RAISING the profile of SAYFC agri-affairs in the west of Scotland is the mission of new chair John McCulloch, who shared with The Scottish Farmer some of the exciting events that are planned across the region in the coming months.

With the support of a strong new committee, the west has ambitious aims to lead to the fore on agri-affairs at a time where the appetite for engagement from the farming industry is at an all-time high.

John took over the role of west regional chair at the beginning of summer after previously serving as district chair in his home area of Dumfries and Galloway. Despite a busy calendar year ahead, which involves him working at G Barbour and Co, starting his HND in agriculture at SRUC in Edinburgh and taking on chairmanship of his local young farmers club, Stewartry YFC, he is already paving the way for a successful and exciting year of agri-affairs activities. He explained why it is so important now, more than ever, that the young farmers community speak up and have a say in the future direction of their industry.

“In the last couple of years there has been a real increase in attendance of agri-affairs events, no doubt because Brexit stirs lengthy debate in the industry and more and more people are wanting to share their opinions.

“People are beginning to realise that they are going to have to stand up for themselves and that sitting back and having an easy ride is a thing of the past. Through attending agri-affairs events individuals can see how other businesses are operating, ask important questions and learn how they are dealing with difficult challenges. Joining agri-affairs gives young farmers a real platform to ensure their voice is heard and opinions valued.”

He went on to outline his main goal with the west region for the year ahead and explained some of the steps the committee have taken to ensure a broader range of voices are in attendance at gatherings: “We want there to be an event in every district to ensure that every member has an opportunity to make it along to a visit. It is so important that our members experience and learn about different farming practices so we will be holding events ranging from on a poultry farm, to a dairy farm to a gin distillery,” he continued.

“One of the events we are holding in January on a renewables and poultry farm will also showcase how the host farmer has diversified into Christmas trees. It is so important that young farmers are exposed to new ideas and not always seeing conventional farming. It gives them the opportunity to pick up new ideas to take back to their own farms and allows them to see the bigger picture of what their farm can achieve,” he explained. “We are going to make sure that there is an event in every district so that they are all served equally and hopefully this way we will draw in some new members who might not have been able to reach previous meetings.”

This coming September, the Clyde and Central region invites members to attend an event on the Isle of Bute which will tie in with a weekend exchange with young farmers on Sunday 15. On Saturday, October 12, the main west event will take place in Ayrshire at Laigh Tarbeg, Ochiltree, courtesy of dairy farmers the Watsons – winners of Scottish Dairy Farm of the Year in 2018. The day will feature a range of workshops, a panel session and a BBQ in the afternoon. Lanarkshire will hold an event at the Wee Farm Gin Distillery, with final details to be released shortly, and next year will see Dumfries and Galloway hold a special event at Rory Young’s Congeith farm on Sunday, January 12, discussing his decision to grow Christmas trees. There will also be another event in Clyde and Central on the mainland to be announced in the coming months for those not involved with the exchange weekend on Bute.

In order for these events to happen, there is a financial element to consider and John has been working hard behind the scenes to secure some sponsorship which will provide valuable funds to help towards catering and organising these events.

“We wanted to get sponsors on board as this helps raise the profile and having well-known businesses behind you is also great for PR. We have three sponsors that will be supporting us over the following year including James Smith Fencing Ltd based in Kirkcudbright, a well-known fencing provider in this area, on the coalface serving farmers. We are delighted to have them on board."

The owner of JSF Ltd, Ian Smith commented: “We are proud to sponsor SAYFC west region agri-affairs, supporting the next generation of Scottish farmers and the wider industry as a whole.”

Mr McCulloch continued: “Our second sponsor is Solway Recycling who are pushing for responsible disposable farm waste. They are really keen to help out young farmers and have been great supporters in the past. We are happy to be on board with a business which is pushing a sustainable image of Scottish agriculture, which will make farmers think more responsibly about their own practices."

Managing director of Solway Recycling, Roy Hiddleston said: "The young farming generation are the future of our sector and we are pleased to support the people who will soon be on the frontlines delivering a more sustainable industry, showcasing the credentials agriculture has to offer."

“Our final sponsor is Morrisons," John continued, "who are of course selling to our consumers on a daily basis and already have initiatives in place working closely with the farming community. It is really valuable to have a sponsor who understands what our consumers are looking for. This is something farmers need to get better at – producing to consumer demand, not what they feel comfortable with.”

John shared how far he has come on his own journey with agri-affairs in the past two years and explained how people can find out about events to get involved in: “When I first joined up two years ago, I wasn’t shy, but I wasn’t confident in speaking out on an issue and would often sit back and follow the crowd. But now if someone says something which challenges our industry, I will make sure my voice is heard and one of the great things about agri-affairs is that industry bodies and politicians listen to what we say, giving us a seat on the decision making table,” he enthused.

“There is a lot of negativity surrounding agriculture in today’s media and I feel it is so important that we speak louder as an industry and make our points known to the people who matter. We have a conference every year in November and this year it takes place in Dundee on the weekend of the 15th to 17th,” John continued. “It really is the most important event in the calendar and brings together members from across Scotland to discuss a range of important topics key to the future of our sector. I would urge all those who are debating whether to attend, to make sure they come along.

“All our events are advertised on the young farmers website and social media pages and we are trying to do more engagement with newspapers, as we understand not everybody is active online so we will try get to them through different channels,” he said.

The west region has a new forward-thinking committee behind them to take their ambitions forward, with Ben and Lucy McClymont representing Dumfries and Galloway and Zoe Bryson and Andrew Neilson leading in Lanarkshire. Robert Campbell is heading up operations in Ayrshire and Caitlin Ross represents the Clyde and Central region.

“We have a really strong committee with many of our members having already made a name for themselves on the circuit, with a haul of farming achievements between them,” he said.

“Everyone has really good suggestions on how they would like to take the membership forward and are working well as a team to ensure we can raise the profile of agri-affairs in the west and ensure a successful string of upcoming events. It’s going to be a big year of change for the agricultural sector and we hope that with it, engagement will soar within the young farmer’s community and we can make sure our opinions are accounted for."