Bull choices, data for decision making, EFA in practice and farm business planning are on the agenda at the Strathspey Monitor Farm summer open meeting at Auchernack, Grantown on Spey on Wednesday 3 June.
Now open for booking, the meeting, ‘Trusting The Process’ will see Calum and Hamish Smith discuss how the right processes bring confidence to their decision making as they gradually succeed their parents, Malcolm and Sammie.
The Smiths have a 90-year history at Auchernack, but family business planning is rarely easy and usually involves tough choices. The meeting will cover options and highlight why the Smiths are addressing this now.
Attendees will spend time discussing the benefits of short and long-term planning in cattle choices, how livestock data collection helps decision making, and why taking advice on EFA options for Auchernack in autumn has made crop choices simpler this summer.
Morayshire Shorthorn breeder Grant Stephen will join Calum to discuss the breeding choices made at Auchernack as the Smiths build their herd of Shorthorn heifers.
The family has been using data and information from Shearwell for several years, and a new interface and data package is allowing Hamish and Calum to understand more about the cattle choices they make. Ellie Mann from Shearwell Recording will discuss using data for decision making and demonstrate how the system helps.
The Smiths have also been working with a consultant for over a year discussing succession, farm planning and collaboration. Independent consultant Kirsten Williams will explain why this process can be vital for the survival and development of family farms, particularly where the next generation increasingly manages major business decisions.
Jenny McCallum, agricultural consultant and sheep farmer will be discussing EFA options after talking about the issue at the Monitor Farm open meeting in November. The Smiths followed her recommendations, sowing a field with neeps and forage rape. Was it the right choice? Visitors can find out how EFA can fit into current systems and ask Jenny where she thinks the options bring benefits.
Monitor Farm regional adviser Peter Beattie says: “Hamish and Calum are increasingly making the major decisions at Auchernack and their other unit at Congash, while Malcolm builds on his agricultural role within the National Park. The family understands the importance of processes, and this meeting will look at how they are helping in the development of this farm business at a time of change.”