The annual young farmers overwintering competition hosted by Aberdeen & Northern Marts will be
held at Caithness Livestock Centre, Quoybrae on Monday 3rd April alongside the show and sale of 1,000
store cattle including 150 Aberdeen Angus and native cattle.

Eight exhibitors are set to participate in this year’s competition, which is sponsored by local
agricultural contractor A H Mackay, West Greenland, with a total entry of twelve calves featuring at
the event including six heifers and six bullocks. The show and sale will take place from 9am on Monday
the 3rd of April with Bill Cameron, Burnside of Edingight, Grange Keith judging the entries.

Young Farmers from club across the Caithness region will be competing and participate in categories
such as best quality animal, best presented and paraded animal, highest average daily liveweight gain,
highest feeders’ margin, best overwintered animal, the novice award, the junior Young Farmer award
and the Young Farmers Club award.

The objective of the competition is to encourage young farmers to take part in the buying and selling
of cattle through the live auction system and, in particular to practice the art of stockmanship in the
tasks of selection, feeding, presenting and parading animals for Show and Sale. Young farmers are
offered the opportunity to purchase cattle at the autumn sales, feed them through the winter with a
key part of the competition covering the commercial aspects of production in the feeders’ margin and
daily weight gain categories.

Scott Chapman, Auctioneer at Aberdeen & Northern Marts said “We are once again pleased to have
the Young Farmers overwintering competition return to Quoybrae. It’s great to see the next
generation continue to get involved in the art of stockmanship and buying and selling through the live
auction ring.”

At last year’s event, the champion was a 493kg Limousin Heifer from Sophie Gunn, Hill of Forss, from
Bower Young Farmers Club which sold for £1,770 to Backmuir Livestock Ltd.