A number of visits by Scotia Agricultural Club are planned for this year.
Langholm Estate – date provisionally set for 4th June. A village in southern Scotland has succeeded in buying a large part of Langholm Moor, a famous grouse moor held for centuries by the Dukes of Buccleuch. Buccleuch Estates agreed to sell just over 2,000 hectares (about 5,000 acres) of Langholm Moor to the local community, with plans to create a leading new nature reserve and community regeneration project.
Glensaugh – this is one of the James Hutton Institute’s research farms and the home of their Climate positive Farming Initiative (glensaugh.hutton.ac.uk). This exciting new initiative builds on a long tradition at Glensaugh for wide-ranging research into many different elements of farming – environmental, economic and social. The James Hutton Institute’s research farms have long been at the forefront of innovation in land and agricultural practices, trialling and testing new farm methods, livestock and crops. Now, more than ever, they are needed to test and demonstrate transformative ways of managing our land. Glensaugh is located in north-east Scotland in the Grampian foothills. It is managed as an upland livestock farm, just over 1000ha in area, with sheep, cattle and red deer, improved and extensive pastures, moorland, woodland and peatland. Visit has been set for 22nd August.
Dumfries House, Rural Skills Centre – Generously funded by The MacRobert Trust, the multi-million-pound dedicated training centre, called The MacRobert Farming and Rural Skills Centre, represented a significant boost to the UK’s rural industry when it opened in Summer 2023. Lying adjacent to the estate’s commercial operation Home Farm, the state-of-the-art facility enables The Prince’s Foundation to host events and hands-on workshops for around 1800 participants each year, including secondary school pupils, school leavers showing an interest in land-based jobs, and adult learners looking for new careers as well as farming and rural sector workers looking to upskill. See https://dumfries-house.org.uk/blog/page/396/hrh-the-prince-of-wales-sees-work-start-on-new-rural-skills-training-centre. The date of this visit has yet to be finalised but likely to be late September.
Invitations to join these visits will be circulated to all members once all arrangements have been finalised.
Author: Bill Spoor
BSc Agric Botany (Aberystwyth), PhD Plant genetics (Reading). Research interests focused on plant genetic resource conservation and utilisation with substantial research student engagement. Led to appointment as PG Director of Studies at the Univ. of Edinburgh whilst employed by SRUC (then SAC). Head of Crop and Soil Systems Group which was focussed on education delivery (U/G and P/G taught courses ), research in crop and soil systems (funded by SERAD and other Govt agencies, and commercial), and extension (Crop Clinic). Increasing involvement in organisational management via Dean of Centre and as Dean of Postgraduate Studies.
