Brothers William and David Moir have been keen stockmen and tractor enthusiasts from a young age.
They are well-known on the agricultural show circuit, often winning top prizes for their well-turned out stock.
They hail from Home Farm at Cairness, Fraserburgh, where they farm 2,000 acres across three units – Home Farm, Old Rattray and New Mill of Rathen – with their parents John and Gillian and grandfather Willie.
The Moir family has been farming the same land in the north-east of Scotland for 80 years.
The main farming enterprise is run as an organic unit, and William, 19, and David, 18, run
New Mill of Rathen by themselves on a conventional system.
“We have both been very keen with working amongst breeding stock from a young age; we have not seen anything else,” said William, who is more involved with the cattle side of the business, while his brother David is especially keen on sheep.
“There are fewer people interested in bringing out stock but we find the livestock job very rewarding and we both have the bug when it comes to showing and bringing out stock.”
The family runs 180 Limousin cross and Aberdeen-Angus cross suckler cows, which are crossed with Limousin and British Blue bulls, as well as 200 grazing cattle.
There are also 1,000 Continental and Mule ewes, and two small flocks of pedigree Suffolk and Texel sheep. The Continentals are crossed with Beltex and Texel rams, while the Mules are crossed with Suffolk and Texel tups.
The arable enterprise comprises 250 acres of cropping including organic malting and feeding barley, organic oats for milling and organic wheat for use as poultry feed.
Gillian says although the brothers have their specific interests, they both work well together on the farm.
She said in addition to work on the family farm, both youngsters do a lot of self-employed work with neighbouring farmers. This includes well-known Suffolk breeder Jimmy Douglas, who David helps through the busy sales periods.
She said: “David has been helping Jimmy since he’s been able to jump over the dyke.”
The two youngsters say they are very thankful to their parents for the opportunities and support they have been given.
William said: “There’s no doubt in any industry that young lads coming into the game will find it difficult and very testing to begin with.
“We have been brought up on a very commercial set-up enterprise with our parents having very little knowledge or interest when it came to the showing game, but we were luck that they gave us every opportunity to try and do our best at whatever we were interested in.”
David adds: “Over the past few years we’ve worked away and it’s definitely had its ups and downs but it’s always been rewarding and I think that’s why we are more and more dedicated to giving it our all.”
The brothers’ passion for the industry and drive to succeed resulted in them securing their own seasonal grazing let at New Mill of Rathen. They purchased 200 grazers during the spring and several hundred ewes with lambs at foot to put on the ground.
William said: “There is definitely not an easy way around starting up your own place.
“We felt the Scottish Government need to have a better system for young farmers coming into the job as we were met with far too many challenges and the start up process was extremely frustrating. It’s no wonder young farmers don’t come into the agricultural sector.”
Despite the challenges, the brothers say there are plenty opportunities for youngsters in farming.
William said: “With new technologies always coming to the forefront and fewer people interested, there will surely be some benefits for the guys that stick it out.
“We can only hope the fat cattle, lamb and cereal prices, that look to be better on the year, will stay with us and the fine spell of weather we had in the spring into June will come back to us. We have had our fair share of the rain.”
So what’s in store for the Moir brothers in the years ahead and what advice do they have for other farming families with youngsters coming up through the ranks?
William said: “In the future we would like to keep increasing our numbers with both of us being home now.
“We would like to handle a bit more stock and we have thought about having a pedigree herd of cattle but are reluctant to choose a breed. With so many people in the game, it is a very crowded market just now.”
David added: “In the sheep side of things we would liken to up our numbers of pure ewes perhaps, and run larger pedigree flocks.
“We would also like to breed recipients of both heifers and glimmers for the pedigree embryo market with good milky big-framed females that are produced to a very high-health standard to suit the pedigree job.”
The duo would also like to convert their seasonal grazing let, if possible, to organic to cash in on the current organic premium.
And the key to a successful family farming arrangement?
William said: “Harmony amongst us all is key. You all have to get on and be very cooperative.
“It’s very important that everybody knows what everybody else is doing as routine is important across the three units.
“We regularly sit down as a family and discuss financial business and forward planning. On most occasions someone isn’t happy but it’s best to air your opinions and move forward when you come to your conclusion.”