Young Farmer of the Year Final Stages Begin

The finalists travelled to Lumphinnans Farm in Fife last week for a tour of the farm, hosted by farmer Charles Ekin and facilitated by Galbraith. The visit marked the beginning of the business plan element of the competition, with the finalists now having just over two months to research, develop and present their proposals at the Grand Final in October

Alongside the business plan, the finalists will face a series of practical tasks and a panel interview as they compete to be crowned National Young Farmer of the Year.

For Mr Ekin, hosting the finalists was an opportunity to give the next generation an insight into a farming business which has a number of competing priorities.

“It was quite inspiring and motivating to host the Young Farmer of the Year competition,” he said. “The young generation are the future and they’ve got amazing fresh ideas. Their minds work differently to mine, while I have different experiences, so I think the combination of all those things will come up with a real diverse, eclectic mix of ideas to try to make this place as profitable and sustainable in the future as we can.

“There were a lot of questions asked, which was great to see.”

He said Lumphinnans was intended to serve more than one purpose, making it an interesting proposition for the finalists to consider.

“The purpose of this farm is lots of things. It’s a farm to produce, obviously, but it’s also a farm for nature restoration and climate change mitigation. It’s also a farm to give back as much as we can, and this is an opportunity for us to give back to the next generation and use this farm as a tool for them to learn.”

The competition combines a business plan, practical tasks and a panel interview (Image: SAYFC)

That mix of production, sustainability and business opportunity is now in the hands of the six finalists, who each bring different farming backgrounds and experiences to the competition.

For Ayrshire dairy farmer Kerr Sloan, of Mauchline JAC, the competition is an opportunity to strengthen his business skills.

“I wanted to get involved in the competition this year as I saw it as a way of developing my business skills within farming,” he said. “It’s also a good chance to develop your practical skills.”

For Euan MacRae, a mixed livestock farmer from Vale of Alford YFC, the value of the competition goes beyond the individual tasks.

“It is a great process for learning,” he said. “You don’t really know where Young Farmers is going to take you. There are so many opportunities to develop skills that you can use in day-to-day life.”

Fifth-generation farmer Ewan Hope, of Reston JAC, said the opportunity to tackle a business plan was one of the main attractions.

“It’s always been one thing I wanted to do before I step back from Young Farmers,” he said. “I’m looking forward to getting a better understanding of the business plan and the feedback I get from that.”

Beef and arable farmer Harry Neill, of Ednam YFC near Kelso, was attracted by the range of possibilities presented by the Fife farm.

“There are lots of ideas and lots of different opportunities on this farm, so I thought it would be a good learning curve,” he said. “I’m sure there will be plenty of learning opportunities throughout the competition, and I’m looking forward to having a go at the business plan.”

Orkney beef and sheep farmer Marcus Slater, of Harray YFC, has competed before, having taken part in the competition around five years ago.

“I’m looking forward to seeing what the challenges will be in the final,” he said. “I’ve got to know more about the business side of farming through the competition, because you’re not usually as involved in that side of things in your day-to-day work.

“I would encourage anyone to take part in the competition.”

The sixth finalist, dairy and sheep farmer Ross Campbell of Machars YFC, said the farm tour had already provided valuable insight.

“It has been really informative and we appreciate Charles showing us round,” he said. “People I know who have competed in the past have taken a lot from the experience, so I was keen to get involved myself to develop my own skills.”

He also plans to make the most of the opportunity to learn from professionals across the industry as the competition progresses.

“I’m looking forward to speaking to industry professionals and learning from them,” he said. “There are going to be a lot of late nights sat at a computer putting a business plan together.”

With the farm tour complete, the finalists now have the challenging task of turning what they have seen at Lumphinnans into a viable business proposition.

The visit was organised by Martin Rennie and Alice Wilson of Galbraith, who are supporting the Business Plan challenge. For the finalists, the clock is now ticking towards October, when their ideas will be put to the test alongside their practical skills and performance in front of the judging panel.

2026 Finalists

Kerr Sloan, Mauchline JAC

Euan MacRae, Vale of Alford YFC

Ewan Hope, Reston JAC

Harry Neill, Ednam YFC

Marcus Slater, Harray YFC

Ross Campbell, Machars YFC