To fully capitalise on the quality stock that Scottish farming businesses can produce, it is vital that your stock is being sold at the right time, in the right place, to the right buyers. Whether that is to a processor, through the live ring, or privately, there are a diversity of options that need careful consideration.

Timing is everything and it is critical that your stock are sold when they will provide the best return i.e. when they are the exact specification that your optimal buyer is looking for. To understand this process, it’s helpful to work backwards from the point at which you produce to the specification that your buyer or most buyers will look for then ask yourself if you are able to produce that specification, and if it is possible to do so without investing too much money. Another question that is worth asking is ‘what can my system produce that allows me to make the largest margin?’

While the idea of marketing may seem unnecessary for a commercial livestock production yet developing a marketing plan is simply the process of mapping your production process in reverse.