Cauld, cauld is Alnack …
Cauld is the snaw wind and sweet.
The maukin o’ Creagan Alnack
Has snaw for meat.
(read the rest of Benighted in the Foothills of the Cairngorms: January by Olive Fraser here)
Brrrr.....January is here! This time, two years ago, in blissful ignorance of what lay ahead, the Scene & Herd team were having a New Year get together at the wonderful Scottish Cafe. Over delicious local, seasonal food, we blethered about our new OnFARM podcast, sustainability and our favourite books, films and (Scottish) words. Some of those words were "coorie", "dreich" and "outwith" - none of them was "Covid", "Delta" or "Omicron".
Fast forward one year to January 2021 and some of the most common Google searches were for:
More of you searched "how to start a business" than "how to get a job". If you have an entrepreneurial idea forming, get in touch. We might be able to help your rural business be seen and heard.
News
AgriScot - New Covid restrictions, designed to combat the Omicron strain of the virus, mean that the farm business event will not now go ahead on 9th February. Robert Neill, Chairman of the AgriScot Board of Directors said “We will immediately begin the planning process to bring AgriScot back into its regular date on 16th November 2022.” Read more here.
Funding - a £100 million financial package to support businesses suffering cancellations due to the Omicron variant is available. It includes funding for hospitality, events, culture, the food and drink supply chain, the wedding sector and the worst affected businesses in the tourism sector. For more info see https://www.visitscotland.org/news/2021/100m-business-support
Dods of Haddington - we look forward to working with Dods of Haddington who specialise in the supply of agricultural and amenity seed throughout Scotland and northern England. Their comprehensive seed range includes cereals, grass, forage crops, game cover, as well as conservation and cover crops
Carefully designed and specifically rural, the OnFARM Academy (launching late January 2022) delivers short, online training courses which will help you to up-skill, boost your audience and widen interest in your brand. Visit OnFARM Academy for more information.
Working with Tigers...
2022 is the Chinese New Year of the Tiger. People born in a year of the Tiger (2010, 1998, 1986, 1974, 1962, 1950, 1938 ) are thought to be confident risk-takers who never plan ahead (but can competently handle most things that come their way).
Tigers can be very charming and are often well thought of by others. However, their impetuosity, irascibility and high-handed manner can make them difficult to communicate with which can cause problems in the workplace.
Do you work with a Tiger?? Fear not! In our podcast 'Be a price-maker, not a price-taker', Rory Christie has some great tips on negotiation, regardless of the animal personality on the other side of the table! Our friends at Greenburn offer an array of HR services for the rural sector including ColourFootprint, an insight into individual working styles and team dynamics. (As well as a strong sense of self-esteem, Tigers have a real thirst for learning new things so take a look at our OnFARM Academy and see if there's a suitable training package.)
What's New in 2022?
OnFARM Podcast
When we launched the OnFARM (Food, Agriculture and Rural Matters) podcast, our aim was simple: to give rural areas a stronger voice and a new platform from which to share their wonderful and inspiring stories. We could scarcely have imagined that just two years later, OnFARM would be performing in the top 2% of 2.8M benchmarked podcasts by Listen Notes! We shall share some details about the most popular episodes in a future email, in the meantime, you may enjoy our most recent podcasts:
SAYFC members undertook a series of farm visits at the start of December, as part of the organisation's 7th agriculture and rural affairs conference. OnFARM's Monty tagged along for one of the visits, to Learielaw Farm in Broxburn near Edinburgh. This episode is kindly supported by law firm Gillespie Macandrew.
Leicestershire mixed farmer and Farm To Fork author Joe Stanley wants more consumers and householders to better understand where their food comes from, and the work that goes on on British farms. Joe sits down with Anna to talk about some of the ways this could happen.
You can catch up on all OnFARM episodes here: podfollow.com/onfarm
February dates for your social promotions:
1 - Chinese New Year.
China’s consumer market is expected to reach a value of $8.4 trillion this year. Chinese New Year is a key opportunity for exporters of luxury goods to showcase their products. Did you know that China is the largest spirits market in the world and is an important emerging market for the Scotch Whisky industry?
4 – 20 - Big Farmland Bird Hunt
This annual initiative offers a simple means of recording the effects of conservation schemes currently being undertaken by landowners. Recording a short video is a great way for farmers and gamekeepers to share their activity with the non-farming public. Register and find out more here.
6 - HM Queen's Platinum Jubilee
Join in the celebrations on social media using #HM70 and #PlatinumJubilee. Find out more at https://platinumjubilee.gov.uk/
14 - Valentine's Day
How about asking existing customers to 'spread the love' and leave a review of your product or service? You could team up with other businesses to create a Valentine's Day competition prize. And, if you're buying flowers this Valentine's Day, make sure they are Flowers Grown in Scotland!
17 - Random Acts of Kindness Day
A light-hearted day where you can get imaginative! There are some ideas over on the Random Acts of Kindness Website. Whatever you decide to do, share on social media using #MakeKindnessTheNorm, #RandomActsofKindnessDay & #RAKDay.
Anna Davies: Email: anna@sceneandherdpr.co.uk
Ross (Monty) Montague: Email: monty@sceneandherdpr.co.uk
Company Registration Number: SC448325. VAT Registration Number: 162173427