High flows can accelerate bank side erosion and loss of land. Our recent podcast looks at some of the options for Bankside stabilisation

Tramline management is one way to reduce runoff containing valuable soils and nutrients leaving your farm during wet weather. Take a look at our video presentation at www.farmingandwaterscotland.org/resource/improving-soils-and-preventing-runoff-and-erosion-through-tramline-management/

We’re going to be at the FAS conference Cultivating Change: Tech-Driven Futures for Farmers and Crofters in Inverness in February. Looking forward to attending. Book your place at www.fas.scot/events/event/fas-conference-2026/

With cattle housed for the winter, the 4 Point Plan offers some tips and ideas about managing water around the steading, which could also free up space in your slurry store. Info and links at

Field heap or midden? Stephen Field from @scottishepa.bsky.social (SEPA) gives some useful guidance in our recent newsletter

We are getting ready for AgriScot. Join us and SAC Consulting, Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), NetRegs and Voluntary Initiative in the Upland Hall on stand 236. @alexclarkpirie.bsky.social @sacconsulting.bsky.social

Its a busy November for us, we are off to AgriScot next week with special guests on the stand from SAC Consulting, Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), Voluntary Initiative, and NetRegs. Find us in the Upland Hall on stand 236.

We are at Mains Farm nr Eaglesham tomorrow by kind permission of host George Strang, with SEPA and @alexclarkpirie.bsky.social from SAC Consulting to talk about ditches and dredging. Might still be places available - contact the SAC Consulting Ayr office to book. @sacconsulting.bsky.social

A lot of folks question what they can and can’t do in terms of ditches and dredging on farm. Join SEPA and @alexclarkpirie.bsky from SAC Consulting by kind permission of George Strang at Mains Farm Eaglesham, 11th Nov to hear more - details in flyer below. @sacconsulting.bsky.social

Farmers, land managers, & landowners of the Leven catchment: join our farmer & land manager network. The network is an opportunity share experiences, learn from each other, & explore practical topics like soil health, water management, crop rotations, fertiliser use, grazing techniques & more.

Only one week to go! By kind permission of host George Strang, join SEPA and @alexclarkpirie.bsky.social from SAC Consulting at Mains Farm Eaglesham to talk all things ditches and dredging on the farm. Book via SAC Ayr office - details on flyer! @SACConsulting.bsky.social

Environmental authorisations in Scotland are moving to EASR (Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regs). It aims to make the permitting process for authorised activities (e.g. water abstraction) clearer and more consistent. Our Autumn newsletter covered the main changes, see

Watch one farmers experience of bank erosion on his farm and how sustainable bank protection using willow spiling helped to keep this in check at

Although not suitable for all sites, sustainable bank protection using trees and branches can be a softer and more ecologically sound bank protection option in contrast to gabion baskets. Take a listen to our podcast

Exciting news - only a few weeks til we visit Mains Farm, Eaglesham with SEPA and @alexclarkpirie.bsky.social from SAC Consulting. We'll look at ditches and dredging on farm, what to be mindful of, and when to speak to SEPA. See flyer for details @sacconsulting.bsky.social @scottishepa.bsky.social

We are putting together our Farming and Water Scotland newsletter with info on an up and coming event looking at practical things you can do to manage on-farm drainage – sign up via our website or at shorturl.at/z4cFS to receive your copy.

November sees the introduction of new Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations (EASR) which could affect those applying waste to land to improve soils. Our colleagues over at FAS have produced an informative Podcast. There's more information on the SEPA website

Are you keeping 2m buffers around watercourses for cross compliance or wider as an EFA (Ecological Focus Area as part of the Greening rules under the Basic Payment Scheme)? Either way, buffers can protect water quality. We’ve more info in managing water margins at

Not sure what to expect at a Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) Priority catchment inspection? SEPA and Scotland's Farm Advisory Service (FAS) put together a series of helpful information videos. Watch at

Still needing to collect soil samples for analysis? There’s a nice ‘how to’ reminder in the Valuing Your Soils Brochure Field Sheets at shorturl.at/UlKO4

Another round of Scottish Government Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS) funding for 2026 has been announced. No firm detail as yet, but previous measures included support ranging from floodplain management to irrigation lagoons. Announcement at

How are other farmers managing their soils? See hints, tips and ideas in the Valuing Your Soils brochure, download at

Can you confidently 'hand-texture' your soils? Want a reminder? See the Valuing Your Soils brochure . Download at www.farmingandwaterscotland.org/soil-nutrien...

Back in July, we caught up with SEPA’s Pete Wright plus Sally MacKenzie and Malcolm Smith from cairngormsnews.bsky.social to talk about the water scarcity situation. If you missed it, watch at www.farmingandwaterscotland.org/resource/water-scarcity-impact-and-mitigation-measures-scotland/

Data from the Met office shows a mixed picture of rainfall across Scotland (and the UK) over the summer months when compared to the 1991-2020 average. You can read their weather and climate summaries at www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/cli...

Tramline management can protect farm soils and reduce runoff; we have an informative slide set with some different machinery options. Take a look at

Plenty of field work going on right now. Remember to keep 2m back from surface water, wetlands or shorelines. More detail in our Know the Rules Factsheet 11; series available at www.farmingandwaterscotland.org/know-the-rules/

Thinking about gold panning? You better get a move on. Good practice requires that gold panning actives shouldn’t be carried out between 1st October and 31st May where fish are present to protect spawning and emergence. See SEPAs position on gold panning shorturl.at/27y3T [Pic from pixabay.com]

SEPA release their Water Scarcity Reports on a Thursday. Read the latest updates beta.sepa.scot/water-scarci...

We heard from SAC Consulting's Harry Fisher about some of the benefits of pond creation and how it's a win-win, providing both an asset for the farm and haven for biodiversity. You can read more at bit.ly/44WLW28 @sacconsulting.bsky.social @scottishepa.bsky.social

Maintenance of field drainage systems, including any work to remove sediments, vegetation or debris from a field drain or completely man-made ditch can be done at any time without contacting SEPA. See Know the Rules factsheet 14 bit.ly/3UKByEt @scottishepa.bsky.social @sacconsulting.bsky.social

Fancy a new podcast? From riparian planting, to use of digestate, to IPM, we’ve chatted to a range of farmers, regulators, Agric technical specialists and consultants. Take a look at our podcast page at tinyurl.com/23z5ex5z @sacconsulting.bsky.social @scottishepa.bsky.social

Livestock crossing points can reduce poaching, erosion and subsequent and loss of land. You can install a minor bridge across a watercourse without contacting SEPA – read more in our Crossing Points Know the Rules guide tinyurl.com/w6byk7mb @sacconsulting.bsky.social @scottishepa.bsky.social

For those of you who like a good flow diagram on a Friday, here is the most recent Scottish Nitrogen Balance Sheet. It looks at all the flows of nitrogen in Scotland from across the whole economy. You can read more at www.gov.scot/publications...

SAC Consulting's Freya Lance gave us a recap on ammonia in agriculture; read more in our summer newsletter at www.farmingandwaterscotland.org/resource/amm... @sacconsulting.bsky.social @scottishepa.bsky.social

Looking for the PEPFAA code? Offers practical ideas to comply with environmental pollution regulations and benefit the farm business. Read on our website www.farmingandwaterscotland.org/pepfaa-code-of-good-practice/ @sacconsulting.bsky.social @scottishepa.bsky.social

Did you receive our quarterly newsletter? If not, you can sign up on our webpage and view past issues in our resources section. www.farmingandwaterscotland.org/

We met Alex Pirie (SAC Consulting), Struan Candlish (Ayrshire Rivers Trust) & Alan Kettle-White (Argyll Fisheries Trust) on Arran, to talk protection of riverbanks, drainage and bank stabilisation at Bridge Farm with hosts Colin & Laura Currie. @alexclarkpirie.bsky.social @sacconsulting.bsky.social

The dry weather has prompted an increased interest in boreholes. FAS have written a piece on securing your water supply with boreholes and lagoons, read it here www.fas.scot/article/securing-your-water-supply-with-boreholes-and-lagoons/

The Future Farming Investment Scheme (FFIS) offers grants from £5k to £20k depending on farm size, to improve environmental performance. Supports items such as irrigation controllers for rain guns to slurry separators. It closes on 22 Aug, so be quick! www.ruralpayments.org/topics/all-s...

Its Farm Safety Week! From pre-harvest checks to working with slurry, the Yellow Wellies Little Book of Farm Safety gives lots of practical reminders around routine, day to day activities. It’s well worth a look. Read at www.yellowwellies.org/resources

We visited the River Spey Catchment to hear how organisations are working together during this period of water scarcity to support the River, wildlife, agriculture and businesses that rely on it. Watch at shorturl.at/Kul3K Cairngormsnews.bsky.social scottishepa.bsky.social

Despite a bit of rain, over half of Scotland is still at alert or moderate water scarcity risk. Keep up to date with the changing picture via SEPA weekly water scarcity reports.

Facing tough droughts in 2025, NFFN farmers like Jack, Colin & Matthew are turning to nature-friendly solutions - from tree planting to soil regeneration - to stay resilient. Working with nature is key to climate-ready farming. 👐 📖👉https://tinyurl.com/nh8edcsc

Looking for some new podcasts? From Magic Margins to use of digestate, there’s loads of great listens over on our podcast page

For essential info on how to comply with the General Binding Rules, see our Know the Rules guides on the Farming and Water Scotland website, or visit NetRegs and take one of their short online agric e-learning modules at www.netregs.org.uk/tools/e-learning-library/

Biobeds and biofilters are a way to safely deal with drips, spills and splashes whilst filling sprayers and mixing pesticides. The Voluntary Initiative have more info

From SAC Consulting’s Jack Zuill explaining how remote sensing for water management can help on farm, to SEPA’s Brian Roxburgh talking about water scarcity, there’s been some great guest articles in our newsletters. Sign up at www.farmingandwaterscotland.org/resource-category/newsletter/

New report just published! The project builds on the 2022 Riverwoods evidence review by updating the scientific review and incorporating stakeholder perspectives and priorities. Check out the report here: tinyurl.com/y3bn7ymz

Our Know the Rules guides give a useful reminder of the requirements when storing silage and management of effluent under the General Binding Rules www.farmingandwaterscotland.org/wp-content/u...