Mixed farm of the year title for Carriston Farm, Fife

One minute he’s calving a cow in his wellies and waterproofs – the next, he’s in the tractor cab sowing carrots, still wearing the same gear. It’s a sight their agronomist finds endlessly amusing when he arrives.

It’s this ability to pivot between enterprises – to see the farm as an interconnected system rather than separate silos – that has earned Carriston Farm the 2025 Scottish Agriculture Awards’ Mixed Farm of the Year title. But it’s also simply how the Jack family operate, with one eye on tradition and the other firmly on innovation.

The family being presented with their farm sign at AgriScot (Image: web)

The story of Carriston begins in 1982, when Matt’s grandparents and parents Matt and Libby, moved from a dairy farm in Ayrshire over to Fife.

Initially, they did a bit of arable and fattened store cattle and lambs. By 1989, they’d started growing carrots for Kettle Produce.

Fast forward to today, and the operation spans 1400 acres (half owned, half rented), running 200 suckler cows, 350 ewes, a new 32,000-bird egg laying unit, and vegetables including swedes and those high-value carrot crops that remain at the heart of the rotation.

“The vegetables are the cash crop of the rotation,” Matt explains.

“They’re the ones that generally make the high input worth it, with hopefully a high output to match. But the weather brings challenges with that.”

Carriston Farm (Image: web)

Which is where the beauty of mixed farming reveals itself. While carrots might be weather-dependent, the livestock enterprises provide stability. The poultry unit, established just six months ago, offers something even more valuable – consistency.

When Matt started looking at diversification in early 2024, he considered several options. Dairy was ruled out as too big a change for the existing system. But egg production felt like a good fit.

“We were looking for something that could make use of the cereals we grow, and then something to produce more manure for the farm to try and cut the artificial fertiliser bill,” he says. “With the hens, we’re adding to the business without removing anything.”

But there was another factor that clinched it. “Egg production works so well because what we do today affects the hens that give us the results in tomorrow’s eggs.”

That immediate feedback loop, so different from the long wait between sowing and harvest, or the months of breeding and finishing livestock, has proven invaluable.

“We’re six months into it and we’re really starting to learn. It’s routine and commitment, but we get this weekly egg cheque, which is fantastic. The support that exists in the poultry industry is so strong.”

The kids are a big part of the farm (Image: web)

The family has a contract to supply Farmlay Eggs, and this new relationship is another key piece of the puzzle.

“We went and met the Chapman family at Farmlay and got a very good welcome from Robert and Iain. You kind of felt like you were a person to them, another family farm dealing with them. You pick up the phone and you speak to Robert or Iain directly, we’ve built a great relationship.”

Everything at Carriston connects. The carrots are the cash crop, yes, but they’re also demanding on the soil, particularly when lifting them in winter conditions. So, beans follow the carrots in rotation.

“The beans help to repair and correct the soil structure after the carrots,” Matt explains.

“They’re also a source of protein for the finishing cattle, which links everything together.”

The rotation runs at one-in-seven or one-in-eight, and they’re seeing real benefits from keeping grass in the system for three years between carrot crops.

The 200-strong commercial cow herd, predominantly Limousin crosses, started off with a handful of pure Limousins that Libby bought in 2004. Aside from replacements, the Jacks finish all progeny, selling mostly through ABP, Perth.

“We retain our own heifers and finish everything else at home,” says Matt. “The bull calves are left entire; we finish them on homegrown barley and beans.”

Meanwhile, the 350-strong flock of Texel crosses contribute to grass management too.

"We also have a few pure Texels, with the tup lambs retained to use on the cross ewes, then MV tested and sold as shearlings. All other lambs are fattened and sold through the marts."

True to their pioneering nature, for the last two decades Carriston has also been working with SoilEssentials. Matt’s father started exploring the principles around 2004.

“Everything’s soil mapped, GPS mapped for spreading lime, and we’re trialling variable seed rates now,” Matt says.

But the real innovation is in how they use it. This isn’t technology for technology’s sake, it’s about making the circular system work better, reducing inputs, improving soil health, and ultimately cutting costs while maintaining or improving output.

At 36, Matt is very much the driving force behind new enterprises like the poultry unit. But at 71, his father isn’t going anywhere.

“Dad is 71 and farming’s in his blood; he lives and breathes it. He’ll never retire,” Matt says with obvious affection.

“We work well as a team, and the decisions are all done jointly.”

There’s a natural division of labour that has evolved.

“Day-to-day running of the farm is still joint between my father and I, though there’s been a swing towards myself. I tend to do the livestock, the veg, and the hens, and I try to leave dad to do the cereals.”

But it’s clear this is a genuine partnership and a team effort. “Dad tends to feed the cows and I deal with all the calving and so on.”

It’s a pattern that looks set to continue at Carriston. Matt and wife Lynn have three young children, aged six, three and eight months.

Lynn, a qualified accountant, runs the office and is heavily involved with the stock and hens.

“It’s just a family team,” Matt says. “The kids can help with packing eggs which they love, and it gets them involved. We have four staff to help with the veg and hens but there’s nobody directly employed to look after the livestock.”

Judges for the Mixed Farm of the Year category, sponsored by Thorntons Law, were impressed by what they saw as 'exemplary integration of multiple enterprises working in harmony.'

They noted how the fixed rotation supports disease-free ground for the high-value carrot crops, while sheep and cattle enhance grass breaks and contribute fertiliser for arable production. The newly established 32,000-egg laying unit, they observed, further boosts soil health through organic fertiliser.

With plans to mix feed on-farm using homegrown grain, and the use of technologies like EID, soil mapping, and precision nutrient application, the judges felt the Jack family is 'an excellent example of a family farm where the next generation are driving the business forward.'

It’s this combination, respect for traditional mixed farming principles executed with modern precision, that sets Carriston apart.

Matt is taking a cautious approach when talking about future plans.

“I’ve got quite a lot of ideas for what comes next, but there’s only so much you can do at one time, so I’m sort of sitting on my hands just now,” he says.

The Carriston approach – circular, diversified, family-driven, technology-enabled – is built for resilience. Multiple income streams, multiple generations working together, and a deep understanding of how each enterprise supports the others.

“My cows are my passion,” Matt says simply when asked if there’s any enterprise he particularly enjoys. But passion alone doesn’t win awards. It’s the vision to see how those cows fit with the carrots, the sheep, the cereals, the eggs – and now, potentially, what comes next.

As Matt’s calving-to-carrots routine suggests, mixed farming isn’t about choosing between enterprises. It’s about making them work together, seamlessly moving from one task to the next –whatever the job demands.