Each month, we catch up with Young Farmers from SAYFC’s north region. This time, we hear from the newly appointed north area chair Euan Bremner who is a member of Halkirk Young Farmers in Caithness.
What’s your background? I grew up on our family farm just outside Thurso. I have always been passionate about agriculture and when I was 18 I moved down to England to study a degree in agriculture with mechanisation at Harper Adams University. This experience opened my eyes to the world of agriculture and since graduating I have travelled around England and Scotland working for various agricultural related businesses as well as travelling to Australia for a harvest in 2019.
What do you do for an occupation? I chose to study a degree in agriculture with mechanisation as I have always been more machinery and technology focused. After graduating in 2019, I went on to work for various agricultural contractors in the south-east of England, focusing on the anaerobic digestor market before moving into a role in the precision ag department at a John Deere dealership in the south of Scotland. I have recently returned to Caithness full-time where I work alongside my Ffther running 420 hectares and calving 200 suckler cows, lambing 300 ewes and growing 60 hectares of spring cereals.
Are you an office bearer in Young Farmers or have you been previously? I am very grateful to have been elected as the North Region Chair for 2024-2025, and I am looking forward to working with all our members to help them achieve the most within their time in Young Farmers.
Why did you join Young Farmers? My older sister was very competitive and dragged me along to make up numbers at a sports night 12 years ago and ever since then I have been hooked. Even when I was living in England, I joined a club in Lincolnshire. It was a great way to meet young people in the local area and I enjoyed an excellent year attending and competing in NFYFC events.
What has been your most memorable moment as a Young Farmer so far? I was fortunate enough to travel to Singapore in 2016 on behalf of SAYFC to attend the Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth’s Conference. This was an amazing experience and the connections and information I gained here have helped me to progress my career to where I am today. Hearing about the industry from key speakers from countries around the world really opened my eyes to the opportunities that Agriculture holds.
Favourite time of year in the agricultural calendar? I would have to say the end of April to the start of May, when the lambing is finishing and the cattle are being turned out to grass. It makes all the hard work and long hours in spring worthwhile. Although, we have seen snow in May up here before, so if you asked me on one of those days you would get a different answer.
If you could change something in the world, what would it be? I think the distribution of weather across the globe is very unfair. If anyone would like to trade a month of winter rain for a month of 25°c+ weather in summer I’m ready to make a deal.
How has Young Farmers impacted your life? Being a member of Young Farmers has opened the door to a world of opportunities. The connections and skills I have gained along the way have been invaluable for my career and social life. I am always learning new things as part of the organisation and always enjoy meeting new people at events.
What are your life ambitions? To retire in my 50s and live on a yacht in the South of France or run a farm with fences that are fully sheep proof would be up there. So as long as I am always moving forward in my career with a good work/life balance I will be happy. I am very optimistic about the future of the agricultural industry in the north of Scotland.
Why would you encourage somebody to join SAYFC? SAYFC is an organisation unlike any other. The skills and opportunities it provides will set you up for life. With such a wide variety of events, there really is something for everyone. From the casual social member to the person who commits to every competition, it really does cater for everyone.
