Finn Christie dominates Young Farmer Overwintering at Thainstone

Posted: March 29, 2024

The annual Young Farmers overwintering competition hosted by Aberdeen & Northern Marts in conjunction with the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs (SAYFC), and kindly sponsored by Ledingham Chalmers took place at Thainstone Centre, Inverurie on Friday the 29^th of March 2024.

The Calladrum Cup, which is won by collecting points for highest feeder margin, highest average daily liveweight gain, best presented and paraded animal and best quality animal, was presented to Amara Nairn, Upper Clashnoir Auchnarrow, Ballindalloch from Keith Young Farmers Club.

The competition now in its 32^nd year encourages young farmers to take part in the buying and selling of cattle through the live auction system and, in particular to practice the art of stockmanship in the tasks of selection, feeding, presenting and parading animals for Show and Sale. Young farmers took up 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 weight gain categories.

Derek Nelson from Mains of Lundie, Edzell judged the proceedings with and larger entry of 49 Young Farmers, including 10 novice exhibitors from across the North East of Scotland participating in the event, with 89 head of cattle forward.

Finn Christie, Newton of Balquhain, Pitcaple, Inverurie won the Best Quality Animal position with a British Blue cross heifer scaling 642Kg, which also took home the overall heifer prize. The best quality animal went on to sell for the top price of £4,000 to Miller Farms, North Lurg, Midmar, Inverurie.

The overall bullock was also awarded to Finn Christie for his Limousin Cross bullock weighing 570kgs, which sold for £2,120 to the Judge L Nelson, Mains of Lundie Farm, Edzell.

Overall Home Bred was awarded to a Charolais heifer weighing 666kgs from Harvey Stuart, Lettoch Farm, Braes of Glenlivet, Ballindalloch which went on to sell for £3,100 to J B Wilkie & Sons, Braigiewell, Echt, Westhill.

Graeme Rhind, Newton of Struthers, Kinloss won first place in the Best Presented and Paraded.

In the new format of being held over one day, the sale was held after the show and witnessed a strong trade, with a busy ringside of buyers. A second top price of £3,800 was achieved for a Limousin cross heifer scaling 474kgs from Finlay Hunter, West Cairnhill, Culsalmond selling to Miller Farms, North Lurg, Midmar, Inverurie.

A 522kg Limousin cross heifer from Amara Nairn, Upper Clashnoir Auchnarrow, Ballindalloch also sold to Miller Farms for £3,500.

Bruce Forbes, Little Kildrummie, Nairn sold his 470kgs British Blue cross heifer for £3,400, selling to J S Youngson, Westerton, Echt, Westhill.

A 558kg Limousin cross heifer from Jack Stuart, Lettoch Farm, Braes of Glenlivet which achieved £2,500, being purchased by Ian Grant, Seaview Cottage, Slattadale.

Molly Stuart, Lettoch Farm, Braes of Glenlivet sold two animals to K Milne, Meikle Rowater, Cornhill, Banff. The first was a 642kgs Limousin cross heifer selling for £2,400 and a the second was a 556kg Limousin cross heifer which achieved £2,300.

Keira Smith achieved £2,210 for her Limousin cross bullock scaling 682kg, which sold to A J Ingram.

A Limousin cross heifer weighing 512kg from Anna Wilson, Wester Cairnglass sold to J M Fraser & Sons, Easter Clune, Lethen, Nairn for £2,050.

Three animals cashed out at £2,000, the first was a 600kgs Limousin cross bullock from Ellie Milne, Meikle Rowater, Cornhill, Banff which sold to G M Barclay & Sons, Tullo of Garvock, Laurencekirk. The second was a Limousin cross heifer scaling 474kgs from Fergus Forbes, Little Kildrummie, Nairn, selling to Faye Wilkie, Braigiewell, Echt, Westhill and lastly, was a Limousin cross heifer weighing 524kgs which sold to E M Smith & Sons, Towiemore, Keith.

The sale saw 67 heifers sell to a top of £8.02 per kg and averaged £3.732ppkg, £1,841.11 average per head and 21 bullocks selling to a top of £3.78 per kg and averaging £3.278ppkg, and £1,769.52 per head and with an overall sale average £3.61ppkg £1,823.41 average per head was achieved.

PRIZE LIST:

Young Farmers – Show – Friday 29^th March

Judged by Derek Nelson from Mains of Lundie, Edzell

Class 1: Haltered Purchased Heifer

1^st Lot 3 – Melissa Buchan, Whyreema, Clinterty Farm, New Aberdour

2^nd Lot 6 – Molly Poyser, The Meadows, New Aberdour, Fraserburgh

3^rd Lot 5 – Craig Reid, 5 Blair Cottages, Ayltre, Forres

4^th Lot 4 – Marcus Stott, Larach, East Fiddie, Skene

Class 2: Haltered Purchased Bullocks

1^st Lot 8 – Jayne Mitchel, Ploverwards Farmhouse, Grange, Keith

2^nd Lot 12 – Natalie Milne, Meikle Rowater, Cornhill, Banff

3^rd Lot 9 – Faye Wilkie, Whitestone Farm, Westhill

4^th Lot 11 – Jasmin Strachan, Backhill of Camaloun, Auchterless, Turriff

Class 3: Haltered Purchased Heifers

1^st Lot 13 – Finlay Hunter, West Cairnhill, Culsalmond

2^nd Lot 16 – Hannah Lorimer, Howeford, Kingswells

3^rd Lot 14 – Kate Mitchel, Ploverwards Farmhouse, Grange, Keith

4^th Lot 18 – Sally Glennie, 4 Sunnyside Cottages, Leslie, Insch

Class 4: Haltered Purchased Bullocks

1^st Lot 23 – Finn Christie, Newton of Balquhain, Pitcaple, Inverurie

2^nd Lot 19 – Cameron Muir, Honeyneuk Farm, Maud

3^rd Lot 24 – Ellie Milne, Meikle Rowater, Cornhill, Banff

4^th Lot 25 – Keira Smith, Netherton, Whitehouse, Alford

Class 5: Haltered Purchased Heifers

1^st Lot 28 – Bruce Forbes, Little Kildrummie, Nairn

2^nd Lot 26 – Jenifer Hall, 6 Bruce Brae, Longside

3^rd Lot 30 – Hannah Lorimer, Howeford, Kingswells

4^th Lot 31 – Cameron Muir, Honeyneuk Farm, Maud, Aberdeenshire

Class 6: Haltered Purchased Heifers

1^st Lot 33 – Finlay Hunter, West Cairnhill, Culsalmond

2^nd Lot 32 – Fergus Forbes, Little Kildrummie, Nairn

3^rd Lot 37 – Molly Poyser, The Meadows, New Aberdour, Fraserburgh

4^th Lot 36 – Wilson Stott, Larach, East Fiddie, Skene

Class 7: Haltered Purchased Heifers

1^st Lot 41 – Thomas Hall, 6 Bruce Brae, Longside

2^nd Lot 39 – Anna Wilson, Wester Cairnglass, Ardersier

3^rd Lot 44 – Kyle Cruickshank, Clury Farm, Dulnain Bridge

4^th Lot 43 – Jayne Mitchell, Ploverwards Farmhouse, Grange, Keith

Class 8: Haltered Purchased Heifers

1^st Lot 50 – Finn Christie, Newton of Balquhain, Pitcaple, Inverurie

2^nd Lot 46 – Molly Stuart, Lettoch Farm, Braes of Glenlivet, Ballindalloch

3^rd Lot 49 – Owen Young, Nether Drumallochie, Glenkindie

4^th Lot 47 – Jack Stuart, Lettoch Farm, Braes of Glenlivet, Ballindalloch

Class 9: Homebred Bullocks

1^st – Lot 52 – Archie Milne, Kennieshillock Farm, Lhanbryde

2^nd – Lot 51 – Kerry Smith, Broomhill Farm, Dunecht, Westhill

Class 10: Homebred Heifers

1^st Lot 56 – Harvey Stuart, Lettoch Farm, Braes of Glenlivet, Ballindalloch

2^nd Lot 54 – Gregor Milne, Kennieshillock Farm, Lhanbryde

3^rd Lot 55 – Kyle Cruickshank, Clury Farm, Dulnain Bridge

4^th Lot 53 – Faye Wilkie, Whitestone Farm, Westhill

Homebred Championship:

Lot 56 – Harvey Stuart, Lettoch Farm, Braes of Glenlivet, Ballindalloch

Class 11: Unhaltered Purchased Bullocks

1^st Lot 62 – Keira Smith, Netherton, Whitehouse, Alford

2^nd Lot 59 – Cameron Muir, Honeyneuk Farm, Maud

3^rd Lot 61 – Blair Wilson, Drumachie, Clochan, Auchnagatt

4^th Lot 57 – James Strachan, New Mains, Glenkindie, Alford

Class 12: Unhaltered Purchased Heifers

1^st Lot 68 – Cameron Muir, Honeyneuk Farm, Maud

2^nd Lot 67 – Finlay Hunter, West Cairnhill, Culsalmond

3^rd Lot 65 – Craig Reid, 5 Blair Cottages, Ayltre, Forres

4^th Lot 64 – Alanah Gordon, Candacraig Home Farm, Strathdon, Aberdeenshire

Class 13: Unhaltered Purchased Heifers

1^st Lot 73 – Alanah Gordon, Candacraig Home Farm, Strathdon

2^nd Lot 71 – Ashleigh Auchrie, 5 Blair Cottages, Altyre, Forres

3^rd Lot 74 – Thomas Hall, 6 Bruce Brae, Longside

4^th Lot 72 – Katelyn Keir, Loanend, Glenkindie

Class 14: Unhaltered Purchased Heifers

1^st Lot 78 – Jenifer Hall, 6 Bruce Brae, Longside

2^nd Lot 82 – Cameron Gordon, Candacraig Home Farm, Strathdon, Aberdeenshire

3^rd Lot 76 – Katelyn Keir, Loanend, Glenkindie

4^th Lot 80 – Craig Frank, Rennieshill, Newmachar, Aberdeen

Class 15: Unhaltered Purchased Heifers

1^st Lot 86 – Finn Christie, Newton of Balquhain, Pitcaple, Inverurie

2^nd Lot 87 – Faith Miskelly, Corrybrae, Kildrummy, Alford

3^rd Lot 84 – Cameron Gordon, Candacraig Home Farm, Strathdon, Aberdeenshire

4^th Lot 83 – Lucy Gordon, Candacraig Home Farm, Strathdon, Aberdeenshire

Champion Bullock

Lot 23 – Finn Christie, Newton of Balquhain, Pitcaple, Inverurie

Champion Heifer

Lot 50 – Finn Christie, Newton of Balquhain, Pitcaple, Inverurie

Overall Champion

Lot 50 – Finn Christie, Newton of Balquhain, Pitcaple, Inverurie

Best Paraded and Presented:

Lot 20 – Graeme Rhind, Newton of Struthers, Kinloss

Young Farmers Overwintering Overall Competition Prizes

Calladrum Cup