Posts Tagged ‘Rural’
Families tune in for online farm tours
MORE than 10,000 families have tuned in to watch live online tours of Scotland’s farms during lockdown. Almost 100 farmers have guided virtual visitors around their sites via the Go Rural Facebook page. Their “Welcome to my Farm” videos followed on from 14 farmers streaming two weeks of “lambathon” during the spring from their lambing…
Read MoreVisit Moscow – without leaving Scotland
TOURISTS are being encouraged to visit Moscow – without even setting foot outside Scotland. That’s because the village of Moscow in Ayrshire is featuring in a new publicity campaign by holiday website Love Home Swap. The site has created an online guidebook called Around The World in Britain, which also includes California in Norfolk, Egypt…
Read MorePlaudits for precision potato predictor
FARMERS could produce more salad and seed potatoes thanks to a new way to predict the size of their crop while it’s still buried in the soil. The “Tuberzone” project used the global positioning system (GPS), satellite images, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to monitor potato plants as they grew. It predicted the size of…
Read MoreCity dwellers eye farms in search of ‘The Good Life’
URBANITES have spent lockdown dreaming of a move to the countryside, according to figures from an estate agent. Savills said that the number of searches on its website for rural properties have jumped by 50% since March. The firm also carried out a survey, which found a village or country location is now more attractive…
Read MoreEwing: Kids ‘don’t know chips come from potatoes’
THE Scottish Government’s rural economy secretary has praised farmers for keeping the nation fed during lockdown – but has expressed his fear that children don’t know that chips come from potatoes. Fergus Ewing, who represents Inverness and Nairn in the Scottish Parliament, made the comments to Alan Laidlaw, chief executive of the Royal Highland &…
Read MorePodcast serves food and farming home school ideas
WHILE teachers may be starting to prepare their classrooms this month for the anticipated return of pupils in August, one podcast is giving parents some food- and farming-related home schooling ideas. Rural podcast “OnFARM” has teamed up with the Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET) to produce the advice for parents and teachers. The latest episode…
Read MoreCraft distilleries call for clarity on covid support
EIGHT of Scotland’s craft distillers have written to the Scottish Government seeking clarity on whether they qualify for support during the coronavirus pandemic. The group of spirit producers said that some of its members have been turned down by their local councils for the 12 month business rate holiday promised by Scottish ministers, while others…
Read MoreCovid convenience: wines to pick at your corner shop
We’ve got Spar… and Co-op and Scotmid and… if you’re getting your lockdown supplies from a convenience store then Peter Ranscombe has some wine recommendations. ONE of the enduring images of the coronavirus lockdown will be shoppers queuing patiently outside supermarkets, with a line of mask-clad consumers snaking around the car park. Yet, for many…
Read MoreArmchair exploring: Supporting South African wines
As South Africa lifts its ban on wine exports – again – Peter Ranscombe picks bottles to kick-start some armchair exploring. FEW countries have had such an intense rollercoaster ride through the lockdown as South Africa. First wine exports were banned. Then they were allowed again. Then they were banned again. Last week’s news that exports…
Read MoreGlenalmond College Set to Host Virtual Open Day
For the first time in its 173-year history, Glenalmond College in Perthshire is set to host a Virtual Open Day, giving visitors or prospective parents and pupils a chance to ‘meet’ staff and tour the school. The event, which is free and open to all, takes place on Saturday 9 May and will allow families…
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