News from the field

Image courtesy of ORganic Rapeseed oil

Rural Britain is a wonderful assortment of farms, estates, hamlets, villages, forests and moors, lochs and valleys. Our stunning scenery, close communities and wonderful rural businesses provide an idyllic lifestyle for many, but rural life can also throw up some pretty unique challenges.

The Rural Scene (the Scene & Herd rural blog and news updates) looks at what’s new, what’s relevant, what’s tasty, what’s fun and what’s challenging about life in the Great British Countryside. We offer an insider insight into rural Britain, highlighting some of the exceptional people, businesses and innovations we believe that everybody should know about.

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OnFARM Podcast: Organic farming: 'The Road Ahead' SOPA conference

Anna attended the recent national conference of SOPA – Scottish Organic – at the Royal Highland Showground. It was a brilliant forward-thinking day; in fact the theme of the event was “The Road Ahead”. Organic is still quite a small part of the total food and farming economy, but it is growing, and there is huge potential for the future.

Design: The Silent Ambassador of Your Brand

If art is a conversation, then design is the medium through which that conversation is held - the silent ambassador of your brand, communicating your ideas, values and beliefs. Good design is functional, aesthetically pleasing, and meaningful. It is the way that we create the world around us, and it has the power to make a real difference

OnFARM Podcast: Feuds, disputes, and arguments: how mediation can help

This episode is all about the power of mediation – hearing from Gillespie Macandrew's dispute resolution team lead Fiona Cameron, and Gordon Davies, a mediator working for - among others - rural support charity RSABI.

5 things you might not know…

Strawberries aren’t berries. Neither are raspberries and blackberries, according to botanists. True berries stem from one single-ovary flower and have two or more seeds. Strawberries don’t fit that bill, but bananas, kiwis, and watermelons do. Can any soft fruit producer confirm this? Or maybe tell me that I’m wrong?

OnFARM Podcast: Ringside at Fife Show with the Gillespie Macandrew team

We are alongside the main arena at Fife Show, courtesy of OnFARM partners and sponsors Gillespie Macandrew. Guest co-presenters are Carol McQuillan and Sam Connington from GM's Land and Rural Business Team.