Menu
 

Alan Steven

Hillhead Farm, Kingsbarns, St Andrews, Fife 

  • Farm size: 138ha 
  • Annual rainfall: 710mm 
  • Soil type: Loam 

Alan Steven farms in Fife near the coast with his brother, John, and cousins. He grows premium crops; a mixture of potatoes, field-scale vegetables and cereals on a seven-year rotation for local markets.  Other enterprises are Brussels sprouts (10ha), parsnips (6ha), malting barley (40ha), oats (10ha) and winter wheat (14ha).

Transition goals: 

  • Reducing cultivations 
  • Improving soil health 
  • More resilient rotations 
 

All articles featuring Alan Steven

BUSINESS

Analysis: Faster progress needed on Transition

The fourth annual Farmers Weekly Transition survey – carried out by Macleod Research – provides a detailed picture of UK farming as it transitions from farm support payments to alternative…

AGRICULTURAL TRANSITION

Transition survey reveals depth of policy and cost concerns

Input price volatility and uncertainty over government policy continue to hold back farmers looking to secure a sustainable future for their businesses, a major survey has revealed. The third Farmers…

AGRICULTURAL TRANSITION

How to reduce nitrogen fertiliser costs and emissions

High prices, supply chain issues and environmental concerns are prompting more farmers to reassess their fertiliser strategy. Nitrogen fertiliser is the biggest source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture,…

AGRICULTURAL TRANSITION

Transition Farmer Podcast: Producing crops for local markets

Scottish farmer Alan Steven farms cereals and field-scale vegetables at Hillhead Farm, Kingsbarns, near St Andrew, Fife. In this episode, Alan talks about his quest to produce quality crops while…

SOILS

Soil health key to premium crop grower's sustainability goals

Growing premium crops for local markets is helping Fife farmer Alan Steven optimise margins at Hillhead Farm, Kingsbarns, St Andrews. “Our location means haulage is a significant factor,” says Mr…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Rotation planning: How should you plan for future changes?

Rotation planning for the next few years should start with the acknowledgement that nothing is cast in stone anymore, say agronomists and consultants. After two consecutive wet autumns and dry…

The Transition Podcast

We examine new farming methods designed to help you transition for the future

Listen now

Transition webinars

A practical webinar series helping to secure a sustainable future for your farm business

Watch now

News Round-up

The weekly Farmers Weekly newsletter including Transition Specials

Sign up now

Transition Hub

News, advice and insight into how your farm can overcome the challenges of transitioning.

Back to transition

Our Transition Partner Network

AB Agri

AB Agri

Agreena

Agreena

Agricarbon

Agricarbon

Agri-Tech Centres

Agri-Tech Centres

Agrovista Rural Consultancy

AHDB

Anglian Water

Anglian Water

Bright Seeds

Bright Seeds

Catchment Sensitive Farming

Catchment Sensitive Farming

Claydon

Claydon

Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs

Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs

Environment Bank

Environment Bank

Frontier

Frontier

GSC Grays

GSC Grays

Hutchinsons

Hutchinsons

ICL

ICL

KW

KW

Lantra

Lantra

LEAF

LEAF

Lightsource BP

Lightsource BP

NFFN

NFFN

Omex

Omex

School of Sustainable Farming

School of Sustainable Farming

SHMA

SHMA

Strutt & Parker

Strutt & Parker

Tiah

Tiah

Tilhilll Forestry

Tilhill Forestry

Woodland Trust

Woodland Trust