While most farmers enjoy a quieter few months in the summer after a busy spring season, Ryan Maclean enters his busiest few months of the year sheep shearing.
The crofter’s son from the West Coast established Highland Agricultural Contractors in 2018 and now travels to farms the length and breadth of the country.
Each year, Ryan shears around 40,000 sheep from May through to August, with clients as far north as Durness and down into Campbeltown.
He also took over an ultrasound scanning contract from his partner’s father, John Urquhart, which Ryan has built up to roughly 85,000 to 90,000 sheep and around 15,000 cattle per year.
This job sees him travel all over the country, making five trips per year out to Islay, two trips to Uist and one trip out to Lewis and Harris for cattle.
The 27 year old grew up near Poolewe, at Tourneig – an estate which his father has managed for several years.
His family also run their own croft called Bualnaluib, near Aultbea. Between the estate, the family croft and Ryan’s own enterprise of performance recorded North Country Cheviot hill ewes, the Macleans look after 1,000 ewes and 120 suckler cows.
“I’ve grown up interested in farming and because dad was always shearing for locals, I went alongside him when I was younger to learn the game,” he said.
“I decided to go to New Zealand to learn how to do it a bit faster and when I returned home, dad stopped and I continued.”
This year, Ryan will have a team of five or six shearers available throughout the season which will be split in two to offer two shearing trailers to clients.
His team will include BBC This Farming Life star Sean Cursiter, who will join him in June, as well as a friend from Australia is over for the Golden Shears competition at the Royal Highland Show.
After the show, two Irish shearers will make up part of Ryan’s team, along with two wool rollers from New Zealand.
“We have the capacity to take on more shearing this year because we’ve lost numbers due to farms being sold for tree planting and the sheep being dispersed,” said Ryan.
“One of these farms had 6,000 ewes so it’s a big chunk to disappear.”
Ryan has built up a huge client base for ultrasound scanning and he is most grateful to John for his guidance and training.
He commented on the dwindling cow numbers and said herds which he scanned were down 12% in size.
“Farmers are culling harder due to the costs and the better prices in the sale ring,” he said.
“This is leading to better decision making as there are less of the problem cows around which in turn will improve herd performance.”
Ryan said scanning percentages for sheep this year averaged 149%, which is back 8% on the year.
“I’m scanning in a variation of areas but generally the weather has affected scanning results,” he said.
“The east coast had a dry summer and less grass so ewes were working hard, but the west had a wet summer and so sheep were in good condition.”
Ryan can be found on Facebook at Highland Agricultural Contractors.
