Our farm

Glensaugh Farm is situated in the Grampian foothills and managed as an upland livestock farm; just over 1000ha in area, with sheep, cattle and red deer, improved and extensive pastures, moorland, woodland and peatland.

Glensaugh is also a research farm and is home to the James Hutton Institute’s Climate-positive Farming Initiative. This Initiative builds on a long tradition at Glensaugh (it has been a research farm for over 80 years) for wide-ranging research into many different elements of farming – environmental, economic and social.

Our agroforestry

The farm is unique in having an area of mature agroforestry, planted in 1988 to explore the production benefits of integrating trees within a livestock farming system. Three tree species were selected (Scots Pine, Hybrid Larch and Sycamore) and planted at different densities, which allowed comparison of the effects on tree growth, grass production and livestock output.

The project continues to provide a living demonstration of the longer-term practicalities of agroforestry management as well as wider environmental benefits for climate change mitigation and adaptation, and biodiversity. We have several research projects associated with this facility, including the FARM TREE project (part of the Future of UK Treescapes Programme). The FARMTREE project investigates balancing farm and landscape-scale demands for integrating trees on agricultural land and is developing practical tools for farmers, consultants and policy makers to enhance the expansion of trees on agricultural land.

Building on lessons learned from these original research plots, as well as from agroforestry studies elsewhere, we have also just planted a new design of silvopastoral agroforestry earlier this year (2024). This integrates oak, a range of other amenity trees and grazing pasture.

How to find us

You will find us at Glensaugh Farm, Laurencekirk, AB30 1HB, Aberdeenshire.

Further directions to Glensaugh can be found here.

What3words to the entrance: ///reflector.tracking.shared

Agroforestry open weekend 2024

Over the Agroforestry Open Weekend 2024 we will be open to visitors on Sunday 19^th May for a session from 10:00-12:30. Due to restrictions on numbers, we request that anybody wishing to attend please book in advance (free) via the Eventbrite page:

Agroforestry Open Weekend at Glensaugh Tickets, Sun 19 May 2024 at 10:00 | Eventbrite

After assembling at the farm office (at 10:00) and a brief introduction, we will offer a guided walk of around 90 mins (approximately 2.5km) to visit both the mature agroforestry planted in 1988 and the new agroforestry project planted earlier this year. After returning to the farm buildings there will be light refreshments available indoors, a demonstration of some of the tools being developed in the FARMTREE project, and we look forward to hearing your views on the tools, the role of trees on farms, and constraints that need to be addressed.

Facilities/refreshments

Coffee, tea, juice will be available after the guided walk and there are toilet facilities available before/after the walk.

The Clattering Brig Restaurant is a 2 minute drive or 11 minute walk from Glensaugh (Cairn O’ Mount Road, Fettercairn, Laurencekirk, AB30 1HB)

Website: Clatterin Brig Restaurant – Clatterin Brig Restaurant

Parking/access

Parking is available next to the farm reception/meeting room building and will be signposted.

Dogs

Dogs can accompany visitors but must be kept on a lead at all times due to the presence of livestock.

Disability access

The farm walk is family friendly, however the route is not accessible for wheeled transport users – such as pushchairs, wheelchairs, motorised scooters.

More information?

Further information about the Glensaugh Climate-positive farming initiative and the agroforestry there is available on our website.

If you have any further queries please email either scot.ramsay@hutton.ac.uk or katrin.prager@abdn.ac.uk