There is plenty to see and do at this year's Scotsheep event, taking place on Wednesday June 1, 2022.

Crook-making demonstration:

Jock Fotheringham, from Meigle, in Perthshire, will be demonstrating his skills of making shepherds crooks periodically throughout the day.

In addition, Jock has donated a prize-winning crook which will be auctioned at the start of the sale of pairs of ewe hoggs at 4pm, with the proceeds to be donated to the Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance.

Farm tours:

A hour-long farm tour of Over Finlarg Farm on tractors and trailers will be a highlight of the event to see the sheep and cattle at Over Finlarg along with two stops.

On the first stop at the top of the farm with panoramic views of the surrounding counties, David Orr will discuss the local history of the area and a wee shot of dram of blackcurrant creme de cassis will be offered to visitors by Ogilvy Vodka Distillery.

On the second stop Donald Barrie from the Hutton Research Institute will give a presentation on the advantages of rough grazing along with representatives from the Luing Cattle Society.

The farm tours run from 9am to 3pm and a guide will be available for all visitors.

Fencing competition (new feature to the event):

Fencing contractors will put their skills to the test when they compete in a competition sponsored by Tornado Wire and James Jones and Sons.

Up to eight two-man teams will be tasked with erecting a section of high tensile stock netting (60-70m in length), with two end straining posts and a slight turn towards one end within the three hours allocated.

The competition begins at 10.30am and finishes at 1.30pm, with the prize giving and award ceremony taking place at 3.30pm on the main stage in the seminar building.

‘Guess the tag’ competition:

This is like guess the ‘birthday of the bear’. There will be a sheep/lamb with an ear tag covered up and visitors can enter and guess the number hidden from a list of pre-printed numbers. Entry is £1 and can be entered on the day to win a prize. The fund raised from this competition are being donated to Tealing and Glamis schools.

Lamb butchery and cookery demonstration:

See craft butcher Frank Yorke of family butchers, Yorkes of Dundee, demonstrate the cutting up of half a lamb carcase and explain the different cuts of lamb – and Lewis Donegan, leading chef and tutor at the Dundee Cooking Academy and former Masterchef the Professionals contestant, will demonstrate his skills at cooking various lamb dishes.

NSA Next Generation Shepherd of the Year competition:

The competition is designed to test their practical skills and practical knowledge used in their every-day work with sheep, as well as their broader knowledge of the sheep industry throughout the UK and Europe, including the various sheep breeds. (The competition is being held on Tuesday, May 31, 2022 and is not open to visitors)

The winner will have the honour of representing Scotland in the national finals at the NSA Sheep Event at Malvern in July, 2022. The presentation of prizes will take place a 3.30pm on Wednesday, June 1.

Opening ceremony:

The event will be officially opened at 10am in the seminar building – introduction by Willie Millar, NSA Scotsheep 2022 organising committee chairman and official opening by David Leggat, MBE and the presentation of NSA Scotland’s Silver Salver followed by presentation of best trade stand competition awards.

Seminars:

The NSA Scotsheep seminar programme always provides a line-up of interesting speakers and relevant topics. Seminars will see farmers and industry spokesmen put forward their opinions and experiences, with plenty of time in each session for the audience to engage in discussion and debate. In addition, there will be a workshop programme running through the day.

Sheep dog trial invitational competition:

Thirty-two top handlers will be competing in an invitation sheepdog trial which will be one of the highlights of the event. Most of the competitors from Angus, Perthshire and South Aberdeenshire will compete individually for the NSA Scotland Shield and prize money sponsored by McCaskie Agriculture. The trial will be judged by International Sheep Dog Society chairman, Ian Fleming, from Douglas, South Lanarkshire.

Sheep dressing demonstration:

See how to prepare a sheep for a show or sale with this sheep dressing demonstrations that will take place periodically throughout the day.

Sheep shearing demos and quickshear competition

Sheep shearing demonstrations will run from 10am to 2pm, every hour on the hour for 10 minutes.

From 2.30pm to 4pm, 30 sheep shearers will compete in the quickshear competition to be held at the event, with two competitors at a time shearing a sheep and timed. The four fastest competitors who will be judged, like all the competitors beforehand, will not only be timed but also on the presentation of the sheep and will enter a semi-final, followed by a final.

Read more: Willy Millar, NSA Scotsheep chairman welcomes all to the event

All competitors will receive a sponsor’s branded singlet with the winner receiving an engraved rose bowl and £100, with the runner up receiving prize money of £75 and the two losing semi-finalists receiving £50 each.

The demonstrations are sponsored by British Wool and the quickshear competition is sponsored by the Blackface Sheep Breeders Association, Luing Cattle Society, Scottish Woodlands, Scruffy Dog Cider and TagFaster/Datamars UK.

Show and sale pair of ewe hoggs:

Top-quality ewe hoggs from well-known breeders across the country will be forward for the multi-breed show and sale of ewe hoggs conducted by United Auctions.

Nine classes will be on offer for Bluefaced Leicester, Mules, North Country Cheviot, Blackface, Suffolk, Texel, any other native breed, any other continental breed, and any other cross breed, with both MV accredited and non-accredited sheep eligible for sale.

The overall championship is being sponsored by Algo, with Harrison and Hethertington, Kidd Veterinary Centre, Parkside Veterinary Group, Savills and Thorntons Law as class sponsors.

Tasked with judging the pre-sale show at 9am is United Auctions’ retired sheep auctioneer, Matt Stevenson, from Gargunnock, Stirling, followed by the sale at 4pm.

Included in the sale will be two black Cheviot hoggs from Over Finlarg, with the proceeds being donated to charity and there will be 25 Texel ewe hoggs with Beltex cross lambs at foot from Over Finlarg, followed by more than 20 pairs of ewe hoggs from various consignors.

If sheep cannot be uplifted by purchasers on the day, it is hoped that arrangements can be made for buyers to collect their purchases from the premises of the vendor within 14 days.

Stockjudging:

Angus and Tayside District Association of Young Farmers Clubs will be running an open and YFC stockjudging competition at the event, with visitors having to judge four classes of sheep from Over Finlarg Farm. There is £500 prize money on offer and is sponsored by Galloway and Macleod. Entry on the day is £5.

Trade stands – commercial and educational:

More than 170 commercial companies and educational organisations will be promoting their products and services at the event, showcasing all the latest developments in technology, husbandry, and marketing to help farmers maximise the potential of their sheep enterprises.

Workshops:

There are two dedicated workshop areas at the event with a range of topics and speakers providing an even better opportunity to gain practical, hands-on advice and tips.

These are slightly smaller and more informal than the seminars, with the intention of people getting involved, asking questions, and making the most of the experts on hand.

Wool – all things ‘woolie’

British Wool will have a stand in the shearing building and will be giving helpful tips from experienced British Wool technical staff on excellent fleece presentation and how to maximise the value of your wool and includes how to best present the fleece and avoid cross contamination.

They will also have a table display showing a couple of different wool types, some scoured wool, and an end product. In addition there will be wool spinning, weaving and felt making demonstration held periodically throughout the day.