The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Top beef and sheep finalists revealed
Farmers in Fife, Aberdeenshire and Stranraer have been revealed as the finalists in the Agriscot Beef Farm of the Year competition.
They are Douglas Christie, of Durie Farms, Fife; James, Irene and Gillian Fowlie from Adziel in Aberdeenshire; and Daniel and Lamont Hair of Drumbreddan Farm in Galloway.
Mr Christie runs a predominantly grass-fed system for his 104 cows on 198ha near Leven, which has been certified organic since 2006.
The Fowlies at Strichen finish 500 cattle which are mostly Aberdeen-angus.
They also run pedigree Suffolk ewes and followers.
And Lamont and Daniel Hair have a herd of 360 cows including Angus, Limousin, Hereford and Belgian Blues on 1,320 acres.
Meanwhile, the finalists in the top sheep farm
competition are Peter Hedley, Swinside Townfoot, Jedburgh; farm manager Peter Eccles and flock manager Owen Gray of Saughland Farm at Pathhead; and Robert and Becca Rennie, Attonburn Farm, Yetholm.
At Saughland Farm, Peter Eccles and Owen Gray run a 325ha mixed upland livestock and arable unit with 1,550 breeding ewes and gimmers and a further 450 homebred ewe lambs.
The flock breed is a “maternal composite” which has been derived from crossing Aberfield, Romney and Cheviot genetics.
A new Saughland flock of pedigree Suffolks was established in 2020.
All ewes are lambed inside as part of the high input/high output and breeding recording systems.
At Swinside Townfoot, Peter Hedley keeps 1,000
North Country Cheviot park ewes on 423 acres which are owned, and an additional 250 acres on a grazing agreement. All sheep are run in a closed flock, other than buying in Cheviot and Blue Faced Leicester stock tups.
Becca and Robert Rennie run 2,100 Cheviot ewes, 350 Romney ewes, 70 Texel ewes and 100 head of cattle on 2,500 acres which rise to a height of 1,847ft. All the ewes are lambed inside as part of their high input/ high output and breeding recording systems.
Agriscot chairman Robert Neill said: “It is important that Agriscot showcases and rewards quality beef and sheep production in Scotland and celebrates the people behind it, and we are delighted to recognise these finalists.”
Agriscot has been cancelled, but an awards ceremony will be streamed live on the event website on February 9.