As the 2024 harvest season comes to a close, we’re reflecting on what has been a particularly challenging year for farming here in Scotland. A late and wet spring, following a damp winter, put a strain on our crops and livestock. At Carmichael, we grow around 120 acres of spring barley and 50 acres of sheep feed, including kale and turnips, to support our animals alongside grass foraged throughout the summer. Unfortunately, the difficult weather conditions have meant that our yields are much lower than usual this year.

With the harvest now complete, we’ve managed to bale everything up, and the team is busy storing the feed for the winter months ahead. While the harvest may be smaller, we’re grateful to have everything safely in, and now our focus turns to carefully managing our supplies to get through what we hope will be a kind winter.

Each farming year brings its own set of challenges, and 2024 was certainly one of the more difficult ones from a weather perspective. However, as always, we’re looking ahead to 2025 with hope and determination. The land will be carefully assessed as we plan next year’s crops, aiming to keep our system balanced and efficient despite the unpredictable nature of farming.

Farming requires resilience, and while this year hasn’t delivered the results we had hoped for, we remain optimistic for the future. With a bit of luck and better weather, we’ll see stronger yields in the seasons to come.

Thank you for your continued support of our farm, and here’s to brighter days in 2025!