Education – it's how we save the countryside

Sure the public don't understand farming, shooting, and land management, but what have you done to try to improve that?

The Rise of 'Acronym Farming': A New Landscape for Agriculture

In a tough time for farming, schemes like the SFI seem attractive, but are they as good as they appear?

Scottish deer: a view from the outside

About 20,000 of us tourists gratefully receive our recently boiled-out antlers from our Scottish stalkers every year. Many, like me, come from outside Scotland. This year, we are coping with a violent act of cutting-off-noses-to-spite-faces.

Family Fishing Adventure: A Journey with the Next Generation

It is vital that we share our passion with the next generation, not only to allow them to understand us better, but also to become the stewards of the future.

How Social Media Is Bringing Farming Realities to the Wider Public

Social Media can be tricky to navigate, but for me and many other farmers it provides an opportunity to engage people with the day-to-day reality of agriculture

Larsen Trapping Corvids: Conservation and Controversy

After running Larsen traps for 25 years, I take a look at a vital conservation tool which has steadily become more complex and controversial in the public sphere.

Agritourism - the greatest gift to farming or a sign of failure?

Who would have imagined that the much-loved fantasy world of J.R.R Tolkien and top tourism destination Hobbiton, would turn out to be one of the most remarkable farming PR campaigns in the world?

A Beginner's Guide to Breeding Chickens in Your Smallholder Flock

Every chicken keeper with a backyard flock dreams of breeding and hatching chicks. It can be incredibly rewarding, but there are plenty of factors to consider before you dive in

Misadventures in Fly Tying

My extensive fly collection contains no examples made by my own fair hand. Here's why.

"The Last Keeper" Rewilding vs Traditional Land Management

There's a battle over land use in the hills and glens of Scotland, the outcome of which will determine the future prosperity of many rural communities. "The Last Keeper" documentary explores the views on both side of this bitter fight.

Whatever happened to the country pub?

It used to be a place where friends and strangers met, talked and drank. Now it's all seared bass and boutique gins

Engaging with others: The Key to Conservation Success

Today I reflect on the need to share this time of year in the hope of eliciting affection for these wild places and therefore a desire to see them survive along with their communities.