New Divisions

 

Having received notification of a successful AECS (Agri-Environment Climate Scheme) grant funding submitted in July last year – we are underway with 20km of new and replacement fencing in preparation for hedge planting and hedge laying in winter. This will add to our established hedging and bring divisions back to large fields created in the 1970’s. Since we now divide fields for better grassland management and multi-paddock adaptive grazing systems – the large fields are less of an advantage and had become more time consuming. The new divisions give space for hedges – which in turn provide not only shelter, but livestock browse, habitat for biodiversity and carbon sequestration. At the same time there are a few small ponds to dig for increased water management and a new avenue of trees to plant between Balcormo and the Dreel Burn, replacing the long lost Lime avenue which formed part of the landscape. The bees will be delighted with more lime trees.

Show season begins this month – so there will be soap, shampoo, hairbrushes and some polish being applied to cattle, sheep and students in preparation for the Fife Show on 23^rd May and then the Royal Highland Show on 18^th to 21^st June. We are looking forward to showcasing the livestock and catching up with friends and colleagues.

Scotland the Bread have confirmed that they will move out of the units 7 and 8 at Bowhouse in August. Since moving in back in 2019, the mill was intended as a proof of concept for on farm flour production in Scotland. There is another in East Lothian, but the work that Scotland the Bread have been mainly concentrating on was not milling, but changing peoples perception of real bread. Scotland the Bread will have milled over 300t of wheat and rye grown by the estate since then and helped with the messaging behind Bowhouse and the wider food networks. They will continue their work in education and reaching those most in need of dietary change, but leave the milling to others.

Matt and Julianna at Cormo Bakery, came to Balcaskie because of Scotland the Bread and their work, so we are delighted to now have bread baked on the estate, and we are applying for a grant to re-establish the mill at Balcormo to enable our grain to go into local bread. If you are in any doubt over the worthwhileness of this project, I would encourage you to pop down to see Matt at Balcormo and order bread online for collection on Sundays.

The new lawn and flowerbed edging is being installed at Balcaskie House with the metalwork manufactured in the workshop at Lochty over winter and now being set into concrete foundations – in a revised position this will make more of the new herbaceous borders on the south of the main house and re-align the grass lawns. There is a lot still to do and the re-construction of the gardens will take several years, but its great to see progress and in the right direction for the long term benefit of these historic gardens.