Welcome to Stock Talk hosted by Kirsten Williams. On today’s episode, Kirsten is joined by Ross Robertson, a Farm Technology Specialist at the UK Agri-Tech Centre. Ross collaborates with a network of farms to create practical solutions and demonstrate use of technology on farm to increase productivity. Ross draws on his practical farming experience and knowledge gained through visiting systems in other countries to bring about innovative change at a farm level here in the UK.

Episode Timestamps

00.20 Introducing Ross Robertson, Farm Technology specialist and sheep farmer

04.34 Sector technology: dairy, arable robotics and precision farming, pig and chicken technology and animal health

09.00 Return on investment

10.36 Understanding how to handle and understand the data – the importance of training

13.32 Applying dairy technology to the beef sector

15.41 Main driver for introducing technology: labour, cost saving, health monitoring, increasing productivity

19.11 Ross’s background

24.28 Biodiversity sensors

27.42 LoRaWAN – Long Range Wide Area Network

30.15 Connectivity - a barrier to the uptake of technology?

32.01 ONE AgriTech survey – broadband, apps and expert help

43.30 What motivates Ross

Resources

The UK Agri-Tech Centre | farming & food innovation

Ross Robertson contact: 07858309293, ross.robertson@ukagritechcentre.com

Opportunity North East (ONE)

The University of Edinburgh - The Power of Data in Farm Animal Practice

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Welcome to Stock Talk hosted by Kirsten Williams. On today’s episode Kirsten is joined by Jilly Duncan Grant, Founder & CEO of Herd Advance Ltd. Jilly has a real love for agriculture and her varied career led to a focus on data driven decision making and developing Herd Advance with her husband to improve herd performance, profitability and wellbeing. 

Episode Timestamps

00.42 Introducing Jilly Duncan Grant – a Jill of all trades!

09.18 What is Herd Advance?

23.49 The family farm – managing ‘boom and bust’ fluctuation in the marketplace

27.55 QMS board member role

31.03 What motivates Jilly to keep pushing forward

FAS Resources

Data Driven Decision Making for Finishing Cattle | Helping farmers in Scotland

Data Driven Decision Making for Suckler Herds | Helping farmers in Scotland

FFBC_Case_Study_Improving_weight_data_capture_Glenkilrie_

Other Resources

Herd Advance

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Welcome to Stock Talk hosted by Kirsten Williams. On today’s episode Kirsten is joined by Turkey Farmer Paul Kelly. In 1971, Paul’s parents started the family business, known today as ‘Kelly Turkeys’ and ‘Farmgate Hatcheries’. The cycle starts with eggs going into incubators in April for 28 days. When they hatch, they go into brooding sheds, then by 5 weeks of age they are ready to go to the woodland where they roam freely. At Kelly Turkeys they have complete control over the whole production cycle, making them very unique in the industry and one of a kind in the UK. The business has developed resilience to deal with issues like Brexit, labour, marketing and work by the motto ‘change is the name of the game’.

Episode Timestamps

00.31 Introducing Paul and the turkey cycle

02.41 Inseminating vs running with stags

03.24 Genetics and breeding lines

09.43 Hatchery business: 1.8 million chicks a year

12.48 Kelly turkeys: 100,000 turkeys reared through to Christmas

18.38 Split between whole turkeys, crowns and butterflies

27.36 Bringing resilience into the business

33.32 Avian influenza (bird flu)

37.44 Markets, trends and online sales

39.09 Weighing turkeys, sources of protein (acorns!) and organic

44.36 Succession

46.50 Marketing and celebrity chefs!

FAS Resources

Poultry | Helping farmers in Scotland

Other Resources

Kelly Bronze Turkeys  

Farmgate Hatcheries

New GB avian influenza wildlife interactive map and data dashboard launched | SRUC

Avian influenza (bird flu): how to spot and report the disease - gov.scot

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National Advice Hub

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