‘EFFICIENCY IS the key to success in an increasingly competitive marketplace and farmers will need to rise to the challenge and embrace change in order to succeed in business’ – an important message delivered by dairy farmer, Hugh Watson, during an open day for the West Region of SAYFC agri-affairs committee.

More than 30 young farmers gathered at Laigh Tarbeg, in Cumnock, last Saturday, to see the Watson family’s impressive farming operation – it was organised by chair of the West Region’s agri-affairs committee, John McCulloch. Through a series of workshops, farm tours and a panel debate, the event was aimed at equipping attendees with a host of new ideas on how they could look to innovate their own farming businesses.

The Watsons were the ‘AgriScot Dairy Farmers of the Year’ in 2018 and Hugh Watson took the visitors on a tour of the facilities, explaining how times have changed since he bought the farm in 1982 and how 10 years ago, they made the decision to invest in Lely robots and have never looked back.

“The robots ticked a lot of boxes for us. We saw an increase in our yields and animal health and no longer did we have to go out and milk them three times a day, as we can leave the robots to it,” he told the delegates.

“This meant we could free up our time to make improvements on the farm and make our operation as efficient as possible. We are also investing in technology, such as satellite-controlled steering in tractors, which means we can be on top of soil health and look at things like field rotation.

“As well as investing in robots, we have also prioritised buying in the best cows we can find locally, improving our nutrition and keeping on top of animal comfort. Luckily, silage has improved in the last couple of years and all in all these factors create a recipe for good yields. Our cattle produce on average 38 litres daily and our highest performing cow last year produced 19,600 litres.

“I think this event is a great opportunity for young farmers to hear views from those who have been in this business for many years and see first-hand how new technologies are innovating the sector. The Agri-affairs committee is the ‘think tank’ of the young farmers movement and it is important that we encourage the next generation of farmers at events like these.”

The Scottish Farmer:

Local MP Bill Grant, Gary Leitch of Dairy Automation Ltd, chair of west agri-affairs John McCulloch and host farmer Alistair Watson

Local Westminster conservative politician, Bill Grant MP, joined the young farmers for their tour of Laigh Tarbeg and commented on what the UK Government must do to ensure farmers are protected in a post-Brexit arena.

“Have we made a hash of Brexit ... yes we have,” he admitted to the group. “The farming industry is rightfully concerned about future trade and it is the responsibility of the British Government not to open up the UK market to products of a lesser quality, produced in an environment we would be shocked at.

“We have some of the highest welfare standards in the world which is something the British public should be proud of, but maintaining these standards is costly. We need to ensure, as best we can, that in future trade deals with other countries that their standards are equal to ours,” he said.

Asked whether Westminster recognised the strengths of the agricultural industry, Mr Grant replied: “Farming is more than just food production. You have been environmentalists for hundreds of years and it is important moving forward that you are rewarded for your efforts.”

Following a tour of the farm and seeing the robots in action, the group were split in to four groups and took it in turns to visit a series of workshops hosted by industry professionals.

The Scottish Farmer:

Attendees took part in four different workshops on the day hosted by industry professionals

Main dealer, Hamilton Bros provided a Massey Ferguson tractor for the event and discussed with the young farmers what to look for when buying a tractor, highlighting the importance of comfort and prioritising cab and front suspension. They also explained how machinery had advanced over the years and that it was becoming increasingly difficult for the second hand market as more and more tractors are being designed to custom fit individual farmers.

The Royal Bank of Scotland were on hand to discuss with the group about lending opportunities for the sector and the different diversification opportunities they can support farmers with. As part of the RBS workshop, the group also learnt about improving their digital security.

“Only 5% of scams are reported,” stressed Rachelle Maconeghy. “This is something we can only tackle if people report cases to us and we can better calculate the extend of criminal activity. There is a rise in criminals hacking business emails so we would urge you to be wary if someone you regularly send payments to suddenly asks you to pay a different bank account – this should send alarm bells ringing.”

RBS delivered a strong message about the growth of social media and warned that farmers should keep their locations private where possible so as not to leave their farm vulnerable to criminals.

The group also met with George Clapham, a buyer of lamb and cattle for retailer Morrisons, who explained that they were the only retailer to have livestock buyers of their own: “We hugely support British farming and this is reflected in our customers who tell us that buying British is their third most important consideration when purchasing food. However, we always need to be competitive on price and the retail market is becoming tough when there are discount brands, such as Lidl and Aldi, growing in the market.”

The group also attended a robotic milking workshop. Gary Leitch, of Dairy Automation, explained that robots were generally 36 hours ahead of a man, with their sensor technology and accompanying data giving farmers that competitive advantage and the capacity to identify problems before they develop.

With new technology comes added costs, which prompted young farmer John La Combre, who worked on a local dairy farm, to ask whether leasing robots may be the future and a positive step for new entrants? Mr Leitch responded: “We are beginning to see an increase in leasing robots, they are leased for a seven-year term and it does lessen the cost, as there isn’t the high upfront investment.

“This could also appeal to farmers who want to lease and then upgrade to newer inventions as an when they are released. However, new entrants may need to be careful, as to qualify for a lease will require strong financial records, which they may not have in the early stages of developing their business.”

The Scottish Farmer:

Panel session (L-R) Mhairi White, George Lumsden, Robert Flemming (chair), Gary Leitch, Gary Mitchell and Hugh Watson

Lunch was provided by Isabel Howat from the Bakery Box, Ochiltree, before the group gathered for a panel session in the afternoon. Chair Robert Ramsay, of SAC Consulting was joined by RBS’ relationship manager, Mairi White, George Clapham, Gary Leitch, Hugh Watson and vice-chair of NFU Scotland’s milk committee, Gary Mitchell.

Lanarkshire dairy farmer and chair of the SAYFC agri-affairs committee, Andrew McGregor, opened the session by asking what advice the panel would give to young farmers who might be starting out?

Mr Mitchell stressed that it was imported for young farmers not to feel they have to follow in the same footsteps of their family before them and to get into benchmarking, and learn from new forward-thinking enterprises.

Mr Leitch added: “Modern technology is going to allow the future generation to produce more per person, but it has to be economical. You can spend all your money on modernisation, but if it’s not economical you won’t last.”

Ms White added that people were looking at diversifying their businesses, which can mean huge upfront investment and urged them to think about coming to speak to lenders first before embarking on a new business model. “We have an appetite for lending and want to encourage new farmers in to the sector as best we can,” he said.

Sarah Whitelaw, of Avondale YFC, asked if the growth in robotics was leading to a loss in stockmanship skills, highlighting a key skill which is taught to young farmers?

Host Hugh Watson responded: “With these robots, we are able to more closely monitor health, nutrition and reproduction. If you are not standing in a parlour you have more time to go and check on the individual cattle themselves. So, more than ever, we are prioritising our stock.”

Mr Leitch agreed that good stockmen would always make the best farmers and machines would never replace stockmen completely.

As the panel session drew to a close, John McCulloch commented on why this was such an important event in their calendar: “The day was a massive success, drawing together different angles of the industry and showing how they can all work together to make farming businesses more efficient and get the most out of the resources available. This is something that we, as the agri-affairs committee can do, to actively encourage young farmers to ready themselves for the future, in an industry which is changing every day,” he concluded.