The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Couple with the winning touch
Nestled along the bank of the River Deveron at Denhead of Dunglas, the renowned Deveron Aberdeen-Angus herd of Hamish and Margaret Sclater was established in 1995.
That same year the couple began exhibiting at the Turriff Show and Hamish proudly says they have never missed a show since.
“Every exhibitor in the north-east wants to win at Turriff,” said Hamish, who is a committee member at the show.
“The show is in the heart of north-east Scotland, from where the Aberdeen-Angus breed originates and there has always been the highest standard of stock to compete against.”
To establish their herd, Hamish and Margaret bought in several bloodlines and one of the first animals they took along to the show in 1995 was a yearling heifer from the Lady family which still has a strong bloodline in the herd today.
Explaining why shows are so important, Hamish said: “Showing calves is a real passion of ours and Turriff Show gives us an idea of how things might go later in the year at calf shows and bull sales.
“If we do well at Turriff, quite often those animals will continue to do well in the show and sale ring for the rest of the year.”
And success is something that Hamish and Margaret have had plenty of, winning 22 championships at the Black Beauty Bonanza to date and numerous tickets at society bull sales including the intermediate champion title at the famous Stirling Bull Sales in February.
Hamish said: “We have had many highlights in the last 23 years including a number of home-bred bulls being sold for five figures, but a special moment for us was when we won four out of the five championships at the Black Beauty Bonanza – the only class we didn’t win was one that we didn’t have an entry in for.”
Margaret added: “We have had our fair share of success at Turriff too. At the most recent championship in 2017 we won with Deveron Memphis Boy.”
Looking to the future, Hamish said: “Although both our children have moved away from farming, I feel very passionate about giving young people a chance, not only within the Aberdeen Angus breed but in the wider industry.”
The couple have a Limited Duration Tenancy (LDT) that ends in 2027, so they admit that, with neither of their children wanting to take on the farm, they’re looking to the future beyond the farm and already planning things to do in their retirement.
However, for now, nothing’s winding down at Denhead and the team is looking forward to exhibiting for the 24th year at Turriff, with two entries in the Aberdeen-Angus Cattle section. They will be trying to impress judge Alex Sanger, who runs the Rosemount herd near Montrose and is a past president of the Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Society.
“We have had many highlights in the last 23 years including a number of home-bred bulls being sold for five figures”