The Final of SAYFC’s Young Farmer of the Year competition was held on Saturday 2nd November at SRUC’s Oatridge Campus and Farm. The 5 Finalists on the day were Beth Farmer (Kinross JAC), Vicky Haddow (Lesmahagow YFC), Robbie Levack (Forss YFC), Jack Young (Carluke YFC) and Stewart Shaw (Ednam JAC).
This final 5 were put through their paces during the day completing a variety of farming tasks and challenges that tested their knowledge, practical skills and ingenuity. This year the stages included:
Quad bike driving (overseen by ATV Services), tractor driving, securing a bale trailer, cattle husbandry and handling, soil sampling and a farm quiz.
Alongside these tasks, the contestants took it in turn to deliver their business plans which they have been working on for over a month with the help of advisors provided by Royal Bank of Scotland, Galbraith and Johnston Carmichael. The plans and this year’s scenario were based around ‘Fearn Farm’ near Invergordon by kind permission of John and Fiona Scott.
These were presented to competition judges Martin Rennie (Galbraith Group), Ellis Whyte (Cefetra) and Jen Stewart (Johnston Carmichael). With the final plan and presentation accounting for 50% of each contestant’s final score.
After all of the scores from the day’s tasks were totalled and the business plans added, amazingly only two points separated the top competitors. And we are happy to announce that the winner (by the smallest of margins) of the Sir John Campbell [Glenrath Farms] Trophy and the new Young Farmer of the Year 2024 is:
Jack Young of Carluke YFC!
After coming second in the competition in 2022, Jack was gunning for this year’s title. Excelling in the practical tasks and impressing judges with his ideas for diversification in his business plan.
“I’m delighted to have won the Young Farmer of the Year Competition on Saturday, it’s a privilege to have come out on top against 4 other really forward thinking, competitive peers within SAYFC. A proper competition with a tremendous prize of the Quad from ATV services being a great bonus and it will certainly be put to good use back at home on our farm.”
Our runners up on the day were Beth Farmer of Kinross JAC in second and Stewart Shaw of Ednam JAC in third. A huge congratulations to this top three and to all 5 finalists for making it to this last stage of competition. The aim of this competition is to provide finalists with the chance to learn new skills and begin to think about how they may plan for their own farming futures and it is the association’s hope that each of the competitors have taken away something positive from their involvement. Speaking on her experience with the business plan, runner up Beth wrote:
‘I am not a business planner, and I didn’t have a college plan for our farm that I could adapt, I haven’t been to agricultural college, but this exercise was the best thing I have done in Young Farmers’.
Alongside the coveted trophy and the title, winner Jack will also receive the competition’s grand prize bundle:
£1000 (provided by Royal Bank of Scotland),
A trip to the Oxford Farming Conference (provided by RHASS),
And the grand prize, a BRAND NEW, Can-Am OUTLANDER PRO T Quadbike (provided by ATV services)!
Speaking after the prize giving, ATV Services Scotland Ltd’s Director John Yuille had this to say about the competition:
” ATV Services have been involved with the Young Farmer of the Year Competition for 5 years now, and we are now in the third year of giving away an ATV quad for life. We are delighted to be involved with Young Farmers, they are our future. It is certainly an aim for us to encourage young people to get on in life and progress in the farming community.”
SAYFC would like to thank ATV Services, Galbraith, Royal Bank of Scotland, Cefetra, Johnston Carmichael, RHASS and all those that have helped in the running of this competition for their continued support and collaboration.
