Introducing Agroecology Around Arran - New Season Trailer

In the final episode of the series, we explore how the island's farmers have diversified their businesses to adapt to changing markets and build resilience for the future. Along the way, we'll discover how these new enterprises are creating benefits that extend far beyond the farm gate, supporting local jobs, producing essential goods and services, creating educational opportunities, and helping people reconnect with the land and the food they eat.  Episode guests Alisa Currie Ailsa Currie set up and runs the visitor and education programme at Bellevue Farm, a family-run beef, sheep and arable farm located near Blackwaterfoot. The farm welcomes tourists, families and students to learn about farming, experience local food and build a deeper connection with Arran's landscape and natural environment. Bellevue also hosts a regular farmer's market in partnership with other local food producers. Kenny Bone Kenny Bone is a mixed farmer at Glenkiln Farm who also runs a livery business, indoor riding arena, holiday lets, a hydroelectric energy scheme, and is the co-owner of The Drift Inn in Lamlash - alongside several other enterprises! Kenny is interested in caring for Arran's environment and is involved with many local organisations, including Arran Economic Group, Arran Development Trust and the local Forestry Commission panel as well as hosting the Arran Farmers Show. He was awarded Diversified Farm of the Year and the Champion of Champions award at the Scottish Agriculture Awards in 2024. Colin Mackenzie Colin Mackenzie successfully transitioned his family farm business away from dairy and now runs Mackenzie Logs - supplying seasoned firewood across the island. He also has a small herd of beef breeding cattle and store lambs. Alistair Dobson Alongside his role of Managing Director at Arran Dairies which he runs with his son Matthew, Alistair Dobson is Managing Director of Taste of Arran, a collaborative business that promotes, sells, and distributes food and drink from 10 SME producers on Arran to markets in the UK and abroad. Alistair is also the founding Chairman of VisitArran and a founding member of the Arran Economic Group focused on fostering community development and preserving Arran's cultural and natural heritage.

In this episode we meet four inspiring guests who are championing small-scale horticulture, alternative food systems and pollinator conservation on Arran. We learn how market gardens, community growing projects and foraging initiatives are helping to celebrate local produce, reconnect people with the land and strengthen social wellbeing. We also explore the important role that bees and honey production play in supporting biodiversity and food production across the island.  Episode guests Simon Ross-Gill Simon is the Director and Project Coordinator of The Arran Pioneer Project CIC, a project working to regenerate Scotland's wild and natural landscapes in a way that incorporates rural communities while securing jobs and livelihoods for young people. The Pioneer Project runs several community gardens around Arran. Simon also works as a graphic designer specialising in books, handbooks, flyers and interpretive materials focussed on landscape, environment and community. He is passionate about working with local people to build a more sustainable and self-sufficient food system. Robin Gray Robin is a chef, grower and owner of Robin Gray's Island Gourmet, a take-away food business in Whiting Bay demonstrating how sustainably produced, seasonal ingredients can be used to celebrate the unique flavours of Arran. Zoë Hughes Zoë is a Wild Food Educator who runs Wild Food Arran and has been teaching foraging and wild food identification for over 4 years. She is a member of the Association of Foragers and completely obsessed with mushrooms! Andy Walker Andy has been keeping bees on Arran for more than 20 years. He moved to the island with his family in 1999 to work for the Forestry Commission and, although now retired, continues to work part-time in timber production. Alongside producing a range of award-winning honeys, Andy also uses beeswax from his hives to create a variety of natural products sold across the island under the label of Arran Bee Products. 

In this episode, we explore arable farming on Arran, tracing the journey of locally grown grain from field to fork and glass. We begin at Bellevue Farm, where farmer Donald Currie grows malting barley on Arran's fertile soils. From there, we follow the grain north to Lochranza Distillery, where Brand Ambassador Fred Baumgärtner explains how locally grown barley is transformed into the island's world-renowned whisky. We finish our journey at Blackwater Bakehouse, where baker George Grassie shares his passion for artisan breadmaking, heritage grains, sustainability, health and nutrient-dense food. The phrase "follow the grain" is often used to describe the process of working with the natural direction of a material, or within the constraints of your environment, rather than forcing a direction that leads to resistance and damage. We learn how this ethos is reflected in the agroecological approach embraced across Arran. From the field to the distillery and bakery, we hear how farmers, bakers and distillers work with the opportunities and constraints of the island's climate, soils and landscapes, allowing the local environment to shape their practices rather than trying to overcome it. Episode guests Donald Currie Donald Currie is an arable and beef farmer who produces barley for malting at Bellevue Farm and other sites around the island. Fred Baumgärtner Fred Baumgärtner is the Brand Home Ambassador for the Isle of Arran Distillers, the company responsible for producing award-winning whisky at both Lagg Distillery and Lochranza Distillery. Born and bred on Arran, Fred now leads whisky tasting tours and experiences at the distillery for hundreds of visitors each year, and travels the world showcasing the island's products. George Grassie George Grassie is an artisan baker who has been running Blackwater Bakehouse for the past five years. Born and raised on Arran, George spent several years living on the mainland and abroad before returning to the island with his young family.  Today, the Bakehouse produces fresh artisan bread using high-quality Scottish-grown organic flour and heritage grains, and has recently expanded into a new site in Brodick.

The episode features farmers, artisan food producers, and the distributers working to connect the two and create a thriving hyper-local milk market. We learn how collaboration and adding value is key to keeping dairy at the heart of the community. Milk production on Arran has a somewhat turbulent history, with external pressures such as pasteurisation legislation pushing the industry to the brink of collapse at the end of the twentieth century.   However, thanks to the determination and creativity of a small number of islanders, the last remaining dairy herd on Arran survives to this day, and the industry is going from strength to strength. Episode guests: Matthew Dobson Matthew Dobson is the Production Manager at Arran Ice Cream. He has worked in the family business for over 13 years, during which time he has played a vital role in the growth and development of the brand. Having grown up on the island, Matthew is passionate about creating a high-quality product that really shows off the taste of Arran's milk, supports local farmers, and creates memorable experiences for visitors and residents alike. Calum Chaplin Calum Chaplin is an artisan cheese maker producing award-winning Arran Blue, Arran Mist (Brie) and Camembert cheeses for Arran Cheese Shop at their factory in Blackwaterfoot. The cheese is made using milk from the island, and sold in shops, markets, delis, and restaurants both on Arran and around Scotland. John Murchie John Murchie is a farmer who cares for the island's last remaining dairy herd at Tigheanfraoch Farm. Tigheanfraoch Farm has been part of the Murchie family since 1953 and is now home to 59 cows, with 47 milked twice a day, 365 days a year. The cows enjoy a natural, seasonal lifestyle, grazing on Arran's rich pastures in summer and fed on homegrown silage in the colder months.

From the early days of crofting and subsistence farming to the present day, animal protein has provided an essential and highly valuable source of nutrients for Arran's population. While sheep and beef production have always been central to Arran's farming economy, venison is now also being embraced as a sustainable protein source that can help to combat the growing threat that the wild deer population poses to island ecosystems. In this first episode of our new series Agroecology Around Arran, we explore how the production of meat on Arran embraces the ethos of agroecology, how farmers are working together to reduce carbon emissions from livestock farming, and what we can learn from their example. Guests Alistair Currie Alistair talks to us about his livestock farm based in the Shiskine Valley. He maintains a herd of around around 30 native-breed beef cattle which are fed on pasture and home-grown silage. Colin Currie Colin Currie is an upland hill farmer who has been farming sheep and beef at Bridge Farm with his wife Laura since the 1970s. Bridge Farm is situated within a SSSI-designated site that is home to a rich diversity of flora and fauna. Colin uses his innate knowledge of the land to create a low-input livestock system that has allowed him to reduce reliance on external markets, maximise animal welfare, and work in harmony with the surrounding ecosystem. Zoë Hughes Zoë Hughes runs Wild Isle Venison with her partner Chris. Their work aims to honour the deer that are harvested alongside protecting the natural landscape on Arran and strengthening the local food chain. Zoë is passionate about sustainable, affordable meat that has a positive impact on the environment. Wild Isle Venison works to reconnect producers and consumers, processing venison in small batches and selling to local residents, chefs and businesses across the island. Alec Pirie Alec Pirie is a Senior Consultant and Area Manager for SAC Consulting. Alec works with over 120 clients across Scotland and has a particular interest in carbon, climate and conservation. He has also recently completed a Master's degree in Wildlife, Conservation and Management. Alec started the Net Zero Arran group in 2019. This aim of this group of farmers is to quantify the island's agricultural carbon footprint and take collective action to improve it. Find out more about the series here. 

In this new season trailor, podcast host Wallace Currie and Alice Farmery from the Agricology team introduce themselves, explain the concept behind our new podcast season and give listeners a taste of what is to come.  This short introduction provides some background to Arran to give context to the series, and provides an overview of the key terms and ideas used throughout. 

In this special edition of the Agricology Podcast, we introduce an exciting new research project investigating how companion cropping can support pest, weed, and disease management in oilseed rape (OSR). Head of Agricology Matt Smee is joined by Duncan Coston (Entomological Research Consultant and Project Lead) and Lynn Tatnell (Weed Biologist at ADAS) to explore why OSR can be such a challenging crop for UK farmers and how companion cropping could offer a more resilient, regenerative way forward.  They discuss topics such as:  What companion cropping involves in practice.  How this technique could help manage pests such as cabbage stem flea beetle. The benefits of working in partnership with farmers and researchers in Sweden.  What the project is hoping to achieve over the next three years. How farmers in the UK can follow the research or get involved in trials.  We hope you enjoy listening!  Show notes  This podcast is part of a three-year research project investigating how companion cropping can support pest, weed, and disease management in winter OSR in Sweden and the UK.  Running from January 2025 to December 2027, the study 'Companion Cropping in Winter Oilseed Rape' aims to develop integrated pest management (IPM) strategies that reduce reliance on pesticides, offering growers practical and organic crop protection techniques.  The project has been generously funded by the Ekhaga Foundation and is a collaboration between ADAS, Agricology and Agrovast.   Read more about the project and how you can get involved in the trials here.

This is the last episode of a new series exploring agroforestry, in which we use the elements as a framework to deepen understanding and challenge assumptions around trees on farms. The overarching aim is to explore how trees on farms contribute to more than just individual functions, holding the ability to transform whole landscapes and ecosystems. This episode dives into the human element of agroforestry. Wallace Currie welcomes Andy Dibben, Bid Webb and Dr Jonathan Code who focus on the educational and social dimensions that shape how agroforestry is understood and adopted. We explore the importance of co-design, community networks, shared knowledge, and long-term relationships in building agroforestry systems that work for both land and livelihoods. Show notes: Find out more about the series here. Explore the Agricology Agroforestry Hub here.

This is the penulitmate episode of a new series exploring agroforestry, in which we use the elements as a framework to deepen understanding and challenge assumptions around trees on farms. The overarching aim is to explore how trees on farms contribute to more than just individual functions, holding the ability to transform whole landscapes and ecosystems. In this episode we take a detailed look at the theme of 'Air' - an ethereal element with very tangible impacts for farmers, growers and livestock. Wallace Currie is joined by The Agroforestry Research Trust founder and world-renowned forest gardener Martin Crawford, Chief Executive of the Soil Association and agroforestry pioneer Helen Browning, and Dr Will Simonson, Principal Researcher in Agroforestry at the Organic Research Centre. They explore how trees can shape airflow, shelter crops and livestock, and support vital pollinators. They discuss how agroforestry can change local conditions dramatically, and how this can benefit the health of the soil and livestock.  Show notes: Find out more about the series here. Explore the Agricology Agroforestry Hub here. Find out about the Agroforestry Handbook here.  

This is the third episode of a new series exploring agroforestry, in which we use the elements as a framework to deepen understanding and challenge assumptions around trees on farms. The overarching aim is to explore how trees on farms contribute to more than just individual functions, holding the ability to transform whole landscapes and ecosystems. This episode investigates how trees improve soil biology, structure and fertility. Wallace Currie is joined by Lincolnshire farmer Thomas Gent and Professor Paul Burgess to explore how agroforestry systems can play a fundamental role in supporting life below ground, supporting nutrient cycling, and offering knock-on benefits for landscape productivity, ecology and climate resilience.  Show notes: Find out more about the series here. Explore the Agricology Agroforestry Hub here.