Pre-Conference Visits
We are excited to announce that this year, we have three amazing pre-conference visits planned!
These visits provide a great opportunity to engage with unique experiences and connect with fellow attendees. Be sure to take advantage of one of these fantastic opportunities to enhance your conference experience!
***Limited places available for each visit***
Departing P&J Live by coach at 11:00am
Stop 1 - Douneside House
Stop 2: Inclusive Farm Scotland at MacRobert
Returning to P&J Live at 4:30pm
Lunch included, kindly sponsored by The MacRobert Trust
The MacRobert Trust (https://www.themacroberttrust.org.uk/) is a dynamic charity based in Tarland, Aberdeenshire. Every year the Trust provides charitable grants, awards and scholarships to a wide range of not-for-profit organisations, including the Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust. Within the 7,200 acres estate, The MacRobert Trust undertakes a wide range of commercial and charitable activity, including a diverse range of residential and commercial property, 5,000 acres of farmland divided into nine main farm holdings, and the award winning Douneside House and Health Club (https://www.themacroberttrust.org.uk/douneside-house/).
The MacRobert Trust recently partnered with Inclusive Farm to launch ‘Inclusive Farm Scotland at MacRobert’ (https://inclusivefarmscotlandatmacrobert.org.uk/), a newly established charity that aims to provide people with disabilities, additional needs or difference, a new route into agriculture. With the development of a working farm at Newton of Drummie, and led by Mike Duxbury and a team of Trustees (including Nuffield Scholars, Dr Jenna Ross OBE and Heather Wildman), it involves bespoke educational facilities delivering practical skills and experience (including the provision of training, information and advice), to increase opportunities and choice for gainful employment for people with disabilities, additional needs or difference.
Additional Information: Please bring outdoor footwear, warm clothes and waterproof jacket.
Departing P&J Live by coach at 11:00am
Returning to P&J Live at 4:00pm
Lunch included, kindly sponsored by Duncan Farms
Duncan Farms is an egg producer and packer, based in the heart of Aberdeenshire. The business extends to 6,000 acre arable cropping and 580,000 free range laying hens, as well as a growing network of contract producers. Eggs produced on farm are packed at their Fortrie Packing Centre. Over 5 million eggs are graded and packed per week.
The arable enterprise supplies the majority of cereals required for the laying diets which is milled and mixed on farm. The business also rears their own pullets from day old chicks, allowing Duncan Farms full control of the supply chain.
The family business is continuously investing to expand and meet customer and consumer requirements. Recent investments have included new free range laying sites and an extension to the Fortrie packing centre, with ongoing investment in a new feed mixing site and pullet rearing.
Muirden Energy is a sister company of Duncan Farms, established in 2009. Muirden develop renewable energy projects throughout Scotland. To date 73 WM of wild turbines have been built, with a further 141MW consented capacity in the pipeline. Muirden energy also work hand in hand with Duncan Farms to install a range of renewables to provide renewable energy to all of their laying sites. In addition, biomass heating provides the heat for all the rearing sites.
Additional Information: Please bring outdoor footwear, warm clothes and waterproof jacket.
Departing P&J Live by coach at 12pm
Returning to P&J Live at 4:00pm
Mackie’s is a fourth-generation family company, with the Mackie family having farmed at Westertown since 1912. Formerly a milk retail company, Mackie’s of Scotland is now a well-known Scottish food brand. We’ve been making Ice Cream at Westertown farm since 1986 and have grown to becoming Scotland’s favourite ice cream and the UK’s largest privately owned ice cream company – with our traditional the 5th best-selling flavour in the UK.
We make all the ice cream on the farm at Westertown and utilise our own renewable energy to power production in a process we like to call “Sky to Scoop”. "Sky to Scoop" embodies our dedication to producing high-quality ice cream and chocolate in a way that is environmentally sustainable, using our own herd of over 300 Holstein cows and the natural environment to power our operations, creating our delicious products.
Additional Information: PPE for production areas will be provided. Please bring suitable footwear for walking around the farm. Signs on site should direct you towards our main office/reception. Please report to reception on arrival, located in the log cabin and just up the stairs.
