Dumfries & Galloway Council

The three-day festival will encourage visitors to celebrate the seafood heritage of Stranraer in the south west of Scotland. The catch from Scotland's only wild, native oyster fishery will be the focal point of the event, taking place from 15 to 17 September 2017.

The festival marks the start of the oyster harvesting season and starts with an oyster landing ceremony, complete with oysters being piped ashore, live music, a giant paella for visitors to the festival to share in, a community performance with the support of Oceanallover and fireworks. 

Open meeting to find out about the Nithsdale Monitor Farm and the Monitor Farm Programme.

The event is free and open to all.

The first Nithsdale monitor farm meeting is taking place on Thursday 26 January at Clonhie Farm, Penpont, Thornhill, DG3 4ND and will be hosted by Andrew and Aileen Marchant.10.30am start and will finish around 3.30pm.

Lunch is being provided and will be at Durisdeer Village Hall, Durisdeer, Thornhill, DG3 5BQ.

Topics include:

• Introduction to Clonhie Farm

• My time as a Monitor Farmer – Duncan McEwen

A practical, informative meeting with James Bretherton, AgScope, on why soil health is crucial for optimum production of crops and livestock, how you can influence soil health to provide higher yields and healthier stock, looking at and beyond the chemical and the physical. Providing answers to your soil related questions.

Booking is required. For further information please call on Lyn 07899 791748 or email lwhite@soilassociation.org

A practical, informative meeting with Jo Scamell, Ground Level Nutrition on why soil health is crucial for optimum production of crops and livestock, how you can influence soil health to provide higher yields and healthier stock, looking at and beyond the chemical and the physical. Providing answers to your soil related questions. Free of charge to farmers and land managers and £40.00 plus VAT to others.

Oakland Biofuels Ltd in Association with Scottish Land & Estates will demonstrate the equipment, techniques and benefits from harvesting bracken at three demonstrations in Scotland.

Turning bracken from an increasing problem into a harvestable resource meets a number of economic, environmental and health objectives that should be of interest to all stakeholders with an interest in land management and the environment as well as land managers and farmers who have a bracken problem.

Come along and find out more at these events.

Are you looking for funding?

• Are you a community group or organisation?
• Do you run a small rural business?
• Are you a farmer looking to diversify?

Dumfries and Galloway LEADER Programme is a European Rural Development programme that can support local community groups and organisations, small rural businesses and farm diversification projects from right across Dumfries and Galloway.