David vying for title of young farmer of the year

David Comrie faces west coast rivals as he competes to be named young farmer of the year

Every young farmer on the east coast will be turning out in support of Bankfoot JAC member David Comrie in the finals of the inaugural young farmer of the year competition at the Royal Highland Show.

David, who farms alongside his father Charles at Drummie Farm, Fowlis Wester, Crieff, is the sole east coast finalist and will battle it out against Andrew Neilson of Avondale YFC, David Mitchell of Biggar YFC, Douglas Frame and Scott Bourman of Carluke YFC and Crossroads YFC member Robert Campbell.

While he had to be pushed to agree to take part in the early rounds, he is now keen to win for the region, regardless of the generous prizes of £1,000, a quad bike for a year and a trip to the Oxford Farming Conference.

“The pressure is on as all the other finalists are from the west,” he said.

“The closer it gets the more I’m going out of my way to read up and prepare for the last stage.”

Early rounds saw contestants tested in their knowledge of arable, dairy, beef and sheep, machinery and business.

He is now focusing on the final round which includes devising a business plan for a theoretical farm, competing in an on-stage quiz and driving an ATV.

“We don’t have a quad on the farm so I’m visiting neighbouring farms and learning how not to take out too many traffic cones,” he said.

“I wasn’t the most graceful quad driver in the early rounds.”

The Comrie family are now in their seventh generation at Drummie where they run a mixed farm with 500 acres of cropping from malting spring barley, winter wheat, winter oats and vining peas.

Alongside the arable, the family have 320 Texel Cross ewes which they put to Texel and Suffolk tups as well as 60 Cheviot ewes which are used to breed replacements.

They also buy in store lambs to finish off forage rape alongside their own lambs and 80 store cattle for finishing.

David graduated from Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) with a degree in agriculture in 2014 before travelling to New Zealand to work on two silage seasons followed by six months working on a large contract farm in Nottinghamshire.

The closer it gets the more I’m going out of my way to read up and prepare for the last stage. DAVID COMRIE

Mr Comrie farms alongside his father Charles at Drummie Farm, Fowlis Wester.