Crofting on the West Coast: Laura MacGregor’s crofting journey

_{Laura MacGregor.}

I am a fifth-generation crofter from the village of Taynuilt on the West Coast of Scotland. My crofting journey started at a young age, helping my grandfather and father doing jobs that involved being outside with the cattle.

Having studied Agriculture at SRUC at the Oatridge campus for two years, I gained lots of new ideas and knowledge from the course. I was then extremely lucky to be offered a job as an Agricultural Technician for SAC Consulting in August 2023 where I have worked my way up to become a Trainee Consultant in the Spring of 2024. I now proudly support crofters and farmers on the West coast of Scotland, including Tiree and Campbeltown.

On the croft, my father and I run a spring calving herd of Simmental Cross and Aberdeen Angus Cross cattle, with the bull alternating between an Aberdeen Angus or Simmental. The bull is hired from the crofting commission each year for a period of around four months throughout the summer. The cattle are kept on the common grazing hill ground above our house throughout the summer with the bull and are brought down to our silage fields in the winter. We sell our calves store at the local market each year around the first week in October with any smaller calves being kept indoors until the Christmas sale.

It has only been in the last year that we have delved into the sheep world with the croft having solely reared cattle for the last 60 years. My knowledge and passion for sheep has come from working on farms. I gained experience in extensive outdoor and intensive indoor lambing systems across many farms in Scotland. This ultimately led me to obtain a small Cheviot flock of my own. They are crossed with a Texel tup which produces a nice carcass lamb, suiting the market needs and our own specific set up. We lamb indoors, with the lambs spending at least a couple of days inside before being put out into the in-bye fields. We also have a Shetland pony and a Jersey House cow that keep everybody in check, and like to quality control any feed that is brought in.

We have an active grazing committee in our local area, which my father has been the chairman of for many years. The committee offers support and holds regular meetings to discuss the upkeep of the common grazings, such as handling facilities, fencing etc. The meetings bring the local community of crofters together to share any issues or ideas and also brings a social aspect to combat the loneliness that crofting can sometimes bring.

Looking to the future of the business, I hope to expand and future-proof the croft by increasing numbers of cattle and sheep. Due to the cost of forage and concentrates continuously rising, it is important to us to adapt our croft by introducing less labour-intensive breeds of cattle such as Luings. We are continuously trying to improve our system and make it more streamlined, whether it be buying our own baler or muck spreader or buying in sheep. Working at SAC Consulting, I'm able to learn from others, both in the crofting and farming communities and my colleagues, then share my knowledge, which is really rewarding. I hope to see crofting continue to develop and grow with the next generation coming through, bringing fresh ideas and enthusiasm.

Laura MacGregor

SAC Consulting

Oban

Posted by SAC Consulting on 15/11/2024