Competitors from across the North gathered at Quoybrae Auction Mart on Saturday, October 12, for the SAYFC North Regional Agri Competitions Day, hosted by Aberdeen and Northern Marts.
The event featured participants competing in Prime Lamb Dressing and various Agri Skills challenges. The morning kicked off with eight teams competing in Agri Skills from West Aberdeenshire, Halkirk, Forss, and Bower.
Events included changing plough metal, judged by Graeme Sinclair from Gow Agri and James Gunn from Whitefield; fault finding in a tractor, kindly provided by R Henderson Mechanical and Welding Services; condition scoring ewes and grading lambs, assessed by Liam Gunn from CLB; and a finance and business quiz alongside silage pit measurement, expertly organised by Willie Budge from SAC.
The morning proved to be both enjoyable and educational, allowing members to gain valuable life skills through involvement.
In a tightly contested event, Bower A, consisting of Benjamin Rogers, Ben Mackinnon, and Ryan Cormack, emerged victorious with a score of 49 out of a possible 60. Following closely were Halkirk A - made up of Liam Mackenzie, Scott Cormack, and Murray Mackenzie - and Bower B, including Jak Murray, William Campbell, and Lauren Oag, both teams scoring 45 points.
In the afternoon, the North Prime Lamb Dressing featured eight junior teams from Keith and District, Bower, Forss, and Halkirk, alongside five senior teams from Forss, Halkirk, West Aberdeenshire, Bower, and Keith and District.
Judges Michael Gunn and Gemma Duguid remarked: "We were really impressed with the number of Junior entries and the effort all teams put in. There were some very well-turned-out lambs on the day.”
Andrew Swanson from Quarryside generously provided the prime lambs for the competition, as well as the ewes and lambs for the Agri Skills events.
In the junior category, Forss members James and Bethany Swanson secured the top spot with a creditable score of 88 out of 100. Second place went to Halkirk members Ross Campbell and Erin McGuire, with 75.5 points, while third place was secured by Halkirk members Abbie Dunnet and Grace Nicolson with 60 points.
In the senior category, Bower members Jak Murray and Lauren Oag took first place with 75 points, followed by the West Aberdeenshire team of Sally Glennie and Callum Simpson with 64 points, and Halkirk's Morven Mackenzie and Murray Mackenzie in third with 60 points. The Best Overall award was given to James and Bethany Swanson from Forss.
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On Sunday, the Agri and Rural Affairs committee hosted a farm tour of Greenland Mains, with kind permission from the Pottinger family. The event attracted a strong turnout, providing members with valuable information and insights.
North Regional chairperson Euan Bremner remarked: " We had a really successful weekend in Caithness for our Agri Weekend.
“Well done to all the teams who competed in the Agri Skills and Lamb Dressing on Saturday with some excellent Hawaiian Shirts on show at night. Thank you to the Agri and Rural Affairs committee for organising a very informative farm tour at Greenland Mains on Sunday.”
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