Kingston barley proves a winner for Longside brothers
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A farming family from Peterhead has been crowned the winners of this year’s Royal Northern Agricultural Society (RNAS) growing cereals competition.
The annual contest attracted 20 more entries on the year with 87 entries from 39 competitors across the north and north-east taking part.
This year’s competition was judged by Scott Campbell, Kirkton Farm, Kinellar, who was the runner-up in last year’s RNAS good farming practice awards.
Mr Campbell said he was "honoured" to be asked to judge such a high level and well-known competition.
“It was great to see so many entries for what has been an extremely challenging year in many ways,” he said.
“All entrants should be very proud of their standard of farming. It was an extremely close competition.”
In the end, he chose a 25-acre block of SY Kingston winter barley from brothers David and James Murphy, and David’s son Andrew, who farm 475 acres at Mains of Kinmundy, Longside.
The crop was sown on September 16 and is grown alongside winter barley, oilseed rape and spring barley.
David said: “Our winter barley has continued to look well since it came through the ground and has only suffered with a bit of early drought in the spring.
"We plan to store it before being sold onto Frontier.”
The family also runs a new and second hand machinery firm from home, Murphy Agricultural Machinery.
Standing reserve overall in the competition was a 24-acre block of Laureate spring barley from father and son duo Fraser and Scott Middleton, of Balbegno, Fettercairn.
The family farms 580 acres and grows winter and spring barley for seed, as well as spring barley for malting.
They are regular competitors in the competition and this year stood reserve with a 24-acre block sown on March 27.
Fraser Middleton said: “The crop is looking well just now and we are just waiting on the weather to pick up so we can get harvesting our winter barley.”
