Welsh sheep shearers certainly made their journey worth while by taking six of the possible sixteen finalist stands at South of Scotland Shears, held at the Barony College, Dumfries, at the weekend.
In the Autumn of 2011 I heard about a shepherding competition, with the fantastic prize of a trip to New Zealand! ..writes Gregor Ingram, NSA Young Shepherd of the Year 2011
Buying and running a farm at 23 years old is a young farmer’s dream – one that was reality for Ewen Macmillan, Lurg, Fintry. Seventeen years on he is a well respected Blackface Breeder, one of the leading lights, commanding impressive prices for both breeding males and females, in an industry, which is, by no means, the easiest to crack.
Farming in the National Park just above Keswick in the Lake District, Will Cockbain has seen many changes over the years. “There are less sheep on the hills due to Agri-enviromental Agreements. Initially the stock did better, but now sheep numbers are too low in some areas and vegetation is too long. Sheep are the losing the immunity to ticks and such like.
From the bottom, almost any direction is up. That's the outcome that wool industries around the world will be expecting from the Campaign for Wool, launched in late June by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.
Tourists and heavy rain drove the farming partners Brian Walling and his cousin Robert Hudson out of Cumbria sixteen years ago.
Matthew Simpson of Tardoes Farm, Kilmarnock, is one of the numerous Scottish farmers to exit the dairy industry in the past ten years.
The Scottish Shearing and Woolhandling Team, did the Nation proud at the World Championships in Wales last week. All three teams were placed and two individual shearers made their respective finals.
Malcolm and Marina Reid and their family moved to Scotland from Northern Ireland for better opportunities to genetically improve their Texel flock, be closer to the bigger and better markets and for drier climatic conditions.
From the purchase of a ewe lamb at the ‘Way To Wooler’ dispersal, over 30 years ago, the Firth flock of Bluefaced Leicesters run by the Hall family, has grown to become one of the best known flocks in the UK. The farms – Lilyburn and Upperfirth – are renowned for the quality of stock regularly produced.
