Agri Culture
Agri Culture is a podcast series from the Farm Advisory Service, presented by Mary-Jane Lawrie and produced by Kerry Hammond. It explores the personal stories of people in the farming community, discussing their inspirations, businesses, and the culture of agriculture. The podcast is funded by the Scottish Government and aims to support profitable and sustainable farming in Scotland.
Episodes
"Finding Your Tribe” Rural Neurodivergent Network : Ren Fisher
You are listening to Agri Culture, a podcast that aims to explore the stories of the people that make up our agricultural industry and culture of farming, in Scotland and beyond.Today’s episode isn’t being hosted by Mary-Jane as normal, but by Kerry Hammond. Usually, Kerry sits in the producer’s chair behind the scenes. Today’s episode focuses on the experiences of neurodivergent individuals in th
Glenkilrie, From Land to Larder : Lauren Houstoun
You are listening to Agri Culture, a podcast that aims to explore the stories of the people that make up our agricultural industry and culture of farming, in Scotland and beyond. On today’s episode Mary-Jane Lawrie is joined by Lauren Houstoun from Glenkilrie Larder who tells us about her farming business, Glenkilrie Farm, which she runs with her husband Andrew and in-laws David and Morag Houstou
Mentoring Women In Agriculture: Julie McLaren
You are listening to Agri Culture, a podcast that aims to explore the stories of the people that make up our agricultural industry and culture of farming, in Scotland and beyond. On today’s episode Mary-Jane Lawrie is joined by Julie McLaren. Julie is a Bank Relationship Director – Agriculture & Landed Estates, and Vice Chair of Women in Agriculture Scotland. Julie tells us about her career in
Atholl Estates – Regenerative Farming at the Heart of Community
You are listening to Agri Culture, a podcast that aims to explore the stories of the people that make up our agricultural industry and culture of farming, in Scotland and beyond. On today’s episode Mary-Jane Lawrie is joined by Bertie Troughton, Hugh Chamerlain and Laura McDonald of Atholl Estates. They join us to talk about how in recent years they have started to move towards regenerative farm
Building A Life Of Health From The Ground Up – Steading & Co Family (Part 2)
You are listening to Agri Culture, a podcast that aims to explore the stories of the people that make up our agricultural industry and culture of farming, in Scotland and beyond.Welcome to part two of a two-part episode series about Steading and Co and the family. Mary-Jane Lawrie is joined by Phillip, Konrad, Symone and Alex, a multigenerational family running a regenerative farming business in F
Building A Life Of Health From The Ground Up – Steading & Co Family (Part 1)
You are listening to Agri Culture, a podcast that aims to explore the stories of the people that make up our agricultural industry and culture of farming, in Scotland and beyond.Welcome to part one of a two-part episode series about Steading and Co and the family. Mary-Jane Lawrie is joined by Phillip, Konrad, Symone and Alex, a multigenerational family running a regenerative farming business in F
Future Farmer: Jack Munro & Anna Wylie
You are listening to Agri Culture, a podcast that aims to explore the stories of the people that make up our agricultural industry and culture of farming, in Scotland and beyond. On today’s episode Mary-Jane Lawrie is joined by Anna Wylie and Jack Munro. Anna and Jack met when they both attended the Tesco Future Farmer programme for young farmers run through Harper Adams university. Th
Barbara McLeod: Cruciferous Croft
You are listening to Agri Culture, a podcast that aims to explore the stories of the people that make up our agricultural industry and culture of farming, in Scotland and beyond. On today’s episode Mary-Jane is joined by Barbara McLeod. Barbara owns and runs Cruciferous Croft in the Lochinver area of North West Scotland. She took on a croft herself, renovating an old building to live i
Wallace Currie: Rural 2 Kitchen
You are listening to Agri Culture, a podcast that aims to explore the stories of the people that make up our agricultural industry and culture of farming, in Scotland and beyond. On today’s episode Mary-Jane Lawrie is joined by Wallace Currie. Wallace may be familiar to you as he runs his own podcast R2Kast as part of his brand Rural 2 Kitchen, which started during lockdown as a way to
Eilidh Verstage, Arngask Home Farm: Growing a Community
Content Warning: The following episode mentions pregnancy loss. Mary-Jane Lawrie is joined by Eilidh Verstage from Arngask Home Farm. Eilidh and her husband Lloyd are new entrants, who purchased Arngask 4 years ago. They have rare breed pigs and this year have just started growing chemical free vegetables to sell wholesale, at markets and locally in weekly veg boxes. They ha
Liz Haines: Levelling The Field, Neurodiversity in Agriculture
Mary-Jane Lawrie is joined by Liz Haines to talk about her lived experience of being neurodivergent and working in agriculture. Liz tells us about her background in farming and how she and her husband became new entrants to agriculture. Liz shares some of her systems and process that help her run their successful dairy farm since being diagnosed with ADHD in 2022. This diagnosis
Brose Oats: Cream of the Crop
Mary-Jane Lawrie is joined by Josh Barton from Brose Oats. Josh tells us about the company, Brose Oats, and their oat milk products, telling us the story of how the company grew from an idea in a small kitchen, to distributing Scottish oat milk across the Lothians and beyond. He also talks about the importance of sustainability, both in terms of food production, but also in terms
James Logan: Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland
Mary-Jane Lawrie is joined by James Logan, the current chairman of the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland. This episode was recorded in the lead up to the Royal Highland Show 2025, and James tells us about changes at the Society and what he is looking forward to about this year’s show. He talks about his life in agriculture and how he got involved with RHASS. Than
John Ferguson: Thinking Outside the Box
Mary-Jane Lawrie is joined by John Ferguson, founder and CEO of Sisaltech Ltd, a Scottish company which produces sustainable building insulation from natural sisal fibres and Scottish wool. In this episode John shares his unique story on how he got started, his sustainable business goals and his top tips for business success. Thanks for joining us for this episode of Agri Culture. If you’d li
SAYFC Respect
Mary-Jane Lawrie is joined by Ally Brunton chair of SAYFC and Jillian Kennedy, SAYFC Vice chair. They both talk about their time in young farmers and the experiences and benefits of being in the club. They also tell us about the SAYFC Respect campaign which was launched at the Highland Show in 2024, which aims to allow every member to contribute to SAYFC as a safe, inclusive, fun enviro
Kenneth Bone: Diversifying for a Thriving Island Community
Mary-Jane Lawrie is joined by Kenneth Bone from Glenkiln Farm on the Isle of Arran. Kenneth Bone farms Glenkiln Farm on the Isle of Arran with his family. They won the Diversified Farm of the year award at last year’s Scottish Agriculture Awards, as well as taking home the Champion of Champions trophy. The business has an impressive portfolio, from the farming business to hydro scheme,
Jim Chapman: Adapting to Life After an Accident
Listener Advisory Note : This episode contains a mention of suicide, please listen with care. Mary-Jane Lawrie is joined by Jim Chapman, farmer and farm safety ambassador. Jim talks openly about the farm accident that changed his life when he lost his arm in a PTO shaft. He talks about the impact that had on him, and how he got through the dark times. He tells us how i
Stephanie Berkeley: Yellow Wellies
Mary-Jane Lawrie is joined by Stephanie Berkeley from the Farm Safety Foundation Stephanie Berkeley is Manager of the Farm Safety Foundation, which you might know also as Yellow Wellies. The Farm Safety Foundation was established in 2014 with the aim of improving farm safety in the UK. The Foundation runs successful campaigns such as Farm Safety week and educates young farmers acr
Cathy Magee: Delving into Dyslexia
In this episode, Mary-Jane Lawrie is joined by Cathy Magee from Dyslexia Scotland.Cathy Magee is the chief executive of Dyslexia Scotland. We talked about what dyslexia is, how it can affect you, and how to go about getting an assessment. Dyslexia Scotland have a range of resources available to support people with dyslexia. Cathy also tells us about the technologies and adaptation
Pete Black: The Superpower of Dyslexia
Mary-Jane Lawrie is joined by Pete Black of Collessie Feeds and Newton of Colessie Farm. Pete Black farms at Newton of Collessie with his parents and brother. They run a successful diversified farming business with arable, commercial cattle, pedigree sheep and Clydesdales, alongside Collessie Feeds. We chatted about the farm business and the various enterprises and the family’s ti
Fred Swift & Stella Stewart: From Sheep to Shop - Increasing the Value of Wool.
Mary-Jane Lawrie is joined by Fred Swift from South Clunes Farm and Highland Clip, and Stella Stewart from Anta. Fred Swift farms South Clunes Farm near Inverness in the Highlands with his wife Sofi and his father. They run a traditional upland farm with cattle and sheep. Fred and his family have transformed the farm over the last 40 years, increasing biodiversity and introd
Lesley Mitchell: Building a thriving family business, the importance of work life balance and converting to organic
Mary-Jane Lawrie visits Whitriggs Farm in the Scottish Borders to speak to Lesley Mitchell. They chat about the family farm and how it has evolved over the years, their openness to challenges and change, and how that has allowed Lesley and her family to build a business that supports the family whilst also allowing a good work life balance. Once key change has been converting the busin
Claire Taylor : Positive perceptions of Agriculture
I'm Mary-Jane Lawrie, and in this episode I’m joined Claire Taylor. Claire is a journalist and describes herself as an agricultural communicator. She has recently finished her travels as part of her Nuffield Farming Scholarship and is now in the process of compiling all the information from her travels. We talk about her career and how that led her to applying for the scholarship
Jenn Stewart: Successful Succession
Mary-Jane Lawrie is joined by Jenn Stewart. Jenn Stewart, partner & Head of Rural and Landed Estates at Johnston Carmichael, joined the company in 2019. Jenn has extensive experience in advising owner managed businesses and provides counsel to a wide-ranging portfolio of clients across multiple sectors. Jenn was brought up in her own family farming business and is now involved in her hus
Kirsten Williams: Let your determination grow stronger
Mary-Jane Lawrie is joined by Kirsten Williams. Kirsten is a livestock specialist with SAC Consulting and she also runs a farm business on Ranna Farm in Aberdeenshire with her husband Ross. They have sheep, cattle, and a turkey enterprise on their rented farm. They were new entrants, working hard to secure a tenancy and build up their business to support them and their family.&nb
Glenrinnes Estate: A Tapestry of Tales
Mary-Jane Lawrie is joined by some of the team at Glenrinnes Estate at the foot of Ben Rinnes in Moray. Estate manager Ali Laing tells us about the estate as a whole, and we are joined by head keeper Gordon Aitchison, distillery manager Martin Peroni, trainee farm worker Alex Shearer and head gardener Damon Powell. They all share their stories of working on Glenrinnes Estate and how th
John Scott and Jock Gibson: Farmstrong Scotland
Mary-Jane Lawrie talks to John Scott and Jock Gibson from Farmstrong Scotland. Farmstrong Scotland is a new initiative which is inspired by Farmstrong New Zealand and Doug Avery’s visit to Scotland a couple of years ago. John and Jock tell us what Farmstrong is, why they want to be involved in it, what wellbeing means to them, and give examples of how they implement Farmstrong’s five s
Lawrence Martin : Opportunities through Apprenticeships
Mary-Jane Lawrie talks to Lawrence Martin who was a new entrant to farming. After doing an HNC in agriculture at college, he started an apprenticeship with Lantra and SRUC. The apprenticeship gave him the opportunity to get out on farm and ultimately became a farm manager. He tells us of his farming journey, how the apprenticeship scheme works and how you can get involved in the scheme.  
Lucy Mitchell: Young Farmers
Mary-Jane Lawrie talks to Lucy Mitchell. Lucy was an active member of Young Farmers from her early twenties and went on to become national chair of SAYFC from 2022 to 2023. Lucy has recently handed over this role, and she tells us about what Young Farmers is, what sort of opportunities it gives young people, and what her year as national chair was like. Related Resources: Luc
Ana Allamand: Culture and Connection
Mary-Jane Lawrie talks to Ana Allamand. Ana grew up in Chile before moving to Scotland. She tells us about agriculture in Chile and her work over here with the Soil Association. Ana works to bring farmers together to learn from each other and foster innovation, and has great knowledge about how culture and agriculture fit together. FAS Resources FAS Connect | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm
The Black Farmer: Jeopardy – The danger of playing it safe
Mary-Jane Lawrie talks to Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones MBE, aka The Black Farmer. Wilfred is of the Windrush Generation and describes his difficult start to life in the UK, before he eventually found his chance working at the BBC, where he found his passion for food. He left television to start his own food and drink marketing company which gave him the opportunity to finally realise his dre
Sir Charlie Burrell : Wilding
Mary-Jane Lawrie talks to Charlie Burrell, a farmer and environmentalist, farming 3,500 acres at Knepp Estate, in West Sussex. Over the last twenty years, he has transformed the farm from an intensively managed dairy and arable unit into a rewilded biodiversity hotspot. He has recently co-authored a book “The Book of Wilding: A Practical Guide to Rewilding, Big and Small” with his wife
Cream O Galloway: A Dairy Story
Mary-Jane Lawrie talks to David and Wilma Finlay from Rainton Farm, Gatehouse of Fleet. They are authors of the book “Our Dairy Story”, in which they tell their farming story from traditional farming, through various diversification projects, to starting a cow with calf dairy system, which they call The Ethical Dairy. They are forward thinking and not afraid to take on new challenges,
Mike Duxbury, the Blind Farmer - Making Agriculture Inclusive
Mary-Jane Lawrie talks to Mike Duxbury, the Blind Farmer, about his life in agriculture, and how he set up the Inclusive Farm, a working farm with the aim of making agriculture accessible to all. Mike tells us about how he was knocked back by all the agricultural colleges he applied to, apart from one, and how that one chance has given him the knowledge, skills and opportunity to help others into
Nigel Owens International Rugby Referee - From Pitch to Pasture
*Content Warning: This episode discusses themes of suicide and may not be suitable for all listeners* Mary-Jane Lawrie talks to Nigel Owens, a Welsh former international rugby union referee, who retired in December 2020 after a 17-year career. He currently holds the world record for the most test matches refereed and is one of five international referees listed as professional within the Wels
Richard and Fiona Lamb - Try, Diversify, Try Again
Mary-Jane Lawrie talks to Richard and Fiona Lamb of Fordhead Farm, Kippen, about how they have diversified their farming business and how they have adapted to the many challenges that starting new ventures has thrown at them. Richard and Fiona Lamb are the definition of ‘give it a go’. From exiting the Metropolitan Police and dipping toes, (and losing part of a finger) in their entry to farming, F
Anna Davies: Agricultural Storytelling ONFarm
Mary-Jane Lawrie talks to Anna Davies about the importance of great storytelling in agriculture and gets an insider's view from this journalist on how the media could cooperate and celebrate Scotland’s farming successes and the people who create them. FAS Resources https://www.fas.scot/publication/positive-pr-infographic/ https://www.fas.scot/new-entrants/positive-pr/&nb
Sammi Kinghorn - Thriving Through Adversity, and Promoting Diversity
Mary-Jane Lawrie is joined this week by Sammi Kinghorn MBE. Sammi is a farmer’s daughter and Team GB wheelchair racer from the Scottish Borders. We spoke the week after she was back from the Commonwealth games where she won bronze in the 1500m. We chatted about her childhood on the farm, the accident that left her paralysed and how she got into wheelchair racing. She has su
Chris Dyer, Garths Croft - Crofting History & Culture
Mary-Jane Lawrie talks to Chris Dyer of Garths Croft, Bressay about how an Archaeologist from the South of England found himself owning a croft on Shetland. He discusses some of the fascinating archaeology of the Shetland Islands, how he started out volunteering on farms, and what his life is like as a crofter. Chris tells us about starting his croft, the livestock he owns, and how he
Peter Eccles - Success out-with succession
Peter Eccles is a farm manager from East Lothian. He started out as an agricultural consultant with SAC, before taking on the farm manager job at Saughland Farm, Midlothian. There he changed the farming system quite dramatically and went on to win the Farmers Weekly farm manager of the year and farmer of the year, and AgriScot Sheep farm of the year. He recently moved jobs to Dal
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