Hello everyone, and welcome to the first newsletter launching our free courses for Smallholders, and keeping you informed of other courses available in Scotland.
This mail group is comprised of those who have asked to be kept informed, either at our stall at last year’s Scottish Smallholder and Grower Festival, or through local smallholder associations or online forums.
First of all, a huge thank you to you all – if it wasn’t for all of you over the past year expressing your interest and signing up to hear more, we would not have been able to prove that funding was needed for free education for smallholders. Well done!
If there is not a course in your area this year, don’t worry, as if these run well, there will be more next year. If you know someone else in your area who is interested, feel free to pass on my email address and they can contact me to get updates and this will register more interest in your area.
We’ll be at the festival tomorrow, so feel free to pop by and rifle through all our free take-home information leaflets and booklets for any tips or technical notes that might benefit you. You can also sign up to request a place on the courses if any of the dates suit you. If you won’t be at the festival tomorrow, don’t worry – just email me back if you would like to book a place on any of the courses, and your request will be given equal priority.
Please note – the places on all free courses are limited. Filling out a booking request at the festival or sending an email requesting to book a place does not guarantee a place. They will be chosen fairly from all requests if we have too many applicants. Please do not request places unless you know you are able to use them. Thanks!
The Scottish Government-subsidised free courses specifically designed for those about to become smallholders, or for beginner or recent smallholders:
Sheep course – Friday 1st November 2013, all day, held at Killearn and Carbeth Home Farm, Balfron. Beginner’s sheep keeping, with some early intermediate information about welfare and disease.
Sheep course – Friday 22nd November 2013, all day, held at Doonies Rare Breed Farm near Aberdeen. Beginner’s sheep keeping, with some early intermediate information about welfare and disease.
Pig course – Friday 15th November 2013, all day, held at Doonies Rare Breed Farm near Aberdeen. Beginner’s pig keeping, with some early intermediate information about welfare and disease.
Goat course - ***Provisional – to be confirmed*** Friday 29th November, Stewarton, East Ayrshire. This course is at the planning stage, and this date may be subject to change.
Please note – all the above courses will involve animal handling and outdoor work in the afternoon. Adequate warm clothing and a willingness to work with animals on the day is essential.
Contact: Caroline Robinson at the SAC Consulting/SRUC stall tomorrow, or by replying to this email.
Other free SAC/SRUC courses that may be of interest to smallholders, small rural food and drink producers or those with horses on their land:
Restoring and Managing Grassland for Horses – 25th October at Newtonmore Riding Centre in the Highlands. This course is free.
Time: 10.30-15.00.
Frustrated by muddy horse-sick pastures? This workshop will give practical advice on grazing rotations, soil testing, lime and fertiliser, surface seeding and machinery demonstrations.
This course will be of interest to those who are directly involved in managing grassland on which a number horses are kept – please feel free to phone the organisers if you would like to know more about whether it would suit you.
Speakers from:
• SAC Consulting
• BHS Scotland
• Seed companies
• Machinery Suppliers/ contractors
Contact Gillian McKnight to book a place – this course is free, but booking a place is essential due to a limited number of places.
T: 01463 233266
E: gillian.mcknight@sac.co.uk
Adding value through diversification and food tourism – 29th October at Hetland Hall Hotel, Carrutherstown, DG1 4JX. This course is free.
Time: from 10 am.
This event is a great networking opportunity and is aimed at food and drink businesses. This includes suppliers, hotels, restaurants and retailers who are interested in using local food and promoting food tourism. It is also aimed at producers and processors who are keen to add value to their product and supply local markets.
Following morning presentations and lunch there will be an opportunity to see a producer ‘adding value’ in practice with tours of the dairy and new cheese processing unit.
Morning speaker themes include:
• Food tourism
• Using local food within tourism
• My journey to ‘added value’
• Economic impacts of diversification
• Diversification opportunities for dairy farmers
Afternoon farm visit to Beyond the Burn Mousewald, DG1 4LX [Courtesy of Gavin and Jonathan Lochhead - T Lochead & Son]
Prior booking is essential as spaces are limited. To book your place please see this eventbrite link or for more information please email food@sac.co.uk
Courses which are available but which are NOT free:
Lambing courses – two separate courses are being held on either 13th or 27th of March 2014 at Barony College, Dumfries
Time: 10.00-15.30.
Cost: £90
Practical lambing courses have been running at various SRUC/SAC venues for many years. These courses give very practical demonstrations and descriptions of possible lambing difficulties and how to correct them. Please note, the courses may involve handling dead lambs during demonstrations.
These courses are extremely valuable in providing you with the skills to save a lamb which is experiencing a difficult birth, or to give you the knowledge to judge when further assistance should not be attempted and veterinary attention may be necessary instead.
Booking is essential as places are very limited and these courses are very popular. Contact Rachel Murray, Training Manager; Tel 01387 242918 or email rachel.murray @sruc.ac.uk to find out more or to book.
Small scale poultry keeping – Friday 1st November 2013 at the John Niven Building, SRUC, Auchencruive, Ayr
Time: 09.30 – 16.00
Cost: £70 including course handouts, lunch and refreshments
This course covers the fundamentals of successful poultry keeping for egg and meat production and is aimed at individuals with small numbers of poultry and those considering keeping poultry for the first time.
• Housing Birds
• Poultry Husbandry
• Pests & Diseases of Poultry
• Poultry Reproduction
Booking is essential - Please download an application form -
http://www.sruc.ac.uk/downloads/file/1615/small_scale_poultry_keeping_training_application_formFor further Lorraine McAulay, Programme Leader/Lecturer in Poultry Production , Tel: 01292 886171 Email: Lorraine.McAulay@sruc.ac.uk
Thanks again everyone, and I look forward to seeing some of you at one of the courses!
Kind regards,
Caroline
Topic: Free and subsidised courses for Scottish smallholders from SRUC (Read 5225 times)
