Farming

The Farming enterprise at Foulis consists of 413 hectares (1020 acres) cropping/set aside land and 100 hectares (250 acres) permanent pasture. No livestock is owned, all the grassland being let out on annual short term grazing licences to other local farmers whilst the arable area is currently given over almost entirely to the production of quality spring sown malting barley destined for the distilling industry and ultimately to be incorporated into some of the top single malt whiskies for which the Highlands of Scotland are World renowned.

Foulis Farms consistantly produces prize winning malting barley, coming 3rd in the 2007 Glenmorangie Distillery/Highland Grain Malting Barley Awards - Other Varieties, with a sample of Optic and in the same year with another sample of Optic winning first prize in the Edrington Group Malting Barley competition for the 2007 crop. Hector Munro was presented in January 2008 with an engraved Quaich by Dr Bill Crilly of Edrington at an award ceremony held at Easter Elchies House, Macallan Distillery.

Spring barley is well suited to the moist cool microclimate of the Moray Firth coastal fringe where Foulis is situated. All the arable work is undertaken on a stubble to stubble basis by the contracting company Highland Land Management Limited in which Foulis has a 50% shareholding allowing the family farming partnership Foulis Farms to have no fulltime employees and own virtually no machinery yet operate an efficient and successful modern agricultural business.

Foulis Farms are long-time members of several leading agricultural co-operatives based on the Blackisle. Highland Business Services Ring Ltd www.hbsring.co.uk   provides additional contracting services and fuel; Highland Agricultural Labour Supplies (HALS) supplies amongst other things, commodities and training courses; whilst Highland Grain Limited www.highlandgrain.co.uk   handle, analyse, dry, batch, store and market over 30,000 tonnes of crops including all the malting barley production from Foulis. They are also members of Scottish Quality Cereals www.sqcereals.co.uk