Agflation and the lack of any clear direction regarding future policy has been a huge issue for farmers desperately seeking to make ends meet, but Scotland's Beef Event, at Dalswinton Estate, Dumfriesshire, aims to address such challenges and much, much more.

The one day event, on Tuesday, June 6, looks set to be a must attend event, being hosted by Peter Landale – owner of the 5000-acre estate which is steeped in history going back to Robert the Bruce and Rabbie Burns.

As the first Scottish Beef Event since the Covid pandemic, it promises to be a festival showcasing the very best of Scottish beef production while also providing an opportunity for knowledge exchange and network through various, highly topical seminars. Needless to say, as one of Scotland's most scenic and prestigious Beef Events, it is expected to attract thousands of visitors and industry representatives.

At present, Dalswinton is home to a 550-cow suckler herd comprising mostly Aberdeen-Angus cross cows, plus Luing and Shorthorn crosses, selling around 400 five to 10-month-old calves every year. The main terminal sire is the Charolais, along with Aberdeen-Angus, Luing, Shorthorn, and Simmental bulls used to breed replacement females.

With the land rising from the fertile soils on the banks of the River Nith, up to 800ft above sea-level, the business runs a stratified beef system with Luings kept on rough ground at the top of the hill alongside several wind turbines. Such cows are bulled to Luing, Beef Shorthorn and Simmental bulls to produce replacement females to put to an Angus to breed the main suckler female for the Charolais sire.

The upland half of the herd is out wintered on brassicas or the hill and calved in grassland/hill parks, thereby reducing costs, while the remainder is in wintered and calved on straw bedded courts.

All calve in the spring with heifers AI'd to easy-calving Angus sires at 15months of age to calve at two-years. First calvers are kept in the best grass fields and are given an extra bite of cake to enable them to grow and be calved a year later when the join the main herd.

However, despite the best of management and extremely favourable grass growing conditions, Dalswinton has had its fair share of challenges to address to include losing £81 per cow over the past year (without the Basic Farm Payment) as a result of soaring costs of production.

Having always produced a beef balance sheet in the black up until 2020, higher feed, fuel, fertiliser and contractor costs pulled the business into the red even when its management team continually reviewed the system to see how costs could be reduced.

What has become apparent is labour costs of £181 per cow are substantially above industry comparisons of £135/cow – most of which are based on family farms where time is not fully accounted for.

Production figures are nevertheless impressive with last year's records showing 533 cows scanned in calf with 510 calves reared, thereby giving an impressive calf rearing percentage of 92%. On average, calves are sold at 11 months of age when bullocks average 407kg and heifers 378kg, giving an average daily liveweight gain of 1.1kg. Many of these bullocks are regularly finished by farming partners at 17 to 20 months of age at an average deadweight of 367kg.

Mr Landale, the third generation of the family to take over the business, also believes the beef sector at Dalswinton, has a long way to go before it becomes sustainable.

"We have to face up to climate change and the biodiversity crisis before we can say we have a sustainable business and for me that means improving a number of factors – beef production and efficiency, animal welfare and people's working environment. We also have to address how we manage carbon sequestration better, biodiversity loss and support local communities by working closer with schools and colleges," he said.

"We lost £81 per cow last year before subsidies, mostly as a result of increased feed, fuel, fertiliser and contractor costs, but we also have to look at calving rates, machinery costs and how we sell our cattle if we want to become more efficient."

Mr Landale, who has relied upon farm manager, Andy Williamson for more than 30 years now, alongside David Anderson, Hamish Gallagher and Davie Lynch, also believes the business could be better off by reducing cow numbers and finishing the progeny off farm instead of selling them as stores. This he said has the potential to add value, improve traceability, and reduce emissions.

Out with the beef enterprise, the estate is home several diversification projects – wind turbines, a wedding venue which utilises the walled garden, along with residential and commercial property, a whisky bottling unit and holiday, fishing and shooting lets.

Mr Landale concluded: “"I do think the SNP has missed an opportunity to put policy in place to support agriculture and biodiversity which go hand in hand. Scotland is an amazing country which attracts so many tourists to the countryside, but that countryside is dependent on farmers and livestock, to keep it managed.

"Agriculture and particularly beef farming is coming under increasing scrutiny. We see Scotland's Beef Event as a real opportunity to bring the industry together and create a day where farmers can discuss the future, share ideas and see the Dalswinton suckler herd on the ground.”

Backing up these statements, Brian Richardson, head of agriculture at Virgin Money said: “We are currently in a huge period of change and the economics of what farmers are doing is going to change so we are here to share the support arrangements available. We are on the journey to net zero and there are challenges ahead for livestock producers – it is key farmers start that journey.

“Regenerative farming is the buzzword of the moment but it’s all about sustainability and farming plays an important part of that as well as maintaining the countryside. It is critical that future support brought in looks at food production. The agricultural industry is long term so it’s important that future plans are long term.

“It’s all about maintaining a productive and profitable beef industry and we are here to support farmers on that journey. We hope they will go away from Scotland’s Beef Event with a need to take that knowledge further,” he added.

FARM facts

Acreage: Dalswinton Estate extends to 5000acres of which half is farmland made up of 800acres of hill ground; 600 acres of permanent pasture; 400 acres ploughable; 120acres grown for arable crops and 60-80acres of brassicas for out-wintering cattle on.

Livestock: 550-suckler cow herd made up of Aberdeen-Angus and Beef Shorthorn cross cows alsong side 60 mainly Luing and a few Blue-grey cows to graze the hill ground. Hill cows are bulled to Luing, Shorthorn, Aberdeen-Angus and Simmental bulls, with the main suckler herd crossed to Aberdeen-Angus, Charolais and Simmental sires. Wintering hoggs.

Farm staff: Farm manager, Andy Williamson alongside Davie Anderson, Hamish Gallagher and Davie Lynch.

Diversification: Wind turbines, 54 commercial and permanent property and holiday lets, wedding venue, shooting and fishing lets, whisky bottling plant and an agricultural and plant engineers.

Dalswinton Estate History

Much of the scenic grandeur of Dalswinton Estate goes back to 1775 when the deputy grosvenor of The Bank Of Scotland, Patrick Miller bought the estate unseen. On his first visit to the Dumfriesshire enterprise he was appalled by the poverty and poor state of the land that he spent much of his life modernising it. Miller was also landlord to Scotland's famous poet, Rabbie Burns, who farmed at Ellisland, just outside Auldgirth.

Such was Miller's ability that he implemented a number of reforms in the banking world, to include the introduction of note exchange, whereby the bank agreed to accept notes of its competitors. He built Dalswinton House, a three-storey mansion and its surroundings, which today remain largely in their original form: the stable block situated below the main house and the walled garden; the village; the farms with the enclosed fields; all the cottages which were to house the farm workers and, the loch. It was, perhaps the loch for which he is most renowned, as it was on here that the first steamboat in Britain made its maiden voyage.

Sadly, Patrick Miller was declared bankrupt in 1819 due to his son's gambling activities and the estate was sold to the Macalpine Lennies who owned Dalswinton for 100 years.

In 1919, David Landale a self-made businessmen and grand-father of Peter, purchased the estate and did much to preserve and enhance Scotland’s open spaces.

Another notable international business man, Sir David Landale was renowned for his business connections to include Jardine Matheson in Hong Kong and Japan. In 1967 he was appointed managing director of the Japanese division and a main board director.

His son, also David – Peter's father – was equally well into commerce and inherited Dalswinton estate in 1970. Secretary of the Duchy of Cornwall from 1987, he brought a pioneering zeal to the Duchy’s merchandise that enhanced the income of the Prince’s Trust. As the Trust’s chief executive, he created Duchy Originals and convinced Walkers Shortbread, in Aberlour, to manufacture oatcakes and biscuits which became big sellers. Now owned by Waitrose, Duchy Originals is one of the UK’s largest retail outlets.

Sir David also modernised the farm and was recognised as an authority on the improvement of land throughout Scotland. He served on many associations with distinction to include president of the Royal Highland Agricultural Society in 1994.

Peter took over the estate in 2001 and has introduced several changes to include wind turbines in 2008.