Well Done and Well Deserved

Having often heard the saying that “Fife looks its best at the Fife Show week”, we were delighted to not only be able to show livestock this year, but also bring home some rosettes! Well done to Ewan, Cameron, Scott and Murray for all of the hosing, hoovering, primping and preening. Well deserved.

Andy also received his 30 year service award, having worked at Lochty since 1992. Firstly, under John Cameron who still farms at Balbuthie and then for Balcaskie since 2007. 30 years will have seen some significant changes in the industry, technology and in the surroundings.

The annual sheep haircut session begun in early June with a team from Lance Armsrong’s shearing gang arriving early one morning and shearing 400 ewes by lunchtime. It never gets boring watching the skill of these guys and the “rousie” whose job it is to roll the wool and pack it into the sacks, cramming 80 fleeces into each bag. This is the first year since the 1960’s when the wool price was equivalent to the cost of shearing. Demand for Organic wool is on the increase as customers look for raw ingredients with a low carbon footprint.

We can safely say that grass is not in short supply here. As more land is being sown to grass for fertility building break crops, the flush of grass in late May to early August enables large areas to be left ungrazed. It may look un-used, but moving cattle and sheep across these fields to new pastures, the sight of a column of swallows following the cattle as they disturb insects – the land is resting now and will be used in winter for grazing cattle and sheep to maximise the time they spend outside.

Sometimes, there is little we can do to preserve a building and if the building in question is dangerous, we have to demolish it. Two old farm buildings, damaged beyond repair in the winter have now been demolished and are being re-cycled into hardcore, timber shredded and metal recycled.

Bothy Kitchen and Grain and Sustain have moved into the new units at Bowhouse, which were completed just in time. Bothy Kitchen specialise in home made wholesome “finish at home” cooking. Making it the perfect stop off on a Friday evening to collect delicious meals made with ingredients from Bowhouse which some of us may be tempted to pretend we made? A bottle of wine from Futtle, antipasti and chocolate from Grain and Sustain, some flowers from Keeping the Plot and your weekend is going to start well!