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Shetland monitor farm details unveiled

Kirsty and Aimee Budge
Kirsty and Aimee Budge

A mixed island farm run by two sisters is among the line-up of nine new monitor farms being established in Scotland.

Bigton Farm, which is run by Kirsty and Aimee Budge, has been named as the new monitor farm for the Shetland region.

The sisters, who are aged 23 and 19 respectively, said they were keen to raise awareness of the importance of farming on Shetland and the role of women in agriculture.

Their family has farmed at Bigton, located on the west side of the Shetland South Mainland, since 1860. They were initially tenants before the sisters’ great grandfather bought the farm in 1950. The also own nearby Toab Farm, with the two farms being run side by side.

Kirsty works as a teacher on the island as well as running the farm, while Aimee is in the final year of an HND in agriculture at SRUC’s Craibstone campus in Aberdeen. The duo took on the day to day running of the business in 2014.

In total, they farm just over 740 acres of mainly permanent pasture and intensive grassland.

They keep 240 Shetland cross Cheviot ewes, which are put to a Suffolk tup, and all lambs are either finished or sold as stores at Thainstone in December.

The sisters also run a herd of 70 spring-calving Saler cross Shorthorn suckler cows, which are either put to a Charolais or Shorthorn bull, with the exception of heifers which go to a Saler bull. Most stores are sold a local markets at 12-months-old, however some are finished and sold to local butchers.

The farm also grows a small amount of spring barley and 60 tonnes was harvested this year and kept to feed to livestock.

Aimee said her and Kirsty hoped by being monitor farmers they could develop their business and businesses of other farmers and crofters on Shetland.

She said: “Farming on Shetland has some unique challenges – a short growing season means that cattle on the island are usually housed for longer, increasing feed costs. The weather, especially the high winds, can also be a challenge, and transport costs for animals, feed and other supplies are also much higher compared with most farms on the mainland.

“While there are certainly challenges, there are also a lot of positives. Shetland is a beautiful place to live and work and has a wonderful farming community. People here are incredibly friendly and supportive and we really hope that the local farmers will get involved and make the project successful.”

The three-year monitor farms programme is being run by Quality Meat Scotland and AHDB Cereals and Oilseeds. Funded by a £1.25million grant from the Scottish Government, it will operate nine farms in the following areas: Nithsdale; Scottish Borders; North Ayrshire; Lothians; Mearns and Angus; Lochaber; Moray; Sutherland and Shetland.