Local farmer Bryce Cunningham made an appearance on television last week as he was interviewed for BBC Scotland’s documentary This is Our Land.

The programme, which is about nine young Scots living and working in rural areas across the country, who tell their story and share their hopes and fears for the future of their land amidst a potential climate crisis, aired on Tuesday, November 3.

Bryce, who manages Mossgiel Organic Farm, who are famed for their milk, talks about how he got started in the business, initially getting involved to help his grandfather and father, who managed the farm before him. Bryce tells of how his grandfather was ill and so he quit his job at a garage to lend a hand at the farm. Shortly after his grandfather died and his father soon followed, dying within 18 months of his father.

He goes on to speak of the troubles his father had with finances at the farm and what methods he has since employed to improve that situation.

Bryce speaks passionately about the changes that are to come in agriculture and how he’s shaping his business to be at the forefront of those changes, for economic reasons, but also for environmental ones.

Much of the change at Mossgiel is actually about going back to basics, Mossgiel’s model is more similar to the practices of the mid 20th century, the use of glass bottles and selling direct to small businesses.

Bryce says: “When I came back things seemed really stressed, my father was constantly stressed. We were losing £10,000 a month and the bank had pulled all funding.

“So I took that as the opportunity to do things ourselves, like my grandfather would have done 70 odd years ago.”

The programme is available to view on iPlayer.