Mary-Jane Lawrie is joined by Liz Haines to talk about her lived experience of being neurodivergent and working in agriculture. Liz tells us about her background in farming and how she and her husband became new entrants to agriculture. Liz shares some of her systems and process that help her run their successful dairy farm since being diagnosed with ADHD in 2022. This diagnosis led her to pursue a Nuffield scholarship. She has travelled the world to study neurodiversity in agriculture, and she shares with us her learnings, and how we can help and support neurodiverse people in our agricultural industry.

Thanks for joining us for this episode of Agri Culture. If you’d like to get in touch or find out more about the ‘Level The Field’ campaign, you can find more information in the show notes. You may also want to listen to the two Agri Culture podcast episodes on dyslexia. This episode was presented by me Mary-Jane Lawrie, produced by Kerry Hammond and edited by Cameron Waugh, in association with the Scottish Government.

Resources

Level the field - Farmers Weekly

BBC Two - Inside Our Minds

Agricultural Studies | Nuffield Farming Scholarships

Agri Culture - Cathy Magee: Delving into Dyslexia | FAS

Agri Culture - Pete Black: The Superpower of Dyslexia | FAS

For more information, visit www.FAS.scot

Twitter: @FASScot

Facebook: @FASScot

National Advice Hub

Phone: 0300 323 0161

Email: advice@fas.scot

Along with our regular monthly updates on policy, cereals, beef, sheep and milk, in this edition we also have a spotlight on Selling Your Farm: what you need to have in place.

Show Notes

00:38 News in Brief

04:16 Policy Briefs – Future Farming Investment Scheme (FFIS), Community right to buy, Knowledge Transfer Innovation Fund (KTIF), Peatland Training Fund, Next Generation Practical Training Fund, Agricultural Household Survey, Key Dates.

13:56 Cereals – latest arable news and market update

22:37 Beef –Beef prices and supply, Store cattle demand and supply, Cull cow trade

27:13 Sheep – New season lamb trade, Imports and Exports

30:23 Milk – Milk production data, Farm-gate prices, Dairy commodities and market indicators, Grass growth and quality, How do you measure up?

35:54 Sector focus –Selling Your Farm – the benefits of doing some ground work before looking to sell your farm.

41:16 Further articles – Tax and Succession Planning, Challenges and opportunities facing the beef industry, Dairy – How do you measure up?, Rural Roundup – Inheritance Tax and Succession planning.

FAS Resources:

Newsletters- Business & Policy Edition - Farm Advisory Service

Other Links:

AHDB - predicting beef demand as retail prices rise

Future Farm Investment Scheme full guidance

Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003

Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015

Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016

Community right tobuy: review - Scottish Government consultations - Citizen Space

Leriche’s air Còir-cheannaich Coimhearsnachd co-chomhairle

Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund - Rural Payments and Services

Peatland Training Fund- Skills Hub Scotland

Peatland Training Fund | Lantra - Scotland

Next Generation Practical Training Fund - Skills Hub Scotland

Kingshay -...

Thinking of diversification projects on the croft? Hear from two entrepreneurs who have set up shops, campsites and tours in Uist, and are managing to bring in tourists and have a healthy footfall. They discuss the issues with funding on croftland, ferries, finishing animals, abattoirs, Instagram posts, Scottish Agritourism, and Enterprise agency support.

Anne MacLellan runs Balranald Campsite, the Dunes Cabin, a catering business, a new self-service vending machine with fresh veg and fish, and a self-catering cottage and a pod. Lyndsay Robertson and DJ run Long Island Retreats, with a shop of local and islands produce and offer immersive tours of the croft and machair to UK and international travellers.

Related FAS Resources

https://www.fas.scot/article/diversification-on-a-shoestring/

FAS TV Series 5 Episode 9 - Supporting Crofting with Diversification - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrYYHOqkQbI

Other Related Resources

Business support from:

https://www.hie.co.uk/

https://www.scottish-enterprise.com/