September 2022

Back in our March 2020 newsletter, we included Louisa May Alcott's famous quotation "I'm not afraid of storms, for I'm learning how to sail my ship."  That newsletter was in response to the country being plunged into lockdown.  Now, another storm is brewing in the shape of the cost of living crisis.

We can't control the weather any more than we can control the price of fuel but there are some things we can control, for example, our effort, attitude and the choices we make.

Conserve your energy (literally and figuratively) on focussing on the things that matter and that you can control.  For some, that will be updating their skills, continuing to work safely or taking care of their health.  Please, don't waste a second worrying about the things you can't control.

We have put together a free communications toolkit, specifically devised with the rural sector in mind.  We hope you find this useful in making sure that you have the foundations of a strong PR and marketing strategy in place.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

In a joint collaboration with Met Éireann. the UK's Met Office and the Dutch weather service, the list of storm names for September 2022-August 2023 has recently been launched.

While we can be fairly sure that we will encounter storms Antoni and Betty and perhaps even Glen, let's hope that we don't have to endure Val and Wouter!

The Helping it Happen Awards 2022, run by Scottish Land & Estates, have announced the finalists within the remaining four of their nine categories. Each of these categories focuses on rural businesses and how these businesses interact with their local communities and with visitors – highlighting how rural areas are underpinned by the business operating within them. The overall focus of the Helping it Happen Awards is on recognising the role estates, farms and rural businesses play in enabling and supporting success in rural conservation, rural enterprise and rural landscapes.  READ MORE

The British Horse Society (BHS), which wants to make the world safer for horses and equestrians, urges all riders and carriage drivers to report every incident that they are involved in, regardless of the severity, via their horse incidents reporting hub online or their Horse i app. This allows them to collate statistics on incidents across the UK.   READ MORE

There are currently several Scottish Government consultations which might be of particular interest to the food, drink & rural sectors (You can see all open consultations here):

"Scotland’s farmers, crofters and land-managers are vital to our ambition to make our nation fairer and greener. We should not shy away from being clear that we are on a journey of significant transformation. I urge everyone to take the opportunity to share your views and engage with this process, and please encourage everyone you know to take part as well. I know many of you will have contributed to the Agricultural transition consultation we ran previously, and this consultation builds on those responses. Your responses to this consultation will give us tremendous insight into how best to realise our Vision for Agriculture in a way that works for our rural communities."  - Mairi Gougeon, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands

Proposals for a new Agriculture Bill: the Scottish Government seeks to transform the ways in which farming and food production in Scotland is supported to become a global leader in sustainable and regenerative agriculture.  21 Nov 2022

Land Reform in a Net Zero Nation: The Land Reform Bill will address land ownership in rural areas of Scotland while ensuring that land is owned, managed, and used in ways that meet net-zero challenges. Closes 25 Sep 2022

Restricting promotions on food and drink high in fat, sugar or salt: the Scottish Government proposes to restrict the promotion of high in fat, sugar or salt food and drinks where these are sold to the public. Closes 23 Sep 2022

Our OnFARM podcast is back after a break for the summer!

The first two episodes were kindly supported by the Scottish Rural Network, part of the Scottish Government's Scottish Rural Development Programme.  They featured Lewis crofter and presenter of BBC Alba's An Lot (The Croft) Domhnall Macsween - known to most as 'Sweeny'.

‍In a wide-ranging chat with producer Dave Howard, Sweeny touched on land ownership, fuel poverty, geofencing and conservation grazing and much more besides.  Have a listen!‍

Part 1: https://pod.fo/e/139aae

Part 2: https://pod.fo/e/13b4ae

In an episode supported by auctioneers Harrison and Hetherington, Monty revisits young auctioneer Andrew Hutcheson and learns how Andrew and others spend the weeks ahead of Europe's biggest tup sale 'canvassing' farmers to win business.

You can listen to all of the podcasts at podfollow.com/onfarm                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

                                               P.S. If you're not into podcasts and prefer videos, don't worry, you can 'see' the OnFARM episodes on Scene & Herd's YouTube channel.                                                                                                                                                                  

October dates for your Social Media Marketing

1 - International Scottish Gin Day - check out the website for 'ginspiration'.

3 - 9 - National Curry Week

10  - World Porridge Day - Join in this annual celebration of Scotland’s traditional national dish to help feed hungry children in some of the poorest countries across the globe.

16 - World Food Day -Your chance to get more people to care about how our food is produced and highlight your #FoodHeroes.  Coincidentally, it is also 50 years since 'Emmerdale Farm' (as it was then known) was first broadcast.

20 - British Farming Awards 2022 - follow all the action on social media and join in using #BFA22

21 - Apple Day - Did you know rare Scottish apples are making a comeback?  Show your support for Scottish apples, cider and apple juice producers and tree growers.

22 - 23 - 58th Scottish Ploughing Championships

25 - World Pasta Day  

31 - Halloween - A time to dook for apples, enjoy treacle scones and carve turnips!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               N.B.  This newsletter was prepared prior to the death of Her Majesty The Queen.  Our thoughts are with King Charles and the Royal Family.  

Current guidance regarding the official mourning period and advice for businesses and event organisers can be seen here.