Livestock competition helps SRUC students master show skills

Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) has organised a livestock judging competition to help students master their show skills as part of the agriculture courses at the Barony campus in Dumfries.

About 40 animals were shown by students across four classes – bulling heifers, dairy calves, Scotch Mule ewes and Dorset ewes.

The students were judged by SRUC alumni Abbie Baillie (sheep) and Morgan Reynolds (dairy) in front of spectators.

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Calves are walked to the judging ring © Rachel Torrance

SRUC instructor Colin Wilson and the agriculture teaching team at the college devised the winter show to help students broaden their skills and complement the 16 hours of practical work the young farmers do each week on the HNC and NC Agriculture courses.

Wallace Currie, agriculture lecturer at SRUC, said: “Over the past month, we started to integrate show prep into the learning, which has seen us borrow sheep and cattle from the farm to dress and train to be shown.

“As part of education, you always try to find ways to make what the students are learning in the classroom more relevant. This was great to see – students from all different backgrounds and confidence levels get their day in the limelight, all while learning.”

Champion of champions on the day were Eliza Bowran and Katlyn McCormick (NC Agriculture) with their bulling heifer. The pair also bagged dairy champion.

Sheep champion went to Abbie Cowan and Hamish Carr (HNC Agriculture) with their Scotch Mule ewe.

Dorset Ewe champions: Lucy Sanger and Rachel Barr with judge Morgan Reynolds © Georgina MacMillan