Future Farmer Award 2008

Commended Applicants

Patrick Bowden-Smith of Pittarthie, a 170 hectare farm in Fife

Pittarthie is a productive livestock farm set within a network of wildlife corridors and woodlands. Patrick is pioneering ways of reducing the agri-nutrient run-off from farmland by growing watercress in a series of ponds and constructed wetlands.

The watercress absorbs phosphate and this limits the availability of nitrate. He measures his success by the fact that sea trout are once again spawning in his burn. Patrick also grows a wide range of plants which have potential niche markets or medicinal uses and hopes that in time they will provide significant income streams within the farm business. Patrick is also an innovative engineer and has built machinery for his quad bike to allow him to use it for operations in the wildlife corridors and other confined spaces on the farm. With his home-built quad equipment he can disk, chain harrow, sow seed with a spinner and even plant hedges.

Contact: CBowdenSmith@aol.com 01333 720216

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Minty and Aeneas MacKay of Ardalanish, a 630 hectare organic farm on Mull

Minty and Aeneas seek to adapt the best of traditional practices to the needs of the future. They choose to keep Highland cattle and Hebridian sheep because these breeds are adapted to the local conditions and their grazing patterns improve the habitat for wildlife.

The animals are finished slowly on the moorland and are sold directly to customers who know the farm. The Hebridian sheep also provide wool for an ambitious on-farm weaving business which produces tweed, rugs and designer clothing in a range of subtle natural colours. Ardalanish Isle of Mull weavers employs five paid staff and is now a popular destination for tourists on Mull. Minty and Aeneas's vision for the future is to re-invigorate the local community by providing employment by running educational, social and cultural events on the farm. www.ardalanishfarm.co.uk

Contact: info@ardalanish.com 01681 700674

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Johnny and Susie Mackey of Wester Drumlochy, a 18 hectare farm in Perthshire

Johnny and Susie run a herd of commercial suckler cattle on Wester Drumlochy and some additional rented land. At present they both have jobs off-farm but plan for the farm to provide a part-time income in future.

They aim to produce high eating quality beef through a low-input production system. In managing their animals they aim at all times to minimize stress and have developed handling pens and a weaning system with this in mind. They have also accustomed all their animals to being approached and handled in the field. In the autumn the stock are run on fields of 'conserved grazing' and in winter they are using an innovative system for feeding straw and haylage which avoids any tractor work in the winter months. The bales are set out into the field in the autumn, set in spaced rows and placed on end. An electric fence is set up so that the stock can only feed from two bales at a time and every few days a section of the fence is moved so that two new bales are accessible. Ring feeders are manually placed over the new bales so that feed is not trampled. The chore of winter feeding is thus reduced to a few minutes work and poaching is minimized. Johnny and Susie have implemented innovative management systems for producing high quality beef finished on a grassland farm while avoiding the environmental and financial costs of buying in feed.

Contact: drumlochyshorthorns@btinternet.com 01250 870103 mob 07748 788703