Scott Anderson, current Ayrshire chairman and past Crossroads vice-chairman.

Q. How long have you been a member?

A. 11 years, as of last Monday.

Q. What do you do outside of Young Farmers?

A. I’m a sales rep with Carr’s Billington and also work at home on the beef and sheep farm at Oldwalls, Galston.

Q. How do you think YF has evolved since you joined?

A. In some respects, a lot has changed, but in others, not so much. I think the association has moved with the times, and one big difference I’ve noticed is the amount of opportunity available through increased international travel. Reflecting on my own experience, Fiona Cuthbertson, David Smith, Andrew Taylor, and I – all from Crossroads YFC –visited Canada in 2022 to attend the Canadian Young Speakers for Agriculture competition, following our success at SAYFC’s senior speechmaking competition. I went on to win the competition in Canada.

Q. What has been your favourite club activity so far this year?

A. Definitely ‘Blind Drop’. It involved a meeting where members were dropped off a few miles away without their phones, and they then had to trek across fields and roads to get back.

Q. Do you think more young folk from the town are getting involved with YF events?

A. Definitely. Crossroads YFC is one of the biggest clubs in Scotland, and a large percentage of our members aren’t from farming backgrounds.

MORE NEWS | Camaraderie, concerts, and competition success for Crossroads YFC

Q. What are the key qualities you think every YF should have?

A. A competitive spirit and an inner drive to get everything out of YF that you can.

Q. What do you think is the biggest misconception about YF clubs?

A. A lot of people from towns think we are old-fashioned, yet YF offers opportunities that people would never get elsewhere.

Q. How would you like to see YF evolve over the next decade?

A. I would like to see YF continue to move with the times, keeping competitions like speechmaking and stock judging relevant without losing tradition.

Q. If you could change one thing about the agricultural industry, what would it be?

A. I see it in my job a lot – young people are struggling to get a farm. I think succession planning plays a big part in this, ensuring young people are involved early on so that farms don’t go downhill.