Digital Dairy Chain

11/06/2026

🎉 One week to go until the Royal Highland Show! We will be back again in the SRUC pavilion on 7th Avenue across from the main show ring.

This year, SRUC's focus is on Impact and there is no better time for Digital Dairy Chain to showcase that!

This year on our stand we will have:
👩‍🔬 SmartSTEMs with their milk decoder, Kaley the Coo and more interactive exhibits for the whole family to learn about STEM in dairy
🪴 Grouse Fibre will be with us on Thursday and Friday to show the outcomes of their milk waste dairy peat product - they have successfully used waste milk to create growing fibres for compost - a true example of circular, sustainable economy
🐮 On Friday we will welcome Kirvennie Farm along to promote their new Kirvennie Cow Club - get updates from cows on their farm and track them through their lives!
🥛 And of course, their will be a selection of Digital Dairy Chain team members to answer any questions along with our Maker Space coordinator Mark Robertson to talk new dairy product development!

We can't wait to see you all!

📸 RHS 2025

05/06/2026

Join the Scottish Women in Dairy network for an informal afternoon of networking, refreshments, and conversation with special guest, Olympic Curler, Sophie Jackson.

📅 Thursday 18th June
🕑 2:00pm – 4:00pm
📍 Owen Farm Services Stand

We are thrilled to welcome Olympic curler Sophie Jackson as our guest speaker. Sophie will share her inspiring journey from growing up on a Dumfriesshire dairy farm to competing on the Olympic stage, offering insights into resilience, ambition, and balancing life both on and off the farm.

Whether you're a producer, industry professional, student, or simply passionate about the future of dairy farming, we'd love to see you there.

Drinks and light refreshments will be provided, and all are welcome.

This event is sponsored by Farrah's Gelato and Owen Farm Services.

Register here - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1990962028021?aff=oddtdtcreator

01/06/2026

🐄 🥛 Quite rightly celebrating WORLD MILK DAY with a film about our happy cows research! The stars of the dairy show!

A group of researchers at SRUC has been working on their cow welfare research as part of the Digital Dairy Chain project to show that happy cows, means a happy farm, means a more productive farm.

Using technology and observations across farms in the region has helped the team understand more about animal welfare in an automated way, allowing a better understanding of herd health and dynamics. Cows with improved welfare tend to have improved health, saving on costs associated with disease and injury, as well as supporting higher milk production, making a farm more financially resilient.

Hear from Dr Holly Ferguson about the research and what she hopes it can do for farmers in the future.

27/05/2026

➡️ ICYMI: Armed Forces to Dairy work experience pilot information webinar.

Our Think Dairy Careers team led a webinar last week for service personnel, serving and former, to hear about careers in dairy and agriculture, supported by partners, Ruralink - Growing Fresh Careers, HighGround Charity who spoke about opportunities and ways they can help. We also had Becca Brown, star of our recent 'Navy to Dairy' film speak about her experience moving from the forces to agriculture and her ambitions to run her own contract farm.

Thanks to the attendees for coming and hopefully you took something away that resonated!

The pilot work experience scheme will kick off over summer - find out more about what is involved and if you are in the process of leaving the armed forces and are not sure what is next then please get in touch!

Rewatch the webinar here for more information:

This webinar took place on 21st of May 2026 for ex armed forces and...

21/05/2026

On the 22nd of April, our Maker Space Co-ordinator Mark and Catherine from our Think Dairy Careers initiative exhibited at the World Food Prize Foundation UK Youth Institute at University of Cumbria. Supported by a network of partners and contributors, the inaugural event provided an experience designed to empower students to engage with global food security challenges and develop innovative solutions.

In addition to presentations, participants took part in interactive leadership challenges and engaged directly with employers and professionals working in fields aligned with their interests, gaining valuable insight into future career pathways. This is where we were able to share the work Digital Dairy Chain has done to showcase careers in dairy and dairy product development.

The 2027 registration link for young people 15-18 and teachers to register their interest for next year can be found here: https://forms.office.com/e/fLd8D3eRV

Thanks to the team for having us, we had some great conversations!

📸: Catherine and Mark showcasing our work at the event

14/05/2026

🧀🥛🍦🐄Our Maker Space Coordinator Mark Robertson gives his regular update on news from around the Digital Dairy Chain region.

It's been a busy start to the year for Mark between building business in Ayrshire following the official opening of our Ayrshire College Maker Space and working with artisan cheese makers and yogurt producers on training and new products.

Mark is open to conversations with businesses across the Digital Dairy Chain region about diversification and product development about how we can support - Maker Space support is fully funded and therefore free of charge to access.

Read Mark's blog here: https://www.digitaldairychain.co.uk/digital-dairy-chain-maker-space-latest-news/

13/05/2026

Take your dairy business to new heights with drone-powered insights 🚁🐄

As part of the Digital Dairy Chain you can unlock the power of data in your dairy business, we are offering a FUNDED Remote Sensing and Data Analysis CPD course from the University of the West of Scotland () MSc in Drone Tech to give you the tools to:

🔍 Capture insights using drone technology
📊 Analyse and visualise complex datasets
🤖 Explore machine learning in real-world agricultural settings

This course plays a key role in supporting the upskilling and reskilling of the dairy sector and its wider supply chain, helping businesses build the capabilities needed for a more data-driven, sustainable future.

Whether you're in production, processing, or the wider supply chain, this course is designed to help you innovate and stay competitive.

🎯 Open to dairy sector businesses across South & West Scotland & Cumbria

👉 Secure your place here: https://cpd.uws.ac.uk/w/courses/437-remote-sensing-and-data-analysis

11/05/2026

Happy Cows roadshow concludes this Friday!

Thanks to everyone who has made it along to one of our Happy Cows roadshow events - these have been focused on our cow welfare research work with First Milk, Lactalis and 15 farms across the Digital Dairy Chain region.

We discuss the affects of heat stress (even in Scotland and northern England!), calf environments and overall cow welfare and behaviour that we hope will support farmers now and in the future.

We finish the roadshow in Inchparks Farm, Stranraer on Friday 15th of May, kicking off around 10.30am.

Please register on our website or email [email protected] to let us know you are coming!

https://www.digitaldairychain.co.uk/event/happy-stock-happy-farm-walk-and-talk-stranraer/

06/05/2026

We kicked off the Happy Cows roadshow yesterday at Park House Farm near Longtown, Cumbria. Thanks to all for coming along and hearing from our team from SRUC School of Veterinary Medicine & Biosciences talk about their cow welfare projects and also the team from Galebreaker speak about heat stress, shed ventilation and their new calf shed, CEVEC.

We are heading to Ayrshire tomorrow to High Garphar Farm and there is still time to sign up! We start at 10.30 and lunch is included at the end.

https://www.digitaldairychain.co.uk/event/happy-stock-happy-farm-walk-and-talk-ayrshire/ or email [email protected] to let us know you are coming.

29/04/2026

Less than one week to go until our Happy Stock, Happy Farm roadshow kicks off in Cumbria!

We will be sharing the results from our cow welfare research along with information on Galebreaker's new calf shed from researchers within SRUC, cow bedding preferences and a new heat stress project linked to shed ventilation.

We hope to see you at one of our events (lunch included), please register below:

📍 5th May, Longtown: https://www.digitaldairychain.co.uk/event/happy-stock-happy-farm-walk-and-talk-cumbria/

📍 7th May, Straiton: https://www.digitaldairychain.co.uk/event/happy-stock-happy-farm-walk-and-talk-ayrshire/

📍 15th May, Stranraer: https://www.digitaldairychain.co.uk/event/happy-stock-happy-farm-walk-and-talk-stranraer/