Grass and Land Management

Standing Crop

For 2 years over a hectare of the highest point in the farm has been rotivated and planted with native North Uist oats. The oat seed is organic and the crop used to surviving in adverse conditions. The hardy nature of this crop has ensured short crop heights and less dense sward providing not only a good food source but cover for an abundance of bird life. The cattle are allowed to enter the area at the end of the winter to clean up the ground and leave it ready for tilling and re sowing for the new season. We have been surprised at the food value that has remained available to the cattle even after this crop has stood all winter.

Heather and Bilberry

The specialist requirement of hot and cold shock to make heather seed germinate has been achieved by removing the rough grasses by the Highland Cattle. These rough grasses formed an effective macrocosms over the ground preventing the heather seed from being exposed to this necessary hot and cold cycle. In addition the light poaching effect of the cattle created new areas for the heather to reseed and large areas of heather and bilberry can be seen today regenerating and providing a food source and cover that we hope will attract both black and red grouse from the upper moorland.

Hill Grass Management

Where possible the best areas of lower hill are spiked and Cambridge rolled as well as being grass harrowed. During the growing season the grass is deliberately kept short by a combination of grazing and mechanical topping. This is done to encourage natural clover growth. The clover provides the natural nitrogen that allows these fields to be cropped in rotation. The fields and are conditioned twice yearly with an application of Manure.

Cereal Crops

The same oat seed is used on the lower ground to be whole cropped in late August. This whole crop provides the basis of the food requirement for the young cattle during the following winter.

In the first year a new field is opened and planted with oats. This years “first year” fields have been re-cultivated and re seeded with Rye to provide a standing crop that will be strip grazed from January through to March.

The second year fields are again rotivated and seeded with oats but this time under planted with a long-term high clover grass lay to bring them back to permanent pasture.

Tree and Shrub Cover

A continual programme is taking place to replant small sections of hill with native trees. The trees provide not only wildlife cover but reduce the wind speed at ground level for the cattle out-Wintered.

Hedgerows are being protected, maintained and new hedgerows planted as part of the improvement programme.

It is proposed to start a similar programme with drystane dyking.

Shallow Ploughing / Minimum Tillage

The purchase of the rotivator has not only provided us with a professional and highly productive tool, but has given us the following advantages: