Monitor Farm Scotland will bring four years of practical learning on farm technology to AgriScot this November, with farmers and industry specialists sharing their experiences of where technology is delivering genuine value to Scottish farm businesses.
The seminar, “Being Tactical about Tech”, will take place at 9am on Wednesday 18 November in Seminar Room 2 and will draw on experiences from across the Monitor Farm Scotland programme. The discussion will look beyond technology for technology’s sake, exploring how farmers can assess return on investment, labour savings and improvements in animal performance and resilience – as well as recognising where technology may not be the right answer.
The panel will be chaired by Beth Alexander, Monitor Farm Programme Manager at Quality Meat Scotland (QMS), who leads the delivery of the national Monitor Farm Scotland programme and works with farmers, advisers and industry partners to turn practical on-farm learning into knowledge that can be shared across the wider agricultural sector.
Beth will be joined by Christine Cuthbertson, Monitor Farm Regional Adviser and project lead for the programme’s Virtual Fencing project, which has been exploring the practical application of virtual fencing within Scottish grazing systems. Findings and experiences from the project will be shared during the seminar, including the opportunities and challenges identified by farmers trialling the technology.
One of those farmers is David Andrew, South Ayrshire Monitor Farmer, who has been trialling virtual fencing collars with his cattle. He said: “ Virtual fencing has made us enthusiastic about what is possible on the hill, helping us use the ground better, manage cattle more efficiently and make decisions with greater confidence.”
The panel will also include Matt Blyth of BLAS The Digital Shepherd, a 2021 Nuffield Farming Scholar with more than 25 years of practical sheep and beef farming experience. As an SQP/RAMA and independent livestock data adviser, Matt works with farmers, vets and industry organisations to help turn EID, livestock weighing and monitoring data into practical decisions that improve performance, health, welfare, labour efficiency and profitability.
Joining them will be Marc Skivington, Farm Business Manager at Strathmore Farming Company, Strathmore Estates, and founder of the Smartfarmer app. Marc brings more than a decade of farm management experience across mixed farming systems, with a particular focus on business development, strategic planning and operational efficiency.
Beth Alexander said: “Technology has huge potential within farming, but the important question for any business is not simply what technology is available – it is whether it solves a genuine problem and delivers enough value to justify the investment. Over four years of Monitor Farm activity we have seen farmers trial and adopt a wide range of technologies, and we have also seen the importance of implementation, training and confidence in getting the best from them. The Virtual Fencing project is a particularly good example of farmers testing technology in real Scottish farming conditions and being open about both the opportunities and the challenges. At AgriScot we want to have a practical conversation about what works, what doesn’t and how farmers can make more informed decisions about where technology can improve labour efficiency, animal performance, profitability and resilience within their own businesses.”
Following the seminar, Matt Blyth will join the QMS stand until 12pm, giving farmers the opportunity to continue the conversation and discuss practical questions around monitoring technology and making better use of data within their own businesses.