NSA Highland Sheep 2025 shines at Midfearn Farm
NSA Highland Sheep, held at Midfearn Farm, Ardgay, by kind permission of the Brooke family, proved a resounding success attracting visitors from across Scotland and beyond.
With the attraction of a beautiful Highland setting, a line up of engaging seminars and a farm tour showcasing quality livestock, record breaking crowds arrived to enjoy a packed programme celebrating the strength, innovation and community of Highland sheep farming.
The farm tour was a major highlight. Trailers transported visitors across several fields to experience the Brooke family’s livestock enterprises, including a selection of their 650 breeding ewes and lambs and 110 breeding cows and calves. The tour also featured the Watson Seeds grassland plots, where visitors heard from the Watsons team about multispecies swards, soil health, and the role of grassland in improving livestock performance and farm profitability. Guests praised both the informative commentary and the breath-taking Highland scenery.
A strong seminar programme delivered thought-provoking discussions on three key topics:
- Inspections and agricultural policy
- Social media and farm diversification
- Lamb – what the market needs
All sessions were well attended and offered timely, practical insight into policy, consumer demand, and new approaches to business resilience.
Elsewhere, the event site hosted more than 120 trade stands, breed society displays, and machinery demonstrations. The butchery and cookery demonstrations were particularly popular, offering practical demonstrations, expert advice and culinary inspiration using Scotch lamb.
NSA Highland Sheep also maintained a strong educational focus, with local schools attending interactive farm tours and workshops. Pupils engaged in hands-on learning about farming, food production and environmental care, and feedback from teachers was overwhelmingly positive.
Reflecting on the event, hosts Tanya and Jock Brooke says: “It’s been a real privilege to host NSA Highland Sheep here at Midfearn. After a soggy start, the sun came out and so did the crowds. The atmosphere has been fantastic, and it’s been a pleasure to welcome so many people to our part of the Highlands.”
Peter Myles, NSA Scottish Region Chairman, adds: “We’re absolutely delighted with the turnout and enthusiasm at NSA Highland Sheep. Huge thanks go to Tanya and Jock Brooke and their farm manager Neil Shaw for their generous hospitality and the hard work they put into hosting such a successful event. The farm, the programme and the people really showcased the innovation, resilience and community spirit that define Highland sheep farming.”
NSA Highland Sheep not only celebrated the progress of Scotland’s sheep farmers, but also reinforced the importance of education, environmental stewardship and collaboration in shaping the future of the industry. The event also provided opportunity for skill and effort to be rewarded in a series of exciting competitions.
Taking place the day before the busy event was the NSA Next Generation Shepherd competition that saw six skilled young sheep farmers demonstrate enthusiasm for the sector whilst taking part in a series of shepherding tasks such as shearing, sheepdog handling and lamb selection. Taking the top place in the contest was Keira Smith from Aberdeenshire. Kiera was also the top place under 21 year old in the competition. She now goes forward to represent Scotland at next year’s national finals of the competition.
The invitational sheep dog trial saw Iain MacKay from Culloden take the top prize whilst over in the shearing shed Johnny Mackenzie from Dingwall was first in the open shear competition, James Macleod from the Kyle of Lochalsh was first in the intermediate speed shear and Anna McTaggert from Sutherland was first in the clean shear – junior class.
Find the full list of competition winners here.
