Scotland’s agricultural heritage goes back more than 6,000 years and has been formed by generations of hard-working farming communities.

Unless you actively work in the farming industry, you’re probably unaware of what goes on behind the scenes. 

We tend to see snapshots of the farming industry on TV or when we’re driving through the countryside. But it’s a big operation and is something that goes on all year round.

Farming is still a very significant profit driver for Scotland and continuously feeds the economy. And it certainly looms large on the landscape: around 75 per cent of Scotland is classed as agricultural land.

It’s an industry that’s rooted in tradition – but to keep up with ever-changing consumer demands, it’s important to invest in new technology.

Agri-tech – investment in innovation within the agricultural sector – is now big business.

But what’s actually involved? We’re already seeing the introduction of robots and drones, driverless tractors and machines that can apply pesticides to exponential degrees of accuracy.

It sounds a bit sci-fi, but it’s all very practical – and some parts of the farming industry are really buying into it.

Dave Ross, CEO of the AgriEPIcentre – an agricultural engineering, precision and innovation centre, headquartered in Scotland – says that the £90m government spend on research facilities as part of its 2013 agri-tech strategy has helped the UK take centre stage in the field.

He reckons Scotland is now in a great position to provide companies, businesses and governments all over the world with practical solutions using its agri-tech facilities.

Scotland is currently testing and developing technologies that will make a tangible difference to the farming industry all over the world.

Furthermore, industry insiders say that we’re close to securing funding to establish a major agri-tech centre in Dundee - the International Barley Hub at the James Hutton Institute - which could create 3,500 jobs and a whopping £750m for the economy.

It’s undoubtedly a fast-growing sector that’s reputedly going to be worth £2.3bn globally in five years’ time, so it should follow that it’s fertile ground for agri-tech start-ups. But I think it’s important that we don’t just innovate for the sake of it.

Talk of robots and drones is all very fun and exciting but they’re only good if they actually work and make a real difference to communities.

The farming industry has been around for thousands of years and has survived through peaks and troughs, so changes have to be considered carefully and handled sensitively.

Farming practices have formed over generations and been passed onto communities. There may be some workers in the field who are concerned about 21^st century innovations taking over their jobs.

It’s vital therefore that all of the stakeholders involved in agri-tech listen carefully to people actively working in the industry. There’s nothing to suggest that’s not being done already, but as technology advances, we have to make sure we continue the conversation.

Currently, Scotland’s agri-tech focus is talking to farmers and looking at what the problems are – and seeking to find that key balance between advancing practices into the future and preserving processes that have worked well for centuries.

At the centre of it all are the producers and the suppliers: the agricultural businesses of all shapes and sizes that are providing the raw materials for what today’s consumers are looking for.

I always love hearing about produce from farming businesses making it into the big supermarkets and doing well. Likewise, customers enjoy hearing about where their food comes from and a good back story can make all the difference to sales.

I hope that fresh developments in agri-tech over the next 6,000 years help Scottish farming continue to be outstanding in its field.

 

 

SIDE

Hats off to all the companies that recently announced their commitment to promoting employment for the over-50s.

Aviva and Barclays are among companies pledging their commitment after Andy Briggs – the government’s Business Champion for Older Workers – called for action.

He reckons we need older workers to plug a “colossal” skills gap and wants to see a 12 per cent rise in the next five years.

These businesses have agreed to publish information on the age of their workers to show their commitment.

Briggs makes a valuable point about skills gaps, but I want to point out some other massive advantages too.

You’ll often find that those with a bit more life experience have a strong work ethic and many companies reckon that punctuality is a top attribute.

Their workplace experience will tend to shine through in the quality of their work, diligence, and attention to detail. For companies this can save valuable time, and time also often means money.

I’m not suggesting young ‘uns lack these attributes – many are super ambitious go-getters who won’t let you down when it comes to quality work.

But these ambitions – while being brilliantly admirable – can in themselves pose problems for workplaces who take on young staff.

The reason? Many will job-hop as they strive to move up the career ladder.

In short, I’m simply saying that if you discount the idea of taking older staff, then you’re being short sighted.

I hope that more companies follow the example of the ones above.

 

LAUGH

Scots are known for having a sweet tooth so it’s no wonder we have loads of companies catering for them, making tablet, puff candy, toffee, macaroons and more.

We also have an array of chocolatiers including gourmet enterprise Cocoa Mountain in Durness and The Highland Chocolatier in Perthshire, to name just a couple.

I bet these types of businesses will be delighted with new findings suggesting that chocolate is good for the heart.

Allegedly we slash our risk of arterial fibrillation (a big cause of strokes) by 23 per cent by having a few portions a week.

Looking after my health is important to me so it looks like I might just have found the perfect excuse to stock up on some sweet treats.

 

WEEP

It made pretty bleak reading when it was revealed last week that there’s been a massive hike in the number of folk dropping out of university due to mental health problems.

Statistics from HESA, the Higher Education Statistics Authority, showed a whopping 210 per cent rise.

We do need to look at stats like this objectively because, to be fair, the topic of mental health is not nearly as taboo as it used to be.  Do they really show a rise in these issues, or have the issues always been there and people are simply more open about them now?

Either way, I think that universities have an obligation to provide adequate support services for our bright young minds.

Shame on those reducing their counsellor numbers, despite a significant rise in need.