Scots pig farmers have been given a monitor farm bonus with the selection of Corskie Farm, on the Morayshire coast, as the eighth of nine new monitor farms being established in Scotland as part of a joint initiative by Quality Meat Scotland and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds.
Although the enterprise is dominated by 688 hectares of cereal cropping, the business also includes an indoor breeding herd of 380 sows, run alongside 380 commercial Simmental crosses, 200 pedigree Simmental cows, plus 600 Mule and Mule cross Texel sheep.
The business is run by Iain Green in partnership with his mother and father, with the family having farmed in the area for over 60 years.
“The different farm enterprises are fairly well integrated,” said Mr Green. “As well as growing our own feed through the cereals side, we also use the manure from the livestock on the arable fields and pasture. We apply it differently in different areas, using our soil and yield maps to make sure we are controlling our inputs and maintaining soil fertility and nutrient balance.”
With so much land to cover, he is “hugely appreciative” of his dedicated team of 12 full-time employees, without whom he said the Corskie unit wouldn’t be able to operate. Mr Green is also assisted by his two daughters, Laura (20) and Jemma (16), who both plan to work on the farm full-time in the future.
The first meeting of the new Morayshire Monitor Farm will be on Wednesday, February 8. Anyone interested in the project should contact Samantha Stewart on 01343 548 789 or by email to samantha.stewart(at)sac.co.uk
Headline image shows (left to right) Laura, Iain and Jemma Green
See details of Scotland’s new specialist pig monitor farm
