Lacey Ward, Website Officer at SRUC speaks with Damson Ellen (Central Co-President) and Jeroen van Herk (Student Community Coordinator) at the SRUC Students’ Association, or SRUCSA, about how to give you - whether you’re an SRUC student, potential student, alumni, staff, researcher, or simply an interested community member, a better idea of what the SRUC Students’ Association is, why it’s such an important part of the SRUC student experience and - importantly, how you can get involved in SRUCSA ...
Dec 07, 2023•21 min•Ep. 38
Guests: Dr Ana Vuin is a research fellow who has worked around the world in the areas of rural communities and population migration. Alexa Green is an early career researcher interested how we can create transformational changes in our society to ensure a sustainable way of living for people and the planet. Claire Donaldson has been a lecturer in tourism at SRUC for the last decade. Claire’s area of expertise is rural tourism and how this is utilised as a form of economic development to improve ...
Nov 09, 2023•31 min•Ep. 37
In this podcast for vets in practice, Alison Braddock, Marketing & Business Development Manager for Vet Services, asks Colin Mason, Veterinary Investigation Officer & Centre Manager about Clostridial disease. This podcast focuses on Blackleg and Blacks disease - two more common presentations at this time of year. The podcast covers causes, risk factors and prevention. Read our blog on Black's disease. SRUC offer testing for Clostridial Alpha, Beta or Epsilon Toxin ELISA....
Nov 01, 2023•17 min•Ep. 36
This bitesize podcast is part of the "On the Hoof" series from our Veterinary Services division. Alison Braddock, Marketing and Business Development Manager speaks with Heather Stevenson Veterinary Investigation Officer (VIO) Dumfries about liver fluke risk in 2023. As we approach what would have traditionally been peak liver fluke season (autumn-winter), 2023 has been a very strange year weather-wise. We had a very dry cold spring, a very hot early summer, an extremely wet July-August and, most...
Oct 13, 2023•12 min•Ep. 35
Sean Cameron is SRUC's very first dedicated Student Communications Officer, and in this podcast he is in conversation with William Ancell, Digital Manager at SRUC. Sean joins us with not only a wealth of experience working in education but also a grand plan for how to improve student communication. In this podcast Sean talks about: His background The challenges facing SRUC in terms of student communication The upcoming student elections The Student Voice campaign The achievements the student bod...
Oct 13, 2023•17 min•Ep. 34
Our On the Hoof series of podcasts on veterinary matters continues! Alison Braddock, Marketing and Business Development Manager asks Colin Mason, Centre Manager and Veterinary Investigation Officer, some key questions around investigating milk drop in Dairy herds. It is truly multifactorial with causes including infectious disease, nutrition, management or a combination of all three. With the advance of increased technology on dairy farms there is also an abundance of data to draw on. From a dis...
Oct 02, 2023•25 min•Ep. 33
Recruitment is a hot topic in the dairy industry right now, and this conversation features an interesting panel discussing the options open to recruiters, job seekers and those looking to upskill in the sector. In this episode, William Ancell, Digital Manger, hosts a panel featuring: Mary Thomson, Vice Principal for Skills and Lifelong Learning, SRUC Lynne Somerville, Skills Lead, Digital Dairy Chain Stuart Martin, Programme Director, Digital Dairy Chain Interested in learning more about the Dig...
Sep 28, 2023•29 min•Ep. 32
SRUC Podcast Show Notes: Hemp: the super crop episode from the Rural Policy Centre Guests: Professor Vijay Kumar Thakur who heads up SRUC's Biorefining and Advanced Materials Research Centre. Click this link to find out more information on the IGS and Cambond project - looking into the use of hemp for insulation applications to replace traditional stainless steel or other materials - Vijay refers to during the podcast. Along with colleagues, Vijay has also recently published two papers on hemp: ...
Sep 21, 2023•16 min•Ep. 31
This podcast is a special edition for GB calf week. Listen in to discover just a sample of the current dairy-bred calf research happening in Scotland. There are some fantastic projects on the go at the moment involving collaborations between SRUC, University of Glasgow and vets in private practice. In this episode Alison Braddock chats with Colin Mason and David Bell from SRUC, Katie Denholm from the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Glasgow and Ali Haggerty from Stewartry vets....
Sep 06, 2023•33 min•Ep. 30
Join us for a lively panel discussion on the future of agricultural policy in Scotland chaired by agriculture communications specialist Claire Taylor. It features SRUC's Steven Thomson, John Kerr of the Scottish Government, independent agricultural economist Andrew Moxey, former NFU Scotland President Nigel Miller and Jonnie Hall, who is head of policy at NFU Scotland. The panel conversation and audience question and answer session took place at SRUC's stand at this year's Royal Highland Show. T...
Jul 13, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 29
Alison Braddock, Marketing and Business Development Manager is joined by Fiona Crowden, Veterinary Investigation Officer who talks about the importance of controlling infectious lameness in the sheep flock. Fiona explains the five point plan to help combat scald, footrot and CODD. This podcast complements the CPD webinar ‘Infectious lameness in sheep – an update for the busy practitioner’ which is available for free at Online CPD Academy | SRUC ....
Jun 30, 2023•18 min•Ep. 28
This is episode 3 of our series on bee keeping. Now that we are almost into summer, swarming is a hot topic for bee keepers and we’re going to make sure you have the right advice so you don’t get stung by it, if you pardon the pun. Join William Ancell, Digital Manager at SRUC, and Lorraine Johnston, SRUC's Bee advisory Officer, as they form a hivemind (sorry) and look at the top questions around swarming. 1. What is swarming? 2. Why do bees swarm? 3. What does a swarm look like? 4. What should y...
May 26, 2023•21 min•Ep. 27
Alison Braddock, SRUC's Marketing and Business Development Manager for Veterinary Services is joined by Katrina Henderson , Veterinary Investigation Officer and Lorna MacPherson, Senior Consultant to chat about nutrition and health planning for dairy beef calves. This podcast also looks at the management of dairy beef calves to prevent common problems. This podcast accompanies the CPD bitesize webinar " An Introduction to Dairy Beef Calf Systems – Nutrition and Infectious Disease". Watch the web...
Apr 25, 2023•23 min•Ep. 26
This podcast discusses a knowledge network started by researchers at SRUC which focuses on supporting rural women entrepreneurs who are leading low-carbon transitions in Arctic areas.
Apr 06, 2023•30 min•Ep. 25
Interested in large animal veterinary science? This is a slightly niche (but no less important) departure for the SRUC podcast. Our Veterinary Investigation Officers Katrina Henderson and Iain McCormick recently completed a project looking at the mortality of young beef cattle. Katrina joins host Alison Braddock to chat about the project which specifically looked at the top ten causes of calf death and pre-disposing factors. Katrina and Iain reviewed all pre-weaned suckler calf post mortems carr...
Mar 29, 2023•16 min•Ep. 24
Lorna Pate from SRUC's Rural Policy Centre speaks with Stuart Martin from the Digital Dairy Chain . Tune in to learn more about the origins and future aims of this project.
Mar 16, 2023•21 min•Ep. 23
There is a reason why the apprenticeship has endured through the ages - it is an essential gateway to countless trades, and a formative experience for many professionals. The modern apprenticeship scheme is a critical feature of the contemporary vocational landscape and a proven path for young people to learn a trade that will set them up for life in their chosen industry. Join a panel of experts from SRUC, industry and a modern apprentice for a discussion on how this is a great route for young ...
Mar 15, 2023•21 min•Ep. 22
Join John Scholefield and Anne Seaton for an introduction to SRUC veterinary services and the role they play as part of SRUC. From supporting farmers and veterinary practices to tackling infectious disease, the work is varied and never dull. The team covers disease surveillance for the Scottish Government, so this involves doing post-mortem examinations and laboratory testing to diagnose disease and to investigate disease outbreaks. This work goes across the range of livestock species, so cattle...
Mar 13, 2023•19 min•Ep. 21
This is the second episode of our beekeeping series. Lorraine Johnston, SRUC’s Bee Advisory Officer gives advice on beekeeping in the spring now that we're in March – there is a lot to be aware of if you keep bees. The podcast covers what changes for the bees are happening as they head into spring, what beekeepers can do to help bees survive the spring, what to do on that crucial first inspection and a whole lot else bee-sides.
Mar 09, 2023•17 min•Ep. 20
Jillian Gordon has a fascinating and original story to tell. She left school with hardly any qualifications, and she struggled due to her dyslexia (and lack of support for it). She got a place on an HNC with SRUC, and discovered a passion for agriculture and animals. She also started receiving support for the first time for her dyslexia from SRUC. Jillian is now on track to complete her PhD and has aspirations to one day be a lecturer for SRUC. Her story of how she got there is fascinating and a...
Mar 07, 2023•19 min•Ep. 19
SRUC's Rural Policy Centre delves into the world of crofting and common grazings with Janette Sutherland and Siobhan Macdonald of SAC Consulting. For more information, check out the policy spotlight on ' Common Grazings in the Age of Conditionality '. To register for an upcoming CPG on Crofting meeting, visit the Scottish Parliament website . To speak with an SAC consultant about your croft, check out our website and reach out to us to have a chat....
Mar 03, 2023•17 min•Ep. 18
Join Lorraine Johnston, SRUC's Bee Advisory Officer and William Ancell, Digital Manager as they chat about the challenges of beekeeping over winter. If you keep bees yourself, this episode is packed full of tips to make sure your bees are protected from the elements, how to shield them from common diseases and pests, and what products can come in handy to keep them healthy at a critical time.
Dec 19, 2022•23 min•Ep. 17
If there is one thing we love at SRUC it is an exciting, innovative project - and this one is a cracker. Turning methane emissions and by-products from farming beef cattle into everything from a power source to beef with a lower carbon footprint. Not to mention using this system to potentially power a versatile vertical farm - and all while ensuring excellent animal welfare standards & humane treatment of the animals. Join William Ancell, Carol-Anne Duthie and John Farquhar as they introduce...
Dec 08, 2022•15 min•Ep. 16
The Rural Exchange provides an exciting new platform for people living and working across Scotland’s rural and island communities to have their voices heard in both research and policy-making. Jane Atterton, Senior Lecturer at SRUC and Project Leader offers insight into the Rural Exchange in this short introductory podcast. Visit the dedicated website to learn more about the Rural Exchange.
Dec 08, 2022•10 min•Ep. 15
In this podcast you can learn more about NISRIE by way of an interview with Steven Thomson, Project Lead. NISRIE stands for "Novel Insights on Scotland's Island and Rural Economies". It is a project with four work packages: rural enterprises community wealth building agriculture beyond Brexit regional food economies The aims and objectives of the project are discussed with Steven in this podcast. You can visit the dedicated website to learn more about NISRIE and the Rural Exchange....
Dec 08, 2022•11 min•Ep. 14
Three representatives from SRUC and SAC Consulting recently visited Iceland to meet with food producers. They learnt a lot about how food is produced in Iceland, what new products are being developed, and how there is an emphasis on innovation and quality. Join Ceri Ritchie (Head of Food and Enterprise), Alistair Trail (Principal Consultant) and Nicola Holden (Professor of Food Safety) as they chat about the surprising and wonderful discoveries they made on the trip, the networks they started bu...
Nov 11, 2022•40 min•Ep. 13
Wallace Currie and Perry Parkinson are joined by Kathryn Dick, for a chat about all things farm-y. Kathryn is from a farming family, and this informal chat covers some of the fun stuff that comes from growing up on a farm and studying/working at SRUC.
Oct 28, 2022•40 min•Ep. 12
Join Lorna Pate and Pattanapong Tiwasing of SRUC as they talk about the use of insect protein in the UK, and some of the challenges facing the introduction of it as a food source.
Oct 25, 2022•18 min•Ep. 11
This podcast is part of a series that is exploring the diverse range of ecosystem services are supplied by Scotland’s rural sector’s stock of natural capital. The topics included within the series are Arable and 3D Buffer Strips. This episode is hosted by Stephen Briggs from Abacus Agriculture. Stephen, an author of the Soil Association Agroforestry handbook and a consultant for Abacus Agriculture is also a first generation farmer. He discusses his experience of getting started with silvo-arable...
Oct 21, 2022•29 min•Ep. 10
This podcast is part of a series that is exploring the diverse range of ecosystem services are supplied by Scotland’s rural sector’s stock of natural capital. The topics included within the series are Agroforestry, Arable and 3D Buffer Strips. This episode is hopsted by Mary-Jane Lawrie, SAC Consulting. Mary-Jane Lawrie is an Agricultural Consultant at SAC Consulting and works in all aspects of agricultural consultancy, including financial and technical reviews, options appraisals, feasibility s...
Oct 21, 2022•27 min•Ep. 9
