NEWTON Rigg's new sheep husbandry unit, is not just a lambing shed either, this new state of art building constructed by Robinsons Scotland, based in Lockerbie, boasts a rainwater collecting facility which is linked to the adjoining sheep dipper, which in turn drains down into an underground tank.

The next door covered silage pit has also been converted into a cutting edge handling system featuring three different races – for electronically shedding sheep, dozing and foot bathing.

Hill-sheep farming may seem old-fashioned, but bring in the electronic tags complete with combi-clamp, electronic scales and reader and you soon get the young ones to sit up to take notice. And, with all ewes recorded on their ease of lambing, milk, mothering ability, number of lambs born, sex and sire of the progeny, selecting the breeding potential of the next generation becomes a dawdle.

For example, the electronically computerised shedder can draw off the heaviest twin-born ewe lambs as replacements at any particular time, which in turn should help to improve long-term productivity. Or, if required, only single-born ewe lambs can be selected.

Similarly, lambs of a certain weight to be sold through the store ring can be drawn off at the same time as those ready to be cashed fat.

As a centre of knowledge transfer, a fully computerised mobile fank has also been purchased hence enabling all work away from the steading to include all dozing and vaccinating to be recorded and down loaded.

Back at the farm, the new steading also boasts a mobile sheep reader which sheep walk through when they leave the farm. This not only records the tag numbers for movement records, but the life history of each animal to include sex, weight, medicines received and parentage, etc …

The college, which was taken over by the York-based Askham Bryan College in 2011 with a £5m plus investment plan, has not only updated its hill sheep farming facilities, but also introduced a new equestrian centre with large seated gallery and modern, state of the art dairy unit. The initiative, which has also had some support from the Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership, has also allowed for general improvements to the college campus.

The rewards are not only there to see visually, but also on paper as student numbers having been increasing year on year, with more than 600 now studying agriculture or other forms of countryside management across Askham Bryan’s 11 centres in the North of England. And, more are expected in the years to come.

Commenting on the initial plans for the building former campus principal Wes Johnson, said last year: “Our vision is that Newton Rigg College will become the UK hub for training and education in lands land management and sheep husbandry which will not only benefit students but the UK hill farming industry as a whole.” By all accounts it should too …