The Rural Roundup

Welcome back to the Rural Roundup. On today’s episode George Chalmers and Mary-Jane Lawrie discuss the aftermath of storm Amy, speak to Gilmour Lawrie ahead of the much-anticipated AgriScot 2025 and talk about upcoming deadlines including EFA green cover, PSF, SSBSS and SUSS. FAS Resources AgriScot 2025: https://agriscot.co.uk/ FAS Events: https://www.fas.scot/events/ Rural Payments, all scheme guidance https://www.ruralpayments.org/topics/all-schemes/ For more information, visit  www.FAS.scot Twitter: @FASScot Facebook: @FASScot National Advice Hub Phone: 0300 323 0161 Email: advice@fas.scot

Welcome back to the Rural Round-up. On today’s episode George Chalmers and Mary-Jane Lawrie highlight what’s happening in Scottish agriculture and are then joined by Peter Lang from SEPA to discuss new regulations for the application of waste to land, which will come into effect on 1st November 2025. FAS Resources Preparing For The Future | Helping farmers in Scotland Other Resources  Use of waste on land - changes to regulations | SEPA Contact us - SEPA (Scottish Environment Protection Agency) Scottish Suckler Beef Support Scheme (Mainland and Islands) full guidance Scottish Upland Sheep Support Scheme full guidance  For more information, visit  www.FAS.scot Twitter: @FASScot Facebook: @FASScot National Advice Hub Phone: 0300 323 0161 Email: advice@fas.scot

Welcome back to the Rural Round-up. On today’s episode George Chalmers introduces Mary-Jane Lawrie, who will be sitting in for Tiffany Stephenson, while on maternity leave. Topics of discussion include, extreme weather, FFIS updates and cross compliance reminders, which includes useful tips on hedge management. FAS Resources FAS Website – Responding to changing weather https://www.fas.scot/responding-to-changing-weather/ FFIS Scheme Guidance - https://www.ruralpayments.org/topics/all-schemes/ffis/future-farm-investment-scheme/  Other Resources  For more information, visit www.FAS.scot Twitter: @FASScot Facebook: @FASScot National Advice Hub Phone: 0300 323 0161 Email: advice@fas.scot

Welcome back to the Rural Roundup. On today’s episode George Chalmers & Tiffany Stephenson discuss the new Future Farming Investment Scheme, which will open for applications on 14th July 2025 and close on 22nd August 2025. This show is produced in association with the Scottish Government. FAS Resources Future Farm Investment Scheme full guidance Future farming Investment Scheme - gov.scot Other ResourcesHow to Complete your FFIS ApplicationFor more information, visit  www.FAS.scot Twitter: @FASScot Facebook: @FASScot National Advice Hub Phone: 0300 323 0161 Email: advice@fas.scot

Welcome back to the Rural Roundup. On today’s episode George Chalmers & Tiffany Stephenson talk to Professor Steven Thomson about the Enhanced Greening conditional changes which will come into effect from 1st January 2026. This show is produced in association with the Scottish Government. FAS Resources Events | Events helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory ServiceGreening Guidance 2026 (ruralpayments.org)Preparing For The Future | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service Other Resources  For more information, visit www.FAS.scot Twitter: @FASScot Facebook: @FASScot National Advice Hub Phone: 0300 323 0161 Email: advice@fas.scot

Welcome back to the Rural Round-up. On today’s episode George Chalmers & Tiffany Stephenson talk about the upcoming AECS deadline and the pressing issue of water scarcity. This show is produced in association with the Scottish Government. FAS Resources Water Scarcity - Farming and Water ScotlandEvents | Events helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service For more information, visit  www.FAS.scot Twitter: @FASScot Facebook: @FASScot National Advice Hub Phone: 0300 323 0161 Email: advice@fas.scot

Welcome back to the Rural Roundup. This show is produced in association with the Scottish Government. On today’s episode, we’re joined by Becka Henderson, a Farm Business Analyst from SAC Consulting to talk about results from the Farm Business Survey and headlines from the spring statement.  FAS Resources Whole farm benchmarks | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory ServiceContact: ScottishFarmBusinessSurvey@sac.co.uk Scottish farm business income (FBI) - gov.scot Other Resources  For more information, visit www.FAS.scot Twitter: @FASScot Facebook: @FASScot National Advice Hub Phone: 0300 323 0161 Email: advice@fas.scot

Welcome back to the Rural Roundup. This show is produced in association with the Scottish Government. On today’s episode, we’re joined by George Chalmers & Tiffany Stephenson who talk headlines and deadlines. We talk about the Single Application Form (IACS) window, AECS, and changes to both. We also discuss “Fair work first” and what that means for farmers & crofters undertaking an AECS.  Related Resources  Preparing for Sustainable Farming (PSF) Claims and payments  For more information, visit www.FAS.scot Twitter: @FASScot Facebook: @FASScot National Advice Hub Phone: 0300 323 0161 Email: advice@fas.scot

Welcome back to the Rural Round-up. This show is produced in association with the Scottish Government. On today’s episode, we’re joined by George Chalmers & Tiffany Stephenson who bring us their Spring Update, with information on the “New Deal for Agriculture”, NVZ, claim deadlines for PSF & AECS Capital claims, an update on h5n1, and a market update.  Related ResourcesPreparing for Sustainable Farming (PSF) Avian influenza (bird flu) outbreaks - gov.scot Claims and payments For more information, visit www.FAS.scot Twitter: @FASScot Facebook: @FASScot National Advice Hub Phone: 0300 323 0161 Email: advice@fas.scot

Welcome back to the Rural Round-up. This show is produced in association with the Scottish Government. On today’s episode, we’re joined by George Chalmers & Tiffany Stephenson who discuss what Farmers & Crofters can do to put the best foot forward in the New Year, to give themselves a good chance of a successful 2025.  Related Resources  Preparing for Sustainable Farming (PSF) Agri-Environment Climate Scheme Whole Farm Plan full guidance Avian influenza (bird flu) outbreaks - gov.scot  For more information, visit www.FAS.scot Twitter: @FASScot Facebook: @FASScot National Advice Hub Phone: 0300 323 0161 Email: advice@fas.scot

Welcome back to the Rural Round-up. This show is produced in association with the Scottish Government. On today’s episode, we’re joined by George Chalmers & Tiffany Stephenson who discuss all relevant schemes and deadlines, and look ahead to Christmas in the Farming Community. FAS Resources Mental Health and Wellbeing | Information helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service fas.scot/downloads/mental-health-and-wellbeing/ Other Resources  Home - RSABI Christmas and mental health - Mind Farmstrong Scotland - Live Well, Farm & Croft Well Preparing for sustainable farming - gov.scot Scottish Suckler Beef Support Scheme (Mainland and Islands) Agri-Environment Climate Scheme Home | ScotEID For more information, visit www.FAS.scot Twitter: @FASScot Facebook: @FASScot National Advice Hub Phone: 0300 323 0161 Email: advice@fas.scot

Welcome back to the Rural Round-up. This show is produced in association with the Scottish Government. On today’s episode, we’re joined by Sascha Grierson, Principal Consultant & Agri-Economics lead at SAC Consulting and Andrew Coalter Senior Consultant & Chartered Accountant at SAC Consulting who discuss the implications of the Autumn Budget for the Agricultural Industry and dive into detail on the inheritance tax update, and why you should start thinking about Succession, sooner rather than later. FAS ResourcesSuccessionPlanning | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory ServiceSuccessionPlanning – Crofting | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory ServiceOther Resources AutumnBudget 2024 – HC 295For more information, visit www.FAS.scotTwitter: @FASScotFacebook: @FASScotNational Advice HubPhone: 0300 323 0161

Welcome back to the Rural Round-up. This show is produced in association with the Scottish Government. On today’s episode, Farm Advisors Tiffany, George and Robert give us the latest agricultural updates from around Scotland, and are then joined by Professor Steven Thomson, Professor of Agricultural Economics and Policy at SRUC to discuss the latest policy updates, including EFA, Calving Intervals and more. FAS Resources Stock Talk | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)  Other Resources  SRUC | Rural Policy Centre W9 Calving Intervals in Scotland's Cattle Population: Conditionality Options - New Rural Support Scheme development - evidence: outputs summary - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) Scottish-Suckler-Beef-Support-Scheme-FAQ-June-2024-v2.pdf  For more information, visit www.FAS.scot Twitter: @FASScot Facebook: @FASScot  National Advice Hub Phone: 0300 323 0161 Email: advice@fas.scot

Welcome back to the Rural Round-up. This show is produced in association with the Scottish Government. On today’s episode, Farm Advisors Tiffany Stephenson from St Boswells, George Chalmers from Turriff and Robert Ramsay from Ayr, give us the latest agricultural updates from the Borders, N. East and S. West of Scotland, and are later joined by Iain Boyd, a senior Environmental Consultant to talk about Climate Week and what opportunities it brings to Crofters and Farmers in Scotland.  FAS Resources Climate Change resources for farmers from Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)Other Resources  Climate Week | Net Zero Nation Take Action | Net Zero Nation  For more information, visit www.FAS.scot Twitter: @FASScot Facebook: @FASScot  National Advice Hub Phone: 0300 323 0161 Email: advice@fas.scot

Welcome back to the Rural Round-up. This show is produced in association with the Scottish Government. On today’s episode I’m joined by George Chalmers, Robert Ramsay & Osla Jamwal-Fraser to talk about agritourism, opportunities to diversify and the added value opportunities for Scottish Agriculture.  FAS Resources  Alternative Enterprises | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)  Agri Culture - Cream O Galloway: A Dairy Story | Information helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot) Other Resources  Home - Scottish Agritourism Agriturismo.it - True Italian agritourism only  For more information, visit www.FAS.scot Twitter: @FASScot Facebook: @FASScot  National Advice Hub Phone: 0300 323 0161 Email: advice@fas.scot

Welcome back to the Rural Round-up hosted by me, Kerry Hammond. This show is produced in association with the Scottish Government. On today’s episode I’m joined by George Chalmers & Tiffany Stephenson to talk about The Whole Farm Plan, and what it means for farmers, crofters & smallholders.FAS Resources Preparing For The Future | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot) The Farm Management Handbook | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot) Events | Events helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot) Agribusiness News July 2024 - Sector Focus: Whole Farm Plans | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)Other Resources  Whole Farm Plan (ruralpayments.org) Scottish IPM Assessment Plan | Plant Health Centre  For more information, visit www.FAS.scot Twitter: @FASScot Facebook: @FASScot  National Advice Hub Phone: 0300 323 0161 Email: advice@fas.scot

Welcome back to the Rural Roundup hosted by me, Kerry Hammond. This show is produced in association with the Scottish Government. On today’s episode I’m joined by George Chalmers & Tiffany Stephenson who chat about the census, thinking about silage and the ECS organics deadline, and I’m later joined by Eleanor Kay from Scottish Land & Estates who talks about their theme of resilience this year. We discuss everything from their organisational strategy, right through to how land-owners can take advantage of the right opportunities at the right time.  FAS Resources https://www.fas.scot/downloads/feed-and-forage-factsheet/ Integrated Land Management Plans (ILMPs) | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot) Specialist Advice | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot) Other Resources  Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (ruralpayments.org) https://www.ruralpayments.org/news-events/agricultural-census-2024.html https://www.scottishlandandestates.co.uk/ Scottish Land & Estates | Musselburgh | Facebook Natural_Capital_Toolkit_Open_Version.docx (live.com)  For more information, visit www.FAS.scot Twitter: @FASScot Facebook: @FASScot  National Advice Hub Phone: 0300 323 0161 Email: advice@fas.scot

Welcome back to the Rural Round-up hosted by me, Kerry Hammond. This show is produced in association with the Scottish Government. On today’s episode I’m joined by George Chalmers and Tiffany Stephenson who chat all things Carbon. Carbon Audits, emissions reductions and more.  FAS Resources Carbon Audits | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot) Specialist Advice | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot) Other Resources  Preparing for Sustainable Farming (PSF) (ruralpayments.org) Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (ruralpayments.org) Carbon Literacy for rural industries | Keep Scotland Beautiful For more information, visit www.FAS.scot Twitter: @FASScot Facebook: @FASScot National Advice Hub Phone: 0300 323 0161 Email: advice@fas.scot

Welcome back to the Rural Round-up hosted by me, Kerry Hammond. This show is produced in association with the Scottish Government. On today’s episode I’m joined by George Chalmers, Robert Ramsay and Tiffany Stephenson who discuss the recent bout of wet weather, and the implications of this on our agricultural businesses. We also talk about beef enterprise efficiencies. I’m later joined by Sascha Grierson, Principal Consultant at SAC Consulting and Project Lead for the Scottish Farm Business Survey, commissioned by the Scottish Government. Sascha tells us the latest findings from the Scottish & Farm Business Survey, and provides some figures for industry performance. If you want to sign up for the farm business survey please email Sascha.grierson@sac.co.uk FAS Resources Stock Talk - Performance in Beef Herds | Information helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot) CropCast - Spring Fertiliser Applications | Information helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot) Whole Farm Benchmarks Tool 2022-23 | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot) Other Resources  Agricultural Reform Route Map (ruralpayments.org) Supporting documents - Scottish farm business income: annual estimates 2022-2023 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)  For more information, visit www.FAS.scot Twitter: @FASScot Facebook: @FASScot  National Advice Hub Phone: 0300 323 0161 Email: advice@fas.scot

Welcome back to the Rural Round-up hosted by me, Kerry Hammond. This show is produced in association with the Scottish Government. This episode is part of a spotlight mini-series titled Trees of the Gaelic World. This episode is all about Scot’s Pine and will explore the Gaelic language and lore surrounding the species with scholar Dr Mìcheal Newton, and advice from Alan Crawford from The Woodland Trust on the best conditions for the species, and how to manage or establish Scot’s Pine on our land in the current day. You can find three more episodes in this series on the Rural Roundup Podcast, we also cover, Yew, Birch and Oak.  Dr Mìcheal Newton was awarded a Ph.D. in Celtic Studies from the University of Edinburgh in 1998 for his dissertation The Tree in Scottish Gaelic Literature and Tradition.  Music Credit: Our sincere thanks go to composer David Bertrand for providing the folk music interludes in this episode. https://www.davidbertrandmusic.com/ Resources  Tree Planting Advice - Plant Trees - Woodland Trust Michael S Newton - Academia.edu  Home (hiddenglenfolk.org) https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/publications/2023/01/trees-for-the-crofting-community/  For more information, visit www.FAS.scot Twitter: @FASScot Facebook: @FASScot  National Advice Hub Phone: 0300 323 0161 Email: advice@fas.scot