Farming in the far north of Scotland focuses the mind – the elements are often against you and it takes character to work with them to farm successfully, and to do this as a new comer to the industry is testament to the level of passion and determination of the individual.

Having built up a successful landscaping business throughout northern Scotland, Donald MacDonald has managed to do just that. Although not from a farm himself, Donald was brought up next to his uncle’s farm near Thurso, which gave him an early love of rural affairs.

His route into farming has been an unconventional one and yet, after many long hard days and indeed years, Donald was able to purchase Taldale – a 265-acre farm located on the northern coast of Scotland, in 1999.

The property was in need of improvement; however, Donald took on the property and has now built a new house, new farm buildings and made significant improvements to the land.

“I knew when I purchased the farm that I had to choose an enterprise that suited this landscape, was relatively low in capital investment, would produce a quick cashflow and initially would work well alongside the landscape business,” he explains.

“Sheep were the obvious solution as they are cheaper than cattle to start-up. I did have to invest in fences and more recently buildings, but that is an ongoing cost for any livestock farmer. The labour requirements also peaked when the landscape business was slower; particularly lambing time.

“My priority was to get quota,” Donald explains. “I applied immediately, and was lucky enough to be allocated enough for a 300 Hill Cheviot pedigree ewe flock, as the breed suits the Caithness landscape, being hardy, easy to work with, with good size and prolificacy. My timing was good, and sheep prices were low, so I managed to buy 150 gimmers for £34 each and 150 first and second crop ewes at £30 each.

The first lambs were produced in 2000 and now, 17 years on, Donald has 500 North Country Cheviot ewes, 50 Cheviot mules and 200 Cheviot ewe lambs. He also uses a New Zealand Suffolk on cast Cheviot ewes which produce lambs with very good confirmation.

He’s had great success with his breeding policy, and regularly sells pedigree Cheviot rams in Dingwall. He has also seen prices of up to £195 for Cheviot Mule gimmers.

His sister in law is Joyce Campbell, from Armadale, so he always has an Armadale Cheviot tup in the breeding programme.

He has also considerably improved his grassland and built purpose made sheds, all in addition to his continually growing landscape business.

Donald is a strong believer in getting the details right and this, particularly, in northern Scotland can make or break a farming business.

“Generally, we can’t make hay here. We’re right on the coastline, and it’s just too risky to try and rely on hay making, recent summers have been notably wet and unpredictable. Grass growth doesn’t really kick in until after the longest day in June due to the angle of the sun this far north, so you have to be very aware of the timing of grass cutting to ensure you get the maximum out of your forage,” he explains.

“Typically, we get one cut of silage, and that’s in mid-July. And, with so much reliance on one cut, I’m determined to make the best possible silage to feed my livestock. My profitability is dependent on how well I manage the forage.

“I look at every aspect of grassland management. It’s important to constantly learn and be open to changing your systems. I pan bust all the farm every year and that has made a massive difference to the drainage and the productivity of the grassland,” he adds. “I soil sample every field every three years, and add minerals accordingly, typically lime and potash with trace minerals of selenium, copper and cobalt. I only cut grass after midday to increase the sugar content, and have also experimented with types of wrap to see if that improves the fermentation process.

“I’ve tried different number of layers with different sheets, but this year one change has made an incredible difference. As a farmer, you understand you want to minimise the oxygen contamination to the bale. I am always looking at ways to improve, why would any farmer invest so much time and effort producing forage, and then not getting the storage right?

“When I was at AgriScot last year I saw Silostop’s oxygen barrier film. The science made sense and, although it costs about £1.30 more per bale over 480 bales applying six layers, I thought it was worth a try. For my interest, I also did some black plastic bales with six layers to compare. In all honestly the sheep tell you the results – they’re eating every last bit, and the smell is tremendous.

“The seal on the bale is so much more effective, and the colour, the weight, and the analysis all demonstrate how the reduction of oxygen ingression into the bale improves the quality of the silage. With improved forage, I will also need to feed less purchased feed, so overall the cost of production will be lower, despite increased wrap costs. I also hope to see improved health over the winter period, including reduced listeria cases due to the hygiene quality of the bales, and obviously much less waste – all of which needs to be considered when assessing the cost effectiveness,” he explains.

Donald is constantly looking to improve his business and next year plans to bring the bales into the yard to wrap and stack in the hope it reduces the handling and therefore the oxygen into the bale, resulting in better fermentation.

For the future, Donald plans to expand the farm when possible, focus on the detail, and continue to change the management as new technology and products become viable to use on his farm.