Nofence grazing is top innovation in AgriScot awards

A number of other Farm of the Year Awards were also presented by Scotland’s rural affairs secretary, Mairi Gougeon at yesterday’s on-line AgriScot event alongside the Innovation Award which was won by a ‘fenceless’ fence.

The Nofence grazing system, originally developed in Norway, allows farmers to graze their cattle and sheep within set areas, but without the need for traditional fencing, by using solar-powered collars connected to GPS systems.

The technology allows farmers to set grazing areas digitally and the collars prevent straying by using an audible signal as a the first ‘fence’ and a small electric pulse as the final deterrent to keep the animals within those boundaries.

With a similar terrain to Norway, Scotland is seen as an ideal place to develop the technology, which costs £239 per head collar for cattle and £149 for sheep.

Winner of the Dairy Farm of the Year award was Holehouse Farm, Kilbirnie, Ayrshire, farmed by the Logan family.

Preston Hall farm in Midlothian, managed by Bill Gray, has been named AgriScot Scottish Arable Farm of the Year while the Sheep Farm of the Year award went to neighbouring Saughland Farm, run by farm manager Peter Eccles and flock manager Owen Gray. These two units had previously worked together in Scotland’s monitor farm project with a focus on showing how arable, sheep and beef enterprises could co-operate to improve sustainability.

The AgriScot beef farm of the year was Drumbreddan Farm, Stranraer which is run by father and son partnership, Daniel and Lamont Hair.