Stockmanship and a real ‘kenning ability’ for stock are rare qualities in youngsters and more so now when many are lured away by the big bucks and weekends off in other professions.

However, you don't have to look too far to find it in the Blue world, as it's a natural talent and a keen eye for crossing-type Bluefaced Leicesters and indeed Scotch Mules that keeps young Jamie Pirie at home.

At the age of just 21, Jamie has not only become a well-known face at local and national agricultural shows, either judging or showing, his Blarnavaid Blue flock from Drymen, regularly produces some of the top winners.

No stranger to the championship trophies at his local Drymen Show, Blarnavaid has scooped the breed title in an amazing nine out of the past 10 years, and regularly wins some of the lead awards at Gargunnock.

Further afield, Jamie also scooped the male championship and reserve male honours at the Royal Highland Show last year with a Blarnavaid tup lamb and the part-owned ram, Midlock Knightrider, respectively. There were more celebrations to come on the Sunday at Ingliston too, as his male champion teamed up with the female from the Thornborrows, Easter Dawyck, to win the inter-breed sheep pairs.

Blarnavaid a 290-acre unit owned by Jamie's parents, John and Marie Pirie, who buy in 100 or so draft Blackface ewes every year to tup to the Blue, has also picked up several Scotch Mule championship wins at Drymen and Gargunnock Shows.

But it's not just about showing or in fact judging – from the age of 17, Jamie has put the breed through its paces at various events to include Abington, Plumbridge in Northern Ireland, Kinross, Braco shows and Peebles. Blarnavaid Blues are also coming up with the goods in the market place, having produced last year’s centre record priced ram, a shearling at £5500, through United Auctions, Stirling, along with numerous other four-figure priced tup lambs sold at various centres.

Last year was in fact Jamie's first year selling at United Auctions' sale and at Hawes, and it's one he'll never forget as not only did he produce a new centre record, his 12 shearlings sold that day averaged £1400. Add to that a new venture in the sale ring at Hawes which saw prices of £7500, £5500 and £1200 and the sale at Carlisle which saw five Blarnavaid lambs level at £2300 and it was a good year for all concerned.

Not feirt to spend a pound or two either, the youngster and fellow breeder, Andrew Campbell of the Drumsynie flock from Lochgoilhead, bought the new record priced Bluefaced Leicester ram, a Midlock lamb, at Hawes last year, at £37,000, with his remaining cash going towards a new sheep shed at Blarnavaid.

His dedication and enthusiasm for Blues stretches well over 10 years too, having received two crossing-type in-lamb Blue gimmers for his Christmas some 12/13 years ago. These had been bought privately from Derek and the late Douglas Hall’s Firth flock from Penicuik, and were the first of many.

Another two were purchased the following year from Firth, and a further five, selected by Jamie himself, were bought privately the next year as ewe hoggs. Notably, it is these females which remain the backbone of the flock.

“When I was younger all I wanted to do was prepare sheep for shows and sales, with the help of Alex Steadman. Bluefaced Leicesters are great sheep to work with as they are so easy to handle," said Jamie.

“They’re also great mothers being easy lambed and they have plenty of milk. They’re really motherly and although they do produce a lot of lambs – we’ve had up to five live lambs from one ewe – they will easily rear two.”

While home-bred daughters and grand-daughters of the initial Firth sheep remain some of the best breeding females in the 30-ewe Blarnavaid flock, Jamie has also forked out big money at Carlisle, Hawes and privately for in-lamb gimmers and ewe hoggs. These include individuals from the Kirkby Redgate, Midlock, Shafthill and Cottage flocks of which all have made their mark.

It was nevertheless Firth-bred stock rams bought at the Kelso Ram Sales and at Carlisle, along with huge encouragement and those all important tips of the trade from their breeders, Douglas and Derek Hall, which really set Jamie up.

The first of those was the B3 Firth, bought in 2010 for £7000, whose first progeny sold to £1200 as tup lambs at Stirling, while his shearling sons regularly came under hammer for £700-£800plus.

Later a D2 Firth, acquired at Carlisle as a lamb for £9000, produced ram lambs to £3000 and £2200 at Castle Douglas, with the latter having bred tup lamb sons to £9500 for Alex Brown, Macqueston, at Castle Douglas.

An £11,000 Firth bought at Hawes, also came up with the goods with sons to £4000.

More recently, it has been the £15,000 Midlock Knightrider bought at Hawes in 2015 in partnership with Andrew Campbell and the £13,000 Highberries Hotspot, also bought with the young Mr Campbell in 2016, at Cockermouth, that have led the way.

Jamie added: “I’ve always looked for sheep with size and power and for sheep with good skins and mouths. Crossing Bluefaced Leicesters have to have really good modern colours these days too.”

A real ‘kenner,’ his choice of stock rams have all paid their way too, with all being good Scotch Mule breeders into the bargain.

“Stock tups here have to do both jobs,” said Jamie, who lends out most of the tup lambs retained for shearlings to sell the following year through United Auctions, Stirling, with the remainder used at Blarnavaid.

While Jamie does the bulk of the sheep work at home, he also works full time at his grand-father McKenzie’s farm at Ardgate, Gartocharn, assisting with the dairy, store cattle and contract work. His passion however, is turning out the 200 Scottish Mule gimmers originally bought as lambs straight off the hill, from his father's other family farm at Auldmurroch, Milngavie. All by Blarnavaid tups, these too regularly sell well having last week sold at £158 per head through United Auctions, Stirling.

It is nevertheless his pedigree Blue flock which he enjoys most and while most are sponged and tupped naturally to lamb inside from March 10, the top two or three females are flushed with home-bred cross-bred females used as recipients. To date, one of his best breeders has been a Blarnavaid daughter of the F1 Firth three-crop ewe that has bred tup lambs to £7500, £2600 and £1500 over the last two years. She has also produced two lambs for this year's sales.

Last year he also flushed a £3000 Shafthill gimmer that had been purchased earlier in the year. Unfortunately she failed to produce any fertilised eggs, but she did give birth to a natural May-born tup lamb that has the potential to one of his top lambs for Carlisle. He is by the £37,000 K20 Midlock ram, which Jamie believes to be his best breeding tup to date.

“The K20 Midlock tup was the only tup we wanted to buy last year because he had great modern colours and outstanding breed character. He also has a great carcase, bone and size. He’s really stamped his mark on the flock, breeding a ewe lamb that was champion at Drymen, while a tup lamb of his was reserve. He also bred a different tup lamb that was champion at Gargunnock.”

His Scotch Mule lambs were just as good too, although unfortunately, most of his progeny have been males, with only four ewe lambs born, of which all have been sold privately to Archie Campbell, Croy Cunningham along with other ewe lambs. The male lambs he did produce nevertheless all boasted cracking colours with plenty of size behind them, and all have already been sold off grass at 42kg.

Lambing is of course a long way off yet, as Blarnavaid has 12 shearling rams to sell at United Auctions, Stirling; four tup lambs for Hawes and six for Carlisle. He also has a few females to sell and of course that all important stock tup to find and buy.