Farmstrong are once more hosting a series of on-farm Walk & Talks.
Balcaskie Farm, Bowhouse, St Monans, Fife, KY10 2DB
Tuesday 27th May
1pm for refreshments
Finish approximately 6pm
Balcaskie Estate near Anstruther in Fife, is owned by the Anstruther Family and covers 2000ha from the coast at sea level to 185m. The estate focuses on social, environmental and economic development to maintain a vibrant rural economy and play its part in the communities it connects with.
1400 Ha are farmed in-hand and are Organic certified with Soil Association. In addition the farming business, there are 180 Ha woodland, 3 let farms on pre-91 Act tenancies, 60 residential properties, 45 commercial units including the estates own butchery, pub and Bowhouse Food Hub. Renewables produce, 400 kW Biomass, 200kW Solar and a battery storage system.
Directly employing 24 people full time, including 4 student placement roles each year. Indirect employment through the business units is currently 113 people working from the estate.
The in-hand farming business produces beef, lamb, pork, cereals and pulses. 20% of beef and lamb, 100% of pork and wild venison are retailed through the on farm butchery, with the remaining beef and lamb for Waitrose and M&S.
Cattle are multi-paddock adaptive grazed (mob grazed) moving daily to enable better use of grass and extended grazing period.
Regenerative practices are applied to help build soil organic matter and biology and AECS schemes used to help fund system change from conventional farming to organic.
The estate is managed by Sam Parsons who has been at Balcaskie since 2008, overseeing the changes and development. With significant change over the years, building a resilient and adaptable team to deliver objectives has been both a challenge and rewarding in equal measure. Developing the teams to have more autonomy and responsibility has enabled growth of the business in scale and complexity.
