Alan Smith farms with his parents and brother at Gladhill near Garmouth in Morayshire. They run 180 suckler cows and 350 ewes and grow around 800 acres of spring barley on the tenanted unit. “Initially we heard about the programme from Robert, one of the advisors who asked if we would be interested in joining the groups,” said Alan. “I found the meetings both informative and a good social experience.” “Every meeting I went to I came away with a fresh idea for the farm. Even if the visit didn’t show something we could implement at home it was still time for me to reflect on our business. We are now better able to evaluate how we are doing and make sure it suits what we want to do.