Certified Deep Dive: Whitriggs Farm
Stuart Mitchell and his family run Whitriggs, a 442 hectare farm in the Scottish Borders. Farming across two generations, they focus on pasture-fed beef, red deer, and arable crops in a low-input, Pasture for Life certified system that uses mob and arable integration to cut costs and build soil health.
Stuart invented a bale unroller that feeds cattle using just an ATV, which won a Technical Innovation Award at the Royal Highland Show.
What’s it like farming as a two-generation family team, and how do you make it work?
It’s great fun, we all bring different skills and personalities which work well together. Being open and having good communication has been the key to making us a successful team. Luckily we are all open to trying new ideas and don’t hold a grudge for long.
How has introducing red deer changed the dynamic of the farm?
The introduction of red deer had a big impact on the farm’s dynamic. The deer system is very hands off, with low inputs and works along with nature. This opened our eyes to the possibility of replicating this with our cattle herd. We dispersed our sheep flock in 2019 and there was a period before our deer numbers increased when the farm had excess grass. This enabled us to trial mob grazing and outwintering our cattle which has completely changed our system.
Tell us about your award-winning bale unroller, what inspired you to design it, and how has it changed the way you manage winter feeding?
Once we were successfully outwintering our cattle we considered how to best transport the bales and unroll them. Unrolling allows waste feed and dung to spread over a larger area, reduces soil compaction and prevents bullying at a ring feeder. The only bale unrollers available at the time were carried by tractors so we designed and made our own.
We didn’t set out to make and sell them, this came after requests from other farmers that had seen our bale unroller and the business grew from demand. The bale unroller has allowed us to outwinter 140 cattle meaning huge savings on wintering costs and fuel use.
You use mob and arable integration, what differences are you seeing in soil and pasture?
We are seeing improvements in soil structure due to the longer roots and the soil has been much drier so can cope better with cattle with minimal poaching. The long grass also keeps the ground cooler. This has helped keep the cows keep cool in the summer and has reduced flies around their udders. Longer rest periods mean we are able to grow more grass which helps extend our grazing season and has reduced our use of wormers.
As a former Monitor Farm and a regular host of farm meetings, why is knowledge-sharing so important to your business?
Learning from other peoples ideas and different opinions is how our business has been able to grow. Not being afraid to be open with other farmers and sharing knowledge is invaluable. We have also found it especially important when going through a rough period e.g. poor growing conditions in drought this year, it has been helpful to talk to others going through the same problems.
What advice would you give to other family farms considering pasture fed farming methods, especially those working across generations?
Bringing an open mind and start small. There’s no need to change your whole farm system overnight. Go at your own pace and gain confidence as you go. Don’t be afraid for things to go wrong, every year we are still learning something new!
