Glenkilrie Farm, Perthshire (Beef and Sheep)

Under the five key action areas, David considered a range of measures that fitted in with his farming system. Examples of measures undertaken at Glenkilrie include:

• Silage analysis – David knew that the feed quality of his silage was reasonably good, but testing silage quality was needed to accurately put together a ration. The high quality of silage reduced the need for purchased feed, achieving financial savings of around £3,000 and a reduction of nearly 5 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) per year.
• Reduced age of calving – David identified a small batch of heifers suited to calve at 24 months rather than 36 months. Pleased with the result, David intends to expand this across the majority of the herd. From the initial batch calved at 24 months, it is estimated that David has saved around £7,000 and 19.9 tonnes of CO2e.
• Reduced use of straw – Bedding cattle on straw is expensive; due to the geography of the farm, straw was purchased anywhere from 15 to 25 miles away from the main steading. David has trialled bedding a group of cattle on recycled wood fines, reducing straw use. The livestock have taken to it and it has proved to be more cost effective than straw. This measure has already saved David nearly £700 and 2.74 tonnes of CO2e.

Through these and other measures, David achieved a financial saving of around £11,000 and a 10% decrease in the farm carbon footprint.

Although the decrease in the carbon footprint was smaller than expected due to the effects of the cold and wet weather experienced in 2012/2013, its likely that further benfits will be realised, as benefits are seen from the longer term measures.