Magnus Spence - The Northfield
Magnus Spence lives and works a small 63 Ha farm called The Northfield, as the old name suggests, in the northern tip of the island of Burray. Situated between two ancient Brochs his land has probably been farmed for over 2500 years, but not by him of course. Originally separated from the mainland of Orkney, and forming part of the 'south isles', Burray then became connected during WW2 when Mr. Churchill very kindly commissioned the construction company Balfour Beatty to build four causeways joining the three islands between the Orkney mainland and South Ronaldsay.
These, now life giving arteries to the islands, were subsequently named 'The Churchill Barriers' but were passed off at the time as a civil project in order that he could ask Italian POWs to lend a hand without contravening the Geneva Convention. He actually intended, and effectively did, close vulnerable entrances to the strategic harbour of Scapa Flow where the Royal Navy were based. The impetus for this massive project had been the sinking of the British flagship the Royal Oak on Oct 14th 1939 whilst she lay at anchor in the Flow by Commander Gunther Preen in his U-Boat U47. 800 plus men were lost that night and Hilter rubbed salt into the British wound by very publicly decorating Preen with the Iron Cross. Prior to the building of the Churchill Barriers old ships had been sunk in the channels between the islands in an attempt to prevent submarines from entering but owing to the tremendous tidal rips around Orkney the channels could not be closed completely by this method and high water, slack tide was all the skilled Commander Preen needed to penetrate the defenses and effect his escape on the next high tide 12 hours later.
In this day and age a farm the size of The Northfield is no longer viable when producing beef for the commodity market but inspired by the farming principals of Tony and Elizabeth Bown of Orkney Organic Meat Magnus regularly analyses his soils and crops to monitor the balance of nutrients in order to avoid unnecessary fertilizer applications and to pick up any trace element deficiencies which may affect the health of his cattle. Sadly the soil at the Northfield is too light and sandy to lend itself to Certified Organic production but Magnus is working towards a low input, low intensity, low impact system which aims to be 'only a certificate short of Organic'. Coupled with his other ventures he hopes eventually to establish a sustainable enterprise which reflects his attitudes and principals in regard to life's basic essentials of energy and food production (and hopefully make a living into the bargain).
His closed herd (i.e. no animals are bought in except for a new bull every few years in order to prevent in-breeding) of 30 pure Aberdeen Angus cattle are allowed to grow in their own good time, their diet being supplemented only with home grown barley if the ration analyses suggest it is required to set the balance right. The premise of 'Less Haste, More Taste' is boren out by all his repeat customers at the local Farmers Market where he sells a small amount of his 'Orkney Black Diamond Angus Beef' and recommends that no seasoning other a little salt and pepper be added. "For a change on special occasions a small onion doesn't do any harm either".
Thanks to the shelter created by Barrier No.3 Magnus also has a very small fish farm ('probably the smallest fish farm in the world') in the bay of Weddell that was once a treacherous sound. Weddell sound is also now the only truly sheltered anchorage for yachts and other small boats travelling directly between the marinas in the town of Wick on the East coast of Scotland and that of Orkney's main town, Kirkwall. Originally Weddell Fish Farm was established as a Salmon Farm but global overproduction coupled with pressure on the industry by Environmental groups and the consequential increase in operating costs has meant the smaller producer has been pushed out and the Salmon industry is now the domain of large companies and their 'efficiencies of scale'. Producing a product of a reduced quality, salmon farming has followed a path almost precisely paralleling the fate of the pig and poultry industries in the past.
Magnus has spent the last 6 years experimenting with shoals of Halibut, Sea Trout (the genuine sea going Brown Trout) and cod in an attempt to keep his business alive and welcomes visiting yachts tying up along side his cages for the night when he can recount his laments to a captive audience!. The way Magnus farms his fish is remarkable. Unlike some enterprises that have given fish farming a bad name, Magnus's farm is very environmentally friendly. He does not use anti-fouling paints on his nets and the farm operates on a single-point mooring which pivots with the movement of the wind thereby keeping impact on the seabed to a minimum. To the best of his knowledge he is the only fish farmer in Britain to use this mooring system and is also one of only three farms in Britain who grow the genuine Sea Trout. This is not to be confused with the sea grown Rainbow Trout or Salmon Trout, as it is frequently called, as the genuine Sea Trout, in the opinion of most, has a much superior eating quality and flavour than both Salmon and Rainbows.
The latest diversification to his farm is the provision of a site and a share in an 850kW windturbine that can provide sufficient renewable energy on a windy day to supply all of the households in Burray and South Ronaldsay provided the inhabitants don't all want a cup of tea at the same time. The unique aspect of this particular project, which is a British first, is that the company, Orkney Renewable Energy Ltd, was set up and is directed by 5 local individuals, supported by another 25 local shareholders and is constituted in such a way as to prevent a take over by any of the large power companies. Essentially a sort of commercial communism which retains all income within the community. As land owner and shareholder the income provided will hopefully give Magnus the boost needed to fully develop his agricultural and aquacultural businesses, realise his dream and no longer be dependant on Agricultural subsidies. Although he has his dreams Magnus is also a realist and knows that in order to compete in the modern global economy small producers with the same ambitions as himself have to pull together with processors, distributors and suppliers who believe in the value of small scale high quality food production and work, as the employees of a large company do, in pursuit of the common goal.
"I'm thoroughly delighted to be involved with Orkney Rose and the group of producers she's recruited. I know most of them already and know they care and make an excellent job of what they do. I'm sure success is just around the corner!" was his parting sentiment.
