The National Sheep Association (NSA) has said that its biennial Scot Sheep 2024 event will feature an “extensive” trade stand area.
NSA Scotland said the event will be the “most important specialist event in the calendar for sheep producers in Scotland and North of England in 2024″.
NSA Scot Sheep 2024 will take place on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, Aikengall Farm, Innerwick, Dunbar, East Lothian, where the Hamilton family farms.
The NSA said the extensive trade stand area is made possible by the successful format of the event developed over recent years.
The event is set to feature:
- 160 commercial and educational trade stands;
- 40 sheep breed societies trade stands/demonstrations;
- A farm tour; a seminar and workshop programme;
- Educational and working demonstrations;
- A sheep dog trial;
- Show and sale of pairs of ewe hoggs;
- Fencing, stockjudging and NSA Next Generation Shepherd of The Year competitions.
Aikenagall farm
Since taking on Aikenagall farm where its 1,900ac on the edge of the Lammermuir Hills rises from 900 to 1200ft, the Hamilton family has extended their farming interests.
They have incorporated the neighbouring 400ac farm of Thurston Mains in 2004, taking on the tenancy of the 1,200ac farming unit of Nunraw farm at Garvald in 2010 and the 600ac farm of Barney Mains, near Haddington, in 2022.
The Hamilton’s also contract farm an upland unit of 2,000ac at Heriot, Midlothian with the Walgate family.
This has helped them grow their business and run over the farming units 2,800 breeding ewes and a commercial herd of suckler cows, finishing all progeny on home grown feed and breeding replacements on a closed flock/herd basis, only buying in tups and bulls as required, the NSA said.
The Hamilton’s lamb 1,400/head each year at Aikengall, comprising 700 Blackface ewes bred pure for replacements, with the remaining 700 Blackface ewes crossed to the Bluefaced Leicester for producing Scotch Mules, where the females are retained for breeding.
1,400 Scotch Mule ewes are put to the Texel tup and lambed at Nunraw in March.
The farms also support a beef enterprise of 900 spring calving commercial cows, based on the Simmental breed using Simmental, Lincoln Red and latterly Aberdeen Angus bulls.
Progeny that isn’t suitable for breeding is finished on the farms and sold deadweight.
In terms of environment, the Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP)/Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS) have played a role in the development and improvement of infrastructure and habitats on the predominantly upland unit at Aikengall, the NSA said.
As well as this, Aikengall also hosts Aikengall Wind Farm with Community Wind Power Ltd which became operational in 2009, comprising 16 Vestas V90 wind turbines.
These wind turbines have a tip height of 125m, and each has a generating capacity of 3MW, generating enough electricity to power approximately 31,500 homes and based on displacing around 54,200t/C02/year.
