An Aberdeenshire farming couple behind one of Scotland’s emerging livestock technology businesses are preparing to take their agritech innovation to one of the most high-profile farm venues in the UK.
Jilly Duncan Grant and Murdoch Duncan, the husband-and-wife team behind Oyne-based Herd Advance, are heading to Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm in Oxfordshire for Cereals 2026, where their technology will be showcased to farmers and industry visitors from across the country.
Taking place on 10-11 June, this year’s Cereals event is expected to bring together around 550 exhibitors and 25,000 visitors, with the event open to farmers and associated trade professionals. Hosted at Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm, the show is set to combine its established arable focus with a wider spotlight on machinery, innovation, crop demonstrations and livestock technology.
For Herd Advance, the event represents a major platform for a business built from practical farming experience in the north east of Scotland.
The company develops digital and hardware-based systems designed to help cattle farmers improve herd performance, animal welfare, labour efficiency and environmental sustainability. Its core technology, Stockman, is described as an all-in-one real-time precision performance and health monitoring system, with integrated remote drafting and livestock selection.
The system brings together automated weighing, sensor technology and data-driven software, allowing farmers to monitor herd performance through a mobile app. According to Herd Advance, Stockman can capture data including weight, water intake and temperature around the clock, helping farmers spot health, stress and performance issues earlier, while reducing the need for handling.
The technology is designed for both suckler and finisher units and can be used by farms of different sizes. Herd Advance says its modular system supports more efficient herd management by giving producers better visibility of growth rates, welfare indicators and market readiness.
Jilly Duncan Grant, co-founder and chief executive of Herd Advance, has a background in agriculture, oil and gas and offshore wind, and is also a board member of Quality Meat Scotland. Murdoch Duncan, co-founder and chief operating officer, has more than 25 years’ experience in agriculture and manages the family beef and arable farm in Aberdeenshire.
Their appearance at Cereals comes as livestock technology continues to move up the agenda for UK farming, with producers under pressure to improve productivity, reduce emissions, tackle labour challenges and provide stronger evidence of animal health and welfare standards.
While Diddly Squat Farm may bring celebrity pulling power, the presence of businesses such as Herd Advance underlines a more serious message: the future of farming will increasingly depend on practical, farmer-led technology that turns live data into better decisions on the ground.
For an Aberdeenshire business born out of beef farming realities, Cereals 2026 offers a national stage — and a chance to show that the next generation of agritech is not just being imagined in laboratories, but built on working farms.
