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AgriScot Business Skills Winner

Final year SAC student Ian Christie won the inaugural Business Skills competition, organised by AgriScot. Ian, from Blackhills, Alford in Aberdeenshire is completing a BSc Agriculture at SAC’s Aberdeen Campus.

The compettion, sponsored by animal feed additive specialists Biocell, is one of the  innovations brought forward by new AgriScot chairman, Andrew Moir, who is determined to involve the younger generation in the annual, Ingliston event.

He created the competition in order to give students and young people from all parts of Scotland the chance to be recognised for their commitment to developing their business skills within all sectors of agriculture.

Andrew said:

“Not only am I keen that AgriScot engages with young people but I am also determined that as a business event, it rewards those who can demonstrate true business skills. Successful farmers have to be good businessmen, none more so than the younger generation”.

Ian Christie had already won the Northern Region competition in the build up to the final. He added to his busy schedule by getting married on his 21st birthday in the last week of October. Ian is no stranger to success as he has previously won both the junior and senior sections of the Nor Grass competition. He runs his own beef and sheep farm and is an active member of his local young farmers club and the local NFU Scotland branch.

The other two finalists were also students at SAC. The East regional winner was David Hurst, in his third BSc year at Edinburgh. Winner from the West was Scott Cowan from East Lanegate, Lochmaben who, since graduating with an honours in 2008, is now working as a dairy consultant for Promar International in the north west of England.

Andrew Moir said,

“The CVs of our top three are impressive and demonstrate that our industry is in good heart. If the younger generation is this capable and enthusiastic then I look forward to being pushed out by them!”

Ian Christie, who wins £1,000, commented:

“I was up against tough competition so I am delighted to have won. This win will give me a stronger platform when going on to develop my own business and build up the family farm. The competition involved a great deal of research and reading so I feel that I have also gained a huge amount in terms of knowledge. The dairy element was a tough one for me as I’m a beef and sheep farmer but it was all a great learning experience.”

Sponsor Peter Gillard of Biocell said:

"This competition enables us to support people coming up from the next generation. We want to encourage them, demonstrate some of the opportunities available to them and show how strong the future of our industry can be."

Organised on behalf of AgrScot by by Bill Dingwall of SAC, with the support of the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs, as well as the land based colleges. Having been tested on their business management skills in the heats the three finalists faced further business skills questions and discuss topical agribusiness issues. In addition they had to evaluate one of the new products being launched at AgriScot, in this case it was the “Silent Herdsman” an oestrus detection device marketed by NMR, trialled at SAC’s Acrehead unit at the Crichton.

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