-ops interested in exploring, along with the speakers, the revalorisation of
Robert Logan’s Plea to Members/Industry Stakeholders
Without the benefit of the relationship a co-op has with its owner members, governments, as well as stakeholders and others downstream in food supply chains, must rely on legislation and admin-heavy systems to engage with thousands of individual farming businesses. Although it’s a conventional approach, reliance on this alone is unlikely to deliver the desired level of response. I touched on this in my piece in the last SAOS Update on ‘the problem of many hands’, another of the inspiring take-home message from my studies.
I recently had the privilege to work alongside fellow co-operators from across the globe through The International Centre for Co-operative Management (ICCM) based at Saint Mary’s University in Canada. Reflecting on the experience, and consolidated by working with our producer co-op members, it’s clear just how effective the co-op model is, and how well our co-ops are doing, on behalf of rural communities, to navigate challenges and target opportunities. But awareness of these and other benefits of co-ops and cooperation is disappointing low within governments and wider society. The co-op model embodies sustainability (people, place and climate) through rural economic development, empowering local communities, delivering a just transition, and supporting environmental goals. These are not marketing buzz words and phrases, these are co-op values - what being part of a co-op is all about - and ensuring a fairer way to do business for all.
co-ops news
SAOS’s Jim Booth, project lead, told us: “Many farmers are unaware of the value of farm data, and risk losing out in the data revolution. For various reasons, many potato growers don’t make use of data generated onfarm and in the supply chain, missing out on insights and opportunities from effective data management and analysis. This project will focus on tackling this
SPC has secured KTIF grant funding to help members with benchmarking, measuring carbon footprint and improved decision making through the use of data. Only in their fourth year of operation, SPC has already made a huge impact on their members businesses and are keen to do more. There are now 22 members who collectively grow 1,600 ha of ware potatoes, circa 75,000t, which the co-op markets to packers who supply the major supermarkets, and various processors.
through the improved use of data, leading to improved performance, reduced waste, lower environmental impact and improved profitability, whilst also responding to increased market expectations.”
The continuation of Scotland’s renowned quality potato production means adaptating to changing circumstances. In particular, reducing carbon footprint and improving sustainability. With high level of inputs required, potato crops have a considerable impact on the environment and greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). The challenge is how to reduce GHG emissions and environmental impact, while increasing efficiency and profitability.
John Gray has been appointed to the Ringlink Scotland Board. John is Managing Director of Angus Soft Fruits, the largest soft fruit marketing group in Scotland. He is also a member of SAOS member co-op, Angus Growers. John also grows strawberries in his own right in England. John grew up on the family farm at Auchrennie in Angus, heavily involved in soft fruit and brassicas, and he managed the packhouse during the summer holidays. After graduating he moved to Poland and managed a large-scale potato growing enterprise there for several years, before moving back to the UK to work for Angus Soft Fruits.
KTIF for Scottish Potato Co-op to Help Data-driven Decisions
Tenth Year Sees 27 Trainees Join Pre-apprenticeship Programme
The Land-based Pre-Apprenticeship 2022 got underway in June with 27 young trainees (pictured below) completing a 4-day induction at SRUC in Cupar, before commencing their six months placements with mentor businesses from July. Scottish Government and Skills Development Scotland funded the scheme as part of 3-year pilot and employers: Ringlink, Borders Machinery Ring and Tarff Services, have secured a further 3-year tranche of funding. Graham Bruce, Ringlink’s MD said: “Never has the pre-apprenticeship been as important as it is today, the shortages in skills and labour throughout the agricultural industry and across most sectors mean that it is a competitive labour market and all stakeholders need to work harder at promoting this richly diverse sector so that we make it more appealing as a career. “The apprenticeship is a vocational pathway for school leavers or new entrants, providing a SCQF level 4 qualification, certificated training tickets and 6 months full-time employment. This work-based model worksm and suits the industry well as it includes essential Health and Safety awareness and provides the fundamental skills and competency for those starting out in farming.”
SPC Chairman, Russell Brown, of Inverdovat Farms, Tayport told us: “The SPC Board is very clear on its purpose - to deliver value to both our members and customers. We operate in a very competitive market, where quality and customer focus are paramount. To stay ahead of the competition, we constantly need to think about the future. Increasingly, the pressure is on growers to improve sustainability and demonstrate actions. The need for grower-led projects like this has increased since the demise of AHDB Potatoes.”
The 10th year of the pre-apprenticeship will see almost 200 trainees having participated in the program to-date, achieving an 80% completion rate. Ringlink recently received the Skills Development Scotland’s ‘Recognition to young people skills development’ award at the North East Food & Drink Awards for the scheme, a proud moment for the team.
Ringlink Appoints John Gray to the Board
Fraser Malcolm, from SPC’s marketing agent, James Mackie (Dundee) Ltd, added: “From the onset, SPC invested in a bespoke software system which has proved invaluable to the efficient operation of the business. It links all the physical quantities of potatoes across all members’ farms, stock control is live, it issues the movement passports, and links right through to the financial accounts package. The project will give us the opportunity to explore what further information the system can provide for members to support their future decision-making.”
Despite another challenging year, First Milk’s Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending March 31, 2022, show continued profitable growth and a strengthened balance sheet, delivering long-term security for members. Key highlights include:
Grain Co-ops Collaborate to Reduce Carbon Footprint
• Net debt increased to £43.4m facilitating capital investment to build long-term resilience
• New long-term contracts secured with two largest customers, Ornua and Nestlé
• Net asset value increased by 28% (£10.6m) to £48.7m
• 96% of milk volume signed up to Regenerative Farming Programme
SAOS’s Jim Booth, project lead, remarked: “This is a great example of farm co-ops taking a leadership role to help their farmer members contribute to the climate challenge and improve their competitive position. Addressing the climate emergency is clearly too great a challenge for any individual farm business to tackle, however Scotland’s strong agricultural co-ops can be an effective solution to co-ordinating meaningful change via highly effective co-op farmer member networks. We need to see more collaboration between farm co-ops, it is one of the key principles of co-operation, and this is a great example of that collaboration in action.”
Gary Catto, CEO at Highland Grain, told us: “Future agricultural policy will focus on more sustainable food production that is profitable and, at the same time, reduces emissions. We know that farm production emits GHG emissions, but there are also opportunities to sequester carbon to offset these emissions. There is real confusion about the limitations of carbon footprints currently calculated, and the scope for farmers to store carbon in soils through improved soil health.Improving the understanding of what is economically possible is one of the objectives of the study.”
Robin Barron, General Manager at EoSF, commented: “If the ambitious targets set by the whisky industry are to be met, emissions associated with malting barley production will have to be cut drastically. This will not be easy and will take time. Through the project, we hope to identify the current situation with respect to the carbon footprint of malting barley and the scale of the challenge ahead. This is the first in a series of annual projects, looking at practical steps producers can take to reduce GHG emissions, improving soil health and management, making better use of inputs and reducing waste, and developing more resilient and sustainable arable systems.”
• Group turnover up 11% to £331m through volume growth and increased value
Shelagh Hancock, Chief Executive, said: “The last twelve months has seen considerable change within First Milk, as we accelerated our capital investment programme to secure the future for our members. Amid the uncertainty of Covid, rising prices and war in Europe, it is testament to the hard work of the First Milk team that we were able to deliver our capital projects on time and on budget, whilst continuing to build on our strong customer relationships, deliver much-needed milk price increases for our members and significantly progress our sustainability agenda.
• Acquired 5% of share capital of Agricarbon
• Operating profit of £5.1m, impacted year on year by inflation and speed of recovery
SAOS helped the co-ops by submitting a successful KTIF grant application meaning Scottish Government will fund 75% of the cost of the study.
“Indeed, we have continued to deliver against our strategic objectives, improving total returns to our members throughout the period, improving milk price by 5.8ppl, equivalent to almost £50m, and increasing net assets by 28%.
“Of course, there is no shying away from the realities of the global challenges we all face. However, I am confident that First Milk is well positioned and will continue to deliver for our members. We have great customer relationships; a growing export business; efficient, well invested production sites, a market-leading sustainability programme and, of course, some of the best dairy farmers in the world. That is a great foundation for future success.”
• Capital investment doubled to £14.9m, delivering further processing capacity and efficiency
East of Scotland Farmers and Highland Grain are helping their members prepare for the future through decarbonisation of the malting barley production. One of the most iconic symbols and brands of Scotland, Scotch whisky, accounts for 75% of Scotland’s food and drink exports, and is worth around £4.5bn (2021). The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) has announced plans to get whisky production to net zero by 2040. The industry has already started the journey to reduce GHG emissions associated with the sector’s own operations. Work carried out for the SWA showed that 37% of the GHG emissions attributed to a bottle of malt whisky comes from on-farm production of barley. It is clear that focus will increasingly turn to ‘Scope 3’ emissions, those associated with suppliers’ inputs.
Further Growth and Largest Ever Capital Investment Programme for First Milk
Malt Whisky Production - emissions by source
co-ops news
Farms in rural Scotland desperately need digital connectivity to stay in business, drive productivity and efficiency, and ensure compliance with current and future government reporting requirements. Failing to provide fit-for-purpose connectivity to our farmers will stunt competitiveness and set back our ability to respond to the climate emergency.
If any of our co-ops or their members have identified areas of poor broadband connectivity and would like to discuss being included as part of our rollout plans, please feel free to get in touch with george.noble@saos.coop
The Knowledge Bank is about accessible intelligence, accurate information and tangible actions, and the service gives its users access to a unique blend of customised market research, data analysis and consumer insights. The expertise available covers using intelligence to inform strategy, identifying new routes to market, and developing resilient supply chains. All of this we hope stimulates actionable insight which can lead to new opportunities to sell more or to sell more profitably.
Our first major deployment will be located near Kilmarnock, where we’re currently trialling our unique off-grid wireless network infrastructure. Thereafter our focus will be on connecting other parts of rural Scotland on a demand led basis, working closely with farmers, landowners and communities.
supply chains
The Knowledge Bank, the Insights service launched in the summer of 2021 is now one year old. Over the last twelve months, the programme has undertaken a range of research and insights work which can be accessed for free by anyone working in the Scottish food and farming industry, thanks to funding from the Scotland Food & Drink Recovery Plan.
George Noble, SAOS’s Data and Connectivity Manager, updates us on the new partnership between SAOS and Aiir Networks.
Aiir Networks is a recently-formed joint venture between Belshill-based IT services company, NVT Group, and SAOS’s subsidiary business, SmartRural.
Aiir Networks is a rural-first internet service provider and was formed in response to the lack of access to superfast broadband in Scotland’s rural communities and the constraints this is placing on farmers, businesses, and communities.
2022 has already been a challenging year for those involved in the sector, as we continued to feel the effects of Covid, the war in Ukraine and now the cost of living crisis, which is affecting both businesses and consumers. The Knowledge Bank is producing a monthly update which provides up to date information about input costs and consumer spending, and is a must read for any business involved in the food and farming sector. The report can be found on the Knowledge Bank’s website which was launched in June and which hosts a range of insight for all key sectors of Scotland’s food and drink industry at www.theknowledgebank.scot We continue to work with our partner organisations including QMS, Seafood Scotland, Salmon Scotland Opportunity North East and of course SAOS to ensure that the insights are making their way to those who will benefit most and over the next few months, we will be working to ensure that we push out relevant content to SAOS Co-op members. Recent examples of work that has been undertaken that have had relevance to our Co-ops include the organic market in GB, category insight – dairy, produce, meat venison and poultry and fresh fish and dairy health and wellness trends globally as well as an update on the Scottish Grocery sector. Please get in touch with Amanda Brown, Project Director of The Knowledge Bank, if you have any market insight needs: amanda.brown@saos.coop
SAOS Partnership to Help Bring Fast and Reliable Broadband to Rural Scotland
Those of you who attended the SAOS conference at the end of March may have spotted the presence of an Aiir Networks banner in the lobby and wondered (if you didn’t stop for a chat) what it was about.
Aiir Networks is unique in that it will provide a dual-purpose network delivering not only superfast broadband but also LoRaWAN connectivity to support a range of smart sensing technologies. Our outside-in, rural-first approach will accelerate the delivery of connectivity solutions to those who would otherwise be at the back of the queue.
The Knowledge Bank - Market Intelligence for Supply Chains
Technology
If you’ve any suggestions for future SAOS Updates, or you no longer wish to receive it, please contact: jennifer.thompson@saos.coop
The 2022 AgriScot Scottish Diversified Farm of the Year Award is open for nominations and entries. Following the success of the inaugural award in 2021, AgriScot, in partnership with SAC Consulting, are calling on Scottish farms with diversification businesses, to apply and receive recognition for their enterprise, and the people who run it. The competition, which is open to any Scottish farm, looks to celebrate businesses which have invested in time and resource to develop an additional income stream, alongside day-to-day farming practices. The judges are keen to see a wide range of applicants come forward, who can demonstrate excellent customer service, collaboration, support for their community and a willingness to adapt to the changing landscape. Whether your business is operating a meat box scheme, farm shop, vending machines, holiday cottage, wellness retreat, cookery school or clothing and textile business, to name but a few, they all contribute to Scotland’s economy. Winners and finalists will receive widespread recognition, offering the opportunity of new customers, increased sales and a chance to celebrate all they have achieved. The winners will be announced at AgriScot, on 16 November. Apply through the website at www.agriscot.co.uk or nominate a business by email at info@agriscot.co.uk The closing date is 19 September.
As we go to press we’re looking forward to getting our glad rags on for the Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards which are back with a bang and, for the first time, the celebrations are taking place during Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight.
Co-operationSupply
A successful sheep producer demonstrating excellence in production, stockmanship and management, Graham Lofthouse of Bankhouse Farm, Galashiels is on the shortlist for FW’s Sheep Farmer of the Year award. Graham has transitioned his farming enterprise from a high-input, high-output, operation to a grassbased, outdoor lambing flock of Easycare ewes, using rotational grazing and forage crops to extend the grazing season.
Flowers Grown in Scotland held their first AGM on 23rd August at Tomnah’a Market Garden, Crieff. The day was also combined with an open day the group organised, aimed at Scottish cut flower growers up and down the country. Claire Dyce of Grampian Growers told us: “There was an excellent turnout despite the rain and it was great to welcome new growers looking for inspiration and meet likeminded growers. We had several horticultural representatives from SRUC and Perth College UHI looking to collaborate with the group, and we discussed some really exciting opportunities for partnering up on several project ideas.”
Stuart is on the short list for the Mixed Farmer of the Year award. In 2016, he replaced his 1,000-head ewe flock with
The Farmers Weekly Awards take place on 6th October and the shortlists for two of the awards include two collaborative farmers well-known to SAOS; Stuart Mitchell, host of the Whitriggs Monitor Farm and Graham Lofthouse, Vice Chairman of Borders Machinery Ring.
ChainsCollaborationTechnologyData
Awards Season is in Full Swing
SAOS’s Fergus Younger and wife Alison, whose farm Old Leckie won the Farmers Weekly Diversification Award last year, are judges for that category this year. Fergus said: “It is a huge achievement just to be shortlisted when you see the volume and quality of applications coming forward. It’s great to get a bit of recognition for all the hard work. We wish the guys the best of luck.”
Innovation
His attention to detail is exceptional and he has performance recorded his flock for many years, now culminating in his own on-farm sale of tups. Graham is a previous winner of agri -scot farmer of the year and runs his own farmer consultancy – Grazing to Profit – to help farmers with grazing management.
Flowers Grown in Scotland now has over 25 members, all listed on our new website: www.flowersgrowninscotland.co.uk
330 red deer, which he now runs alongside his organic beef and arable farm. Restructuring the business has greatly improved efficiency and reduced labour requirements at Whitriggs. Stuart said: “ We run a modern business using holistic methods fit for purpose in a post-subsidy world. We’re striving to reduce reliance on inputs while producing food that the market wants. After the past few years of big challenges on the farm I feel that, this year, all aspects of the business have come together. I am really proud of all that our whole team has achieved in recent years and I strongly believe that the way we are farming now is the way to a bright future for family run farms. The business shows how farming can be sustainable, profitable, environmentally friendly, and importantly – enjoyable.”
Flowers Grown in Scotland collaboration
Working together to shape the future of farming and food.
