TWO brothers are giving up their farming tenancies after arriving on a Galloway estate, 50 years ago.

Alex and John Fergusson, 66 and 64, moved from Ayrshire with their parents on November 28, 1967, when they took up a tenancy on Ardwell Estate, near Stranraer.

Both brothers leave on Tuesday, November 28 and the estate has relet the two farms in much the same way they previously were, giving a golden opportunity for two young farmers from the local area, 27-year-old Adam Paxton and Alan Service, who is 30.

Alex and John originally moved with their parents, Willie and Barbara, into South Cairnweil, a dairy unit, and after some years, John moved into Cairnweil, a 140 acre set-up with a 76-head dairy herd, while Alex had moved into the neighbouring High Clachanmore with his wife, Marion, and in 1986, he was offered the farm of Ardwell Mains by the Brewis family, who own the estate.

"This was a fantastic opportunity for us, because Ardwell Mains was 250 acres, which was a lot more than what we had, and so it was the perfect chance for us, as tenants, to progress, which many tenants never get the chance to do," Alex explained.

Before moving into Ardwell Mains, Alex and his family had been rearing young cattle, but, at that point, they began milking a 110-strong herd of dairy cattle and both families produced for what is now known as First Milk, before then moving on to produce for the Caledonian Cheese company.

"In 1991, the Brewis family then offered me the tenancy at Auchleach, where I have lived until today and that was a great opportunity as it meant I then had 330 acres, and I was eventually able to increase the herd size to 160," explained John.

"Again, we were so grateful for this, as it allowed us to expand our business, which is not something you hear about often, where tenancies are concerned."

Being one of the first seven producers in Stranraer to make the move to Caledonian Cheese, the brothers discussed their decision to do so. "We just felt it would be a great move, because they could always guarantee that your price would never go extremely low, and they always paid around 1 or 1.5ppl more than Scottish Milk. We obviously got a lot of comments about it at the time, but that's pretty normal in these situations, so we didn't really worry too much about it," they explained.

When another tenant farmer retired from his farm in 2000, the two brothers acquired another 40 acres, taking them to a total of 650 acres, from their start on 140 acres.

Speaking about their positive relationship with their landlord, Chris Brewis, and the arrangement they have had with their tenancies, John added: "The tenancy started as a 10-year rolling contract and it has continued from there. Obviously there was a lot of trust involved, but there was never really a concern for us, as the Brewis family have always been great landlords."

In response, Mr Brewis added: "We strive to maintain a good relationship with our tenants as we live here and have a long-term commitment to them and the area and to creating employment. Alex and John have been excellent tenants and we are sad to see them go, but we are delighted to give an opportunity to two young farmers that they would not otherwise have."

"Our aim is for them to continue the tenancies and we can see a long future for them," added estate factor, Dougal Evans.

Adam will be taking up the tenancy at Auchleach (John's farm), and Alan will take over the tenancy at Ardwell Mains, and he also currently works for his family's contracting business but had always wanted to farm. He intends to continue dairying as part of his new tenancy.

Commenting on his new venture, he said: "I think it's fair that everyone gets a chance to farm and I am so pleased I am getting to take this tenancy on."

Although it is a wrench for the two brothers to leave their tenancies, they added: "Both boys are local and they are young, which is what we really wanted in the new tenants. They're both also close to our families, so it's nice knowing the farms aren't going to complete strangers and that we can come and visit any time we like, which will be great."

Alan, whose older brother Matthew and father, Charles, farm nearby, plans to rear young stock on his tenancy, and is looking forward to his new start. Asked if he has any concerns, he simply added: "I think as long as you pay your rent on time and work hard on the land, and do a good job, you shouldn't ever really have any problems with your landlord."

Considering the big change that awaits them on November 28, Alex and John concluded: "We know that now is the time to do it. We have had a great life here on the estate and the estate has treated us very well. When you consider problems tenants have experienced in other parts of the country we are two of the lucky ones."