Agricultural practices in Scotland

Hello again! The exchange has been a whirlwind of activity, and so far it has really been fantastic. I've been moving around a lot, but seeing so much! I'm going to take some time and give everyone the low-down on my past month spent in Scotland. I've traveled from the SW, to the NE, and then somewhere in between. Only a few minor travel troubles in between, but I've made it through unscathed! Scottish agriculture is a whole new ball game. Mixed farming (cattle, sheep, and crops) operations are everywhere. Farms typically range in size from 200-600 acres of land, though there are a few bigger ones with a couple thousand acres of cropland. The Scottish hills and large amounts of rock prevent the use of the land for arable purposes, so cattle and sheep abound. Land that is suitable for crops is usually occupied with barley. In the south, where it is a little bit warmer, some wheat, maize, and rye are also grown. Wheat that is grown is awn-less, not bearded like ours is. So from a distance, the fields of barley look more like our wheat than the actual wheat does. The maize is purely for feeding cattle in Scotland, and it differs quite a bit from Kansas corn in appearance and darkness of green. In the north there were quite a few turnips (aka "neeps" or "swedes") grown for livestock feed, and barley was popularly grown for whiskey distilleries. Growing seasons for the grass crops are much longer than ours, taking up the whole year. Winter barley is planted around September and harvested the following August. Spring barley will be planted later and harvested just a month or two earlier than the winter barley, depending on the weather. Fungicide is sprayed regularly to prevent water-related diseases from killing the crop, and growth regulators are also used to make sure the plant doesn't get too tall and fall over. Genetically modified (GM) seeds are not allowed in most of Europe, so that is quite often a fun topic for discussion, and a large variance between the USA and UK agriculture. Stone fences are almost everywhere in Scotland, as there is usually a very close source of rock. They are one of my favorite features of the country, as they add a lot of character to the scenery. Often though, there is a barbed wire fence built just inside the stone fence to prevent animals from rubbing on the rocks and knocking the fence down. Tram lines are also widely used in Scotland and the UK. They look like tire tracks through a field, though they are permanent and planned. Used for navigation purposes since GPS in machinery is not yet widespread, tram lines are sown (or not sown rather) into the field. The crop is planted in 24m intervals and has 2 lines blocked so seed is not planted and the tram lines are made. This saves on seed cost, as the farmer is not driving over their crops, and it helps farmers remember where they have been. With over 10 passes over a field per crop, it makes sense not to plant where you will trample it.

Tram lines in a field.

Claas combine, used in one of the bigger farms

Brand new John Deere combine, used on a larger sized operation

Popular machinery in Scotland are Claas and John Deere, though there are many other brands scattered around. It isn't a "red or green" preference like it normally is in the states. The machinery is generally smaller, as operation sizes are also smaller. No-till and minimal tillage farming practices are practically non-existent. The heavy clay and rock content makes planting directly into untilled soil nearly impossible. Hiring someone to do your harvest is common also, especially with under 200 acres.