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21 September 2020
As usual there have been lots of great stories around featuring some of our member co-ops and our other work. Here are some of the latest (please let us know if you're 'in the news' and we may have missed it!)
A great bit of fundraising fun from Ringlink Scotland involving nine of their members who came together last week, to bale a 90-acre field of wheat straw. Their work is captured on a video on
Ringlink Baling Competition on YouTube
Get involved and show your support for Aberdeen Cancer Unit by guessing how many bales were produced and how long it took to harvest the field. Each entry costs 'a fiver' and there is no limit to entries. Full info and list of prizes are on the YouTube page above.
Yes, you read that correctly! A 'swimming' robotic device has been developed to sample grain bulks at various depths as part of a solution to tackle post-harvest storage losses. Poor autumn planting conditions, followed by spring drought and then recent heavy rains have led to a difficult harvest and grain conditions throughout the UK.
Tech start-up Crover Ltd, Agri-EPI Centre and East of Scotland Farmers have developed the first robotic device to help with various issues, where existing methods cannot.The new Innovate UK-funded project is tackling the problem with these robotic devices, called 'Crovers', with each expected to be able to save a total of 380 tonnes of grain - wheat and barley - every year.
Over the next 18 months, the Crover will be trialled at the East of Scotland Farmers, at a farm in Northumberland and within Agri-EPI’s network of partner farms. Read the full story at:
https://www.farminguk.com/news/grain-swimming-robot-tackles-post-harvest-storage-losses_56573.html
Congratulations to Gillian Smeaton of EoSF who has been announced as a finalist in the Farm SQP category in the National SQP Awards! Not only is Gillian in the final but the Country Store is too in the Independent Store category. The award ceremony will be held virtually this year on November 5th. Good luck! Full info on the finalists is at https://www.nationalsqpawards.co.uk/finalists/
SAOS recently helped Macduff 1890 with the development of an impressive sustainability charter document which they launched last week.
Working with Macduff's beef producer group and their butchers, the results of some probing questions gave the background facts and figures for infographics which have been used to great effect to promote, not only the quality of the beef they produce, but also their sustainability and environmental credentials as custodians of the land.
Please do let us know if you're 'in the news' or if there's something you'd like to share!