Sharing the ups and downs of farming life among her thousands of followers on social media has helped young farmer Nicola Wordie scoop a prestigious Royal Northern Agricultural Society (RNAS) award.
Nicola, 24, farms at Cairnborrow, near Huntly.
The beef cattle and sheep enterprise has been run by her family for more than 70 years.
During the summer Nicola also works as a wool handler, rolling the fleeces alongside her partner, David, who runs a shearing business.
Nicola will be honoured on Friday
RNAS’s 35 years and under award, sponsored by Scotland’s Rural College (SRC), will be presented to her on Friday. It recognises someone who has shown significant achievement and contribution to agriculture.
Nicola is a former pupil of St Margaret’s School for Girls, in Aberdeen.
She helped out on the school’s stand at Turriff Show earlier this year.
Her educational background also includes an HND in Agriculture at SRUC Craibstone.
Nicola’s TV appearances
In 2021 she reached the finals of the BBC Countryfile Young Countryside Champion competition. She has also featured in episodes of BBC TV’s Countryfile and Landward.
Among her many achievements, the RNAS/SRC award recognises her “high level of stockmanship”.
It also honours her commitment to promoting the industry, including via her large social media following.
Citation papers nominating her for the award said she is “always seeking to better an exemplary mixed farming business”.
She does so by “trialling new practices and products, and trying to improve the efficiency in which tasks can be carried out”.
The same document goes on to describe her as a “willing, friendly and approachable host for SRUC events”.
Voluntary work
And it hails her commitment to volunteering with the Royal Northern Countryside Intitiative (RNCI). She is now a director with the RNCI, a charity providing free farm visits, classroom speakers and demonstrations for schools throughout the north-east.
Nicola is also involved in brand collaborations and schemes such as the BBC Food and Farming Awards.
Nicola boasts more than 18,000 Instagram followers
And she keeps her huge following, with more than 18,000 people on Instagram alone at @livestock_farmher, updated on the good and bad experiences of her daily farming life.
She gives hints and tips to other farmers and also uses her large social media presence to help promote industry campaigns such as Quality Meat Scotland’s Love Lamb Week.
A colleague of Nicola’s said: “Owing to the above activities, life does not allow much time for activities other than farming or related activities.
“But, like so many in the farming community, Nicola enjoys attending local shows and the odd short break where possible – documenting this with her social media followers to demonstrate it is okay to have a day off the farm.
“Nicola has almost 10 years’ scope in the age range for this award.
“It is heartening to think of the future impact which could be made by this individual over the next 10 years.”
Taking after her parents, George and Margo, Nicola Wordie is an extremely hard-working, dedicated farmer.”
Another colleague said: “They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and that is definitely the case at Cairnborrow Farm.
“Taking after her parents, George and Margo, Nicola Wordie is an extremely hard-working, dedicated farmer.
“She is a champion for Scottish farming and for women in agriculture.”
Tickets for Friday’s RNAS Awards lunch, which runs from noon to 5pm at the Leonardo Inn Hotel, near Aberdeen International Airport, are available at tickets.mas.org.uk/events
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