A good turnout of farmers enjoyed a day out at AgriScot, held at Ingliston, on the outskirts of Edinburgh, yesterday. The centrepiece of the trade event is a competition for dairy cattle. The results were as follows:
AgriScot Super Cow: "Sahara Sanchez Abrosia" a senior Holstein from Mark Nutsford's Riverdane Holsteins herd, Ravenscroft Hall, Byley, Cheshire.
AgriScot Super Heifer: "Riverdane Brady Sharon" from the same home as the Super Cow..
Scotch Beef Farm of the Year: Bielgrange farm near Dunbar, run by Niall Jeffrey in partnership with his father Angus.
The Jeffrey family run two spring-calving herds over three farm units. The 300 hectare (ha) lowland Bielgrange farm and 240ha upland Weatherly farm run 250 Angus cross beef cows. The business also contract farms 160 Aberdeen Angus cross cows at Halls Farm.
Calves from both herds are wintered in an outside coral. They are then grazed from April to July before being housed from August to finish around 16-18 months.
Scottish Sheep Farm of the Year: Incheoch, near Alyth, run by husband and wife team Neil and Debbie McGowan in partnership with Neil's mother Judy, father Finlay and sister Clare.
Incheoch is a 485ha upland farm at the foot of Glenisla, running 1,100 Lleyn ewes on a low-cost sheep system in terms of capital and labour, along with a beef herd. The farm uses EID (electronic identification) and EBVs (estimated breeding values) to help produce "functional, efficient and robust breeding stock".
Scottish Dairy Farm of the Year: Laigh Tarbeg at Cumnock in East Ayrshire, which is owned and operated by Alistair and Hugh Watson and family who have embraced new technology and innovation.
Laigh Tarbeg uses robotic milking, feeders and shed scrapers to take the drudgery out of routine chores and free up valuable labour for more lucrative responsibilities while also helping to achieve a better work/life balance.
Scottish Arable Farm of the Year: Rhynie Farm in Easter Ross run by fifth generation farmer Donald Ross.
Rhynie is a mixed arable, beef and sheep unit that grows approximately 50ha winter wheat for animal/fish feed and distilling, another 50ha of spring barley for malting, with 22ha for oilseed rape and 17ha given over to spring oats for feed and milling.
AgriScot Business Skills competition: The £1,000 cash prize and a sponsored trip to the Nuffield Farming Conference was awarded to Craig Stout, a 3rd year Agriculture student at SRUC Edinburgh.
AgriScot Beef and Sheep Clamp Silage: Jamie McIntyre, Milton of Cullerlie, Aberdeenshire for his 1st June cut sample analysing at 30.5 Dry Matter (DM) and 11.6 Metabolisable Energy (ME) and a crude protein of 13 per cent.
Dairy Clamp Silage: J Kerr & Sons of Kirklands, Carnwath. Cut on the 18th May, the earliest cut of all finalists, it analysed at 37.5DM, 12.9ME and 14.9 per cent crude protein.
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