Welcome to Stock Talk hosted by Principal Consultant Kirsten Williams. On today’s episode Kirsten is joined by farmers Ben and Harriet Lowe. HB Farms in Aberdeenshire consists of Newseat of Dumbreck, an arable farm on tenancy and Pitmillan Farm which is home to 450 breeding sows and a finishing unit. In addition to grass, forestry and land for environmental schemes, they grow 397ha of crops, with the grain used as feed for the pigs whilst manure is recycled back onto the fields. Soil health, circular agriculture and long-term biodiversity are priorities for HB Farms.
Episode Timestamps
01:05 Introducing Ben and Harriet Lowe
05:38 Farm stats
06:38 Pigs, from breeding to finishing and managing a weekly system
09:15 Knowledgeable staff
10:46 Creating a circular farm
11:36 Saving on inputs due to pig FYM
14:04 Ration changes throughout the cycle
15:53 Data driven decision making
19:19 Genetics and feed conversion
21:14 Target carcase weight and spec
23:36 Processing pig meat
26:13 Managing cashflow
27:31 Protein in the pig diet
33:18 Nuffield: closing the loop in pig production: the 5-mile pig
39:30 LEAF demonstration farm
41:09 Resilience in the business
47:35 Advice for New Entrants
FAS Resources
FAS Case Studies - Gaining A Tenancy As A New Entrant
Other Resources
Instagram - HB Farms
Nuffield scholar - Ben Lowe
Leaf demonstration farms - HB Farms
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Facebook: @FASScot
National Advice Hub
Phone: 0300 323 0161
Email: advice@fas.scot
