Feeding a growing population whilst capping emissions was the challenge for attendees at SAC’s beef open day at Cairnborrow farm by Huntly. Event organiser, SAC’s Kirsten Williams, welcomed over 150 farmers to hear the latest insights on all things beef from the experts.

SAC beef specialist Lesley Wylie was warmly received when she assured farmers that there was a steady if not insatiable demand for beef at the moment. Tight supply was likely to help farm gate prices, with strong global demand for manufacturing beef as witness through the strong cull cow trade. Mrs Wylie told farmers that the global shortage of manufacturing beef has pushed Australian prices to £6.50/kg, EU to £4.41/kg and Ireland is £4.60/kg.

Rotational grazing was SAC grass specialist Poppy Frater’s suggestion for producing more beef with fewer inputs. She told attendees that a typical full time beef farmer could get 20-30 extra bales of silage by shutting off grass in a rotational system. Ms Frater recommends bringing cattle into fields when the grass is ten centimetres high and removing the cows once the grass was down to five centimetres.

SRUC Vet investigations officer Tim Geraghty expounded the benefits of practical health planning through quarterly targets and regular reviews to assess results. By setting aside 45 minutes to plan for breeding, calving, growing and fertility, Mr Geraghty believes that farms can become more profitable.

One farmer did mention to The Scottish Farmer that many of the SAC recommendations required more work on the farm. However, consultant Malcolm MacDonald offered a solution which could cut down workload – virtual fencing collars. These collars emit an increasingly loud nose as the cow approaches the invisible fence before finally sending an electric pulse once the boundary has been breached.

Through a sim card in the collar and GPS, farmers can manage the grazed area remotely. Mr MacDonald believed this would be of particular benefit for hill farms and grazing of vulnerable habitats. Trials are proving successful, and prices are hoped to come down from £300 each if production takes off.

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After lunch the attendee’s heard from a panel of four on their vision for the Scottish beef industry. Head of Agriculture at Virgin Money, Brian Richardson, cryptically said he predicted the future would see fewer beef producers but not necessarily fewer farms before stating there was an opportunity to embrace the net zero agenda.

Orkney Aberdeen Angus breeder Colin Davidson, of Skaill farm, told attendees the benefits of his feed efficiency trial. “Feed efficiency looks to be as heritable a trait as growth,” he explained. “Currently we are getting average conversion rates of 6.5 to one but I think we will be able to get it down to four to one. Herds in the USA over a ten-year period reduced their feed input requirements by 20%.”

During the trials on the farm, Mr Davidson's finishing cattle were ranging from a conversion rate of seven to one at its worst to three to one at its best. When one animal suffered a respiratory disease, its conversion rate shot up from five to one to thirteen to one.

Kirsty Budge, who farms at Bigton farms in Shetland, believed being a QMS monitor farm helped them greatly prepare for a future in the beef sector. She explained that discussing the farm's plans at meetings not only brought in new ideas, but critically helped reassure much of what they did was already on the right track. Small changes were key to success according to Ms Budge, who said by simply increasing clover in reseeds she saw a big impact on grass yields.

Finally SAC farm economist Steven Thomson gave an insight into the direction of future farm support. Mr Thomson sits on a number of influential committees alongside advising government civil servants on the impact of proposed legislation. He told farmers that they need to be aware that the ‘conditionality’ which may be attached to payments will require significant effort from farmers.

He warned that if the government is unable to hit their targets through payment support plans, then mandatory regulation may follow. There were reassurances that the beef calf scheme is likely to remain, however farmers may be required to have better performance from their animals to get the full payment.