Morayshire Monitor Farm Opens Gates for First Meeting

Morayshire farmer Iain Green and his team are preparing to welcome local farmers and crofters to Corskie Farm on Wednesday 8 February for the first of a series of regular open meetings.   The family business was recently selected as a host for the three-year Monitor Farm programme alongside eight other farms across Scotland. This joint initiative between Quality Meat Scotland and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds aims to improve the profitability, productivity and sustainability of Scottish farming businesses, allowing others within local community groups to be actively involved.   Farmers and crofters who attend the meetings at Corskie will be able to suggest possible changes to the business which improve productivity and efficiency, focusing on overcoming both technical and financial challenges, and then follow the results of those changes for the duration of the programme. The community group is also encouraged to select topics and speakers for meetings to cover issues which are relevant to the region.   Over the next three years there will be no shortage of topics to consider as the farm has a wide range of arable and livestock enterprises. These include cereals such as barley and wheat as well as cattle, sheep and pigs.  Like many other Monitor Farms in the past, the Green family is confident that the Morayshire Monitor Farm will not only bring benefits to their own business, but also to other farmers in the local area.   Iain is keen to see the next generation of farmers get involved in the Monitor Farm programme and as such, his daughters Laura and Jemma will be a key part of the project.    Iain says: “I think the programme will be good not only for me and the staff, but for Laura and Jemma as well. It will give them the opportunity to learn from other farmers, see totally new practices and try some of them out. There is no better way to learn.”   The launch meeting for the Morayshire Monitor Farm will take place on Wednesday 8 February from 1.30pm until 4.30pm.  The event will help set the scene for the project, with representatives from QMS and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds giving an overview of the Monitor Farm programme.     Derek Hanton of SAC Consulting, one of the experienced project facilitators, will detail how local farmers can benefit from being part of the three-year project. Iain Green, who manages the business at Corskie alongside his father, will give an insight into the current business activities and there will also be a farm tour to get a better understanding of the enterprises.   The event is free of charge but to assist with catering it would be appreciated if you can book a place by contacting Samantha Stewart by phone (01343 548 787) or email (samantha.stewart@sac.co.uk).   For more information about the monitor farm programme visit www.qmscotland.co.uk or cereals.ahdb.org.uk.