IT'S HARD not to be inspired by the exuberance and insight of youth.

The doomsayers – an older generation akin to mine – have been saying for the past 30 years that the end is nigh for local shows. 'There's not the young people there anymore', so they said.

Well, after a jaunt around Scotland last weekend visiting two very different shows, I have to say that they (and maybe even me) got it wrong. I have never seen so much enthusiasm from the younger generation, especially in the young handler classes which some of the wiser shows have really bought into.

The fact that some of the product from that encouragement is now showing in the 'big' classes at these events, is testament to the case that 'if you show them, they will come ...' At Dumfries, last week, for instance, there were nearly 30 youngsters in the contest for young sheep handler – all dressed to the nines and with varying degrees of skill, but equal amounts of enthusiasm.

It is a gratifying scene that is enacted all throughout the show calendar and one which we should all 'buy into'. Is there a place here for a 'National' competition for young handlers?

Moving up the age scale a wee bit, we have in this week's issue some really heart-warming stories of rural youth and their vision of the future.

I commend the SAYFC View article written by Lizzie McJannet (page 14). It is quite uplifting to hear how a life in farming and a Young Farmer 'education' can help teachers influence the schoolchildren of today. Many decades ago, the backbone of the education system of this country benefited from the sagacity and work ethic of young men and women from rural areas. There is faint hope that it could do so again, but we should never underestimate the abilities of rural youth.

Lamb boost

Scotch Lamb got a much-needed boost this week with news of, for Scotland, a fairly substantial promotional budget aimed at making lamb a go to meal for families.

However, lamb faces an uphill battle for the hearts and minds of the Great British Public in the face of competition from cheaper protein sources, such as chicken, turkey and pork. That said, the timing of this could not have been better. By the time the campaign gets really going, there should be a narrowing of the gap between red meat and white meat prices.

That's because the latter relies heavily on a grain-based diet and so, with the price of grain and other vegetable proteins rising fast because of worldwide weather issues, then largely grass-finished lamb, Scotch of course, should become more competitive. And, it would probably help if more farmers ate it themselves!