Event focuses on small changes

Farmers are invited to an on-farm event next week at the Banff and Buchan Monitor Farm near Fraserburgh.

Bruce Irvine, who farms at Sauchentree, New Aberdour, is hosting the open afternoon on Wednesday January 31 from 2pm to 6pm.

The meeting will focus on how small changes, using readily available farm information, can impact positively on late winter management of cattle and sheep.

Attendees will have the opportunity to have practical discussions on livestock operations before heading to New Aberdour Hall for more on nutrition and decision-making using blood and forage analyses, led by the Monitor Farm Management Group.

Bruce will explain how he makes outwintering his livestock work on the exposed Buchan coast, while agricultural data specialist Andrew WardSmith will hold an interactive session on Sauchentree’s store beasts and the value of knowing feed values in planning performance.

Buchan Vets’ Seb Batchelor will bring his large animal veterinary experience to the meeting.

He has a particular interest in using blood analyses to drive decisionmaking for mineral supplementation.

For a pregnant cow or ewe, the north-east weather, forage quality and the animal’s overall condition impacts hugely on its ability to calve or lamb and then rear a newborn successfully.

David McClelland and Euan Munro from feed supplier Norvite will discuss how to plan nutrition for pregnant livestock at this critical time as calving and lambing approaches.

Attendees who bring their own forage analyses will have an opportunity to gain a fuller understanding of how to use them in drawing up nutrition plans for their livestock.

Bruce said: “This meeting is an opportunity to share with local farmers in a realfarm situation.”

All visitors are asked to come with clean cars, footwear and clothing for biosecurity reasons and to car share wherever possible to help with limited parking.

For further information on each Monitor Farm, visit www.monitorfarms.co.uk or contact north cluster adviser Peter Beattie on 07769 366614 or email monitorfarm@qmscotland.co.uk Booking is essential at http://bit.ly/buchan_mf

FARM EVENT: Vicky, Amy, Robyn and Bruce Irvine from Sauchentree, New Aberdour.