Winners Graeme and Louise head AgriScot Farming Awards

A farm which offers visitors the chance to walk alpacas, feed animals and groom a highland cow picked up the inaugural Diversified Farm of the Year award at yesterday’s AgriScot ceremony.

Louise Nicoll was praised for her drive

Taking place at a special live-streamed event following the cancellation of the physical Agriscot, cancelled in the face of Covid fears, the new event was won by Newton of Fotheringham farm in Angus.

Aimed at celebrating the achievements of Scottish farming and crofting businesses which have diversified and added value to their primary agricultural activities, the award went to the farm run by Graeme and Louise Nicoll, which sees livestock and arable enterprises covering 220ha now combined with agritourism, running tours and visitor experiences.

The business offers a range of seasonal activities with a key focus on engaging visitors with whatever is happening that day on the farm.

The award assessors said the pair’s drive and commitment to the family farming ethos shone through in their approach to the diversified business, which had minimised capital spending by making use of the free resources available to drive the business and engage with customers.

The judges were impressed that the Nicolls turned around their business finances but also created an opportunity for their son Scott to consider succession within the family business.

“Diversification and agritourism are becoming ever more important in Scottish agriculture and Graeme and Louise are excellent ambassadors, showing what can be achieved with innovative thinking and a practical approach. They have created a memorable opportunity to find out what daily life is like on a Scottish farm,” said the judges.

“The resilience and creativity shown demonstrates what is possible and Louise is a worthy ambassador and role model for family farming businesses in Scotland

Emily Mosley, a Harper Adams graduate, originally from Derbyshire but now working as a farm administrator in Tain, lifted the £1000 cheque prize for winning the AgriScot Business Skills competition.

Together with the two other finalists, Ben McSporran a third year BSc Agriculture student at SRUC Edinburgh, and Stewart Shaw, a partner in his family farming and contracting business in the Scottish Borders, took part in the final leg of the competition before the prize giving.

This exercise saw the finalists assess and report on an innovative new electrically powered telescopic handler from Merlo. Judges asked each to report on the potential value of the machine to a farm business.

Heather Kerr, a lecturer at SRUC, who co-ordinates the competition said: “It was great to have such strong finalists for the competition. I am thrilled that they came from relatively diverse backgrounds in terms of their education and work experience.

“I know that the judges were impressed by the performance of all three in the final competition and I hope that the experience will stand them all in good stead in their future careers. Well done to Emily for going that extra mile to secure the first prize.”