Improving and revitalising soil health are two main aspects of the regenerative arable system in place at Castleton Farm, owned by Ross Mitchell, who believes that his ‘soil-centric’ approach to sustainable farming is paying off in a profitable business and safeguarding his future in an ever-changing industry.

Situated in the Howe of the Mearns, Aberdeenshire, Castleton Farm has been home to the Mitchell family since the early 1900s and following the purchase of an additional unit in 2017 – Inchgray – the total farming enterprise encompasses some 1200acres.

The current farming business operates across a clay loam and this year, Ross is growing around 600acres of cereal crops, including wheat, winter oats, winter barley, spring barley and beans. Alongside the cereals is 100acres of daffodils, with the remainder of the acreage being left as woodland and permanent pasture.

On the fruit producing side of the enterprise, Ross and his family grow 180 acres of blueberries, 178 acres of strawberries, 40 acres of cherries, 30 acres of raspberries and two acres of blackberries – all under polytunnels – with the fruit heading to the shelves of Tesco, Marks and Spencer and Waitrose, as well as Scotmids, Spars and local butchers. Only 1% of Castleton fruit is sold overseas and all produce is sold through cooperative Berry Gardens.

With wheat as one of the main cereals being produced for animal feed, varieties include Extase and Skyscraper whilst Ross relies on LG Diablo, Laureate and Craft barley varieties due to their MBC approval for brewing and distilling – favouring both the English and Scottish end markets.

All oats produced at the farm are for human consumption on a milling contract with Quaker Oats and Ross has opted to use the Gerald variety for his winter crop. The winter bean cropping – which is used for animal feed as a protein replacement – is based on the high yielding Tundra variety, whilst the spring variant is Fuego, both of which are known for their tall stature and easy establishment.

“We work on a five-year rotation, where winter barley is the first to be planted followed by winter oats and then wheat. I then plant a legume which is usually beans before the rotation is finished off with wheat. We additionally grow vining peas alongside the beans, which has been successful due to their ability to fix nitrogen levels within the soil, as well as return organic matter and aid drought resistance,” Ross explained.

Cover crops increasingly play a huge role in arable farming, as their root structure is vital to retaining soil structure and fertility, as well as preventing surface run-off of soil, nutrients and minerals and reducing soil erosion. In Scotland, with the cost of establishment often cited as a barrier to uptake, cover crops can prove a challenge, with the additional risk of promoting volunteers in the following crops too.

However, having trialled various cover crops with the welcomed advice from the ‘Farming for a Better Climate’ soil regenerative group, Ross believes that legumes provide valuable breaks within a rotation which is dominated by cereals.

“In between our spring and winter cropping we do put in cover crops, where we broadcast the cover crop into standing cereals in July or early August – which works for us as it requires no tillage,” Ross explained.

“Alongside the legumes, cover crops such as mustard, radish, vetch and phacelia have also proved beneficial.”

With soil compaction having proved an issue in previous years at Castleton, Ross moved to a no-tillage system in 2018 and volunteered to be one of five farmers under the ‘Farming for a Better Climate’ soil regenerative agriculture group, who are all working with an aim to move away from input intensive farming towards a comprehensively managed system.

With support from SAC Consulting, researchers and other industry specialists, the group aims to get to the bottom of which management techniques, treatments, crops and rotations help to shape and protect a resilient farm soil.

“The regenerative approach implemented has five key principles: minimal soil disturbance; maximum crop diversity; constant soil cover; maintenance of a living root; and integration of livestock,” explained Ross.

“As we were already practicing a no-tillage system at Castleton, it made sense to join the regenerative group where other like-minded arable farmers can exchange knowledge and practices. We are working together to establish how best to support, enhance and protect our farm soils, which will help improve production and tailor inputs, maximising profitability. Other benefits include improving water retention and drainage to supporting biodiversity and helping to lock up carbon on the farm,” he added.

“We have undertaken a lot of trial work including nutrition trails, sheep grazing, and stripper header harvesting – which have all proved beneficial to our system. Other farmers may be resistant to this movement, however, they are more likely to listen to other growers than to academia, so if it’s working in practice on a unit like my own then others are more likely to adopt it.”

Ross added: “Soil is our most valuable asset and for too long growers haven’t been making the best usage of it. By opting for a regenerative approach, one further benefit is that we have reduced man hours by up to 1000 hours per year on our whole enterprise, which is a huge saving on labour and fuel costs – allowing us to completely drop a tractor and tractorman.

“Everything has increasing in price so we will focus on minimising costs where we can without compromising quality. After almost four years, we have witnessed a vast improvement of soil structure and fertility. We are currently focussed on trying to quantify if the biological activity in soil, which is not easy but do feel it is improving.

“The winter cropping yields and quality have improved, however, the spring cropping has been the real challenge due to the poor weather we have been experiencing for a few years,” stated Ross.

The most recent key principle put in place at Castleton is the grazing of livestock over winter cereals, and at the end of last year, Ross decided to graze his winter barley and winter wheat with sheep. Fields were fenced using temporary electric fencing on November 18, with 337 sheep grazing 8ha of wheat and the 13ha winter barley field occupying 245 sheep. The sheep were then moved off the winter crops and onto cover crops on December 6, leaving both cereals showing some regrowth.

As well as grazing cereals, Ross has been experimenting with ways to terminate cover crops. Having set up an on-farm trial in several fields where some cover crops are grazed, some are flailed and some are left to be sprayed off with glyphosate, Ross is also planning to use a crimper roller to terminate covers if the weather permits.

Results have shown that the flailed cover crop has little surface residue remaining as the small particle size has allowed the biomass to break down quickly. However, the roots of the cover crop remain intact having provided significant grazing between grazing cereals. Manure on the soil surface has also been washed in or incorporated by worms.

Autumn sowing at Castleton takes place a month earlier in August and September via a Sumo Versadrill, with the team waiting until April for spring sowing to allow the soil to warm up.

“You have to give the crop the time to get up and due to no tillage, it is slower to establish in spring,” Ross said.

The use of fertilisers is an essential part of crop development and growth, providing vital nutrients and helping increase yields. By chopping straw left over from harvest – which returns nutrition and builds organic matter – Ross has reduced his overall phosphate and potash (P2O5 and K2O) usage by 50%.

“We are working on an offtake system and only applying what crop is lacking, nutrient-wise. With a dramatic increase in fertiliser costs this year, we only order Nitrogen fertiliser to cover what specific crops require it rather than applying to the entire acreage. This is where the introduction of legumes comes in, to reduce nitrogen and save on costs,” commented Ross.

As with any arable enterprise, weeds are proving to be a constant battle when trying to protect crop and one which the Mitchells are combatting.

“One area we closely monitor is weed control with pre-emergence sprays and round-up being critical components for our system to work,” stated Ross.

With harvest kicking off at the beginning of August and lasting into September, Ross currently operates one New Holland combine and a fleet of Valtra tractors, all sourced from local dealerships in the area. The farm operates one grain drier, however, grain is rarely stored with most of the crop being sold and loaded straight off the field.

The need for accuracy at Castleton is essential and is something that Ross feels he has achieved by the use of GPS.

“We invested in precision technology back in 2016, where we installed Trimble GPS in our spraying and drilling machinery. It acts as driver aid and allows the potential for increased output and decreased input costs.”

The Mitchell family also own and manage a busy farm shop and café, which was launched in 2008, as well as investing in solar panels and wood chip micro-biomass boilers in 2016.

“I’m very much driving to be self-sufficient when it comes to producing energy and not importing what we can produce ourselves,” stated Ross.

Professional advice is an important aspect of today’s farming enterprise and can contribute to the improvement of the end product leaving the farm gate. With this in mind, Ross has relied on the advice of SRUC agronomist, Peter Lindsay for the past two years whilst changing his entire system.

As well as Peter, Ross also attends a weekly seminar hosted by Base UK, where he can seek information from other professionals in the industry, as well as gather advice from other like-minded arable farmers.

Looking to the future of their enterprise in a post-Brexit economy, Ross is determined to ensure that he and his business can stand on it’s own two feet in what is a very unpredictable future for British farmers.

“Brexit has been disastrous for us as a whole and we have dealt with it as best we can but with current inflation, high energy prices and input costs, farming is facing an uphill battle. There’s a lack of understanding from the public and retailers that buying local and British helps our economy and there needs to be a drive to support it. I don’t agree with the green washing of trees onto what is productive farmland – food needs produced and is our first and foremost concern,” he explained.

“For my business, I really want to streamline the regenerative side of the arable unit ahead of the curve, rather than being forced as future policies will demand changes. When those changes are implemented, we will already be in a position to survive without the need of subsidies and stand on our own two feet.”

FARM facts:

Farm – Castleton home to Mitchell family since 1900s with the addition of Inchgray purchased in 2017. Acreage totals 1200, with 600acres of cereals, 50acres of permanent pasture, 100acres of woodland and 100acres of daffodils. Also growing 180acres of blueberries, 178acres of strawberries, 40acres of cherries, 30acres of raspberries and two acres of blackberries. Cereal acreage working on a five year rotation.

Labour – At peak fruit harvest, employ over 600 labourers with one full-time arable worker and occasional harvest help.

Cereal varieties – wheat, Extase and Skyscraper; barley, LG Diablo, Laureate and Craft; oats, Gerald; winter bean, Tundra; spring beans, Fuego.

ON THE spot:

Best advice you’ve received? To try and be self sustainable – don’t rely on subsidies.

Favourite thing about your job? Every day is different.

Best investment? Definitely the renewables, which has allowed us to be self sufficient in electricity and heat production.

Where do you see yourself in 2032? Sunning myself in the Caribbean!!