Craig and Emma Scott attribute their success to teamwork, both within their family and the strong team they’ve built around them.
Growing with precision: How Craig Scott is building a stronghold for Ag Leader in Scotland
When Craig Scott launched his business in 2015, he didn’t yet envision the rapid evolution it would undergo. . . or that it would become a key player in bringing precision farming to Scotland. Today, as an Ag Leader distributor, Craig and his team are not only building a strong business, but they are also reshaping how growers across the region think about technology in the field.
CT Scott Ltd. was born out of a part-time venture. Craig, then a full-time mechanic at a local Fendt dealership, began hiring out small equipment on evenings and weekends. But in 2016, a new regulation from the Scottish government requiring sprayer inspections created an opportunity. Craig became certified to perform the checks and steadily built a growing customer base.
By August of that year, with a newborn daughter and a family farm to help manage, Craig made the leap to self-employment. “It just started to grow from there,” he says.
In the years that followed, CT Scott Ltd. expanded in both size and services. The company began servicing sprayers from Agrifac in 2017 and Bateman in 2018, built a workshop in 2019, and hired its first employee that same year. By 2020, the team had grown to include two more mechanics and Craig’s wife Emma officially joined the business.
Expansion continued steadily. In 2022, they opened a second yard in Angus, staffed by remote engineers. Two years later, the company added a new shed at their Insch headquarters that now houses offices, a parts department, and a farm country store. Most recently, the team has taken over a facility in Dundee, where they’re moving their Angus operations and adding staff–including a full-time parts department.
“Our main yard is in Isnch, Aberdeenshire,” Craig explains. “But with the Dundee location, we’ll now have nine mechanics and two full parts departments across Scotland. We’re positioned to cover almost the entire country.”
The Power of Specialization
Craig attributes much of the company’s growth to its focus on precision farming, particularly application technology.
“If you specialize in something, you can support it. And if you can support it, customers are more receptive. You’re not just selling something. You understand what it’s doing and why it matters,” he says.
And Craig speaks from firsthand experience. While running the business, he also manages 100 acres of cereals on his own farm. “I’ve drilled it, combined it, and sprayed it all myself using Ag Leader technology. I know the value because I live it,” he says.
Still, Craig is quick to point out that he’s not doing it alone. “Emma is a big driving force behind the business. We’ve built a great team. That’s been critical to our success,” Craig says.
Why Ag Leader? A Perfect Fit for Mixed Fleets
Craig was introduced to Ag Leader through his work with Agrifac and Bateman, where the technology was already in use. “It was a system I really liked and got to know well,” he says.
He noticed a shift in the market as some tractor dealers began pushing factory-integrated GPS solutions. But Craig saw Ag Leader as the ideal fit for farmers with mixed fleets.
“Up here, a grower might run a Claas combine, a Bateman sprayer, and a mix of tractors–Fendt, Claas, Case. They need one system that can tie all that together. Ag Leader is that system,” Craig says.
Products like AgFiniti have proven particularly valuable for Scottish growers managing variable rate seeding, spraying, and fertilizing. “The ability to easily send and receive data, even across multiple machines and brands, is where Ag Leader really shines,” he says.
And the platform’s compatibility with farm management tools like Gatekeeper and Omnia makes it a standout in the region. “We have customers pulling data directly from AgFiniti into their farm software. That level of integration is a game-changer,” Craig says.
Precision Farming in Scotland: Unique Challenges and Opportunities
While the image of Scotland may conjure rugged hills and grazing sheep, Craig is quick to clarify that the east coast is a hub for fertile farmland. “From the Borders up through Angus into Aberdeenshire and right to the top of Scotland, we have a huge number of vegetable and cereal growers. Malting barley is also a massive industry for the whisky sector,” he says.
The region’s dominant crops, cereals and potatoes, are a good match for Ag Leader’s data-driven capabilities. Though the market isn’t focused on row crop planting, the demand for guidance, connectivity, and data management is strong.
And new Ag Leader products like RightSpot® and RightPath™ have promising potential. “RightPath for cereal drills, in particular, could be fantastic here,” Craig notes.
For Craig, the value of precision agriculture goes far beyond making a sale.
“If a grower embraces technology but relies on several different systems, it’s a lot harder for them to achieve their goals,” he says. “When we’re able to show a grower that Ag Leader offers a complete, connected system, from driving the tractor to collecting data, it’s very satisfying. We back it with strong support. That combination is what delivers real results and keeps customers coming back.”
The Joy and Challenge of Being a Dealer
Ask Craig what he enjoys most, and his answer is simple. “Seeing a satisfied customer and watching our systems perform exactly as they should in the field, whether it’s a sprayer switching off in the right spot or a grain drill steering straight and true.”
But the role isn’t without its challenges. Competing with low-cost imports and factory-integrated GPS systems is an ongoing concern. “Some new tractors have guidance and headland features built in. It’s hard to compete when those features are native to the machine,” Craig says.
Accessing proprietary CAN data on some newer tractors can also be a hurdle. “There are workarounds, but they tend to be more expensive,” he adds.
Still, Craig sees opportunities for Ag Leader to evolve. “I’d love to see continued development in implement guidance and headland management, features that make operators’ lives easier and keep them loyal to the system,” he says.
A Simple Pitch: Easy to Use, Easy to Connect
At the end of the day, Craig’s pitch to growers is straightforward. “Simplicity and connectivity. That’s what sets Ag Leader apart,” he says.
It’s not just about tech specs or features. It’s about building systems that farmers can actually use, systems that make their operations smoother and more efficient.
From a side hustle with a mini digger to a growing precision ag enterprise covering Scotland, Craig has proven that with the right team, the right tools, and a shared vision for innovation, it’s possible to grow something truly impactful.
DEALERSHIP AT-A-GLANCE
Dealership: CT Scott Ltd.
Owners: Craig and Emma Scott
Locations: Insch and Dundee, Scotland
Website: ctscott.co.uk
