Two former winners of the Royal Northern Agricultural Society’s crop growing competition have again come to the fore to land the top honours in annual turnip and fodder beet event.

The popular competition, was this year judged by Ian Moir and Graeme Christie of event sponsors, Murray Duguid Seed Merchants, who had some 19 crops of turnips and eight of fodder beet to inspect.

Leading the turnip competition with a total of 117.67 points was Stewart Davidson, of West Cortiecram, Mintlaw.

A previous winner of the fodder beet section of the contest which was introduced in 2019, Stewart’s award-winning Kenmore crop is destined for his 2000-strong flock of store lambs and cattle.

They are finished at home, with the Kenmore variety working well at West Cortiecram and offering a softer turnip for the lambs to eat.

Reserve champion in the turnip competition and champion and reserve in the fodder beet competition was Deeside’s Rodney Blackhall.

A past winner of the turnip competition with brother, Alex, this is the fourth year Rodney has grown fodder beet and the first time he has scooped top spot in the RNAS competition.

Mr Blackhall cited his winning crop of the Bangor variety as being as consistent as any variety he’d tried, particularly having been grown in a wetter field better suited to last summer.

Judge Ian Moir said: “Overall, there were fewer entries on the previous year and that is very likely due to the drier summer we experienced in 2022.

“However, those conditions also resulted in cleaner crops and less weed problems. The standard of the entries we did have was very good and those that could withstand the extreme heat, thrived.

“Fodder beet didn’t do as well this year as the year before and the crops were not as big but this was due in part to the fact that we had a very sharp frost just before judging.

"Again, the entries we did receive were of a very good standard,” he pointed out.

LEADING awards

Turnips – LFA – 1, R Blackhall, The Green, Raemoir, Banchory with score of 111.22; 2, W Stewart, Bomakelloch, Keith (85.51); 3, A Simpson, Mains of Leslie, Insch (85.17).

Non LFA – 1, S Davidson, West Cortiecram, Mintlaw (117.67); 2, G Seivwright, Hillend Farm, Fordyce, Banff (104.63); 3, W J Morrison and Son, Fairburn, Longmanhill, Banff (92.84).

Feeding – 1, S Davidson, West Cortiecram (117.67); 2, R Blackhall, The Green (111.22 ); 3, G Seivwright, Hillend (104.63).

Shopping – 1, AM and AJ Jacobsen, Grange of Kinneff, Inverbervie (61.10)

Best yield – 1, S Davidson, West Cortiecram (72.67t, Kenmore); 2, R Blackhall, The Green (62.22t, Lomond; 3, G Seivwright, Hillend (56.63t, Lomond).

Best management – 52 points – 1, R Blackhall (Lomond 49pts); 2=, G Seivwright (Lomond 48pts) and W Ritch, East Fingask, Oldmeldrum (Lomond 48pts).

Fodder beet – LFA – 1 and 2, R Blackhall, The Green (116.33 and 99.14); 2, R Andersonn, Corskellie, Rothiemay (74.93).

Non LFA – 1, G and B Walker, Newton of Lewesk, Old Rayne (94.91); 2, W Ritch, East Fingask, Oldmeldrum (92.41); 3, S Davidson, West Cortiecram (90.81)

Best yield – 1, R Blackhall, The Green (Bangor, 64.33t); 2, R Blackhall, The Green (Blaze, 50.14t); 3, G and B Walker, Newton of Lewesk Ennermay (44.91t)

Best management – 53 points – 1, R Blackhall (Bangor, 52pts); 2, G and B Walker (Ennermay, 50pts); 3= W Ritch (Brigadier, 49pts) and R Blackhall (Blaze, 49pts).