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Stirling Show tomorrow

Friday 8 June, 2007

by Rosemary at 7:55pm in Agriculture Comments closed

Stirling Show's on tomorrow. It's not very well publicesed - I didn't see it in the Scottish Farmer today and there's nothing on the web that I can see either.

Anyway, I THINK it's beside the A907 between Tullibody and Manor Powis - it's had so many sites in the last few years, I can't keep up. There will be all the usual livestock classes, horses, ponies, dog show etc etc.

I think the weather forecast is good, so if you're at a loose end, go along. Just don't say I sent you!

It's also Stirling Farmers' Market in town, so two outings for the price of one.

Rare Breeds Sale 5th May 2007

Sunday 1 April, 2007

by Rosemary at 11:47am in Agriculture Comments closed

For interest, Aberdeen and Northern Marts have a Sale of Rare and Minority Breeds at their Thainstone Centre in Inverurie on Saturday 5th May. Their website is www.goanm.co.uk.

Carlisle Rare Breeds Sale

Saturday 17 September, 2005

by Rosemary at 5:41pm in Agriculture 3 comments Comments closed

Well, I'm just back from the rare breeds sale at Carlisle. Carol, Graeme and I left at 6.30 this morning and got there about 8.30am.

We had a look round the poultry and waterfowl, which were just arriving, then had a look at the pigs and some of the sheep. The auctions started at 10.30, so two hours seemed like ages, but there was loads to see and lots of the breeders were happy to discuss their entries with us.

I watched the pigs being sold. There wasn't a huge entry but it was the first time for many years that pigs had been sold there. There were a few Tamworths - maiden gilts(£90), sows (£150) and weaners (£32-£70); one Berkshire gilt (£100); one Saddleback gilt (£100); one Saddleback gilt with a litter of nine three week old pigs (sold for £450, which I thought wasn't bad value); four Saddleback weaners (£45)(these were not suitable for registration as they didn't conform to the breed standard as their "saddles" weren't complete); < acronym title="Gloucester Old Spot">GOS weaners £70) and a Welsh boar (£170). There was also a pen of Tamworth x GOS weaners, which were ginger with black spots. These went for £35-40 each, which seemed a good buy to me.

The Hunger Barrier

Sunday 10 July, 2005

by Dan at 4:57pm in Agriculture Comments closed

It may be two years old but Tim Bray's 'The Hunger Barrier' is as relevant today as it was then, perhaps more so given the G8 and Live8. Read it here and understand why an end to farming subsidies is so vital:

http://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/200x/2003/07/11/AfriFood

It's Showtime

Sunday 27 June, 2004

by Rosemary at 8:50pm in Agriculture 1 comment Comments closed

Dan and I made our annual visit to the Royal Highland Show on Friday. The weather was lovely - which was great because it bucketed rain on Thurady and Saturday.

I love the Highland. I started going when I was a student - as an agricultural student, it was part of the course of study to spend four days a year in the late, lamented Herdsman bar. I don't do that anymore but I enjoy it justa s much and maybe more.

I was very fortunate to be introduced to Mr Willie Allan, renowned breeder of Highland ponies and, indeed, breeder of my own Smokey. Despite all the ponies he must have bred over the years, he seemed to remember every one and seemed genuinely interested in their progress. Smokey's (remember his proper name is Munro of Millfield) full sister was at the show (Misty) and his half brother, MacCallum (aka The Bandit). Smokey and the Bandit - get it! Bandit is much smaller than Smokey and yellow (I think) dun. He also had a wad of red rosettes to his credit.

GM doubts

Tuesday 24 February, 2004

by Dan at 8:45pm in Agriculture 1 comment Comments closed

While the UK government prepares to take a decision which very few of its citizens support and which could have far-reaching implications for the environment, the man who is effectively Ethiopia's Environment Minister had this to say on the issue of GM crops:

"A single technology does not constitute development. There is no evidence that GM varieties produce better or more than their non-GM counterparts. They only bring in new vulnerabilities." (BBC News)

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