Digital innovation in Scottish farming has been showcased at a 'walk and talk' event hosted by Buccleuch’s Borders Estate at Bowhill near Selkirk.

Bowhill Farming Ltd spans 6,555 hectare of mixed hill/upland. Enterprises include a herd of premium health Aberdeen Angus cows, a flock of Scottish Blackfaced breeding ewes, a large free-range poultry unit, an anaerobic digester, deer farming, as well as a small amount of arable cropping grown mainly for stock feed.

Organised by Scottish Land & Estates, attendees at the event heard from farm manager Sion Williams about how the adoption of technology was improving outcomes across the business. Topics discussed included benchmarking, slurry management, rotational grazing, animal performance and health, as well as soil health.

Bowhill is an active partner in a number of research projects and one of the 32 Agri-EPI Centre Satellite Farms. Gavin Dick, from Agri-EPI Centre’s satellite farm network, also joined the event and together they explained the technologies being used, such as satellite imagery looking at pasture levels, cattle boluses recording cattle temperatures and using water drinking weighers.

SLE regional support officer Tracey Roan said: “Attendees were impressed by what Sion and his colleagues were achieving and were keen to learn more about how technological advances could be utilised on smaller farming units and the costs and benefits associated with that.

“It was a chance to ask questions, share knowledge and views and think about where Scottish farming will advance to over the next decade and beyond. There is no shortage of challenges when we consider how to improve productivity, animal health and environmental outcomes whilst maintaining Scotland’s world class reputation for food and drink production."