You are cordially invited...
The Highland Show is nearly upon us once again and we look forward to welcoming SAOS’s member co-op directors to the SAOS/ScotEID stand and ‘new look’ tea room area from 4-6pm on Thursday, 22nd June - please join us for a catch up drink and some nibbles. If you can join us please RSVP by email to: jennifer.thompson@saos.coop before 13th June.
We hope to see you either at the reception or pop in for a chat and make use of the tea room catering. SmartRural will once again have some of their wares ‘on show’, so come and have a chat about new developments and what’s ‘coming soon’. We are absolutely delighted to be able to host again some of the glorious blooms from the Flowers Grown in Scotland group, who SAOS helped bring together. Whatever the weather they are sure to brighten up the tea room. We are situated ringside on 7th Avenue - look out for Edie the colourful EID cow!
Growing Tomorrow’s Leaders Celebrates First Graduation and Launch of Year Two
For decades, SAOS has supported farmers, co-op directors and staff, to develop their skills and knowledge through a varied programme of events and training. Last year, we launched Growing Tomorrow’s Leaders, which we’d developed with input from an industry steering group and support from NFU Mutual and NFUS, to help meet the need for more training with a strategic focus.
Our vision was to develop a programme to help build leadership skills in the potential leaders for tomorrow, but also to help refresh and offer new ways of thinking for those already well-advanced in their career, enabling all participants with a positive mindset and the ability to take on, not only the multiple challenges facing today’s industry, but also those ahead.
The programme is run by The Leadership Factory and we are absolutely delighted with how well it was received and particularly that our first cohort got so much from it and are recommending it to others.
We’ve been working on tweaks to the next run for ‘23/24 but the combined application and nomination process remains; Growing Tomorrow’s Leaders provides employers with the opportunity to encourage and upskill their most promising employees by nominating them for the programme, and we also welcome individual applications from those with drive and ambition to expand their learning and ‘future proofing’ for the challenges of today, tomorrow and the future.
Find out more and register your interest now at: https://saos.coop/events-and-training/growing-tomorrows-leaders You can also listen to an OnFARM podcast recorded with our first cohort on their graduation day at: https://podfollow.com/onfarm/view
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Pictured from left: Stephen Hibbard, course leader, Amanda Killen, Kate Hopper, Kate Blues, Scott Gallacher, John Taylor, Anna Davies, Ryan Dorsie, Alison Stirling, Abbie McGillivray, Diana McGowan, Fiona Marshall, course leader and Jilly Duncan Grant. Missing from the pic: Jill Lowe and Colin McCluckie
Exciting Possibilities for Valorising Potato Co-products
In a great example of how the C2Network can harness the power of co-operation between industry and academia, a joint project from Grampian Growers and Robert Gordon University (RGU), has recently been awarded funding through the IBIoIC Feasibility Fund.
The project will explore the development of a process to recover high value compounds from potato haulms (the stems and foliage from potato plants) a co-product which is currently left to decay in the field having been chopped or sprayed off.
Through their Feasibility Fund scheme,
IBIoIC provides industry with the opportunity to tap into the expertise of Scotland’s academics to assist with a biotech-focused proof of concept study. In this project, RGU will look at the characteristics of the haulms (green versus dry haulms) and the technology used to extract high value chemicals to identify the potential for scaling up for specific market opportunities.
In manufacturing, environmental drivers are growing in importance when it comes to sourcing ingredients such as the bioactive compounds which are found in the haulms. These bioactives are of great interest to the pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical industries due to the growing demand for ‘clean labelling’ and the use of simple, natural ingredients. Currently, China and India are the main manufactures of such compounds, and their main source is a co-product from the tobacco industry. Sourcing the bioactives from potato haulms, and using green extraction technologies to do so, are seen as more sustainable.
Paty Rojas of the C2Network commented: “Valorising potato haulms to extract new components will represent a paradigm shift for agriculture. And there is another possible circular economy opportunity for Grampian Growers, through the use of the haulms as a feedstock generating an additional return to their farmer members.
“It’s great for the C2Network to have been involved in another example of how co-ops driving innovation and contributing to the circular economy. We welcome enquiries from other co-ops if they feel there is an innovative idea to be considered.”
Get in touch by emailing C2Network@saos.coop
CARAS Awards for SAOS’s Bob and Jim
We were delighted to hear the news that our ‘SAOS stalwarts’ have been recognised again by the Council for Awards of the Royal Agricultural Societies. We were remiss in not reporting that Bob Yuill (right) Deputy CEO and ScotEID Director, was recognised last year as an Associate (ARAgS) for his outstanding contribution to Scottish agriculture.
Going one step further, in recognition of his outstanding personal achievements and continuing record of service to agriculture, Jim Booth (bottom right), our Head of Co-op Development, has been advanced from Associate to a Fellow of the Royal Agricultural Societies (FRAgS).
The objective of the UK-wide CARAS organisation is to recognise, through an Awards scheme, distinguished achievement in agriculture and related landbased industries. A Fellowship or Associateship is a recognition of outstanding contribution by an individual to the understanding, efficiency and well-being of agriculture, beyond their normal duties and responsibilities.
The Awards embrace not only practical farming and the development of new husbandry practices, but also research, technology, economics, education, farming care, communication and administration.
Congratulations to both Bob and Jim!
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Decarbonising Malting Barley Project Update
The background for this KTIF project to decarbonise the production of malting barley is The Scotch Whisky Association’s aim to get whisky production to net zero by 2040, coupled with the estimation that 37% of the carbon footprint of a bottle of whisky is attributed to on-farm production.
The project, with East of Scotland Farmers and Highland Grain, involved working with 16 grower members selected
across a range of soil types, farm sizes and cropping systems.
Jim Booth shares some of the main learnings from the first year of the project, the first of which must be to acknowledge that the task of reducing emissions per tonne of output, to a meaningful extent, is going to be a huge challenge.
• The crop yield of spring barley across the 16 focus farms varied from 6.2 – 8.6t/ha with an average of 7.4t/ha. It is noted that the 2022 harvest produced a record cereal crop with above average yields, which also required little drying. Plant breeding over the last decade has resulted in higher yielding malting barley varieties.
• The average GHG emissions for a hectare of spring barley in the project was 2,731 Kg CO2e, with a range from 1,942 – 3,922 Kg CO2e. Converted to output at 1 tonne of spring barley, this equates to 369kg CO2e. The range per tonne varied from 290 – 530kg CO2e.
• The main sources of GHG emissions in malting barley is fertiliser (nitrogen in particular) and energy to power machinery and dry grain – both account for some 83% of GHG emissions in malting barley production.
• That said, the single most important factor in determining the carbon footprint of malting barley is crop yield.
• The main message is that optimised yield is the key for both profitability and delivering ‘low carbon’ produce into the supply chain. Cutting back on fertiliser and other inputs does reduce the GHG emissions per ha, but may not when converted to a unit of output.
• Based on one year’s experience, there was no correlation between different farm systems and GHG emission levels. The impact on emissions of a specific production system is less than the impact of a farmers’ ability to manage that system efficiently.
• The results from the carbon audits highlighted the importance of accurately inputting the data into the calculator. There needs to be improved validation of the inputted data to ensure greater accuracy.
• Business efficiency - using less inputs without reducing output - is the key. It is believed there is currently scope for growers to reduce their GHG emissions to the order of 5-15% by improving their efficiency and reducing waste
The science around climate change and carbon is challenging for everyone. The current science with carbon measurement tools is often too blunt to be useful and suggested prescriptions often do not have sensible or positive outcomes.
For further information on the project contact: Jim Booth (jim.booth@saos.coop)
Quality Meat Scotland Board Appointments
Congratulations to the new appointees to QMS’s Board recently announced by Cabinet Secretary, Mairi Gougeon: Emma Buckby, Jilly Duncan Grant and Carrie Ruxton. We were particularly delighted to see Jilly’s appointment as she is one of our recent Growing Tomorrow’s Leaders graduates. Jilly said: “Growing Tomorrow’s Leaders was a key cog in the wheel that enabled me to take the plunge and apply for the role.”
Jilly is Co-Founder and CEO of Herd Advance, a company set up to support the growth and sustainability of the livestock industry.
With her husband and family, Jilly farms a 1500-acre mixed beef and arable business in Aberdeenshire. She holds a Masters in Agri-business Management from SAC Craibstone, and has held roles within the Oil and Gas and Offshore Wind sectors, SRUC and with meat processor, Grampian Country Food Group.
Emma Buckby is based on a sheep and beef farm in the Scottish Borders and is also the Head of the UK Market for a leading livestock Agtech. She has research interests in farmer decision-making and profitability in livestock farming and has completed an MBA specialising in farm businesses.
Carrie Ruxton, PhD, comes from a Perthshire farming background and is a registered dietitian and freelance communications consultant with nearly 30 years in nutrition and health.
Carrie has extensive media experience, regularly featuring in national and local media for her expertise in nutrition. A founding board member of Food Standards Scotland, Carrie has an appreciation of the importance of ensuring meat quality, authenticity and safety, and the work that goes into delivering this for the Scottish consumer.
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SQC Streamlines Audits for Oat Growers Through FIA
Scottish Quality Crops (SQC) has confirmed that LEAF Marque certification will now be offered to its members alongside the annual audit. This globally recognised standard has seen significant uptake in the last year as the supply chain commits to more sustainable sourcing of product, and Scotland can be a major contributor to the truly sustainable production of food.
Delivered through its sole certification body, Food Integrity Assurance (FIA), this can be carried out jointly with other farm assurance schemes to avoid duplication.
This is significant for farmers in Scotland growing for Quaker Oats, as Quaker is working towards becoming LEAF Marque-certified as part of a partnership between PepsiCo and LEAF.
Managing Director of SQC, Teresa Dougall, said: “There are over 100 farmers in Scotland growing for Quaker Oats, who are working towards LEAF Marque certification. Key for our members is minimising the time and pressure of audits and, as part of this commitment to growers, we are delighted to now be able to offer this service through FIA to streamline LEAF Marque audits into one assessment where possible.”
What did we learn our Supply Chain Mapping?
supply chains
Further to her blog piece: “Why Supply Chain Mapping is Key for Business Resilience”, Supply Chain Development Manager, Rona Sutherland, gives an update on this important work and what we’ve learned from it.
What did we learn from mapping Scotland’s food and drink sectors?
Mapping our food and drink sectors has furthered our work in accurately identifying the key strengths of the supply chain here in Scotland. Crucially, our varied geography, soil conditions and temperate climate allow Scotland to produce an extensive range of animal and crop products both naturally and sustainably. In a world where care for the planet and its limited resources are of paramount importance, this gives Scotland a major advantage. Coupled with that, extensive animal health, welfare and whole chain assurance systems have been developed in Scotland to underpin the provenance of our products, several of which, including whisky, seafood, salmon, beef, and seed potatoes, enjoy a world-wide reputation as premium quality products.
We have also identified some of the key drivers pushing change across the agri food landscape today. The consumer now demands greater sustainability, requiring less packaging and use of plastics, less use of antibiotics, there is reduced consumption of meat and an increase in plant-based diets. Additionally, we live in a volatile political climate, and this has led to disruption across global supply chains, highlighting the need for greater self-sufficiency in food production and the development of more local food and drink supply chains. We see greater demand for supply chain transparency and robustness, coupled with the need for greater efficiency, to mitigate the effects of soaring costs and labour shortages. All these are driving the requirement for greater automation and digitisation in the industry.
How ready are we to respond?
This work has identified common issues that we need to tackle if we want to have a food and drink industry that is truly ‘future fit’. Some of these are infrastructural and involve other sectors too, but tackling these, in the first instance, will require a long-term, co-ordinated, and strategic approach that includes partnership working between Government and industry.
Key priorities include:
• road, ferry, air and seaport infrastructure and capacity
• warehousing, cold storage and freezing capacity
• UK ownership and control of critical supplies
• rural housing availability and digital connectivity in rural areas.
There are other issues where the opportunity exists for each sector to take a proactive lead on progressing the change required. These include:
• maximising value from waste streams
• greater use of recycling technologies
• greater uptake of renewables, precision farming techniques and smart technology
• development of low impact alternatives to chemicals for disease and pest control
• development of new skills including digital, data and tech.
If you are interested in hearing more about SAOS’s supply chain work and discussing in detail any supply chain issues you are facing, please contact the team via patricia.rojas@saos.coop. We’d really like to hear from you.
collaboration
Tarff Valley Helping Pave the way for Agricultural Futures
The significant labour shortage in agricultural continues to be a worry for the sector and it is vital that young people are made aware of the career opportunities available. Tarff Valley has been working hard over the last few years to initiate and promote educational pathways into the sector. The co-op has recently expanded the range of educational pathways offered by their services division, Tarff Services, having become a provider of a National Progression Award in Agriculture for young people looking to get into the agricultural industry.
Following the success of the Pre-Apprenticeship Programme and the introduction of Modern Apprenticeships in Agriculture run through Tarff Services, the team has been working to introduce a National Progression Award (NPA) to senior school pupils.
The business has secured approval from the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) to roll out an NPA for S4S6 school students. The ‘Investigation of Modern Agriculture’ course provides students with a blended learning approach, coupling school lessons with trips to local farms for a more hands on perspective. Tarff Valley staff who specialise in particular subject areas, including nutrition and agronomy, will host talks on farms and in the classroom including practical demonstrations to help with the learning process.
Running across the academic year, the course is a great introductory scheme for students who are keen to find out more and ideally kickstart a career within the sector. On completion of the NPA, students have several potential next steps including the Pre-Apprenticeship and Modern Apprenticeship programmes through Tarff Services.
Tarff Valley is committed to ensuring that young people are aware of the opportunities available within a nationally important industry and to supporting youngsters considering a career within the sector.
For more info email services@tarffvalley.co.uk.
ANM’s Focus on Member Loyalty and Service Sees Another Successful Year
At their AGM in April, the ANM Group reflected on another successful year, which saw the co-op post a trading profit of £649,000 and return £590,000 to members. The Thainstone-based business also reported an increase in core auction operations throughput of 6.7% to £139.7m.
The results highlighted a number of enhancements to the Group’s member benefits, including trading members saving £424,000 in reduced shareholder commission rates and £128,000 saved on interest on their livestock finance service. The value of the members’ investment in the Group has grown to over £7m, underlining the increased recognition of the value the co-op brings.
The new AGM Group Chairman, Mike Macaulay, said: “These results consolidate everything that is positive about our co-operative values and our desire, as a Group, to succeed for our members. The Board is clear: delivering value for our members is fundamental in our priorities, and has been built on 150 years of solid foundations. We are proud to have a suite of member benefits delivering meaningful impact for our local communities.
“Our focus on supporting the industry and members we represent has been key to our strategy, and these results leave us in no doubt that this strategy is bearing fruit.”
Grant Rogerson, Chief Executive, added: “As a business, we will continue to reward our members loyalty. With their continued support, we can ensure we bring them the strongest returns, as we focus on delivering service
and value. I’m very proud of everything my team has achieved – performing well, strengthening the business, and delivering an excellent set of results for our members.”
In other news, ANM has launched a greatly enhanced version of their Thainstone Online Marketplace platform, providing additional routes to market for agricultural businesses.
The Thainstone Online Marketplace offers online trading services in which purchases and sales of livestock and fodder can be made direct from farm to farm, with the assistance of an experienced fieldsperson at the heart of each transaction.
In recent months the platform has seen the team sourcing and selling stock throughout the UK, with high herd health and premium health scheme benefits being an integral influential driver during the process. The listings provide customers looking to trade stock with a variety of information, images and video content to help with their purchases.
Robin Anderson, Head of Strategic Development for the Groups Livestock Division, said: “As a co-operative organisation, ANM Group is always looking to innovate and provide exceptional services to members and customers. Making improvements to the Thainstone Online Marketplace ensures we can continue to offer the best possible service available in the sector.
Check out the updated Thainstone Online Marketplace portal at: https://www.anmgroup.co.uk/thainstone/
co-ops news
B Corp and Kings Award for First Milk’s Regenerative Agri Work
Back in 2021, First Milk committed to an ambition set of targets around net zero and set out to find innovative ways to continue producing great quality dairy, while also addressing climate change and nature loss.
Mark Brooking, FM’s Sustainability Director, explains: “The two issues are very much intertwined. The Regenerative Farming Programme with our members has been really well received and continues to evolve, with member farms committing to a range of field-level regenerative interventions each year. Our farmers now get a score for their interventions, meaning they see the potential positive impact their decisions are making.”
Members are asked to adopt the five principles of regenerative farming within their decision-making, as Mark explains: “The first is livestock integration; a commitment to provide access to grazing pasture for the cows on our members’ farms. Second is about minimising soil disturbance, so trying not to plough fields if there are alternative means of crop establishment.
Third, we look for farms to protect the soil surface, particularly over winter, using cover crops to prevent soil erosion. Fourth, to encourage plant diversity, which sees farms establishing multi-species swards, and finally, we focus on maintaining living roots, avoiding periods with no living crop in a field.
“This extends to maintaining habitat for wildlife, allowing hedgerows to flourish, and protecting unproductive areas of the farm for nature. It’s not about extensification, but farming in harmony with nature to produce food efficiently.”
The project has continued to develop and is now one of the leading projects of its type in the UK having seen samples from more than 13,000 hectares of land, across nearly 3,000 fields, in more than 35,000 spoil sample locations. The analysis of these samples has shown that the soil carbon stock in these fields is around 1.5 million tonnes – an average of 116 tonnes/hectare.
To determine the benefits of regenerative agricultural practices will take time, as the business won’t be able to see data on changes in soil carbon for five years after the initial baseline sampling. But Mark is confident that adopting regenerative approaches will deliver benefits.
“Even the baseline data starts to show some interesting trends in terms of the carbon stored in different soil types and under different long-term management. The data collected so far is being analysed by Leeds Uni to pull out statistically significant themes, which we’ll look to share.”
“We know regenerative practices can help increase soil organic matter, and that every 0.1% of additional soil organic matter per hectare equates to nine tonnes of CO2 removed from the atmosphere through sequestration. But these practices don’t only lock carbon up in soil. The same 0.1% increase in soil organic matter means that soil can hold an additional 28,000 litres of water per hectare, reducing flood risk and run-off, and providing more drought resilience.”
Of course, this relies on First Milk’s farmer members sharing the same commitment, but its Regenerative Farming Programme has been well-received to date.
“In 2022 our members committed to almost 131,000 individual field-level regenerative interventions using our unique digital mapping tool,” Mark concluded. “Whilst it is still early days, we believe we’re well-placed to achieve our target and, with our broader activity, we are increasingly confident that we can put dairy at the heart of the climate solution, enriching life and securing the future for all.”
In addition, First Milk has become a Certified B Corp, which the co-op sees as a natural fit with their wider regenerative activity and vision focused around animals, people and planet. Certified B Corporations, or B Corps, are companies verified to meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability.
And finally, Fist Milk has been honoured as one the first recipients of the King’s Award for Sustainable Development. These reflect His Majesty’s desire to continue the legacy of the late Queen by recognising successful UK businesses (previously known as The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise) and recognise the co-op’s outstanding achievements in this area.
Find out more and check out their new website and branding at: www.firstmilk.co.uk
United Oilseeds Says Farewell and Welcome to MDs
Chris Baldwin retires as MD of United Oilseeds at the end of August. He thanked the members, board, staff, and suppliers for their loyalty, hard work and support in a note to members recently, reminding them that when he joined UO in 2004, turnover was £348,000 and net worth £1.2 million.
Over the last 16 years, the co-op has paid over £5.5 million to trading members in profit share and now has a net worth of £15.3 million and a turnover of £173 million. UO now sells 30% of the UK’s certified oilseed rapeseed market, trades 34% of the UK’s OSR crop and is the recognised industry specialist and authority on oilseed rape. Chris summed up: “Surrounded by multi-nationals and ever-increasing industry rationalisation, our members have increased their loyalty to our independent co-operative and value its outstanding service, excellent pool prices and member benefits.”
James Warner (pictured) joined UO in April and takes over from Chris on his departure. He has over 20 years’ experience in the agricultural sector, most recently he was responsible for the imported sunflower seed meal and rapeseed meal business in the UK and French markets for ADM Agriculture.
James told members: “Having joined United Oilseeds in April, I have already experienced first-hand the professionalism and dedication of our Head Office team and regional Area Managers. Their commitment to providing members and customers with the highest levels of service is driven by company-wide expertise and enthusiasm. I look forward to meeting our members and suppliers personally and continuing to build long-term relationships for the benefit of our farmers’ co-op.”
co-ops news
Opportunities and New Business as Scottish Veg Growers Merge
Two of Scotland’s longest established fresh produce organisations, East of Scotland Growers (ESG) and R&K Drysdales (RKD) have merged in a bid to create further opportunities for Scottish growers.
Key UK producers for their respective cropping, both groups have independently grown their businesses over recent years; their combined collective turnover is around £50 million.
The merger will amalgamate the growing regions, providing new opportunities for farmers in Berwickshire, Scottish Borders, Lothians, Fife, Angus, Kincardineshire and Perthshire.
ESG and RKD have also established a new business - Pease Bay Farms - to grow brassica crops across more than 1,000 acres, growing exclusively for the merger.
ESG’s 15 grower members produce crops including broccoli,
co-ops news
cauliflower, cabbages, carrots, onions, and asparagus, producing more than 6,000 acres of brassicas on Scotland’s fertile east coast.
RKD is one of the UK’s leading Brussels sprout grower and packers, with sophisticated and high output grading, packing and storage facilities. In addition to Brussels sprouts, RKD also grows and packs swede and leeks at their facility in Berwickshire. Andrew Faichney, ESG’s MD, said the merger combined two firms with “a longstanding history of high-quality produce”. He added: “This merger provides stability and security for our membership and will provide an additional range of products and value to customers. “This is a very exciting development, not just for the ESG and RKD stakeholders, but the entire fresh produce farming industry here in Scotland.”
Innovation
Swimming Robot Ready to Dive Into Market
In our Winter 2020 Update we reported on a partnership between East of Scotland Farmers; tech start up, Crover Ltd; and Agri-EPI Centre having been awarded £250,000 for a feasibility study from the ‘ISCF TFP science and technology into practice’ funding competition.
The collaboration was one of the first iterations of what’s become our C2Network helping SAOS member co-ops embark on technology-based R&D projects and play their part in co-innovation. We were delighted therefore to read of Crover’s upcoming launch to market and of their new base at the National Robotarium in Edinburgh’s Heriot Watt University - a state-of-the-art
£22million hub specialising in AI and robotics which opened in September. The ‘swimming’ robotic device was developed to sample grain bulks at various depths as part of a solution to tackle post-harvest storage losses. Increased periods of drought and heavy rain cause problems for growers, but the challenges don’t end once the grain is in store – uncontrolled temperature and moisture levels can lead to pests and mould which, due to the difficult task of monitoring, contribute to global post-harvest grain losses of around 30%.
Dr Lorenzo Conti, founder and Crover MD, said: “Our device is designed to be controlled from one spot and saves whoever is operating it many hours of work as well as improving accuracy. The robot can ‘swim’ through the grain quickly generating a 3D map of temperature and moisture across the stack. This insight can help farmers better understand the condition of their grain and make informed decisions earlier re ventilation or pest control measures.” Initially helped with Innovate UK funding, Crover set out to tackle the problem with the robotic device that can test grain where existing methods cannot. Over 18 months, the Crover was trialled at ESF, as well as a farm in Northumberland and within Agri-EPI’s network of partner farms.
Dr Conti told us: “We have been increasing the number of pilots and are currently finalising the certification process, so we should be ready for launch within the next couple of months.”
“Post-harvest losses have serious financial impacts for cereal farmers, grain merchants, millers and breweries. They also have significant social and environmental consequences, which are becoming ever more pressing due to threats such as increasing global food demand, intense price volatility, and harvest unpredictability due to climate change. Four and a half billion people per year are exposed to dangerous mycotoxins from grain moulds which contaminate 25% of the world’s food supply. The carbon footprint from cereal storage losses equates to 6% of global greenhouse gas emissions from food waste.”
Crover’s aim is to improve grain storage systems, helping to build resilience in the grain supply chain and the wider global food system. We wish them every success! Find out more at: www.crover.tech
Working together to shape the future of farming and food.
If you’ve any suggestions for future SAOS Updates, or you no longer wish to receive it, please contact: jennifer.thompson@saos.coop
Co-operation Supply Chains Collaboration Technology Data Innovation
