A series of free events offering inspiration and advice for women working in Scottish agriculture has been announced.
The women-only events, which will take place from the Borders up to Orkney, have been organised by the Scottish Government's Farm Advisory Service (FAS) programme, which is delivered by specialists from SAC Consulting, part of Scotland's rural College (SRUC).
Taking place from 13-28 March, they will cover a range of topics, from accounts and mental health awareness to diversification opportunities and even the role of social media.
Announced to coincide with International Women's Day on Thursday 8 March, the events follow research by the Scottish Government's Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services Division (RESAS).
Last summer's report, entitled Women in Farming and the Agriculture Sector, highlighted the major role women play in Scottish agriculture and recommended a series of measures to address the "conscious and unconscious bias" within the industry.
Siobhan Macdonald from SRUC, who helped co-ordinate the events, said: "These free events are a great chance for women to learn, to share ideas and to be inspired by a range of speakers and interactive sessions."
Events on Understanding Accounts and Business Planning will be held on 13 March (11am), in Carfraemill Hotel, Borders and then 14 March (11am) in New Lanark Hotel, Lanark.
On 23 March (1.45pm) in the Inverary Inn, Argyll there will be a session on Livestock Records and Accounts.
The events are free, but places must be booked in advance by going to the Scottish Government's Farm Advisory Service website, or calling the FAS helpline on 0300 323 0161.
Market round-up
Wallets Marts sold 1187 prime hoggs in Castle Douglas on Tuesday to a top of £120 per head or 300p per kg to average 228.5p (+17.3p on the week).
The cast sheep also met a flying trade with 219 heavy ewes selling to £128 for Suffolks and averaging £85.74, while 73 light/export-type ewes peaked at £78 for Blackfaces and levelled at £53.46.
Messrs Craig Wilson Ltd sold 1031 prime hoggs in Newton Stewart yesterday to a top of £120 and 253.6p to average 218.2p (+8.6p), while the first prime lambs of the season - 9 Dorsets - fetched £109 or 240p. Incorporated in the sale was a show of Blackface hoggs when the championship was won by Paul McMillan, Glenchamber for a pen that scaled 44kg each and sold for £100.
There were also 87 heavy cast ewes that sold to £130 for Texels and averaged £96.20, while 168 light ewes peaked at £84.50 for Cheviots and levelled at £58.16.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here