[Angela NicIlleathain - Preseantair] `S e feamainn cuspair na co-labhairt, an talamh dubh, ann an Griomasaigh am-bliadhna. Nithear sgrùdadh air an dòigh as fheàrr a chleachdadh airson talamh mòintich a leasachadh. Bhathar ag àiteach na talmhainn sa sgìre suas gu na trì ficheadan. Tha an aithris seo bhon tè naidheachd againn ann an Uibhist, Shona NicDhòmhnaill.
[Shona NicDhòmhnaill – Neach-aithris] A’ togail a’ bhuntàta à sreath de fheannagan ann an Griomasaigh, an talamh dubh, air taobh an Ear Uibhist a tha cho doirbh obrachadh.
[Iain Stephen Moireasdan] Tha sinne ag obrachadh cruit anns a’ mhòintich agus mar a tha sinne ga h-obrachadh ‘s ann dìreach airson ionaltradh, tha caoraich a’ ruith oirre oir mar a tha i tha an talamh cho bochd ‘s chan eil mòran eile a ghabhail deanamh leatha gun chosgais mhòr. Tha sinn a’ faicinn an seo mar a tha iad a’ beachdachadh air mar a ghabhadh bàrr a thogail bhuaithe agus tha obair mhòr an-sàs ann. Tha mi smaointinn gum bi e doirbh obrachadh timcheall air an sin oir mar a tha cruitearan anns a’ chumantas, tha iad ag obair làn ùine agus ‘s ann anns na feasgaran ‘s aig an deireadh-sheachdain a tha iad a’ dèanamh obair air an talamh. `S mar sin chan eil ùine aig daoine, mar a bha ‘s dòcha bho chionn ceud bhliadhna no dà cheud bhliadhna, a bhith ag obrachadh na talmhainn anns an aon dòigh.
[Shona NicDhòmhnaill – Neach-aithris] Chaidh feamainn a chleachdach ann an diofar dhòighean air na feannagan seo. A-nis thathar a’ tomhas toradh na talmhainn anns na diofar dhòighean anns an deach an fheamainn a chleachdadh agus cuideachd bithear a’ dèanamh deuchainn air na thàinig às agus air an ùir mar a dh’atharraich e no na dh’atharraich e.
[Oliver Knox] The rotted seaweed application, for whatever reason that we, at the moment, that can’t make sense of has had a huge impact in terms of the crop productivity, better than the fresh, better than the liquor extract. Nutritionally they’re all very similar but for some reason that rotted material has made a huge difference to the way in which the crops are grown and the amount of crop that’s grown.
[Shona NicDhòmhnaill – Neach-aithris] Chaidh leigeil leis an fheamainn sin grodadh bho chòmhdach. Còmhla ris a’ bhuntàta, chaidh càl agus coirce beag a chur agus bha iad uile soirbheachail far an robh iad air an cur anns an fheamainn sin.
[Iain Stephen Moireasdan] ‘S dòcha gun gabh rudeigin air choreigin togail às an rannsachadh seo, rudeigin a dhèanadh feum dhen talamh a bhiodh feumail do bheathaichean no a shealladh dhut mar a ghabhadh biadh air choreigin togail dheth agus tha mi smaointinn gum bithinn-sa agus cruitear sam bith eile anns an aon suidheachadh toilichte gu leòr coimhead air sin.
[Shona NicDhòmhnaill – Neach-aithris] Agus bha moladh ann cuideachd gur dòcha gun gabhadh cruitearan pàirt anns na deuchainnean a thathar a’ dèanamh sna bliadhnaichean ri teachd, Shona NicDhòmhnaill, BBC An Là, Uibhist.
[Angela MacLean - Presenter] Seaweed is the subject of the seminar of the peatlands in Grimisay this year. They’ll examine the best way to use it to develop the moor lands. The land was cultivated there up to the sixties. This report is from our reporter in Uist, Shona MacDonald.
[Shona MacDonald – Reporter] Digging potatoes in a stretch of seaweed in Grimisay, the peatlands, on the west side of Uist which is so hard to work.
[Iain Stephen Morrison] We are crofting on the moor and as we work on it, it is just for pasture. Sheep run on it because the land is so poor and there is not much else we can do with it without incurring big costs. We can see here how they think that they can raise crops from them and there is much work involved there. I think it is difficult around that as the way crofters are, in general, they work full-time and it is in the evenings and at the weekend that they do work on the lands. And as such, people do not have time, that they maybe did have a hundred years, or two hundred years ago, to work the land in the same way.
[Shona MacDonald – Reporter] Seaweed was used in different ways on these ridges. Now they are measuring the effects of the grounds in the different ways in which the seaweed was used and also they’re doing tests on what came from it and on the earth, if it changes or if it doesn’t change.
[Oliver Knox] The rotted seaweed application, for whatever reason that we at the moment can’t make sense of has had a huge impact in terms of the crop productivity, better than the fresh, better than the liquor extract. Nutritionally they’re all very similar but for some reason that rotted material has made a huge difference to the way in which the crops are grown and the amount of crop that’s grown.
[Shona MacDonald – Reporter] The seaweed has been left to rot as a cover. With the potatoes, cabbage and oatmeal were planted and they were all successful when they were planted in the seaweed.
[Iain Stephen Morrison] Maybe something can be taken from this research, something that will do good for the land, that will be useful to animals or show you how food of some sort can be harvested and I think that I would be, and any other crofter, in the same situation, happy to look at that.
[Shona MacDonald – Reporter] And there was also a recommendation that maybe crofters could take part in the tests that will be done in the future. Shona MacDonald, BBC An Là, Uibhist.
[Angela NicIlleathain - Preseantair] `S e feamainn cuspair na co-labhairt, an talamh dubh, ann an Griomasaigh am-bliadhna. Nithear sgrùdadh air an dòigh as fheàrr a chleachdadh airson talamh mòintich a leasachadh. Bhathar ag àiteach na talmhainn sa sgìre suas gu na trì ficheadan. Tha an aithris seo bhon tè naidheachd againn ann an Uibhist, Shona NicDhòmhnaill.
[Shona NicDhòmhnaill – Neach-aithris] A’ togail a’ bhuntàta à sreath de fheannagan ann an Griomasaigh, an talamh dubh, air taobh an Ear Uibhist a tha cho doirbh obrachadh.
[Iain Stephen Moireasdan] Tha sinne ag obrachadh cruit anns a’ mhòintich agus mar a tha sinne ga h-obrachadh ‘s ann dìreach airson ionaltradh, tha caoraich a’ ruith oirre oir mar a tha i tha an talamh cho bochd ‘s chan eil mòran eile a ghabhail deanamh leatha gun chosgais mhòr. Tha sinn a’ faicinn an seo mar a tha iad a’ beachdachadh air mar a ghabhadh bàrr a thogail bhuaithe agus tha obair mhòr an-sàs ann. Tha mi smaointinn gum bi e doirbh obrachadh timcheall air an sin oir mar a tha cruitearan anns a’ chumantas, tha iad ag obair làn ùine agus ‘s ann anns na feasgaran ‘s aig an deireadh-sheachdain a tha iad a’ dèanamh obair air an talamh. `S mar sin chan eil ùine aig daoine, mar a bha ‘s dòcha bho chionn ceud bhliadhna no dà cheud bhliadhna, a bhith ag obrachadh na talmhainn anns an aon dòigh.
[Shona NicDhòmhnaill – Neach-aithris] Chaidh feamainn a chleachdach ann an diofar dhòighean air na feannagan seo. A-nis thathar a’ tomhas toradh na talmhainn anns na diofar dhòighean anns an deach an fheamainn a chleachdadh agus cuideachd bithear a’ dèanamh deuchainn air na thàinig às agus air an ùir mar a dh’atharraich e no na dh’atharraich e.
[Oliver Knox] The rotted seaweed application, for whatever reason that we, at the moment, that can’t make sense of has had a huge impact in terms of the crop productivity, better than the fresh, better than the liquor extract. Nutritionally they’re all very similar but for some reason that rotted material has made a huge difference to the way in which the crops are grown and the amount of crop that’s grown.
[Shona NicDhòmhnaill – Neach-aithris] Chaidh leigeil leis an fheamainn sin grodadh bho chòmhdach. Còmhla ris a’ bhuntàta, chaidh càl agus coirce beag a chur agus bha iad uile soirbheachail far an robh iad air an cur anns an fheamainn sin.
[Iain Stephen Moireasdan] ‘S dòcha gun gabh rudeigin air choreigin togail às an rannsachadh seo, rudeigin a dhèanadh feum dhen talamh a bhiodh feumail do bheathaichean no a shealladh dhut mar a ghabhadh biadh air choreigin togail dheth agus tha mi smaointinn gum bithinn-sa agus cruitear sam bith eile anns an aon suidheachadh toilichte gu leòr coimhead air sin.
[Shona NicDhòmhnaill – Neach-aithris] Agus bha moladh ann cuideachd gur dòcha gun gabhadh cruitearan pàirt anns na deuchainnean a thathar a’ dèanamh sna bliadhnaichean ri teachd, Shona NicDhòmhnaill, BBC An Là, Uibhist.
[Angela MacLean - Presenter] Seaweed is the subject of the seminar of the peatlands in Grimisay this year. They’ll examine the best way to use it to develop the moor lands. The land was cultivated there up to the sixties. This report is from our reporter in Uist, Shona MacDonald.
[Shona MacDonald – Reporter] Digging potatoes in a stretch of seaweed in Grimisay, the peatlands, on the west side of Uist which is so hard to work.
[Iain Stephen Morrison] We are crofting on the moor and as we work on it, it is just for pasture. Sheep run on it because the land is so poor and there is not much else we can do with it without incurring big costs. We can see here how they think that they can raise crops from them and there is much work involved there. I think it is difficult around that as the way crofters are, in general, they work full-time and it is in the evenings and at the weekend that they do work on the lands. And as such, people do not have time, that they maybe did have a hundred years, or two hundred years ago, to work the land in the same way.
[Shona MacDonald – Reporter] Seaweed was used in different ways on these ridges. Now they are measuring the effects of the grounds in the different ways in which the seaweed was used and also they’re doing tests on what came from it and on the earth, if it changes or if it doesn’t change.
[Oliver Knox] The rotted seaweed application, for whatever reason that we at the moment can’t make sense of has had a huge impact in terms of the crop productivity, better than the fresh, better than the liquor extract. Nutritionally they’re all very similar but for some reason that rotted material has made a huge difference to the way in which the crops are grown and the amount of crop that’s grown.
[Shona MacDonald – Reporter] The seaweed has been left to rot as a cover. With the potatoes, cabbage and oatmeal were planted and they were all successful when they were planted in the seaweed.
[Iain Stephen Morrison] Maybe something can be taken from this research, something that will do good for the land, that will be useful to animals or show you how food of some sort can be harvested and I think that I would be, and any other crofter, in the same situation, happy to look at that.
[Shona MacDonald – Reporter] And there was also a recommendation that maybe crofters could take part in the tests that will be done in the future. Shona MacDonald, BBC An Là, Uibhist.