Moray farmer is top of the crops
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A crop of Lomond turnips grown on a Morayshire farm has been crowned champion in the Royal Northern Agricultural Society’s (RNAS) turnip growing contest.
The annual competition, sponsored by Sandy Duguid, of Murray Duguid Seed Merchants, Oldmeldrum, attracted 25 entries from Nairn in the north to Laurencekirk in the south.
The judge Ian Moir of Murray Duguid Seed Merchants, awarded the overall champion title to Niall Mustard’s 7.5-acre block of Lomond turnips grown at Cloves, Alves, near Forres.
Taking first prize in both the Non-Less Favoured Areas (LFA) and feeding sections, the crop was sown into a flat bed on May 12 and achieved a yield of 70.34 tonnes per acre.
“The success of the crop was mainly down to luck but there was a lot of farmyard manure applied beforehand and it was sown into a moist seed bed, allowing the seeds to germinate nicely,” said Mr Mustard.
He said the neeps were grown for feeding some of the farm’s 1000 store lambs which are bought in along with 200 cattle for finishing.
The farm also grows spring barley for malting.
Reserve overall went to a 13-acre block of Lomond turnips from Gregor Sievwright of CT Sievwright and Sons, Hillend, Fordyce, Banff.
He grows around 85 acres of turnips for selling on to farmers throughout the north-east, and runs an arable enterprise and finishes pigs.
Mr Sievwright’s entry achieved a yield of 66.79 tonnes per acre and was sown in drills at the end of May.
Winning the heaviest neep title at 13.20kg was Rodney Blackhall, The Green, Raemoir, who is a past winner of the competition, and along with his brother Alex from Milton of Durris, Banchory, went on to win the heaviest fodder beet at 10.45kg.
In the fodder beet competition, which attracted 18 entries, the top title went to a 6-acre block of Bangor fodder beet from Jonny Stewart of Nether Balfour Farms, Rashenlochy, Drumoak.
Producing a yield of 56.74 tonnes per acre, the winning crop was precision drilled on April 28 into a field which had previously been in grass for five years and had 20 tonnes of muck per acre applied prior to being sown.
“We drilled 20 acres of fodder beet last year to cut down the area of stubble neeps and to maximise the yield on as little acreage as possible,” said Jonny, who runs a 280-suckler cow herd.
“It was rolled twice to try and retain as much moisture as possible, with preemergence spray and salt also applied.
"The seed did take a long time to germinate with the dry weather.”
The 20-acre crop was used to strip graze dry cows and to feed others in feed trailers out in other fields.
Meanwhile, the reserve overall prize went to a crop of Munro from Robert Anderson, Corskellie, Rothiemay, which produced a yield of 50.60 tonnes per acre.
Turnip results-
LFA - 1 R W Blackhall, The Green, Raemoir; 2 R W Blackhall and 3 Michael Anderson, Morayscairn, Alves.
Non LFA - 1 J and H Mustard, Cloves, Forres; 2 Gregor Seivwright, Hillend Farm, Fordyce, Banff and 3 J and H Mustard.
Feeding - 1 J and H Mustard; 2 Gregor Seivwright, Hillend Farm, Fordyce, Banff and 3 R W Blackhall, The Green, Raemoir.
Best under 30 year - 1 Stephen Ker, Broomton, Auldearn, Nairn; 2 Liam Wink, Dykeneuk, Clatt, Huntly and 3 Liam Wink.
Best yield – 1, 70.34 tonnes J and H Mustard; 2, 66.79 tonnes - Gregor Seivwright and 3, 66.13 tonnes - R W Blackhall.
Best management – 1 Gregor Seivwright; 2 R W Blackhall.
Champion - J & H Mustard.
Reserve champion - Gregor Seivwright.
Fodder beet results
LFA - 1 Jonny Stewart, 1 Nethermill Cottage, Crathes; Robert Anderson, Corskellie, Rothiemay and 3 Robert Anderson.
Non LFA - 1 Stewart Davidson, West Cortiecram, Mintlaw; 2 Stewart Davidson and 3 G and B Walker, Newton of Lewesk, Old Rayne.
Best under 30 year - 1 Jonny Stewart; 2 Robert Anderson and 3 Robert Anderson.
Best Yield – 1, 56.74 tonnes – Jonny Stewart and 2 50.60 tonnes - Robert Anderson.
Best management – 1 equal Jonny Stewart, Robert Anderson.
Champion - Jonny Stewart.
Reserve champion - Robert Anderson.
Heaviest neep - 1, 13.20kg R W Blackhall; 2, 11.85kg Gregor Seivwright and 3, 9.70kg J & H Mustard.
Heaviest fodder beet - 1, 10.45kg I J Blackhall & Sons, Milton of Durris, By Banchory; 2, 10.10kg C and I Anderson, Hilton of Cairngrassie, Cammachmore, Stonehaven and 3, 9.25kg W and C Ingram, Logie Durno Farm, Pitcaple, Inverurie
