Staff loss catalyst for Highland organic conversion

Going organic is a natural step for one Highland farm as it takes steps to reduce risk and restructures.

The maternal stock of beef and sheep farmers David and Barbara Girvan, Corrimony, near Inverness, suit a low-input approach.

Rotational grazing with daily moves, liming, and more use of clover have already slashed fertiliser use.

See also: Video: Highland farm grazes cattle unfenced with GPS collars

“An organic premium will be nice, but I will see it as a bonus if we can get it,” explains David.

“I have seen mob-grazing control weeds and grass grow well without fertiliser in our current system.”

Conversion payments (Agri-Environment Climate Scheme) have been applied for but not confirmed.

Despite this, the farm has been accepted into the Scottish Organic Producers Association and will start converting officially in June 2025.

Evolving system

The move to organic production stems from a shepherd leaving the farm in summer 2023.

This cut labour units from three to two (plus family labour) and freed up a quad bike and a cottage for rent.

David Girvan © Michelle Scott

David has since made the following changes:

Reduced flock size

Cow numbers are unchanged, but 550 of the 700 ewes were sold last year, freeing up grass.

David will experiment to see if the now reduced flock, which sheds, lambs outside, and has less parasite risk, can be run for virtually no cost.

Stopped fodder beet

The flock of 190 ewes can graze year-round.

This means 6-7ha (15-17 acres) of fodder beet – which was prone to frosting and poaching – and the following grass ley are no longer grown, saving 10t of fertiliser.

Lengthened rotations

Because cows perform better off more lignified covers, the cows will graze on a four- to eight-week rotation (rather than 21 days).

Higher average farm covers will increase the available “solar panel”, growing more grass.

Finished more lambs off grass

This year, less than 0.5t of lamb pellets were bought to finish slow-growing lambs. David hopes to sell 50% at weaning and the rest by late September off grass by:

• Weaning two to three weeks later, at 13-14 weeks of age, to minimise the growth check. As the flock is smaller, there should be sufficient grass for ewes to recover body condition.
• Using cattle to follow sheep and resting half the farm from sheep each year to manage parasite burdens and life cycles.

Following cattle with lambs

Cattle will eat covers four to six weeks old, and lambs will follow three weeks later, eating younger, higher energy grass regrowth.

Reduced youngstock housing period

Calves grazing for 12 weeks longer (spread across autumn and spring) should save £1 a head a day on silage and £40-£50 a calf overall.

Finished cattle sooner

Heifers and steers are increasingly finishing off grass at 18 months. Those needing a second winter to finish will be fed silage only, minimising exposure to organic cereal and feed costs.

© Michelle Scott

David also plans to buy less feed. He makes 500t of clamp silage (plus surplus bales) and has two plans to cut wintering costs:

• Straw and pot ale syrup (at £0.80-£1 a head a day) on hill grazing has been effective, but will be replaced with two months of grazing and supplementary cow pellets (up to 2kg a day) for five to six weeks. Silage will be trailered to cows for a couple of weeks before calving until field conditions improve. This should save £50 a cow in a good winter.
• Bale grazing for heifers, in-calf heifers, and first calvers has minimised housing costs for the past two winters and will continue.