At Glensaugh the main job for late June has been the shearing of our ewes and all are now shorn except the Blackfaces which are not yet ready to shear. The deer calving has ended with 67 live births from 68 hinds. The suckler cows are out on their summer grazings and are no longer dependent on us for supplementary feed.

The season’s forestry planting has been successful: our forestry consultant, who has managed the restocking, is pleased with the establishment despite dry conditions and sporadic browsing by rabbits.

Weed control is another seasonal job which we undertake every year. We have been active with our weedwiper, targeting common thistle, nettles and creeping thistle. None of these invasive species reach optimum growth stage for treatment at the same time, so repeat visits to the same site are often required.

Donald ensuring his energy levels are fully charged for the long hours at the Royal Highland Show

A day at the Highland Show provided an opportunity to meet fellow industry professionals and represent the Institute (and Glensaugh). As the current agricultural support regime is under review it is clear that many doubt the viability of hill farming. As a “hill man” I rarely neglect an opportunity to highlight the strengths of our hill farming systems and point out that the hill ewe hefted to her ground may be an undervalued asset. To illustrate this, at Glensaugh our blackface flock was overwintered on the hill (in occasionally very hard weather), with only occasional supplementary feeding at a cost of £5.16 per head. Our crossbred ewes were fed throughout the winter (£14.72 per head) reflecting very clearly the support energy required in these different management systems.