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Sustaining Beef Supplies - Special SAC Event for NE Cattle Feeders and Finishers

SAC News Release Ref. No: 10N107
Published: 03 Dec 2010

SAC is holding a special event for the cattle feeder and finisher in Auchnagatt, near Ellon in Aberdeenshire on Tuesday 14th December. It will be hosted at Clochcan Farm by well known farmer Thomson Wilson of A T Wilson & Co. The event is part of a project focussing on the supply chain, run by SAC in conjunction with Quality Meat Scotland.

A supply chain group has met in the NE for the past three years. The Auchnagatt event is the third open meeting to be held on a member’s farm. Previous meetings, facilitated by SAC, were hosted at Auchterless by Colin Clark and Old Rayne, on the farm of group chairman Bruce Walker.  

A series of invited speakers will lead group discussions on subjects including profitable cattle feeding, the health management of purchased cattle, insight into prices over next year, meat eating quality developments and the supermarket approach. The speakers will be from SAC, QMS, Morrisons, Harbro and Meadows Veterinary Centre.

Full use will be made of the host farm which was a 2010 finalist in the prestigious Royal Northern Agricultural Society Best Farm Practice award. Thomson Wilson will explain his farming system on 1,200 acres which includes finishing 1,200 cattle a year, as well as arable and potatoes. His local vets, Meadow Veterinary Practice will discuss herd health planning and consider the risks of purchasing suckled calves and stores from many different sources and placing them in finishing units. 

The Farm Operators Manager for Morrisons Supermarkets Andrew Loftus will discuss requirements of the supermarket industry. 

For SAC Senior Rural Business Consultant Julian Bell will look at the potential effect of emissions from cattle enterprises and ways of mitigating them.  He will use data analysed by SAC but supplied by farmers in the strategy group.

The QMS contribution is from respected economist Stuart Ashworth who will outline the cattle supply situation and try and forecast if finished prices will improve in 2011. He will use both birth data from 09-10 and slaughterings to date in 2010. Meanwhile Dr Charlotte Maltin will focus on meat eating quality and moves by the Scottish industry to automatically assess carcases.

A representative of feed company Harbro will consider how, in a winter with high feed and bedding costs, farmers can get the liveweight gains they need.  Technical Manager Willie Thompson will explore alternative approaches.

The event is free. It will start on farm at 11.00 am and then move to the local village hall for lunch and discussion. To book your place phone SAC on 01467 625385.

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News Release Contacts

SAC Contact

Mr Julian Bell
Senior Rural Business Consultant
SAC (Scottish Agricultural College) Work SAC Consulting, Rural Business Unit, Bush Estate,
Penicuik
EH26 0PH
TelWork 0131 535 3438
Fax 0131 535 3431

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News Release Issued By

Mr Ken Rundle
Senior Communications Officer
SAC (Scottish Agricultural College) Work SAC, King's Buildings, West Mains Road,
Edinburgh
EH9 3JG
TelWork 0131 535 4196

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