Rothiemurchus Farming Year

2022’s mild winter meant an early sowing of crops and a successful spring calving for both the Highlands and the crossbreed herds. Construction of a new cattle shed was completed in July and it is now home to 80 calves!

By providing a winter home for our spring-born crossbreed calves they can take advantage of shelter from the weather which produces a stronger calf in the spring. In spring we will be able to use the shed to house the pregnant cows and monitor them under CCTV to ensure that any cows that need help with calving are spotted as soon as possible and improve their welfare.

All the Rothiemurchus cattle enter this winter in good condition having benefited from strong grass growth this summer, with most fields grazed 3 times using stricter rotational grazing methods. Looking forward, Grant is exploring regenerative farming methods and adopting changes to our own farming methods. Grant has developed an optimized management plan for the most productive fields, introducing clover into the swards to fix nitrogen from the air and therefore reduce carbon intensive fertiliser application: maximising production whilst reducing inputs.

Thanks to good weather, winter fodder yields have increased this year. The spring barley harvest in particular returned exceptional yields, which meant we could sell more to be malted for whisky production.