Veteran with an eye on industry's future

Although he would consider himself a bit of a veteran, Arnold Park, of Drinkstone, Hawick, has just won the Future Farmer of the Year Award 2010, with a £4,000 prize recognising innovation and sustainability.

Already current joint title holder of the Carmichael Trophy for services to the sheep industry, Park has added the prestigious title from the Elizabeth Murray Trust for innovation in farming, supported by NFUS.

With five decades farming under his belt, including 25 years in the pig industry, Arnold Park is now at the forefront of sheep recording in the UK.

He said he used his previous experience when moving into the sheep sector: "In the pig industry we used boars with figures to keep feed inputs down - we could achieve an extra 10/15 without impacting on carcase spec."

It is that same philosophy which has enabled his flocks of pedigree Suffolks and Texels to outrank all others - achieving the top index lamb more times than any other breeder in the past ten years.

"Our Texel flocks' average EBV index is 326, compared to a breed average of 187. We currently have the highest stock ram on index in the UK, having the largest gigot score ever recorded in Drinkstone Punt Gun.

However it is Arnold's all round achievements that appealed to the judges.

A combination of the outputs of three flocks resulting in the annual sale of more than 100 rams, 400 Scotch Mule gimmers and 600 commercial lambs.

Harvey Macmillan, of the Murray Trust judges, said: "Arnold's futuristic approach to farming is at one with the principles of the Trust's ethos - combining innovation and profitable farming."