Programme of events
There’s lots to see and enjoy at the Festival – livestock shows and showcases, equine showcase, talks, demonstrations, a trade hall, craft fair and smallholder market and, of course, the opportunity to catch up with like-minded people! Use the programme below to plan your day, and the Festival plan to find your way around.
| Time | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 9:00am | Festival opens to public | |
| All day | Our crafts people will be displaying their skills | Rural Skills Area, Main Hall |
| All day | Various equine events; details at the Equine Area | Equine Area, Main Hall |
| All day | Guilds of Spinners, Weavers and Dyers will be displaying their skills | Foyer upper floor |
| 9:00-10:00am | Rural Skills Competition Tabling of Entries | Foyer upper floor |
| 9:10am | Scottish Government | Room 1, Foyer upper floor |
| 9:30am | Sheep judging commences | Sheep Area, Main Hall |
| 9:30am | Goat judging commences | Goat Area, Main Hall |
| 9:30am | The route to agricultural support payments: Annette Marshall, Scotland's Farm Advisory Service More details | SRUC Theatre, Main Hall |
| 9:30am | Grants for health tests for sheep and cows: Siobhan Macdonald, SAC More details | Room 1, Foyer upper floor |
| 9:30am | Pastured poultry: Colin Russell, Ramstane FarmMore details | Room 2, Foyer upper floor |
| 9:30am | Introduction to keeping alpacas: Stuart Ramsay, Velvet Hall Alpacas More details | Room 3, Foyer upper floor |
| 10:00am | Rural Skills competition judging commences | Foyer upper floor |
| 10:00am | Pig judging commences | Central Hall |
| 10:00am | Mini workshop: Strawcraft with Elaine Lindsay, Something Corny More details & booking | Rural Skills demo area, Foyer upper floor |
| 10:00am | Equine parade | Equine Area, Main Hall |
| 10:30am | The Whole Farm Plan: Annette Marshall, Scotland's Farm Advisory Service More details | SRUC Theatre, Main Hall |
| 10:30am | Power on the smallholding: Robert McKechnie, SRUC More details | Room 1, Foyer upper floor |
| 10:30am | The Pigs and the Trees - Sustainable Pig Farming: David Carruth, The Wooly Pig Company More details | Room 2, Foyer upper floor |
| 10:30am | Starting with goats: Jillian McEwan, Lunan Bay Farm More details | Room 3, Foyer upper floor |
| 10:30am | Heritage Breed Cookery Demonstrations with Wendy Barrie More details | Cookery Theatre, Foyer ground floor |
| 11:00am | Sourdough baking demonstration: Alison Ramcharran, Trustee, Scotland the Bread | Rural Skills Area, Main Hall |
| 11:30am | Pig Practicals: Emma Baxter & Marianne Farish More details & booking | SRUC Theatre, Main Hall |
| 11:30am | Managing a small woodland: Reforesting Scotland | Room 1, Foyer upper floor |
| 11:30am | Low Auldgirth - A journey into nature to create a profitable farm business: Ruth Ashton-Shaw More details | Room 2, Foyer upper floor |
| 11:30am | Getting going with sheep: Grace Reid, National Sheep Association Scotland More details | Room 3, Foyer upper floor |
| 11:30am | Taste Experience on Heritage Breeds: Wendy Barrie and Bosse Dahlgren More details & booking | Cookery Theatre, Foyer ground floor |
| 11:30am | Alpaca fleece workshop | Alpaca Area, Main Hall |
| 12 noon | Mini workshop: Flying Beasties Willow Workshop More details & booking | Rural Skills area, Foyer upper floor |
| 12:30pm | Goat MOT: Practical tips for goat keepers: Caroline Robinson and Agnes Aitken More details & booking | SRUC Theatre, Main Hall |
| 12:30pm | Aberdeenshire Sheepdogs: Gary and Michelle Bruce More details | Room 1, Foyer upper floor |
| 12:30pm | Saving seeds in Scotland: Finlay, Seeds of Scotland More details | Room 2, Foyer upper floor |
| 12:30pm | Starting up in Cattle Question Time! Thinking about cattle? Just started? Have a few years' experience under your belt? This panel is funded by Scotland's Farm Advisory Service | Room 3, Foyer upper floor |
| 12:30pm | Producing Food for your Family and Community: Abi Mordin, Propagate More details | Cookery Theatre, Foyer ground floor |
| 1:00pm | Pig agility | Central Hall |
| 1:30pm | Pig Practicals: Emma Baxter & Marianne Farish More details & booking | SRUC Theatre, Main Hall |
| 1:30pm | The importance of meadows and tree hay: Bosse Dahlgren More details | Room 1, Foyer upper floor |
| 1:30pm | A living from local food and flowers: stories and perspectives from Tomnah’a Market Garden: Catherine Kwella More details | Room 2, Foyer upper floor |
| 1:30pm | Starting with poultry: What comes first - the chicken or the egg? Jack & Morna Cuthbert, Ardoch Hebridean Sheep More details | Room 3, Foyer upper floor |
| 1:30pm | Heritage Breed Cookery Demonstrations with Wendy Barrie More details | Cookery Theatre, Foyer ground floor |
| 1:30pm | Alpaca health, welfare and husbandry | Alpaca Area, Main Hall |
| 2:00pm | Mini workshop: Oak swills with The Bumbling Basketeer More details & booking | |
| 2:00pm | Sourdough baking demonstration: Alison Ramcharran, Trustee, Scotland the Bread | Rural Skills Area, Main Hall |
| 2:00pm | Equine parade | Equine Area, Main Hall |
| 2:30pm | Sheep MOT: Practical tips for sheep keepers More details & booking | SRUC Theatre, Main Hall |
| 2:30pm | How I applied the principles of Equiculture to my smallholding in the Borders; Maxine Easey and Bryan Jones, Stonelea Stables, Scottish Borders More details | Room 1, Foyer upper floor |
| 2:30pm | Using native ponies on the land: Ruaridh Ormiston, Ormiston Highlands More details | Room 2, Foyer upper floor |
| 2:30pm | Starting with pigs: Marcus Bates, British Pig Association | Room 3, Foyer upper floor |
| 3:00pm | Artisan Cheese Tasting with Scottish Cheese Trail: Wendy Barrie More details & booking | Cookery Theatre, Foyer ground floor |
| 3:00pm | Presentation of Rural Skills competition prizes | Rural Skills area, Foyer upper floor |
| 4:00pm | Festival closes |
