FARMERS ON FRONTLINETHE
As global focus grows on tackling the climate crisis, Scottish farmers are rising to the challenge. A smart investment to put the right trees in the right place. Why methane reduction is an important tool for more immediate results.
FORESTRY FOR THE FUTURE GREEN BEEF BUT HOW GREEN? IN THIS ISSUE Supporting sustainable growth WHAT WE’RE WORKING ON TO ADD VALUE TO YOUR BUSINESS AUTUMN EDITION 2021
Sticking with net zero, Ben Law, who leads our Forestry team, examines the vital role trees will play in a climate-conscious world. What opportunities are there for landowners who can put the right trees in the right place, from farming woodlands to major estates. To complement that, Andrew Bauer, Head of Food & Footprint, writes about carbon trading; the farming and stewardship of carbon is gaining traction but the market for carbon continues to change at a rapid pace, with demand outstripping supply, and it’s important to make the right long-term choices.
InandTenacityInnovation,Resilience,CreativitythissecondeditionofPerspectivesasweapproachCOP
26, we focus on net zero farming, carbon, biodiversity, and ongoing work across SRUC and SAC Consulting to support sustainable food production.
Also in this edition, Professor Fiona Burnett updates us on current crop trials work, the Veterinary Services team talk animal health and Nicola Holden, Professor in Food Safety explains antimicrobial resistance, why do we need to know about it and the research ongoing at SRUC to combat it. BY ANDREW LACEY, HEAD OF SAC CONSULTING
As the year draws to a close we can reflect on quite a year.
Inevitably market forces are always keen to offer a correction and the rapid increase in some input costs will bring significant challenges to overall profitability.
Turning to livestock Gavin Hill, Head of Knowledge Exchange shares findings of recent projects focussed on improving efficiency in Scotland’s dairy and suckler beef herds, as well as news on the current livestock projects ongoing at the SRUC research farms. And with methane hitting the headlines again in the recent high profile IPCC report, learn about SRUC’s collaborative ‘green shed’ project. Can we take advantage of the normal periods when cattle are housed to capture the methane as it comes from the animals?
Perspectives Autumn 2021
COP26 brings a renewed focus on emissions from agriculture and how we meet targets for net zero, and we examine the progress being made. Our Farming for Better Climate project, led by Rebecca Audsley and now its in 12th year, has identified many practical means to reduce emissions on farm. Rebecca looks at how farmers can contribute to net zero goals as well as bring benefits to their own bottom line. Niall Campbell also shares his perspective on farming and crofting in the North West, the responsibilities of balancing food production, mitigating climate change and improving biodiversity.
In many places warmth when we needed it, rain when we needed it and dry when we needed it. A late start but ultimately abundant grass growth, a short clean harvest period, livestock prices maintained at similarly high levels to 2020.
We mustn’t forget that the industry has many of the tools in the bag to deliver already. This has been evident in the run up to COP26 where we have supported NFUS and QMS in a series of farm visits for MSPs and local councillors. These highlighted the importance of sustainable food production for the country, and the benefits of agriculture to the Scottish economy. More efficient use of fertilisers and manures, increasing legumes in rotations, nutrient budgeting, yield mapping, improved livestock health, fertility and growth, reduced or zero tillage systems, integrated pest management, farm woodlands, hedgerows, peatland and wetland restoration, renewable energy, electric vehicles, reduced fuel use, etc, they are all playing their part. It’s so important to tell the real story of farmers across Scotland, their resilience, ability to innovate, tenacity and creativity.
It can be frustrating to enter a further period of consultation but progress is being made. We remain active in presenting positive ideas to support the industry going forward and we would urge the farming industry as a whole to do the same. It’s important the voices of the producers are heard. 2
COVID has abated but it has still affected our operations in the last 6 months and continues to put constraints on events and meetings. Thank you for your patience and for your support as we have worked through the challenges together. Those challenges keep coming. We recognise this here at SAC Consulting and we continue to modernise our services as well as make deeper connection with research and education colleagues. We strongly believe our integration is key to getting new knowledge and the latest science to your field as quickly as possible. We want to give you the balanced view across difficult issues such as climate change, alternative land uses and rural enterprise. In the short-term farmers will certainly be asked to baseline their activities and then be assessed on the outcomes as years go by; the outcomes being improved productivity, reduced emissions, and increased biodiversity. Such ‘conditional’ payment mechanisms will become the norm, and the choices each farmer makes will sometimes have favourable or adverse impacts on these criteria. Being informed with the latest science will be key. This was relevant to our contribution to the Farmer Led Groups and many of those ideas are present in the latest consultation and are themes in the Scottish Government’s recently convened Agricultural Reform Implementation Oversight Board (ARIOB).
Get in touch
Read more about SRUC and SAC Consulting preparations for COP26, working with organisations across the industry as we approach this most significant policy making event. www.sruc.ac.uk/cop26 Climate change action Andrew.Lacey@sac.co.uk 07384 248 397
We all must cut our carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. For farmers, crofters and land managers, routine biological processes also give rise to two other potent greenhouse gases for consideration. Nitrous oxide (N2O) from cultivation including application of nitrogen fertilisers and manures, and methane (CH4), as a by-product of ruminant digestion. (Read more about the “green cow shed” from John Farquar on page 19.)
From changing market demands to new legislation and policy, farmers are old hands at adapting to a shifting picture. However, the climate change agenda brings something different, with calls for a global reduction around dairy and meat consumption as livestock emissions come under increased scrutiny as a driver for climate change. Reports suggest that methane emissions from livestock are responsible for approximately 50% of the greenhouse gas emissions associated with agriculture in Scotland. However, we should not lose sight of the role livestock play in a low emission supply chain when not considered in isolation; grazing livestock turns grass, a crop we are well suited to growing in Scotland, into a high-quality source of protein.
As COP26 shines a spotlight on agriculture, farmers and producers are already taking strides to reduce emissions intensity as part of day-to-day practices. Working with volunteer focus farmers across Scotland, the Farming for a Better Climate initiative has seen first-hand the innovative measures farmers are putting in place and the benefits these can have for the farm business. Measuring, benchmarking and incremental steps to lower emissions can and do go hand in hand in hand with improvements to the bottom line.
As the global focus on tackling the climate crisis grows, Scottish farmers are rising to the challenge of net zero carbon.
REBECCA AUDSLEY, FARMING FOR A BETTER CLIMATE PROJECT LEAD Perspectives Autumn 2021
Farmers on the front line of climate change
Glasgow, Scotland and the UK will be in the spotlight in November as the international climate summit COP26 sees countries gather to negotiate commitments to limit global temperature increases to no more than 2oC above pre-industrial levels. The ideal is to keep this figure nearer to 1.5oC to minimise the global impact of climate change. Reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) suggest these climate targets are steadily moving further from our grasp. The longer global society dithers around meaningful action, the greater the risk that even more radical changes will be needed to avert catastrophic climate change.
Keep up with Farming for a Better Climate on Facebook and Twitter @SACFarm4Climate and visit www.farmingforabetterclimate.org for a range of information, case studies and practical guides to more carbon friendly techniques, as we strive to help Scottish agriculture become more economically and environmentally sustainable 4 Rebecca.Audsley@sac.co.uk 07786 313885 Get in touch 1 www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/ 2 www.climatexchange.org.uk/research/projects/emissions-from-livestock-production/ 3 www.farmingforabetterclimate.org 4 www.agrecalc.com
started with a range of baseline data including a carbon footprint via Agrecalc. The carbon audit gave another way to look at the farm business, identifying how farms were performing in carbon terms and how they compared with like businesses. The first group of four farmers saved an average of £20,000 and cut the farm carbon footprint by 10%, solely through small changes to current practices. For the second cohort of nine farms, all have made both financial and carbon Opportunitiessavings.
for carbon reduction measures were often found around soil management, nutrient use and optimising livestock performance through feed, fertility and health measures, even on the most technically efficient farms.
Thirteen climate change focus farmers across two cohorts signed up for a three-year programme with the Scottish Government funded Farming for a Better Climate initiative. The volunteer host farmers worked with SAC Consulting and other industry specialists to explore changes that could benefit both the farm business and the environment, sharing their journey through a series of on farm meetings and Hostpublications.farmers
Farm soils can often be overlooked, and we have continued to pursue the soil story with a group of farmers interested in soil regenerative agriculture. The group are trialling both old and new soil regenerative agriculture measures and sharing their findings. The challenge of establishment of cover crops, foliar application of nutrients and soil biological health are all areas the group have been exploring.
There is no denying we are against the clock when it comes to climate change; we must all continue to make changes to daily activities that can cumulatively help Scotland achieve its net zero target by 2045.
Opportunities for on-farm sequestration are also gaining prominence, with farmers potentially able to offset their emissions on farm through ‘sequestering’ or locking up carbon into trees, hedges, grasslands and soils through natural biological processes. Other industries are also turning to the agricultural sector to buy up carbon credits to offset their own emissions; the decision to sell your carbon sequestration options off farm should not be taken lightly, as once sold, the opportunity is no longer there to be used by the farm business. Read more on this from Andrew Bauer on page 11
• For many habitats lack of grazing will lead to a loss of biodiversity. Habitats and species have developed within farming systems since farming began, removing that management means habitats deteriorate and species are driven out. Corncrakes are a great example. Grasslands, moorlands and their associated species need grazing animals to maintain them.
Therefore, accepting that good carbon management is still vitally important, there should be a recognised “low carbon farming” metric that accepts that some carbon emissions are acceptable. Specifically, where a business is putting more of a focus and a higher priority on managing biodiversity. It is ok that biodiversity trumps carbon and indeed that should be encouraged where it is clear that the businesses carbon management is also under control.
• And clearly on abandoned land, there is no food being produced and little or no other economic or community activity.
Perspectives Autumn 2021
But a low ground ewe will produce 2 or 3 times the kg of output of lamb and therefore is judged much more carbon efficient. If we prioritise carbon management in the extensive farming areas, the big danger is that a drive to improve efficiency could have a very negative impact on biodiversity through the ploughing up, liming, fertilising, spraying of grasslands to boost output per ewe/cow.
PerspectiveWest
If we take the polar opposite, which is to abandon hill land to reduce our carbon footprint, that too comes with issues.
Each area of Scotland and each farm or croft within that area needs to find its priority within these three responsibilities. In the North West, with our more extensive livestock based farming systems, we have a particularly tough balance to find.
The main focus of the moment is climate change through our carbon management. The current metric used to measure a business’s carbon footprint is whole farm kgCO2e emissions per kg of farm or croft output. Extensive producers generally rate poorly on this measurement due to the natural constraints of the land they farm. A hill ewe produces the same enteric methane emission, the main carbon emission on a livestock farm, as a low ground ewe (weight for weight and all else being equal).
• Abandoned land still produces greenhouse gases (though current IPPC guidelines would consider this as “natural emissions” beyond human control). If not well managed abandonment can result in a loss of the carbon currently locked up in the soil.
The North
NIALL CAMPBELL, REGIONAL MANAGER
Crofting and farming is clearly moving down a path where instead of us being solely food producers, we now have three responsibilities – food production, climate change and improving biodiversity. These three aspects do not always sit comfortably side by side.
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An example of a low carbon farming metric would be kgCO2e/ha of land managed. Based on current Agrecalc data, the most intensive livestock farming systems in Scotland average around 13,000 kgCO2e/ha. While extensive hill farming system average around 1,500kgCO2e/ha. Accepting and promoting the concept of low carbon farming system of around 1,500kgCO2e/ha would allow extensive producers to be confident that their carbon management is under control, while crucially also allowing them to focus in on the equally as important management of high biodiversity value habitats and still produce healthy and nutritious local food. As policy makers, politicians also need to be aware this conflict and that whatever policy is chosen the country needs economically viable businesses to enact that policy and deliver these public goods.
Photograph Helen Bibby, Conservation of land, crofters farmers aware of the conflicts between the three priorities and have the knowledge and confidence to choose what priority to focus on for their own farm or croft.
Niall.Campbell@sac.co.uk 07979 245903 Get in touch
the
highlights from recent knowledge exchange programmes and current livestock projects at SRUC research farms. If you’d like to know more about this work focussed on livestock efficiency, and what they mean for your farm then please get in touch.
GAVIN HILL, HEAD OF KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE SERVICE Autumn 2021
Turning research into advice and advantage
• Transition cow management and its impact on milk production in the next lactation as well as fertility and risk of culling.
Dairy Research into Practice Lorna.MacPherson@sac.co.uk 07760 990901 Gavin.Hill@sac.co.uk 07979 245881
• Benefits of automated calf feeders for early detection of disease.
Perspectives
• Best practice procedures for colostrum management.
Designed to give dairy farmers confidence to make changes or invest in their units to make them more productive and sustainable, this project shared management practices and on-going research from the SRUC Dairy Research Centres at Barony and Crichton.
Get in touch
• Using protected urea as a fertiliser for reducing ammonia emissions.
• Benefits of cow brushes.
• Milk quality and the impact that genetics, cow comfort and forage quality play in maximising milk solids.
• Selective dry cow therapy, managing mastitis and reducing antibiotic use.
Topics included:
SAC Consulting subscribers can call not only on the expertise of their local advisor but also specialist support in many areas such as livestock, animal nutrition, crops, potatoes, environment, soils, rural business and development, food and drink. These specialists have direct links into the latest research work at SRUC, strengthening their day-to-day technical advice and enabling farm businesses to take advantage of relevant ongoing research. We have a real focus on transferring knowledge out to the field and helping deliver this in a way that businesses can understand and adapt to. We call this knowledge exchange: the two-way processes by which academic ideas and insights are shared, and external perspectives and experiences brought into Hereacademia.aresome
ExchangeKnowledge
SRUC Beef and Sheep Research Centre
Findings included:
• Two herds identified liver fluke through blood testing (low albumin levels) which was useful to subsequently treat and help protect cow health and fertility.
Methane Inhibitors
Optibeef
Feeding for Fertility in the Suckler Herd
We are working to improve awareness amongst those working in the sheep farming industry of newly available PLF tools and technologies. Pilot studies will be conducted to test and develop opportunities to improve welfare management in aspects such as ewe nutrition and mismothering at lambing time.
Recent research includes direct measurement of changes in methane emissions from beef cattle fed a blend of essential oils and from red seaweed. These projects also include measurement of the effects of the methane inhibitor on the performance of the animals (e.g., feed intake / conversion, carcass characteristics etc.) to ensure that reductions in methane are not accompanied by a reduction in productivity.
Precision Livestock Farming (PLF)
Farmers will be able to make informed decisions to optimise nutrition, health and welfare, slaughter selections and genetic selections.
The other parameters that were often out with target levels both pre- and post-calving in the blood were urea (indicating protein deficiency) and poor energy status (lack of energy in the diet and loss of condition). This could result in low colostrum quality and quantity if not corrected.
• From reviewing mineral supplementation, many herds were oversupplying minerals (it was extremely rare for any cows to be deficient in the minerals tested other than magnesium).
Discover more research projects
Sheep Feed Intake Recording
The first platform for integrating data from ‘calf to carcass’ and improving the accuracy of abattoir carcass grading and creating. In the abattoir, new technology – 3D imaging and fat sensing – will provide more accurate, detailed measurement of carcasses and their components. On-farm technologies for whole-life monitoring include advanced 3D cameras, novel fat sensing, automated weighing, and feed and water intake recording. The integration of the on-farm and abattoir data will reveal the factors influencing carcass yield.
We are using mobile feed intake recording modules for sheep, with forage bins, concentrate feeders, water dispensers and weighers, to research feeding behaviour and efficiency differences. Being able to identify animals with increased feed efficiency will help reduce feed costs and associated greenhouse gas emissions.
Karen.Stewart@sac.co.uk 07796 615719 Kirkton Farm, Crianlarich Davy.McCracken@sruc.ac.uk Easter Howgate Farm, Penicuik Carol-Anne.Duthie@sruc.ac.uk
• One third of cows were deficient in magnesium pre-calving. This is significant given the impact lack of magnesium can have on slow calvings and potentially the health status of the calf (how quickly it stands and suckles colostrum).
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This project was designed with farmers to look at how they could improve output from their suckler herd through nutritional management over the spring calving period and how nutrition at this time could influence fertility in the herd. Metabolic profile (MP) testing has had very little uptake in the suckler herd, although it is a commonly used management tool in dairy herds to investigate nutritional status of cows pre-calving and in early lactation.
www.sruc.ac.uk/hill-mountain-research/www.sruc.ac.uk/dairy-researchwww.sruc.ac.uk/beef-sheep-research/
SRUC Hill & Mountain Research Centre
• One quarter of cows were deficient in magnesium post-calving. Again, this is significant to address, with low magnesium in cows going out to grass exacerbating the risk of grass staggers.
The UK has had a woodland element present within the landscape since the first trees began colonising after the last ice-age ended some 10,000 years ago. Since the first Neolithic settlers some 6,000 years ago land use has been a constantly shifting mosaic of woodlands, arable crops, pasture, settlements, and wild spaces. As the land area within the UK brought into management for agriculture, settlements and industry increased, the percentage cover of woodland declined rapidly and our reliance on imported timber for construction, fuel and fibre grew. This trend has continued with the UK now reliant on imported timber for 80% of supply of construction material. As architects and designers look to decarbonise the built environment and move away from carbon-intensive materials such as steel and concrete, more buildings now incorporate more timber as a “green” material. The industry has seen demand and prices for constructional timber rise significantly since 2020. The Timber Trade Federation’s UK Softwood Conference in March 2021 predicted that demand will increase globally until at least 2025, and likely beyond.
The challenge we will face in years to come, and one of the biggest drivers for investment in commercial timber forests, is that the UK is the 2rd largest importer of timber in the world and a massive consumer of timber products, but with no realistic means of adequately supplying our own demand. The UK has one of the lowest forest cover figures in Europe, with 13% woodland cover compared to the European average of 38%. There is growing concern from UK industry about this reliance on imported timber, and a huge interest from investors looking to plant commercial timber crops to capitalise on the predicted supply shortage. The UK government and devolved administrations have committed to highly ambitious planting targets for increasing areas of woodland. These planting targets combined with shifting public and business perceptions of Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) factors has led to a huge increase in woodland creation interest across the UK, but especially in Scotland. There are already almost 13,000 hectares of new woodland creation applications approved for this year in Scotland, and targets for new tree planting in Scotland are rising to 18,000 hectares by 2024/25. We farmers like trees but are afraid of forests. For many farmers and landowners, when they hear the word forestry their first thoughts may be of vast, whole hill plantations of single species conifer monocultures, and certainly in years gone past this was very much the norm across the UK and Ireland.
Forestry for the future?
The forestry industry has changed rapidly in the past 50 years, and has evolved significantly in recent years to adapt for the vital role trees will play in a climateconscious world. So what does the future potentially hold for forestry?
BEN LAW, SENIOR FORESTRY CONSULTANT Perspectives Autumn 2021
So, what does this mean for landowners today? Forestry has always been a smart investment to consider for landowners who are able to put the right trees in the right place. In addition to the multitude of benefits trees can offer the business (shelter for livestock and crops, timber income, and significant landscape and environmental benefits to name but a few), commercial management of woodlands within the UK receives favourable tax treatment, is supported by generous woodland creation grant funding, and can now also benefit from further financial support provided by carbon-conscious investors via carbon credit sales. This doesn’t have to mean whole-farm planting either. Whilst there are certainly some who have taken this approach, many of the woodland creation proposals being seen at present are smaller designs that efficiently integrate forestry elements into a wider agricultural or rural business, be this as shelterbelts, riparian planting strips, small farm woodlands, or planting of rough or less productive land. Due to recent cost rises across the industry, and especially within nursery tree supply and fencing materials, many of these smaller designs would have previously been deemed financially unviable when reliant on the Forestry Grant Scheme alone. But when combined with a carbon credit value these not only become viable, they also have the potential to generate significant income.
Ben.Law@sac.co.uk 07785 692995 Get in touch 10
The SAC Consulting team can help with all aspects of woodland creation, from placement and tree species selection, grants and carbon credits to planting and ongoing maintenance. trees is by no means the silver bullet that will solve the climate emergency, but it will certainly play a vital part in efforts to mitigate climate damage that is already being seen. Woodland creation requires an investment of time, financial capital, and land. It is a permanent land use change, and the commitments involved are for a far longer duration than normal farm crops – carbon contracts can be up to 100 years in
Theduration.carbon market certainly provides readily accessible and, in some cases, highly lucrative funding to landowners looking to make positive improvements to their holdings by planting trees. BUT, it would be wise to contemplate the long-term implications of these actions. The carbon market is still in its infancy but is rapidly becoming the next big commodity market and values are predicted to continue rising sharply. Whilst the future of forestry and carbon investment looks bright, it would be prudent to seek professional, independent, and impartial advice prior to committing to any sale. Carefully consider all the factors, including the potential need to offset your own carbon emissions, prior to signing any contracts that could impact your business for many years to come.
12 Projected carbon sequestration by Woodland Carbon Code projects in the UK Million tonnes of carbon dioxide www.forestresearch.gov.uk/documents/8092/PWS_2021.pdfequivalentVerifiedValidatedonlyAwaitingvalidation1086420 2012Mar 2013Mar 2014Mar 2015Mar 2016Mar 2017Mar .9 1.1 4.4 4.1 3.5 3.5 3.3 2.8 1.1 4.45.4 3.5 2.3 0.71.8 1.1 1.2 1.3 2.42.3 1.61.3 0.7 2018Mar 2019Mar 2020Mar 2021Mar Planting
Credible schemes will require a long-term contract – usually at least 40 years, with some up to a century – meaning you are making a legally binding decision (albeit there are buy-out mechanisms) that will affect generations to come. Don’t rush into it; think long-term and how it affects (for good and bad) the other elements of your business. For many land managers, the world of global finance has seemed distant and often largely disinterested in what goes in the countryside. That is rapidly changing, and it is changing because of one thing, carbon.
OF FOOD & FOOTPRINT Perspectives Autumn 2021
A consortium including SAC Consulting has begun developing a Farm Soil Carbon Code to help stimulate and structure the UK market for payments for soil carbon sequestration. As this comes to fruition and the markets for woodlands and peatland restoration continue to grow, the options for land managers to tap into global financial markets broaden. For those considering this, there are a few important things to bear in mind.
Carbon –
IT’S A LONG GAME
ANDREW BAUER, HEAD
The new currency
In the move to net zero, early movers have already made their presence felt by buying carbon sequestration in new forestry, and in a few cases even doing this by first buying the land to plant on - often to the consternation of land managers. It would be tempting to think this is a gold rush, eventually to peter out. The signs are instead this will be a long-term influence on land use and the finances of the farms and estates involved. The most developed carbon market in the UK is for forestry, followed by peatlands a long way behind. Both have benefitted from relatively robust quality assurance codes and monitoring, reporting and verification that build confidence in the value of the investment. After numerous scandals in which carbon credits relating to projects elsewhere have been found to be problematic, business is increasingly looking closer to home and accepting a higher price in return for more confidence in the additionality, permeance, and measurability of the carbon offsetting. Although we are seeing significant levels of woodland planted in Scotland, it takes 15 years or so before trees hit their stride in sequestering carbon and are therefore credited for actual sequestration rather than theoretical future sequestration. This means the demand for sequestration far outstrips the supply. This situation, with the knock-on increase in carbon prices, is expected to continue as post COP26 more business move towards net zero and demand grows faster than the means to offset it.
Currently, profits arising from the commercial occupation of woodlands are not chargeable to Income Tax and Corporation Tax and the value attributable to trees is exempt from Capital Gains Tax. The sale of voluntary carbon credits is not currently chargeable to VAT. There are implications for inheritance, but with the right advice these should be navigable. There is also a raft of requirements aimed at making the carbon markets robust and verifiable, and many of these require the actions on the ground. You should always seek professional independent advice based on your specific circumstances before making decisions.
Andrew.Bauer@sac.co.uk 07824 529735 Get in touch 4030201050 1
MIND YOUR OWN FOOTPRINT
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Whilst there are processors and retailers requiring their supply chains to reduce emissions, as yet there are no Government mandated sector-specific net zero requirements for Scottish agriculture. There is growing feeling this may change sooner rather than later. It may therefore be prudent to hold back some of the carbon in your trees, peatlands and soils to offset any of your own unavoidable emissions and to facilitate net zero branding and marketing of your own produce if you so choose.
It may be prudent to hold back some of the carbon in your trees, peatlands and soils to offset any of your own unavoidable emissions. 2016Jan 1 2016Jul 2017Jan 2017Jul 2018Jan 2018Jul 2019Jan 2019Jul 2020Jul 2021Jan 2021Jul
Weighted Carbon Price USD Source: https://indices.ihsmarkit.com/#/Carbonindex IHS MARKIT GLOBAL CARBON INDEX (USD) GET GOOD ADVICE
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Many of our trials are dedicated to testing either new varieties or new treatments, and soil health and crop nutrition also form a large part of our trials program. This year we had over 15,000 arable plots alone and these form a really key resource for our crop walking activities and the advice we offer.
resultsHarvesting
The 2021 harvest has been a busy one for SRUC’s crop trials team – we run one of the biggest and most diverse trial programs in the UK, with our trial sites running from near Elgin in the north east all the way down to the Scottish Borders. We tailor sites to the particular crop, environment or cropping system in question.
Some trials are on our own land, such as the long-term experiments on our Aberdeen farms and for others we are pleased to work with host farmers to whom we are very grateful. By running so many sites and such a large program we are able to have sites dedicated to grass or potatoes and arable sites looking at combinable crops, cover crops, novel crops and energy crops and, by having sites running north to south, we can test for winter and weather hardiness or for particular pests and diseases.
Disease levels were pretty low at the start of the season but flared up towards the end and we have been able to track some surprising changes in product efficacy.
FIONA BURNETT, PROFESSOR APPLIED PLANT PATHOLOGY Perspectives Autumn 2021
The highlights this year have been seeing the efficacy of some of the more integrated programs where we have combined low dose programs with more resistant varieties, and also been testing some of the new nonpesticide treatments like the elicitor Laminarim. Using pesticides in smart ways will be key in helping the industry meet net zero and environmental targets and our trials are key in identifying where much more targeted low-input approaches can be used with confidence.
With many changes to the availability of pesticides we feel testing alternatives in an open and transparent way is more important than ever. New products bring an improved environmental profile but usually at an enhanced cost and so we see first-hand that realistic information about the dose that is needed and the positioning in a program is key. With extensive laboratory testing sitting behind the trials we can also track changes in pesticide resistance that make previously older products less effective. Our crop advice is always based on the most effective chemistry and at the optimum timings and rates. Our work on Septoria in wheat and on ramularia in barley are two examples where we can be really clear on the value of some of the newer azole fungicides and equally categoric on some of the weaker offers that are still in common usage. This season has also been a good test of what varieties are more resilient in extreme weather and like commercial crops throughout Scotland this year, the SRUC trials suffered from the very late and dry spring.
Pierre-Alain.Bouffandeau@sruc.ac.ukFiona.Burnett@sruc.ac.uk www.sruc.ac.uk/crop-trialswww.sruc.ac.uk/crops
SY Insitor is the highest yielding (105) hard Group 4 feed variety in trial, with intermediate untreated yield and it has performed well as a second cereal. We have missed being able to welcome people on to our sites for open days and tours and we are looking forward to getting back to that next season.
Ergot has been seen in a few samples in our crop clinic but is not widespread in trials, even in the more open flowering spring barleys which are more prone. It is definitely one to check for given its toxicity. Yields in our wheat trials were average to good and we update our varietal pen portraits each year. For Scotland’s main wheat market of distilling and soft feed then we see LG Skyscraper as the leading soft Group 4 variety. It is high yielding (103% of control varieties) and rated medium for distilling plus it performs well as a second cereal. Swallow is a newer variety of similar yield but better for distilling, although weaker for Septoria. LG Spotlight is an older variety that still hangs on to a small market share for its good specific weight. Elation and KWS Jackal are well established varieties still yielding well, while LG Sundance has been more outclassed by the newer offers. KWS Barrel is a Group 3 variety and still a popular biscuitmaking and feed choice, but it is rated poor for distilling. Its yield (103) advantage over other varieties has slipped, and untreated yield is poor so it needs a robust fungicide program. A few others to point at include RGT Saki which is a soft Group 4 variety for feed only as it is rated poor for distilling. It has high yield (102) and good untreated yield (85) although our trials show that its resistance to Septoria may be weaker than its rating (6.5) suggests.
Get in touch Find out more about crop services
14 This year quality in the variety trials has generally been pretty good and there is little evidence of grain sterility.
GEORGE CALDOW, HEAD OF VETERINARY SERVICES
Perspectives Autumn 2021
Since moving our central lab from Bush Estate to a new leading-edge lab at Pentland Science Park in 2019, the scientific team at SRUC have been testing over one million animal and material samples each year. The progressive development of diagnostics and understanding of some of the more troublesome diseases has created the opportunity to design and deliver control programmes for both cattle and sheep such as BVDV, Johne’s disease and maedi visna, which have become essential tools in relation to removing disease from herds and flocks and reducing the spread of infection between livestock units. In pigs too our work has supported the control of PRRS, salmonellosis and swine dysentery.
Disease surveillance, what is it? Essentially we provide a diagnostic service for livestock production. And we draw all our information on diagnoses together to give clear messages about changing trends in disease to livestock keepers and their vets. We unravel the trickier health conditions that might indicate a new disease has appeared, perhaps because of evolving infectious agents or changing opportunities for disease as production systems change. And we work to get clear messages around disease prevention out to the industry to help in the drive to improve production efficiency and animal welfare. This disease surveillance is seen as an absolute requirement everywhere there is livestock and as such these activities are part funded by Scottish Government. We work closely with our colleagues within SRUC, APHA and Moredun to support further research into many of the animal health challenges that exist in livestock production today. To do all this we require first class laboratories, using the latest approaches to testing in order to provide a quality diagnostic service, where the precision of the diagnosis can be relied upon.
SRUC Veterinary Services also have a pivotal role in supporting the diagnosis of zoonotic infections (infections causing disease both in animals and humans). By the early diagnosis of such conditions as enzootic abortion in ewes, salmonellosis and cryptosporidiosis we are able to provide the information that not only improves animal health, but also reduces the spread from animals to humans.
Animal health and welfare – more than a lab test!
SRUC Veterinary Services has an important role to play in supporting animal health and welfare through disease surveillance and diagnostic testing. However, this remit extends far beyond the test results.
Diagnostic tests are one thing, but information on disease can be gathered in other ways too.
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This allows us to develop new ways to investigate threats to animal health in a timely way. In short there are many different ways for us to collect information that will aid our understanding of animal disease and to work closely with our veterinary practitioner colleagues and livestock clients to control disease and improve livestock production efficiency and animal welfare. Get in touch
The conversations on livestock health that we have with vets and livestock keepers are also used to create a two-way system of collecting and sharing information to bring more focus on the issues that need to be tackled and any changes in the way disease is impacting on the livestock.
VSEnquiries@sruc.ac.uk
Antimicrobial resistance is now one of the biggest healthcare threats to the human population, with serious implications for even routine healthcare procedures and surgeries. Governments are working at an international level coordinating efforts to try and bring the problem under control. However, this adds pressure for agricultural and food production to prevent the spread of resistant microbes into humans. We might envisage a scenario where responsible antimicrobial stewardship in livestock production can also be a marketing attribute, attracting higher quality status for the producer.
Changing our view on resistanceantimicrobial
The good news is that SRUC has multiple activities to help inform primary producers, food producers and policymakers where the main problem areas lie and to help in compliance with policy recommendations. Stewardship is a key area, to monitor application and limit unintended consequences. We have examined drug sales on beef and dairy farms to work out the best ways for their use and with the poultry sector, aim to evaluate the economic and environmental impacts when antimicrobial drug use is modified. In scenarios where antibacterial drug use is high, resistance can become so widespread it even spreads to animals not receiving any drug treatment. What is antimicrobial resistance and why do we need to know about it? Antimicrobial resistance, or AMR occurs when microbes become resistant to drugs used in their control. This issue has serious financial (and welfare) implications in both animal and plant health because some diseases such as tuberculosis, mastitis or blight are becoming more difficult or impossible to treat.
WHAT ARE WE DOING ABOUT IT?
NICOLA HOLDEN, PROFESSOR IN FOOD SAFETY Perspectives Autumn 2021
Other microbes are an indirect issue not because of crop or livestock losses, but because they may be transferred by plants or animals to cause disease in humans.
Antibiotics and fungicides are routinely used to control these microbes. However, all microbes, whether viruses, bacteria, fungi, oomycetes or nematodes, are living biological entities with the ability to adapt. Application of drugs trigger stress responses to help them cope, some have inherent detoxification mechanisms, whilst others acquire resistance through DNA mutations. That puts us in a never-ending arms race of treatment – resistanceupdated drug treatment - new resistance - and so on. The picture is compounded by the ability of some microbes to acquire resistance to multiple drugs, or to transfer the underpinning mechanisms on to other microbes that were previously sensitive.
In the crop sector, there is active work on fungicide use and adoption of alternative approaches, integrating multiple protection strategies. Another key area is in surveillance, to understand where the resistant microbes are and potential implications for human health.
Nicola.Holden@sruc.ac.uk Get in touch 18
To understand transmission, we work at multiple levels, whether on the digestive processes of beef cattle or pigs, the prevalence of resistance in commercial aquaculture or arable production, or at the retail level in minced beef. We are also investigating alternative strategies, such as alteration of feeds or from development and application of natural products.
Do get in touch if you would like to talk about the antimicrobials you currently use, how you use them and if they may become redundant because of resistance, what alternatives are there, what are the implications for control strategies, or if you would like to co-design projects to address AMR issues.
Finally, we are working with policy makers to gain oversight and identify strengths and weaknesses at a national level. Taken together, SRUC work spans a wide range of AMR aspects, from the fundamental bioscience right through to social, policy and economic aspects.
The IPCC report goes on to highlight that we have now reached the level where most of the methane is from man-made sources; natural sources such as wetlands used to be the majority. A large proportion of these man-made emissions come from the fossil fuel industry and waste, but agriculture is still one of the three main sources, and the most difficult to address.
JOHN FARQUHAR, SENIOR CONSULTANT
Within agriculture, rice and beef production are major methane producers, and I’m sure you all know where most of the methane comes from in cattle, so from now on it will be politely referred to as enteric methane. Enteric methane reduction in cattle is being extensively researched at SRUC and the wider agricultural research community. Specifically relating to methane, we have several research directions, including breeding, optimisation of the microbiome, precision nutrition diets and feed additives. Some of these will require significant time to make an impact, others can only reduce a proportion of the emissions. In reality it is probably going to need all these approaches.
Green-beef? How green could it be?
So, for every tonne of methane reduced today, we’ll see a reduction in the warming of the atmosphere within 10 years, whilst for carbon dioxide we won’t see a change for significantly longer than this. Hence why the climate research community, and politicians, are rightly keen to address methane reduction as a priority.
Perspectives Autumn 2021
Methane is again hitting the headlines with the recent high profile IPCC report suggesting 30-50% of the current rise in temperatures is due to methane. Whilst carbon dioxide is still the main climate change culprit, and critical in addressing long term change, methane reduction is an important tool for more immediate results.
Over the last 18 months SAC Consulting, SRUC Research, University of Strathclyde and Agri-EPI, together with six commercial partners, have been exploring a more direct approach. Taking advantage of the normal periods when cattle are housed, either over-wintering to protect the ground, or beef finisher units, we have enclosed our green shed to capture the methane as it comes from the animals. When we say enclose, we don’t mean air-tight, but just enough to allow us to extract air to create a slight negative pressure inside the shed which prevents methane escaping to the atmosphere.
Why so? Well methane is 84 times more powerful than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in Earth’s atmosphere but has a relatively short life in the atmosphere of 10-20 years, compared to carbon dioxide at well over 100 years.
As highlighted in the Spring edition of Perspectives, even if all established methods for mitigation of UK livestock carbon emissions were implemented immediately, we would still only reach 19% of the carbon reduction target by 2035. We need to explore the unknown, unestablished options.
Obviously, this system is not cheap, but with a willingness from some consumers to pay a premium for sustainability, a relatively modest “GreenBeef” premium that feeds back to the farmer, could cover the additional costs for beef enterprises. In connection to several beef sustainability projects, research has been, and continues to be carried out to examine what consumers would be willing to pay, and this is integrated into our project.
We received funding from Scottish Government for the initial proof-of-concept work being carried out at the SRUC GreenCow methane research facility, and won further funding for a feasibility study to potentially build a pilot project from BEIS as part of its Direct Air Capture and Greenhouse Gas Removal programme, which is part of NZIP, a wider Government funding initiative to tackle climate change. The full analysis is ongoing but initial results from the proof-of-concept look promising.
20 John.Farquhar@sac.co.uk Get in touch
The methane rich extracted air can then be treated in a single, centralised place to capture the methane. This is designed around retrofitting to an existing shed, using impermeable, removable curtains to do the enclosing. This process requires energy, so to ensure this is a circular sustainable system, we intend using the waste from the animals to feed a small anaerobic digestion (AD) plant to produce electricity to run the system. There are further modules attached to the system to increase sustainability and profitability; a plasma reactor to produce more crop-available nitrogen from the digestate potentially trebles the available nitrogen); and a vertical polytunnel for growing high value fresh produce uses the available heat from the AD system.
Rural Business and Economics Consultant, Bush Estate Brady Stevens Skills Animal nutrition; biodiversity; carbon cycling; local hill sheep farming experience and understanding. Fun fact I have a pet snake. Agricultural Consultant, Oban Jenny Love Skills Agricultural background; SGRPID; support schemes; business efficiencies. Fun fact Judged the young handlers sheep section at the Royal Highland Showcase in 2021. Agricultural Consultant, Lanark Carol-Anne Warnock Skills Practical beef and sheep experience; breeding; nutrition. Fun fact The best experience I’ve had was travelling to New Zealand to work and travel, everyone was so friendly, helpful and enjoyed the pub! I encourage anyone who gets the chance to visit.
Skills Small woodlands; continuous cover forestry; woodworking; timber construction; business management. Fun fact I recently built a 20 square metre treehouse complete with double glazing and a wood stove. Forestry Consultant, Bush Estate Ben Townsend Skills Arable and potato farming; spraying; sowing; harvesting; practical livestock experience; GPS steering technology. Fun fact Very passionate St Johnstone FC fan so more than happy to talk about that any
Agricultural Consultant, Forfar Fiona Thomson
Meet the new Consultants
Agriculturaltime!
Consultant, Bush Estate Finlay Ross Skills Carbon sequestration & markets; integrated landscape management; rural policy; stakeholder engagement. Fun fact I’m an avid bikepacker / cycle tourist, with personal goals to conquer the North Coast 500 and join the Cape Wrath Fellowship.
Skills Innovation; curiosity; design thinking; cross functional collaboration; continuous learning. Fun fact I once got to take a full tour of the Tesla car factory in Freemont
CraibstoneEnvironmental8yrs!Consultant,Estate
Environmental Consultant, Bush Estate Neil Stange 22
BushConsultant,California.Estate
Forestry Consultant, Stirling Liam O’Keeffe Skills Net-zero; land & water management; diffuse pollution, research, geographical information systems (GIS)
Environmental Consultant, Stirling Rachel Smillie Skills Local produce; foraged foods; food for holistic wellbeing; culinary and medicinal herbs; preserving. Fun fact I’m an amateur triathlete and avid watersport enthusiast - kayaking, paddle boarding & surfing.
Sarah Erbanova Skills Soil salvage; land reclamation; regulatory compliance; environmental inspection. Fun fact I’ve travelled to remote work camps in Canada for over 10 years, have seen 2,259,395 mosquitoes, and am known for wildly estimating populations.
New Product Development Chef, Elmwood Morag Hamilton Skills Sustainable environmental management; energy management; environmental auditing; impact assessment; legal compliance. Fun fact Four of my first ever house plants originate from my time studying at Craibstone, and I’ve kept them alive for
We are excited about the skills, knowledge, and general awesomeness these new recruits bring to our expanding team.
Pierce Blackmore Skills Project management; GIS mapping; woodland inventory; mensuration; research; conservation. Fun fact I love to travel and have spent a year in South America and a year in Asia.
Fun fact I’m a drone enthusiast and love nothing more than heading for the countryside and getting some panoramic shots!
Ayr 01292 525252 ayr@sac.co.uk Balivanich 01870 602 336 balivanich@sac.co.uk Campbeltown 01586 552 502 campbeltown@sac.co.uk Cupar 01334 654055 cupar@sac.co.uk Dumfries 01387 261 172 dumfries@sac.co.uk Edinburgh 0131 535 3430 edinburgh@sac.co.uk Elgin 01343 548 787 elgin@sac.co.uk Forfar 01307 464 033 forfar@sac.co.uk Inverness 01463 233 266 inverness@sac.co.uk Kendal 01539 769059 kendal@sac.co.uk Kirkwall 01856 872 698 kirkwall@sac.co.uk Lanark 01555 662 562 lanark@sac.co.uk Lerwick 01595 693 520 lerwick@sac.co.uk Oban 01631 563 093 oban@sac.co.uk Perth 01738 636 611 perth@sac.co.uk Portree 01478 612 993 portree@sac.co.uk St Boswells 01835 823 322 stboswells@sac.co.uk Stirling 01786 450 964 stirling@sac.co.uk Stonehaven 01569 762 305 stonehaven@sac.co.uk Stornoway 01851 703 103 stornoway@sac.co.uk Stranraer 01776 702 649 stranraer@sac.co.uk Thainstone 01467 625 385 inverurie@sac.co.uk Thurso 01847 892 602 thurso@sac.co.uk Turriff 01888 563 333 turriff@sac.co.uk SAC Consulting, Peter Wilson Building, The King’s Buildings, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JG www.sac.co.uk @SACConSol @ConsultingSAC linkedin.com/company/sacconsol SAC Consulting Offices We are pleased to welcome five new farm business analysts to the Scottish Farm Business Survey team. The survey is our detailed economic study of 420 farm businesses. Participants in the survey receive an individual Farm Business Report, Farm Carbon Audit and Whole Farm Benchmarks to compare your business with other similar www.sruc.ac.uk/SFBSbusinesses. Louise Young Marion Guthrie Ailsa Smith Jane Brisbane Becka Henderson Our new Farm Business Analysts Perspectives is printed on a FCS accredited paper made from responsibly sourced virgin fibre wood pulp.
