Thrill of the Hill is back for season 6! Armed with a new team, new ideas and a range of new speakers, Alex takes on the hot topics impacting the farmed upland environment.

Scotland has a vibrant and dynamic farming industry, merging traditional practices with new innovations, yet barriers and challenges to entering and exiting the industry remain. Established in 2019 in response to industry concerns over the lack of new entrants across the sectors, the Scottish Land Matching Service (SLMS) offers a range of free services, providing advice and guidance, tools and signposting and a comprehensive database of individuals seeking opportunities in farming. In this episode Ian Davidson OBE gives us an overview of SLMS, what it does, who it works with and who it is looking for, highlighting some of the opportunities and successes through the initiative – across farming and crofting.

Want to get in touch with Ian? He can be contacted at the Scottish Land Matching Service via email enquiries at slms@nfus.org.uk

Note: This episode was recorded in March 2025

Related FAS Resources

New Entrants resources for farmers from Farm Advisory Service

Specialist Advice | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service

Related External Resources

Scottish Land Matching Service | Opportunities in Scottish Farming

Thrill of the Hill returns for season 5, with an exciting line-up on new and returning guest speakers and specialists in their fields and on their hills.

Venison, an underappreciated meat in Scotland? Despite the abundance of deer in Scotland, farmed and wild, venison has never been a staple of the Scottish diet, certainly not in the same way as beef or lamb. Scottish Government reports that the amount of farmed venison in Scotland increased by around 4.9% on the last five year average, making up 16,000 animals. That figure might sound impressive, but the Venison Advisory Service suggests that accounts for only 3% of national production, with the remainder coming from wild venison. Scottish Government reports that around 3,500 tonnes of wild venison is produced in Scotland each year and The Times suggest that around two thirds of that is used in the domestic and wider UK markets. But with such plentiful supplies of venison on our hills, could we be making more of it? In this episode Anona Gow discusses the virtues of venison, its nutritional value, cooking options, perception of the sector and reflects on her new book, The Venison Kitchen.

Want to get in touch with Anona? She can be contacted at The Venison Kitchen via email enquiries at hello@thevenisonkitchen.co.uk

Related FAS Resources

https://www.fas.scot/publication/podcast-the-thrill-of-the-hill-deer-farming-management/

https://www.fas.scot/publication/thinning-herds-thicken-forests/

Related External Resources

The Venison Kitchen by Anona Gow Cook Book

Events — Pitscandly Farm Venison Events and Farmers Markets

Thrill of the Hill returns for season 5, with an exciting line-up on new and returning guest speakers and specialists in their fields and on their hills.

We're all human, fragile and fallible, accidents can occur and mistakes can be made, people can be in danger, get hurt and when that happens, be in need of first aid. The National Farmers Union reports that despite accounting for only 1% of the working population, agriculture accounts for 20% of all deaths in the workplace. In this episode, qualified First Aid Trainer and practitioner, Sean Magee discusses the importance of first aid in the farm and rural environment, including what information to provide to emergency services and the processes of seeking help, how to assess the requirements of a casualty and top tips for dealing with agricultural related incidents when they occur.

If you want to get in touch with Sean, he can be contacted at CPS Activities Ltd via email at enquiries@cpsactivities.com.

Related FAS Resources

Developing Safe Farming Practices - Lone Working

Other Related Resources

First Aid Training - CPS Activities Ltd

Thrill of the Hill returns for season 5, with an exciting line-up on new and returning guest speakers and specialists in their fields and on their hills.

Technology is always progressing, and the same is true in the uplands. New innovations mean it has never been easier to collect, measure and interpret data for the benefit of farming, nature and climate change. In this episode, Environmental Consultant, Jack Zuill discusses the potential for and realities of measuring nature, using a range of technologies, from drones and LiDAR to audio capture, speculate on the future of data gathering and the importance of having specialist input in decision-making.

Want to get in touch with Jack, he can be contacted at SAC Consulting Ltd on 07584 526 926 or via email at jack.zuill@sac.co.uk.

Related FAS Resources

UAVs in Agriculture | Farm Advisory Service

Natural Capital - Drones, Data and Decision Making | Information helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service

Thrill of the Hill returns for season 5, with an exciting line-up on new and returning guest speakers and specialists in their fields and on their hills.

Love them or hate them, geese are a recurring feature on farms across Scotland. Views differ on the benefits of having them, some see them as a pest species, others as a necessary component of a larger biodiversity network. In this episode we sit down with Rae Mackenzie for a broad discussion on geese and goose management in Scotland. We cover their ecology and nature value, look at the international efforts being made to promote the species and the ins and outs of Scotland's own goose management support scheme.

Got questions on goose management, contact your local NatureScot office for advice and signposting in the first instance.

Related FAS Resources

Natural Capital - Islay Geese | Information helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service

Goose Management in Scotland | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service

Understanding Goose Control Law in Scotland | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service

Other Related Resources

Managing geese | NatureScot

Thrill of the Hill returns for season 5, with an exciting line-up on new and returning guest speakers and specialists in their fields and on their hills.

As climate change, biodiversity decline and food security continue to build in our collective consciousnesses the drive to find a comprehensive solution intensifies. In this episode, Chris Clark from Nethergill Associates shares his opinions and approach to Maximum Sustainable Output (MSO), a concept that revolves the ideas of natural and industrial energy, reducing artificial inputs and allowing land to revert to a natural carrying capacity, whether that is livestock or crops. Chris provides a broad introductory discussion on the concept and shares his own opinions on how sustainable land management is measured and achieved. We cover mindset change, bring energy use to the forefront and unpick to what extent it compliments existing farming approaches like regenerative farming and organics. This is a great start to the conversation around MSO.

Want to get in touch with Chris, he can be contacted at Nethergill Associates on 07969 018 324 or via email at chris.clark@nethergillassoc.co.uk.

**In January 2024 the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) published the ‘Harmonisation of Carbon Accounting Tools for Agriculture’ report, which discusses the different approaches and methodologies behind measuring carbon across six of the most commonly used tools in the UK - an overview and the findings can be accessed via the link provided.

Related Links

Harmonisation of Carbon Accounting Tools for Agriculture - SCF0129

Carbon Calculators - Farm Advisory Service | The Scottish Farmer

What is the Maximum Profit Potential for your Farm? (Youtube.com)

Thrill of the Hill returns for season 5, with an exciting line-up on new and returning guest speakers and specialists in their fields and on their hills.

With COP26 in Glasgow well in the rearview mirror and 2030 on the horizon, serious, measurable change has to be made in the fight against climate change. With Scottish Climate Week coming up, in this podcast we hear from Senior Carbon & Sustainability Consultant and returning guest to the podcast, Seamus Murphy on the progress made by Scottish farming to address climate change. We discuss changing perceptions on climate change in the industry, the reliability of carbon markets, the need for, not just individual action but a collective led campaign to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and talk candidly about the likely impacts of not doing so.

Want to get in touch with Seamus, he can be contacted at SAC Consulting on 01292 525 145 or via email at seamus.murphy@sac.co.uk.

Related FAS Resources

Climate Change resources for farmers from Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)

Thrill of the Hill returns for season 5, with an exciting line-up on new and returning guest speakers and specialists in their fields and on their hills.

Life as a cow is difficult and complicated, on the one hand there is a general acceptance that their non-selective grazing, trampling and dunging can contribute to diverse grassland swards, ideal habitat for ground-nesting birds etc. and promote healthy soils. On the other hand, the production of methane and relatively high carbon footprints in comparison to other enterprises can leave cattle exposed to climate criticism. In this episode we talk with conservation consultant Helen Bibby and host of the Stock Talk podcast and returning guest Robert Ramsay for a broad discussion on cattle, cattle grazing and what makes them Scotland's preferred grazing animal.

Want to get in touch with Helen, she can be contacted at SAC Consulting Oban on 01631 563 093 or via email at Helen.Bibby@sac.co.uk. Alternatively, you can contact Robert at SAC Consulting Ayr on 01292 525 171 or via email at Robert.Ramsay@sac.co.uk.

Related Materials

https://www.fas.scot/downloads/tn686-conservation-grazing-semi-natural-habitats/

https://www.fas.scot/downloads/grazing-for-profit-and-biodiversity-grazing-strategies/