MEET THE FARMERS

James & Hugh Black

From our farm in Angus My son and i have supplied Bartlett's with potatoes for 10 years. We grow a number of varieties for Albert Bartlett including Rooster, Osprey, Maris Piper, Saxon and Kestrel.

As well as potatoes we grow large amount of cereals including wheat, barley and oil seed rape for vegetable oil production.

We are one of the first arable monitor farms in Scotland. The Monitor Farm concept was imported from New Zealand and is now successfully established in Scotland. A Monitor Farm is a normal commercial farm, representative of a region, where the farmer opens up his business and decision-making to other local farmers. It is designed to give farmers a chance to improve the profitability of their businesses by sharing experiences, seeking out the best practices on real farms, trying out new techniques, improving business skills and generally improving their ability to farm successfully. The principal aim is to improve the profitability of farmers in the region. A key part of the project's success is the participation of local farmers who form the ‘Community Group' to help decide the Monitor Farm's priorities and the programme of activities. The emphasis is on practical farming methods and good business decisions, rather than theory. Arable Monitor Farm – HGCA, Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Government.