An Ayrshire dairy farm has been selected to join the first working group in Scotland's new Rural Innovation Support Service (RISS).

RISS, part of the Scottish Rural Network and led by Soil Association Scotland, will provide farmers, foresters and crofters with a collaborative way to explore their business ideas.

Glenapp Estate in Girvan has joined Dourie Farm and Kirvennie Farm to work together on the project that was launched on Friday.

The group are looking to combine herd data with genetic testing and affordable embryo transfer with the aim of speeding up cattle breeding.

Rory Christie of Dourie Farm said: "At the moment my farm, and dairy production in Scotland in general, struggles to be profitable enough to survive.

"But if I could speed up breeding, I would increase my annual milk volume per cow by 1000 litres - that's £200,000 extra income per year on my farm."

Farming and land use manager at Soil Association Scotland, David Michie, said: "Some of the best ideas in farming come from farmers themselves.

"RISS will enable farmers, foresters and crofters to figure out how to make their ideas work for their business.

"Our partnership will reach across Scotland and along the supply chain - getting the right people together to enable innovation."