A New Space

Delivery of our new building which came from Bothy Stores and has been long awaited was on 7th of May. Installing this beautiful prefabricated unit at Comielaw, the simplicity of this was down to some military organisation by Bobby at Bothy Stores.
This new construction, which can be used as workspace or accommodation, will enable short term visiting interns to work on various projects with the occupiers at Comielaw and further afield. Some of the occupiers at Comielaw also work in collaboration with international creatives and musicians, and this will give space to accommodate guests for short working stays.
Trailing both new and old practices on the farm with the aim of soil health improvement has been underway at Balcaskie this month. One moment we are using the latest technology with GPS location and apps which can determine soil health, measure grass growth and record daily forage availability, or variably spread inputs according to soil analysis – the next, we are using a time proven method of preventing fertile fields of cereals succumbing to the combination of tall straw and a Scottish summer (going flat before harvest) by using sheep to graze cereals.
Traditionally this was commonplace in the lowlands and England, but with the advent of chemical straw shortening, the practice was phased out. With our heritage wheats grown for Scotland the Bread, we are obviously not using any chemicals, and so sheep were deployed to do the job.
The Kinneuchar Inn is now beginning to look more like a pub. The kitchen has been installed and we are now seeing wall finishes applied, doors fitted and flooring being laid. Coinciding with this, James Ferguson and Alethea Palmer who will be the new tenants of the Inn have been spending time visiting local suppliers getting to know the area. James and Alethea have spent much of their time in London and will be bringing with them a fantastic combination of experience and enthusiasm.