Crofting Matters

No matter the size of your herd, choosing the correct suckler replacements is important to ensure yearly, trouble free calvings and avoid nights spent calving or coaxing calves that refuse to suckle! Or worse, pets!

Crofting regulation, which covers what you can do with your croft land and how, is a tricky subject, full of acronyms and references to various Acts of Parliament. For most crofters, the day-to-day croft work is unaffected by legislation. It’s often only when crofts change that attention to the legislation is needed. In this podcast, we discuss some of the most common scenarios. Is there anything you need to do now or be prepared for?Linked FAS resources:Webpage on succession planning with a

Growing GrassHow can we make the best use of our grassland?  What is the difference between rotational, mob, deferred and set stocking?  What are the benefits of liming?For many crofters, low soil pH and rushes reduce the productivity of grassland.  In this episode, Poppy Frater discusses how to control rushes, increase growth of better grasses, reseeding, soil health and fertilisers.

With many Crofters across Scotland currently putting their bulls out, it is a good time to consider your current bull management practices. From pre-breeding examinations and diet, to the Crofting Cattle Improvement Scheme, Crofting Matters discusses key points for Crofters to be thinking about with Sarah Balfour.Sarah works out of the SAC Elgin office and is a Beef Consultant for the SAC Livestock Team. As well as running an upland commercial suckler herd, Sarah and her family also have three