Agriscot is a fantastic opportunity for the rural sector to come together to share news, ideas and see the latest technology on offer.
Brodies LLP were once again sponsors of the seminar programme at AgriScot 2019. This year we brought 'A Taste of Oxford' to Edinburgh in partnership with the Oxford Farming Conference (OFC) where we heard from a panel of speakers who all shared knowledge and insight on the future of farming. Our panel was chaired by Caroline Millar, Farmer, Rural business consultant and past Chairman of OFC and Brodies Partner, Clive Phillips .
Tom Rawson, Director of Evolution Farming, gave an insightful talk on his experience of different business structures and the successful development of his dairy farming business. It was impressive to see where Tom and his family had started and the progress they had made. Tom spoke positively about his farming methods and high standards. Tom has created an admirably strong team among his workforce and this is something he credits for their success. Through alternative business structures, Tom has joined forces with other dairy farmers as part of the dairy co-operative, Arla. This platform gives his company economies of scale and buying power.
Kit Franklin, Senior Lecturer of Agricultural Engineering at Harper Adams, discussed technological advances of his Hands Free Hectare project. His presentation was an awakening for many as he demonstrated on farm tasks such as sowing, spraying, fertilising and harvesting crops (Spring Barley and Winter Wheat) being carried out by smaller, lighter, robotically-controlled machinery. As well as the benefit to soil compaction and reduced man hours, there was a positive impact on safety too which tied in well with the third panel speaker. The next stage in the project is the Hands Free Farm which extends the same principles over a 35 Hectare site.
Brodies Partner Elena Fry, provided a thought-provoking update on key considerations for those with management responsibility for health & safety. The Agricultural sector accounts for around 1% of the workforce of Great Britain yet has the highest fatal injury rate of the main industry sectors. The Health & Safety team at Brodies have recently launched a new free app which is a valuable health & safety resource tool packed with information and guidance.
The speakers, through their practical and personal experience, demonstrated the dynamic nature of the sector and we are excited to see how farming practice evolves.
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