The Ringleader Borders Machinery Ring Ltd. July Newsletter 2014 Galamoor House, Netherdale Industrial Estate, Galashiels TD1 3EY • 01896 758091
hat a difference a year makes. The Wcountryside is certainly looking a S u mm e r lot better than this time last year. Silage operations are already well under way r e p o r t on some farms with much better yields than 2013. Cereal crops are well forward this year which has resulted in an early demand for chemicals nationwide which has put pressure on supplies. BMR continues to work with Anglia In this issue: Farmers chemical buying group which negotiate very competitive deals with the main suppliers Photo: 'Brand new calf, near Fairliehope' by J. Sutcliffe in the market and deliver through their local Summer Report...... 1 depots. The buying group suits members who use an independent agronomist and are not Small-holder services...... 2 tied to a specific chemical supplier. To find out BMR News Updates...... 3 more contact the BMR office. If you are still looking for someone to help with Vehicles and Machinery...... 4 silage or harvest work or just an extra pair of Members' Updates...... 5 hands for an odd day to help with livestock just give us a call. We also have members that are Woodland Management/ willing to look stock if you are away on holiday. Arable and Livestock...... 6 We have also had a record number of requests for training over the last year including the Training/Utilities...... 7 usual legislative courses for Forklift, Chainsaw, Renewables...... 8 Spraying and ATV. If you are looking to put yourself or a member of staff through a refresher or a new course please get in touch We are… with Jill at the office to discuss options. Remember to check your fuel tanks in time BMR for the busy spell. BMR continues to offer a competitive fuel brokering service for Main Office: members. We have recently had a number of Galamoor House, Netherdale, Galashiels TD1 3EY new members join BMR for fuel when they Tel: 01896 758091; Fax: 01896 757036 realised that they sometimes had been paying email: [email protected] up to 8ppl more than the going rate by sticking Manager: with the same supplier. We offer a transparent Michael Bayne service that tenders on a daily basis and saves mobile: 07968 224 302 you the time and hassle of phoning round. Fuel email: [email protected] buyers through the ring pay zero commission. Contracts/ Business Development: We are currently looking at a fuel sensor pilot Jill Dickson project which is being trialled by another mobile: 07866 538 347 email: [email protected] machinery ring. The sensor will send a text or e-mail alert to the member & ring office when Woodland Management: Paul Boobyer a fill threshold has been reached or a sudden mobile: 07553 354 983 drop as a result of a theft. From the Ring point email: [email protected] of view it offers the potential to achieve further Accounts: savings by monitoring tanks in geographical Sandra Hamilton areas and helping distributors route more email: [email protected] effectively. Administration: Finally, BMR will have a stand at the Border Ann McGregor Union Show and Duns Show this summer. email: [email protected] and Remember to come in for a catch up and find Sarah Calder out about the wide range of services that we
email: [email protected] now offer to the members. M.B. Photo: © Vasyl Torous Visit the BMR Ltd. website on www.ringleader.co.uk Woodland Manage m e n t Update BMR Farm Woodland Management Project The BMR farm woodland management project has made good progress to date. Paul Boobyer, Woodland Manager at BMR, has overseen the production of 38 woodland management plans, as well as the woodland mapping for all these properties. BMR is for commercial conifer woodland be required to register on the BSL currently sending these draft plans creation will be increased, while by autumn this year. Biomass boiler to woodland owners for their payments for planting mixed native owners will also need to demonstrate approval. Once approved by owners broadleaves will be decreased under that they have sourced fuel from a the plans are forwarded to Forestry the next SRDP scheme. This change BSL-registered supplier. If you supply Commission Scotland (FCS). Once is to address the lack of commercial your boiler with chips made from these plans have been approved woodlands being planted in recent your own woodlands, you will be by FCS, the woodland owner or years. It is also anticipated that land required to have an FCS-approved their agent is then eligible to apply owners will be able to claim single woodland management plan for your for SRDP funding for woodland farm payments as well as SRDP woodlands as evidence of sustainably management operations. grants for woodland creation under sourced timber. Registration on the the new scheme. Approximately 70% BSL is free of charge. You can contact - 100% of the capital costs of new the BSL Administrator on SRDP funding for woodland fencing can also be applied for via 020 7090 7769 or management update SRDP when fencing new woodlands. [email protected] While funding rates for SRDP and single farm payment are still Biomass suppliers list (BSL) BMR Seminar 17 July 2014 under review, it is now known All suppliers and producers of BMR is hosting a half-day seminar on that the percentage of funding biomass (chips, logs and pellets) will 17 July 2014 at the Cross Keys Hotel in Kelso. Tea and coffee will be available from 9:00, with presentations on the Biomass Suppliers List, BMR farm woodland management project, SRDP funding and woodchip production. A buffet lunch will be provided. Booking is recommended. Contact Ann McGregor at BMR to reserve your place: (01896) 758091, or email [email protected]
Small-holder services WORKSHEETS Do you have a Call BMR for: Grass topping Paddock Remember to send in your small area of spraying with certified operators Fencing worksheets for work done land and wonder Fertiliser spreading Mole catching throughout the summer for who to turn to Other services you may find useful members. This can also be done Fuel procurement – Kerosene, woodchip, directly from our website at: for services? seasoned logs www.ringleader.co.uk Building materials-very Repeat business between good rates available for building materials, aggregate Members that was originally a job and paint for BMR members arranged through the Ring Office should be billed to BMR. Call the office with your requirements, and let BMR take the hassle out Support the Ring – of finding suppliers It is your at competitive rates for you. Business!!
2 PLEASE MENTION BMR WHEN REPLYING TO ADVERTS N e w s U p d a t e Keep safe, keep legal by Archie Stewart, Director, Trackplot Ltd and a Borders farmer safe, simple, secure It’s a risky business Act 1974 and the Management Agriculture, forestry and fishing of Health and Safety at Work is the riskiest industry sector to Regulations 1999. people are. This is especially important for people who work work in, accounting for about one The law aims to reduce injury alone. If you are running late and in five fatal injuries to workers, and fatality statistics. It requires overdue you can advise you are according to the Health and employers to think about and OK. If assistance is needed, an Safety Executive. deal with any health and safety alert can be raised to request help risks before people are allowed Farmers and farm workers often at a known location. work alone and are exposed to to work alone. This applies risks from potentially dangerous to employees, volunteers, Safety is important. contractors and self-employed machinery, chemicals, livestock, Trackplot wants to make farming people. A hassle we know but pits and silos. These risks extend a safer industry to work in. www. Trackplot can help. to family members working or trackplot.com living at the farm too. Combined How does Trackplot with a “can do” culture on farms, this sometimes results in people help? taking shortcuts and risks which Trackplot immediately brings increases the rate of accidents. peace of mind for you, your staff Workplace and your families (because they It is for these reasons that most worry too). health and safety land-based businesses have a need for a lone worker system The Trackplot Portal is a unique on the agenda like Trackplot. If you, your staff or online mapping tool designed The Borders Health and contractors work alone you need for people who work outdoors. Safety Group has recently to consider this carefully. It provides a way to locate and communicate with people in rural formed and has been Your duty of care and isolated areas not covered registered as a member of Fallen off your quad bike? Broken by a mobile phone network. Our Safety Groups UK, Scottish down in a remote area? People system works across the whole of Safety Groups and RoSPA. the UK including all remote areas. who work alone are exposed to Membership is free and significant risk – simply because The Trackplot Portal uses the we plan to hold bi- they work alone. Often they Global Positioning System (GPS) monthly meetings open to behave differently to workers in to find your location. The Portal members and anyone with teams. In fact, injuries for lone integrates with a range of workers seem to be worse than devices to transmit messages via an interest in workplace for those who work in teams. As communication satellites (or you health and safety. Meetings st an employer you have a duty of can switch to a mobile phone will generally be on the 1 care to everyone who works for network if you are in range). Wednesday of the month, you. Trackplot is easy to use, robust from 15.00 – 16.30. We and accurate. will hopefully have a guest Keeping legal speaker on a H&S related Not only do you have a duty of It allows you to keep in touch wherever you are and instantly topic and there will be the care to your lone workers but opportunity to pass on you also need to comply with takes away the worry of not updates in H&S legislation the Health and Safety at Work knowing where you or your and to have a Q&A session. This is a great opportunity to network with some experienced H&S professionals. If you would like to attend please email brian.cherrie@ borders.scot.nhs.uk
PLEASE MENTION BMR WHEN REPLYING TO ADVERTS 3 vehicles and m a c h i n e r y Wind turbines could be your most profitable crop
case ih confirm member rebate
The Scottish Machinery Ring Association has announced that the successful rebate scheme, which is run in conjunction with Case IH, has been extended until Nov 2014. This is great news for members of BMR! Not only will this scheme see a significant increase in the rebate paid back to members, but also an increase in the bonus paid for competitive trade-ins. Please phone Sarah at the BMR Office on 01896 758091 for more details.
BMR and JEWSON have teamed up to Maximise the potential of your land by installing a wind turbine. As well as reducing offer excellent plant hire your energy costs you can also sell any rates for BMR members excess energy you produce. As specialists with over 7 years experience of working with farmers you can rely on us to help you every Very competitive plant hire rates for step of the way. BMR members Wide range of machinery available Call 01454 633 323 ranging from carpet cleaners to site for more information or visit www.apwe.co.uk containers, diggers etc. Quick delivery and uplift service Friendly and pleasant staff at local Jewson branches – only too happy
APPROVED SUPPLIER to help. 2014 Contact Ann McGregor at BMR on 01896 758091 for further details
Power to the farmer™
4 PLEASE MENTION BMR WHEN REPLYING TO ADVERTS BM R M e mb e r s ' u p d a t e
Excess machinery and equipment Do you have Visit us here machinery, BMR equipment or this summer! spares sitting redundant in the BMR will be attending the following steading? Call to Shows this year: list on the BMR website www. Royal Highland Show, 19th – 22nd June ringleader.co.uk (Scottish Machinery Ring Association Our standard 2% levy applies. Call the office on Stand) 01896 758091 or email [email protected] to list. Border Union Show, 25th and 26th July Berwickshire County Show, 2nd August Boorrddeerrss HHy Ltd. B yddrroo CClleeaann Visit our stand at one (or all!) of these Mobile Pressure Washing events to get the latest BMR news. & Cleaning Services Domestic Drain Jetting Service ✴ Drain Camera ✴ Domestic • Commercial • Agricultural Patios, Driveways, Decking, Tennis Courts, phone BMR Walls – Suitable for all Hard Surfaces for details: 01896 758091
Building mutually BMR beneficial partnerships
BMR works in partnership with all the major suppliers throughout the region to bring you the best quality building TRAVIS PERKINS IN PARTNERSHIP supplies at the most competitive prices around. Let BMR quote for your work – we won’t let you down! WITH BMR OFFERING AMAZING Heavy Building materials: bricks, blocks, cements, DEALS AND GREAT RATES ON aggregates BUILDING PRODUCTS Ironmongery: hinges, padlocks, internal & external ironmongery, security Decorating: paints, woodcare, brushes ✓ Clear, competitive, consistent Landscaping: patios, walling, driveways, trade prices to suit your business fencing, decking, soil, compost Timber & Sheet materials: treated & ✓ Wide range of trade quality untreated carcassing, sheet materials products Doors & Joinery: internal & external ✓ With three branches across the doors, wood flooring, roof windows Scottish Borders your local Travis Nails, Screws & Fixings: all sizes of Perkins branch is never far away nails, screws & fixings Tools & Building Equipment: hand ✓ A next day delivery service to help & power tools, building equipment, you get the job done on time ladders Electrical: switches & sockets, cable & cable accessories, lighting For any enquiries please contact: & accessories, meter boxes Naill Cloughley Kelso Branch Manager 01573 226125 Workwear & Clothing: PPE, Guy Cruickshanks Selkirk Branch Manager 01750 722886 First Aid, tape & signage, David Cameron Peebles Branch Manager 01324 554111 clothing & footwear John Park Area Sales Executive 07887 454335 Plumbing & Heating: plumbing, heating & drainage
PLEASE MENTION BMR WHEN REPLYING TO ADVERTS 5 A r a b le and livestock
Self hire tractors for Straw summer work Let BMR put you touch with other Last year BMR secured competitive members for straw sales — in the terms for seasonal tractor hire to swath or baled. Call early with your cover peak workloads. A wide spec requirements is available from 100-300hp, with Call Sarah 01896 758091 or loaders, front linkage, 50k box email [email protected] etc. Short to Long term options available. Grain and Flat trailers also available. We're here… Contact the office with your Grass and Forage Seed … for silage film, net and twine. requirements on 01896 758091 BMR can provide its members with BMR can offer good value deals for excellent value grass and forage Relief labour for bale film, net and twine. Also pallet seed. If you know what you want deals – excellent deals on green and specifically or you would like one of sheep farmers black film (40 rolls per pallet). the mixes from the catalogue call Jill BMR can supply farm workers as Call BMR in good time to arrange or Michael at the office. and when you require extra help for: Short and long term general delivery 01896 758091 Livestock feed handling; shearing /dipping; tractor Do call your Ring for livestock work. minerals (tonne deliveries) at very Ease your work burdens this competitive prices. We can source summer by contacting BMR on creep, compound and course mixes, 01896 758091 feed blocks and liquid feed. The Ring system is very good at putting Feed grain and pulses you in touch with other farmer Let BMR know if you have feed members with home-grown cereal grain or pulses for sale or you are for sale. looking for stocks
Agrochemical purchasing Through Anglia Farmers, BMR members can purchase chemicals at very competitive rates. Supply of arable agrochemicals has been tricky nationwide so far this year, but AF do their utmost to fulfil every order. This is an excellent service and anyone who uses an independent agronomist and is interested in purchasing arable and/or grassland chemicals should contact the BMR office for more details.
G -LIME R GRANULATED LIME
• Immediate reaction in the soil • Rapid pH adjustment • Improves fertiliser performance • Can be used to spot treat Sales T: 01896 758091
6 PLEASE MENTION BMR WHEN REPLYING TO ADVERTS
BMR ad.indd 1 30/09/2013 16:50 t r a i n i n g
of November next year, this is changing – yes more Training courses and dates available red tape! The thing to consider is if you going to spray off-farm for anyone else? If so you need the standard July COURSE VENUE & SPACES sprayer certificates of competence. If you are going to 10 & 11 Forklift – Lantra-2 day course for less Duns area spray on your own farm only, you need the grandfather experienced drivers Spaces available exemption certificates. BMR has a short training course to help you get through these assessments. Please call 17 Tractor driving-Lantra-brush up for Cornhill-on-Tweed harvest for more details. 18-23 ATV/Tractor driving As required B+E trailer towing – organised to suit you. This can be in pairs or singly and suitable vehicle required (not a short Other courses available wheel-based land rover) Lorry crane training – please contact Jill if you require Call Jill for all training requirements 01896 758019 lorry crane training. This can be organised at your place of work, and involves classroom training and practical. It is assessed by multiple choice, open questions and Utilities and T e c h n o l o g y practical, and is ITSSAR registered Emergency 1st Aid at Work – 1-day Lantra -as required. 5-day First Aid at Utilities Work course also available Electricity - Would you like to take the General Farm health & safety hassle out of electricity billing and be induction-worthwhile at all times, able to speak to someone on the end and may be particularly useful for of the phone? Then call BMR to get a extra staff taken on at harvest. Half day courses quote for your electricity supply available on request. Call quickly as places booking up fast prior to harvest Mobile phones - for excellent rates on pay- as-you-go or regular monthly bundles Spraying – Training and assessment for spray certificates for calls, texts and data, ask BMR for replacing grandfather rights exemptions for the over 50’s! If you were born before 31 December 1964 and deals through association with Anglia only spray on your own farm, you will be currently Farmers. exempt from spraying certificates of competence. As Contact Ann on 01896 758091
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PLEASE MENTION BMR WHEN REPLYING TO ADVERTS 7 R e n e w a b l e s BM R M e mb e r s ' u p d a t e BMR: New Members ON-FARM RENEWABLES NAME Membership No. Jedforest Farm Supplies 894 OPEN DAY David Jeffrey 712 at NAME Membership No. John White & Sons 79 SANDYSTONES FARM, ANCRUM, JEDBURGH Garry Anderson 889 Kelly Tree Care 681 2pm Thursday 10th July David Aylward 656 W Marshall & Son 897 n opportunity to see how a commercial scale biomass Les Bell 890 John & Co Mitchell 895 Adistrict heating system & ground mounted PV array H & E Boak & Son 891 Northumbrian Quality have been integrated into the farm business. Information on Borders Hydro-Clean 707 Feeds Ltd 12 installation, management, performance targets, costings and Cauldwell Firewood 224 Robert Ogg 617 biomass supply chain. Gordon Charters 459 Pirnie Beef 885 Max Cranston 886 R H Groundworks Ltd 398 To book a place please contact D & W Agriculture Ltd 794 Real Wood Studios 001 Sarah at BMR on 01896 758091 Malcom R Dickson 799 Soil Essentials Ltd 795 or [email protected] Euan Edgar 133 Soilutions Ltd 25 Erh Agri Ltd 899 Ray Sutherland Estate Forestry Services 246 Roofing Conts 888 Galashiels Golf Club 22 Adam Taylor 222 Norman Galbraith 893 Clive E Thompson 81 James Gillan 896 TH & EE Todd & C Godfrey-Faussett 437 TH Todd (Jnr) 766 T Hamilton 892 Tower Power 425 P F & P M Hendrie 576 Ian Walker 747 Huddlestone Farmers Ltd 887 Debbie Whalley 256 J G Claydon Woll Golf Course Ltd 826 Contact BMR for all your (Farm Mach) Ltd 882 Martin Young 898 Woodfuel Requirements ❚ Woodchip ❚ Pellets ❚ Logs 01896 Pest control ❚ Delivered or Self Uplift 758091 Contact BMR for all your Pest Control requirements: Processing & Chipping Machinery also RABBITS • RATS/MICE MOLES • PIGEONS available with qualified operators Training Courses also available 01896 758091
DOMESTIC & COMMERCIAL RENEWABLE ENERGY SOLUTIONS ARTN FOR FARMING COMMUNITIES E P ER IV T S O Look out for our
U B L M exclusive BMR / Renew
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If you, like many others, produce your own energy, not only will we guarantee R X
that you will save on your energy bills, combining the right installation with E Green Energy Offers government backed grants and incentives, it will also earn you a regular coming to you shortly income and it will protect you against future price rises, and do your bit for the Renew Green Energy are the exclusive renewable energy environment at the same time. partner of The Borders Machinery Ring, so when you work We’re a local, family run business with significant experience designing, building with Renew Green Energy you know you are in safe hands. and installing renewable technologies in the Borders agricultural communities, as well as the commercial and domestic market. Here are a few of our projects – New Belses , SandyStones, Clarilaw ✔ District Heating System – Over Langshaw, Jedburgh, Lauder ✔ Commercial Biomass ✔ Domestic Biomass – Carlisle, Stow, Inverlethian, Peebles, Duns ✔ Commercial PV – Gattonside, Tiptoe, Melrose ✔ Domestic PV – St Boswells, Dunfermline, Abbotsford, Berwick Domestic Thermal – Foulden, Auchencrow, Berwick ✔ – Eddleston, Kelso, Biggar ✔ Ground Source Heat Pumps Air Source Heat Pump – Mount Benger, Isle of Lewis ✔ – Ardnamurchan, Mount Benger ✔ Heat Recovery & Ventilation
A reseller of biomass boilers To find out how to make sustainable energy technologies your energy, your future core to you, visit our website, or give us a call Consult / Install / Supply / Maintain Solar PV | Solar Thermal | Heat Pumps | BioMass | Heat Recovery | Wood Fuel
www.renewgreenenergy.co.uk T: 01896 668 055 td . T el : 01750 23200 Scottish Borders Renewable Centre, Currie Road, Galashiels TD1 2DT
Visit the BMR Ltd. website on www.ringleader.co.uk B ordersprint L