A block of Tower winter barley has been crowned champion in this year’s Royal Northern Agricultural Society (RNAS) growing cereals competition.
The annual fixture attracted 55 entries from 26 competitors across the north and north-east.
An initial shortlist was drawn up by local agronomists and the final judging was carried out by Bayer Cropscience’s commercial technical manager for Scotland, Grant Reid. He said it was a very close competition.
“Given the weather conditions we have had the crops are actually looking very good. Quality and yields from some crops could surprise people,” said Mr Reid.
After much deliberation he chose a 28-acre block of Tower winter barley, being grown for seed, from the Middleton family’s Balbegno Farm, near Fettercairn.
The 580-acre farm which is run by Fraser, alongside his father, James, and his son, Scott, was crowned runner-up in the competition last year. Fraser said he had got on very well with the crop, which was sown on September 18 last year and cut on August 8.
The family also took the prize for best winter wheat with a 24-acre block of Viscount, and the prize for best spring malting barley with a 48-acre block of Concerto. Fraser said yields were on average a quarter of a tonne less than last year and skinning problems were experienced with the Concerto block which averaged 2-3% skinning when cut.
“It’s quite nervous on the combine cutting it (Concerto). The old variety, Golden Promise, went away with 0% skinning,” said Fraser. “Optic is another old variety we should be going back to because we never had problems with skinning with it.”
He attributed some of his success in this year’s competition to “advice from Angus Jacobsen” who is the new adviser for their local agronomy group, and “new ideas from Iain Wilson”.
The judge paid tribute to the Middleton family’s “attention to detail”.
Mr Reid said: “In regards to cultivation and weed control, the attention to detail (on the farm) is without a doubt first class. All the time and effort the family puts into establishing a crop and looking after it was reflected in the quality of the fields.”
He gave his reserve overall champion prize to a block of Sanette spring barley from Keith Walker, of Rayne Farms, Kirkton of Rayne.