Care leaver Danielle McKinnon runs Eat Sleep Ride, a social enterprise in Lamberton, East Berwickshire, in the Scottish Borders. Her work, with horses focuses on empowering young people and amplifying often unheard voices, especially from low-income and rural communities.

Find Eat Sleep Ride online here.

This episode is sponsored by Scottish legal firm Gillespie Macandrew.

A less typical episode of OnFARM this week, as we chat with fashion designer and keeper of two clothing stores - one for gents and one for ladies - Christine Ann De Agostini.

However, it will become more than clear why we are spotlighting Christine's work and business - her two clothes store businesses are located in Forres in rural Morayshire, and cater to a broad range of fashionable country living folk!

Visit Logie Steading, where Christine's two fashion stores are located near Forres, at this link.

For more on how the RBS Business Accelerator supports small businesses like Christine's, find info here.

Maddie Thomson learned her skills in digital communications in London - but has returned to Scotland, to create a new future for her family's Perthshire fruit farm.

Maddie tells Anna how her farm - Thomsons of Blairgowrie - is a blank canvas, and that she is being encouraged by her family to dream big!

Find Maddie's business Thomas Thomson in Blairgowrie here.

For more on how the RBS Business Accelerator supports small businesses like Thomsons of Blairgowrie, find info here.

Mentioned in this episode:

Meet OnFARM sponsors SkyeSkyns

SkyeSkyns is a traditional tannery, and luxury sheepskins and home accessories business on the Isle of Skye. The company are looking for crofters, breeders and farmers who breed native, rare, or heritage breed sheep, to supply skins for their tannery. This will mean they can hand-craft fully traceable sheep skins, and support producers by putting value back in to the sheep farming process. Find out more about joining the SkyeSkyns supplier network:

Skye Skins

The second half of our kitchen table chat about RHASS and how the charity strives for new ways to preserve, educate and support Scottish agriculture.

Anna speaks with RHASS director Louise Elder, and Ally Caulfield and Annie Wheeler from the staff team.

We also hear about RHASS's investment in innovation, education, wellbeing and the environment.

Throughout 2024, OnFARM has partnered with RHASS to celebrate the charity's 240th year.

240 Years of Stories aims to highlight and explore people's tales from living and working in agricultural communities. We are working with RHASS through our OnRECORD Memories initiative which focuses on recording stories and memories from rural Scotland.

All past episodes recorded at the Highland Show, or with the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, are in this playlist.

Get in touch if you’d like us to record with one of your family members, a long-serving staff member, or anyone else with a great story to tell or a voice to treasure.

Those wishing to share other rural stories with RHASS are encouraged to get in touch at stories@rhass.org.uk

Those looking to record stories and memories from family members privately, outside of this project, can find out more at www.onrecordmemories.co.uk

These editions of OnFARM was edited and mixed by Antonia Gospel, a 2024 Fellow of the MultiTrack audio fellowship.

A kitchen table chat about RHASS and how the charity strives for new ways to preserve, educate and support Scottish agriculture.

Anna speaks with RHASS director Louise Elder, and Ally Caulfield and Annie Wheeler from the staff team.

We also hear about RHASS's investment in innovation, education, wellbeing and the environment.

Throughout 2024, OnFARM has partnered with RHASS to celebrate the charity's 240th year.

240 Years of Stories aims to highlight and explore people's tales from living and working in agricultural communities. We are working with RHASS through our OnRECORD Memories initiative which focuses on recording stories and memories from rural Scotland.

All past episodes recorded at the Highland Show, or with the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, are in this playlist.

Get in touch if you’d like us to record with one of your family members, a long-serving staff member, or anyone else with a great story to tell or a voice to treasure.

Those wishing to share other rural stories with RHASS are encouraged to get in touch at stories@rhass.org.uk

Those looking to record stories and memories from family members privately, outside of this project, can find out more at www.onrecordmemories.co.uk

This episode of OnFARM was edited and mixed by Antonia Gospel, a 2024 Fellow of the MultiTrack audio fellowship.

Something a bit different this week...

We're pleased to share a recent episode of the Lantern Scottish Poetry podcast, presented by Scotland's Makar (National poet) Kathleen Jamie and co-host Alistair Heather.

The theme of the episode is 'Place' with readings in Scots and Doric from Aberdeenshire's Shane Strachan and Hugh McMillan from Dumfries and Galloway.

If you enjoy the episode, find the entire series of 12 episodes here or by searching 'Lantern Scottish Poetry' in your podcast player.

The Lantern Scottish Poetry podcast is made by OnFARM producers Bespoken Media, and is supported by the National Lottery through Creative Scotland.

Mentioned in this episode:

Meet OnFARM sponsors SkyeSkyns

SkyeSkyns is a traditional tannery, and luxury sheepskins and home accessories business on the Isle of Skye. The company are looking for crofters, breeders and farmers who breed native, rare, or heritage breed sheep, to supply skins for their tannery. This will mean they can hand-craft fully traceable sheep skins, and support producers by putting value back in to the sheep farming process. Find out more about joining the SkyeSkyns supplier network:

Skye Skins

At East Lothian's picturesque Balgone Estate, Anna meets David Grant-Suttie and Alex Humphreys, young entrepreneurs driving Balgone's diversification into pumpkins, sunflowers and events.

David and Alex show Anna around the sunflower maze, pumpkin patch, and brand new Herd cafe. They share their challenges and triumphs so far, and explain how this diversification is supporting the rest of the farm – and vice-versa.

Many thanks to our sponsors for this episode, Scottish law firm Gillespie Macandrew.

The last of three episodes from the Royal Highland Show that we are resharing as they were published over the summer holidays.

This time, three stories of food and farm businesses about how they connect with consumers - our latest partnership with RHASS's 240 Years of Stories.

Recorded live in the 2024 Royal Highland Show 'Food for Thought' cookery theatre, Anna hears from:

• Jock Gibson of Macbeth's butchers and Edinvale Farm in Forres
• Jo McNicol from North Berwick's Drift cliff edge cafe
• Jackie McCreery of Yester Farm Dairies, who is also a RHASS director and a legal advisor at Scottish Land & Estates.

240 Years of Stories aims to highlight and explore people's tales from living and working in agricultural communities. We are working with RHASS through our OnRECORD Memories initiative which focuses on recording stories and memories from rural Scotland.

Get in touch if you’d like us to record with one of your family members, a long-serving staff member, or anyone else with a great story to tell or a voice to treasure.

Those wishing to share other rural stories with RHASS are encouraged to get in touch at stories@rhass.org.uk

Those looking to record stories and memories from family members privately, outside of this project, can find out more at www.onrecordmemories.co.uk