Staff from the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute presented a cheque for nearly £1,200 to Friends of ANCHOR, a cancer care charity in Aberdeen. The money was raised during a Quiz Night held at the Institute and was presented to Friends of ANCHOR fundraising manager, Fiona Pearson, during a visit to the Institute. [continue reading ... ]

Glensaugh is having a busy end to the year. The day to day livestock business has settled into a winter routine.

The discovery of Macaulayite as a mineral new to the world of science was initiated by Dr Isaac Stephen in 1977 when he was researching the decomposition by weathering of granite and other rocks Using X-ray methods he was studying a sample from an outcrop of soft, deeply weathered, red mottled granite exposed near the Bennachie car park when he noticed an unusual X-ray reflection which he was unable to explain. Dr Stephen brought a sample to the attention of the soil mineralogy group at the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute, led by Dr Jeff Wilson, who along with other colleagues pursued the matter further.

Results of a national inventory of Scotlands soils will provide scientists with invaluable evidence on climate change. The Institute has completed a national soil sampling project which it will use to compare with samples taken 25 years earlier from the same locations to investigate the impact of climate change on our soils.

Energy efficiency experts gathered in Aberdeen today, Thursday 3 December 2009, to discuss a response to the Scottish Government’s Energy Efficiency Action Plan for Scotland. The workshop, hosted by the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute, was organised by the Scottish Government’s Business, Enterprise and Energy Directorate to collect responses to a current consultation on a future energy policy. [continue reading ... ]

Research into potential land based waste management solutions will be highlighted at an event today (1st December 2009) when waste management practitioners from across the north of Scotland meet at a Chartered Institution of Wastes Management seminar hosted by the Aberdeen based Macaulay Land Use Research Institute. [continue reading ... ]

Richard Lochhead, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment will outline the Scottish Government’s priorities for the future management of biodiversity in the uplands at a meeting in Perth today (Tuesday 24th November).

At Glensaugh we recently hosted a Safety and Health Awareness Day for the Health and Safety Executive. The purpose of the event was to raise awareness within the farming community of the many issues which affect the health of farmers and their families, for example tractor safety, animal handling, working at height and manual handling.

Local residents and businesses with an interest in the coast are invited to the East Grampian Coastal Partnership’s Annual Seminar. The meeting is free to attend and will be held on 24th November at the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute in Aberdeen. [continue reading ... ]

Further action to give communities better protection from the increased risk of flooding was announced today. [continue reading ... ]