Dumfries and Galloway Sustainable Food Partnership

The Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere Partnership, the National Farmers’ Union Scotland (NFUS) and Propagate have together hosted the first ‘Farming for the Future’ conference in Newton Stewart, attracting attendees from across southwest Scotland. The event explored how farming can be good for both the environment and the farm business and was chaired by Dumfriesshire farmer and former NFUS President Andrew McCornick, with a programme of speakers that included Stuart Johnson (Soil Farmer of the Year), Nikki Yoxall (Pasture for Life), Davy McCracken (SRUC), John Newbold (SRUC), Heather Close (Balsar Glen), Tim Barnes (Trostrie Farm), Iain Mitchell (Bagbie Farm), Ross Paton (Torr Organic Dairy) and more.

Held at the Creebridge House Hotel, all 65 tickets for this free event were booked in advance with a waitlist for would-be attendees. The conference programme opened with an overview of current policy and the economic context that impacts production of food, fibre and fuel in and around the Biosphere region, before focusing on nature-friendly practices being implemented on local farms. A panel discussion between expert speakers explored how regenerative farming is both sustainable and profitable, with examples of how caring for soil and adjusting grazing regimes can reduce costs, increase income, and create a healthier environment that is more able to adapt to climate change.

Commenting on the conference’s success, Sara Press, the Biosphere’s Lead Officer for Land Use & Biodiversity, said, “We were delighted to have such a great turnout and to see such enthusiasm for collaboration and positive change. There was a real buzz right through the day and so many conversations taking place between farmers, land managers and others who don’t often have such a forum to meet and share experiences and ideas. As the GSA Biosphere Partnership, we are uniquely placed to facilitate such events and we’re planning additional Farming for the Future events to build on the momentum we have now. Thanks to our co-hosts, the NFUS and Propagate, and especially to attendees who took time out of their working day to join us in Newton Stewart.” 

Propagate hosts the award-winning South West Scotland Regenerative Farming Network, which facilitates farmer-to-farmer knowledge-sharing for sustainable and nature-friendly farming. Abi Mordin, Co-Director of Propagate and Network Organiser, said, “The event was a great success with a good range of diverse voices in the room and an engaged, interested audience. The conference built on our knowledge-sharing programme by providing an opportunity to bring people together to share and discuss ideas. Feedback has been brilliant and we’re looking forward to the next one!”

Mhairi Dawson, Dumfries & Galloway Regional Manager for the NFUS, said, “The event was an excellent opportunity for people across the agriculture industry to come together. With policy influencers, researchers, advisors and farmers, we had fantastic conversations and information-sharing about being a profitable, food producing farm business and meeting nature and biodiversity goals. A broad range of experience from speakers and delegates meant everyone could go away with something different to think about and to consider for themselves whether that could be something to implement on their own farming business.”

Look out for more collaborations of this kind, supporting the transition to more sustainable farming systems!