Soil Association Website

Grassland & clover management

fnorris — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 15:39:00 GMT

Four of these events took place in 2010 throughout Scotland. The technical sessions in the morning included presentations from James Bretherton, Gavin Hill, David Younie & SGRPID. Topics covered included grassland productivity, utilization & optimum stocking rates, choice of grass & clover species, establishment, nutrient management & weed control. Funding options under SRDP/LMO was also covered.

Hydro installation day

emartin — Thu, 19 May 2011 09:30:00 GMT

The morning session will look at a practical overview; regulatory aspects including environmental, extraction and construction; grid connection; planning; finance and legal issues. With presentations from Jamie Troughton, Ardchattan Hydro, North Connel giving a practical perspective on commissioning a 920Kw run of river scheme; Green Highland Renewables Ltd; SEPA and Logan Project Management. The day will also include a visit to the 998kW run of river Glenlyon Hydro scheme.

The cost is £40.00 plus VAT.

Wind turbine installation

emartin — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 09:30:00 GMT

The morning session will look at site choice, grid connection, environmental & planning permission issues and a farmer’s practical perspective on commissioning a wind turbine. The events will also include a visits to local farms that have wind turbines installed.

Biomass installation event

emartin — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 11:09:00 GMT

The morning sessions at these events will look at calculating the size of heating system required, fuel availability, quality, storage RHI, planning permission & a farmer’s practical perspective on commissioning a boiler system and running a wood chip business. The day will also include a visit to a working biomass unit on a local farm.

The cost is £40.00 plus VAT.

Anaerobic digesters

emartin — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 10:14:00 GMT

The Anaerobic digester (AD) events include presentations from BiogenGreenfinch, Strutt & Parker, SEPA and The Energy Saving Trust. The informational session in the morning covers an overview of AD, how it works, what feedstocks are suitable, what you can do with the biogas and digestate, Feed-in tarriffs (FITS), planning permission and connecting to the grid. The day will also include a visit to a working AD unit.

Managing livestock in a changing climate

fnorris — Thu, 20 May 2010 10:15:00 GMT

This course took place on 20 May 2010 on Glensaugh Farm. The technical session in the morning included presentations from John Vipond, Johnny Mackay & David Ross. Topics included improving productivity and efficiency through health and diet, selecting and managing livestock to suit changing weather patterns, producing home grown feed; identifying and managing diseases and stresses. Funding options under SRDP/LMO were also be covered. In the afternoon, delegates toured Glensaugh Farm to discuss how these principles can be put into practice.

Optimum manure management

fnorris — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:13:00 GMT

This course was delivered on 10 March 2010 at Auchincruive and 5 May 2010 at New Deer. The technical session in the morning included presentations from SAC & SGRPID. They looked at storage & handling, when, where and how much to apply, putting a nutrient value on FYM/slurry, benefits to production, role & benefits of composting and the funding options under SRDP. The New Deer event included a visit to D & E Smith, Mains of Inkhorn, Ellon and the Auchincruive event a visit to Messrs WP Kerr & Sons, Low Dallars Farm, Riccarton to discuss how these principles can be put into practice. With support from SRDP Skills Development Scheme and The Robertson Trust.

Developing on-farm renewables

fnorris — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 11:22:00 GMT

This event was held on 8 December, 2009, in Forfar. As it was so popular and oversubscribed, two further sessions were held in January and February 2010.

The morning sessions looked at understanding how renewables work; installing and funding for renewables; what is available; generating returns from renewables. Speakers included Maitland Mackie, the Forestry Commission and Atmos Consulting. The events also included farmers practical perspective of commissioning a 11Kw Gaia wind turbine and looking into further renewable options including hydro and solar on their farm. A farm visit was included in the afternoon.

Soil management

fnorris — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 09:56:00 GMT

Six Soil management training events were delivered in 2009. The events were held on 13 May at Newmiln Farm (Perth), 8 June at Oakwood Mill (Selkirk), 13 August at Mid Coul Farms (Inverness), 16 September at Rainton Farm (Castle Douglas), 24 September at Great Glen Cattle Ranch (Spean Bridge), 1 October at Craibstone Estate (Aberdeen).