Young Farmers from Caithness are preparing their entries for next week’s overwintering competition at Quoybrae Mart.
The annual event, organised by Aberdeen and Northern Marts, will take place on Monday, April 3 and is sponsored by local agricultural contractor AH Mackay, West Greenland.
Eight exhibitors are set to participate in this year’s competition featuring six heifers and six bullocks which will be judged by Bill Cameron, Burnside of Edingight, Grange, Keith.
The objective of the competition is to encourage Young Farmers to take part in the buying and selling of cattle through the live auction system and to practice the art of stockmanship in the tasks of selection, feeding, presenting and parading animals for show and sale.
Young farmers are offered the opportunity to purchase cattle at the autumn sales, feed them through the winter with a key part of the competition covering the commercial aspects of production in the feeders’ margin and daily liveweight gain categories.
The show takes place at 9am, with the sale taking place thereafter alongside 1,000 store cattle including 150 Aberdeen-Angus and native cattle.
Scott Chapman, auctioneer at Aberdeen and Northern Marts, said: “We are pleased to have the Young Farmers’ overwintering competition return to Quoybrae. It’s great to see the next generation continue to get involved in the art of stockmanship and buying and selling through the live auction ring.”
At last year’s event, the overall champion was awarded to a 493kg Limousin cross heifer from Sophie Gunn, Hill of Forss, who is a member of Bower Young Farmers Club.
She later sold for £1,770 to Backmuir Livestock, Keith.
The reserve champion was a 549kg Limousin cross bullock from James Gunn, Whitefield, which sold for £1,440 to the judge, Hugh Gordon, Clochnahill, Stonehaven.