Craig and Claire Grant of Kindrought, Aberdeenshire, are the 2023 Farmers Weekly Mixed Farmer of the Year winners.

The couple’s pioneering farm ideas, meticulous data collection and ambition to grow their business are testament to their farming passion.

Their forward-thinking nature and remarkable work appetite has seen them quadruple land area to 320ha in just four years, while they also designed the UK’s first split-feeding system for laying hens.

See also: Farmers Weekly Awards 2023: Mixed Farmer of the Year finalists

Craig and Claire run a complementary mixed farm with 160,000 laying hens, 270 bulling heifers and a flying sheep flock of 1,500 ewes and lambs.

The sustainable loop between each enterprise is clear. The 200ha of combinable crops – excluding oilseed rape – is fed to livestock, with nutrient-rich hen and cattle muck returned to the land.

Cutting costs

With a drive to cut escalating feed bills, the couple’s pioneering decision to grow a crop of Fuego spring beans for poultry diets cut soya use by 50%.

Beans were grown for £3/percentage point of protein, compared with purchasing soya at £8, with further nitrogen savings on the preceding winter wheat crop.

All 64,000 free-range and 96,000 enriched colony hens are fed the bean diet. The couple are collaborating with local farmers to grow beans in order to meet demand, while providing a local pulse market.

Their cost-effective split-feeding regime provides a high-protein soya diet in the morning to rejuvenate birds after laying and a lower-cost bean diet in the afternoon.

A focus on sourcing healthy birds with optimal skeletal function for quality egg production has seen average hen lifespan increase from 72 to 85 weeks, saving £80,000 on replacement pullet costs.

Kindrought is the UK’s first farm to calculate its carbon footprint on an egg-specific basis.

The pair’s cost-cutting precision also extends to machinery, where the switch to very high-flexion flotation tyres cut fuel use by 15% at drilling.

Complementary cattle

Furthermore, cattle and sheep effectively use areas of permanent pasture and straw from rented land. Cattle play a particularly important role by grazing free-range hen pasture.

The farm rears 270 beef bulling heifers, which are bought in at nine to 13 months. Heifers are fed a high-selenium diet and home-grown silage to aid reproductive system health.

Cattle are selected for temperament, feet and pelvic area. This attention to detail has resulted in a strong customer base.

Purchasing their first sheep flock last year helped them to effectively use winter grass growth. The team at Kindrought finished more than 1,000 lambs on its home-grown bean and barley mix.

Ewes were then sold on as breeders or culled.

Community

Craig and Claire pride themselves on providing opportunities for the next generation and have built up a team of 15 dedicated employees who form part of their farming family.

Aiming to connect with the public, they set up the “Egg Hoosie”, selling eggs at the end of the farm lane. They also joined the Farmer Time initiative and constructed a 2,500m public footpath across the farm.

Claire sells eggs at a local market once a month and the pair sponsor a local football team. They supply eggs to a food bank and donate eggs to local nurseries and schools at Easter.