LANARKSHIRE YOUNG farmer, Murray Craig, has worked his socks off to be shortlisted for 'Farm Worker of the Year' in the British Farming Awards as well as being featured in 'This Farming Life,' this year.

Read more - BBC This Farming Life 4: Meet this year's farming stars

Moving down to Cumbria from Biggar was Murray's first big step, when he had a two month shearing sheep job at a Cumbrian fell farm, however, that soon changed, when he was offered a full-time job and has now been there three and a half years.

Murray, who looks after a flock of Swaledales and Cheviots, at Swindale Foot Farm, north of Shap, was nominated and praised for his hard work and dedication by farm owners, Matty and Dani Blair, of Blair Farming.

“I love it up here. We have now added 10 Belted Galloways, so I now help look after those as well, everything is a new avenue for me and it is totally different,” said Murray.

“I use the quad in the fields, but need the dogs for the high fells, I couldn’t do my job up here without them," he said, when he is covering 9500 acres.

“Matty is a great boss to work for. He nominated me for the awards and didn’t tell me. The first I knew about it was when I got a telephone call. I was a bit embarrassed to be truthful, but I was pleased, it is good for everyone.”

Murray has won many shearing competitions all over Scotland’s show circuit, and represented Scotland three or four times, as well as at the Yorkshire Show and shows over the water in Ireland. “I have sheared 250 sheep in a day, but I am always trying to get quicker.”

The young shepherd will have to wait until Wednesday, October 21, when the winners of the 2020 British Farming Awards will be revealed for the first time ever in a virtual format.