Farmer Focus: The perfect family farm wedding for my sister
Annabel Hamilton © Angus Findlay For us all as a family, June was marked by a fantastic celebration as my younger sister, Rosie, married Andrew Dixon.
It was the perfect farm wedding, complete with his-and-hers straw bales and the happy couple driving away from the church in a classic Land Rover Defender.
The weather couldn’t have been better, with the marquee overlooking the beautiful Bee Edge View, stretching across the fields to the sea. I wish Rosie and Andrew a lifetime filled with love, fun and laughter.
See also: Farmer Focus: Imagine a farmer on Dragons’ Den
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June also brought one of the highlights of the farming calendar – the Royal Highland Show. This four-day event showcases everything that is great about food, farming and rural life.
One of the highlights for me was watching the heavy horses in the main ring. On the Sunday of the show, we watched a magnificent team of six beautiful horses win the overall team championship.
Turned out to the very highest standard, these majestic animals were a truly spectacular sight.
Revitalised Cereals Event
It was also the time of year for Cereals, an event I must admit I hadn’t attended for a few years.
I had the privilege of speaking on the opening day as part of a panel sponsored by Secobra, titled “Resilience in a volatile world: Building a stable malting barley supply chain”.
It was an honour to share the stage with my fellow panellists, who brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to the discussion.
I thoroughly enjoyed the event. The plant breeders had done an excellent job with the demonstration plots, and the layout of that area worked particularly well.
Unfortunately, the rest of the show felt more like a festival than an agricultural event, and it took me far longer than it should have to find one particular stand. That said, perhaps that fresh approach has given Cereals the revitalisation it needed.
Once I had navigated my way through the crowds – and resisted collecting too many freebies – it was fascinating to see the latest remote-controlled farming innovations on display.
All in all, June was a month filled with family celebrations, memorable agricultural events and plenty of opportunities to catch up with friends before harvest kicks off.
