Take Over

At the end of November we had our 4 year Tb Testing and annual vaccination session for breeding cows and bulls. We are grateful to be in Scotland with it’s Tb free status and only needing to test every 4 years. The process requires a small area of the neck of each animal to be clipped to remove hair, skin thickness measured, then 2 injections with Bovine and Avain Tb inoculant to see which one the cow reacts to – The hope is – neither. However, we have two cows showing an “inconclusive” swelling and the outcome means they either have another test in 60 days, where they may show the same outcome – and then the herd must be re-tested. The risk with this is we would be handling cows in the last week of gestation before they calve and risk aborting calves. So the difficult decision is that there is less risk if the two cows are to be culled now. The test results are only 97% accurate, but with almost 500 animals to test – there are bound to be casualties regardless.

 We were delighted to be able to host the Soil Association 1^st Organic Gathering at Bowhouse. Bringing together industry processors, supply chain, local authority procurement, farmers and policy makers. Keynote speech by Cabinet Secretary Mairi Gougeon announcing the 5 step plan for Organic farming in Scotland. The benefit of having all sectors of the supply chain in the room was watching and being part of conversations which are normally a challenge to have – just taking place.

East Neuk Knits then took over the space at Bowhouse, bringing the buzz of the latest Chanel 4’s “Game of Wool” with Di Gilpin and Sheila Greenwell – who are the celebrity judges – combined with the enthusiasm of a community of knitting experts. Again, enabling Bowhouse to host expertise on a local, national and international level for not only food and drink, but the traditional and natural materials which are growing rapidly in popularity is encouraging.

Bowhouse Christmas Market will be held over three days from 12^th, 13^th an 14^th December. Last year, we extended the Christmas market to 3 days as the popularity of the event meant we needed to spread out the footfall. Friday 12^th will be from 12.00 – 6.00 and the Saturday/Sunday – our normal 10.00 – 4.00.

Whin bashing is currently underway – mulching gorse bushes on Kellie Law to provide more “edge”. The areas of gorse gradually spread and join up creating an impenetrable block with little diversity. So by mulching tracks through the gorse, we provide more edge which is where biodiversity does best. The cows are then able to trample the space left and kickstart other ground cover species.

Pitch-Up! – the annual call for ideas closed for 2025 at the end of November and the farms now have the nest few weeks to speak to all of the applicants and understand what the new business ventures are all about. Past “Pitchers” continue to grow and expand their businesses – with Stocks Kitchen opening their extended shop this month, the Cook School in January and East Neuk Eggs ready to expand the mobile pastured poultry enterprise in the New Year.

Last month we were fortunate to have the expert veterinary advisor Trevor Cook from New Zealand visit  – with a lifetime of experience and research in all things pasture and animal health we have been challenged and helped in equal quantities. Organic farming needs a planned and educated approach to preventing issues, rather than curing ones which can be avoided. We are very fortunate to have Eden Vets also making quarterly planning visits to help assess past issues and plan future strategies to avoid it repeating. CPD – Continuous Professional Development is common in most industries – this is the livestock version.

Student interviews and Scotland Placement Tour took place recently for the 2026 co-hort. Only 6 months into the 2025 team joining, we are already recruiting for next year. However, for those students who may be interested in taking a placement job in Scotland on one of 4 farms who forces to provide the tour, it gives the chance to see what each farm offers and for us to work out who would make a good team.