Salver joy for Strath livestock champion
Sandy honoured for work with blackface sheep breed
A retired Crieff farmer is this year’s recipient of the prestigious Connachan Salver.
The coveted award is presented each year by the Blackface Sheep Breeders’ Association (BSBA) to someone who has made an outstanding contribution to the breed.
Sandy Patterson began working as a shepherd when he left school in 1960 aged 15, when he took up the role at Remony on the south side of Loch Tay – where his father was grieve.
It was there that he became interested in breeding and showing Blackface sheep.
In 1966 he went to work for the late Neil McCall Smith at Connachan, just outside Gilmerton, where he shepherded for the best part of 30 years.
Mary McCall Smith, who still farms there, said: “Sandy is a truly dedicated stockman – he has made a great contribution to the breed, with many of the top flocks being influenced by sheep Sandy bred. He understands precisely what is required of a true hill animal.”
Some of his highlights while at Connachan were selling Highland Glen
for £28,000, Highland Fling for £11,000 and Beadie for £10,000 in 1986 and, in 1992, Here Goes sold for £34,000.
In 1993, Connachan topped the market for cast ewes in Stirling – selling 51 for £255 per head.
In 1995 Sandy went to contract farm 1000 ewes at Fendoch for Abercairney Estate and also rented Auchloy, where he ran 120 ewes of his own with his son Tommy.
He was extremely proud when in 2008 he sold a lamb off Auchloy for £32,000.
Sandy went into semi-retirement in 2010, keeping 40 ewes of his own and, in
2014, received £38,000 for a lamb at the November sale in Lanark.
He is also a top judge, looking over the breed at shows around the country, and he was the first person to judge the national Blackface Show – south type – in Northern Ireland in 2015.
Sandy, who was 77 on Wednesday this week, said the accolade was actually the highlight of his working life.
He told the Herald: “I am very honoured to have been offered this award. I never expected it, and I was very surprised. It was the last thing that was on my mind.”
And Sandy has been delighted to see all
the messages coming in from wellwishers on the back of his award.
He added: “It’s been great to get all the acknowledgments and messages on the Blackface Sheep Breeders Association website. The Blackface sheep breeders are a great bunch of people.”
In announcing the award, Sandy Smith, vice-president of the BSBA said: “Sandy took great enjoyment and pride in his work with Blackface sheep and always stuck to his type and own beliefs.
“Never a man to shout about his achievements, he selflessly gave advice to anyone that asked.”