My name is Aidan Nicolson, I’m 27 years old and the current chairman of Harray YFC. I work as a telephone engineer in Orkney, predominantly working with the fibre network.

I have been a part of Harray Young Farmers Club for 12 years now, competing in a variety of competitions, both in Orkney and further afield! Up till winning Club of the Year, my favourite memory was winning the local YF Rally when I was chair.

What do you produce on your farm?

Our family farm, Nistaben in Harray has 85 breeding cows, and a flock of 120 breeding ewes. We have two small flocks of Texels and North Country Cheviots, and the remainder being Suffolk Mules which are used for embryo transfer work.

If you had to farm anywhere in mainland Scotland, where would it be?

Anywhere that’s warmer than here! I Probably Aberdeenshire if I had to pick somewhere else! It’s bonnie and you don’t have to get a boat to the mainland either!

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Did you expect to win Club of the Year?

I had no idea that it would be possible to win. We did start the year speaking about gearing our year towards working to apply, by documenting everything we did, and ensuring we put our all into everything we did, and to even get through North Area was a dream come true so you can imagine what winning National Club of the Year felt like. It’s a moment I’ll never forget, and definitely one of the highlights of my time within YF’s.

Which advantages and disadvantages do you see to farming on Orkney?

Farming on Orkney certainly has its disadvantages, the weather being a main one. There is also no abattoir in Orkney, so everything has to be shipped south, which adds expense in comparison to having a local one. The advantages to farming in Orkney would be that the land is fairly good, and the meat is held in high regard within the UK.

What is your favourite song to play in the tractor?

I’m not much of a tractor man, give me sheep over land work any day, although I don’t mind a bit of Taylor Swift!

Which event within YF are you most excited about each year?

Previously I would have said the annual YF rally in Orkney was the event I was most excited about each year, but after being heavily involved in training the junior speechmaking teams this year - alongside some wonderful helpers – I would say this is an event that I am excited to be involved in again! It’s great to see the members confidence growing week on week as they become more comfortable at public speaking.

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Who has been the biggest mentor within your club and why?

I wouldn’t say I have one specific mentor within the club, as there’s been loads of ex members within the club over the years that have been so supportive of our club events. This year Hazel Keveran and Avril Hay have given up countless hours of time to help with junior speechmaking, so they have been a massive help, but there are too many to name them all individually!

If you could invite any guest speaker to a YF event, who would it be and why?

Jeremy Clarkson for sure, I without a shadow of doubt believe he is passionate and has the future of farming in his mind, so it would be interesting to see what a straight talking comedian like him would have to say about it!

Which summertime job do you enjoy and dislike most?

Seeing as we have spent a lot of time doing silage pit coverings, it would be rude to say I enjoy anything more than covering a silage pit. Although I do also enjoy getting sheep ready and showing them at our local agricultural show! I must confess the thought of clipping sheep is probably what I dislike the most.

Briefly, what do you see for the future of farming on Orkney?     

Hopefully the future is bright for farming in Orkney, although there is a fair bit of uncertainty floating around at the minute, with the new farming policies being brought in, so time will tell!