Some of the Knockbain is managed in-hand with a herd of Luing cattle and a small amount of contract farmed spring barley.
The remainder of the farm is a combination of woodland and conservation management habitats including:
- wetlands
- wildflower meadows
- hedges and ponds
Grassland is not managed, as part of the cattle enterprise it is tenanted to other grazers.
Richard and Susie have full time jobs which limits the amount of time they can spend working on the farm - while Richard's parents David and Denise are (gradually!) moving towards retirement.
Woodlands on the farm include:
- some areas of commercial forestry plantation (hardwood and softwood)
- extensive old, and new, areas of native woodland that provide habitat for wildlife and shelter for stock
The Dingwall Wind Cooperative operates at 250 kW wind turbine on the farm. Knockbain also hosts the Dingwall Community Woodland in one of its fields.
Why Trees?
All the houses are heated using wood from the farm.
Richard is also currently investigating ways to better integrate farming and forestry through agroforestry.
