The green of Ayrshire

Mention Ayrshire and the name of Scotland’s most famous poet, Robert Burns, immediately comes to mind. Burns was born in the county, and the area is steeped in folklore and tradition.

The region is also well-known for its agriculture. Farming is big business, and the holdings are made up of cereals and livestock. Ayrshire is also well-known for its breed of brown and white cattle, which produce high-quality milk.

Craig and Graeme Shuttleton’s father, Jim, comes from a farming background and ran the family holding for many years.

“Like many farmers in Ayrshire, we kept a dairy herd,” he explained. “The county had a reputation for milk farming going back years, although the number of holdings has steadily declined in recent times. About 10 years ago we had a change of direction and switched to suckler cows. I’ve now retired from full-time farming, but still do some