Stars of BBC’s This Farming Life put Shetland on the map

Farming on the most northern tip of the UK certainly comes with its challenges – difficult weather, long dark winters, extra freight costs and blow-away sandy soils, for starters.

But 25-year-old Aimee Budge is up for the challenge, farming beef, sheep and arable at Bigton Farm, alongside her older sister, Kirsty.

In 2014, family life turned upside down when their father died in a tractor accident.

But with the support of close family, the farming pair have risen to the challenge to continue their father’s legacy and begin their own story.

See also: Farmers Weekly Awards 2021 – Young Farmer of the Year

A passion for farming

Having always had a keen interest in farming, Aimee studied agriculture at SRUC Craibstone, Aberdeen, and after returning from university in 2018, she got stuck into full-time work on the home farm.

Now running 90 Saler cross Shorthorn sucklers and 600 ewes, alongside 60 acres of barley, there is never a dull moment.

“I love my job and feel so lucky to be farming every day and Shetland is such a beautiful place to be,” says Aimee.

But farming so far north brings weather difficulties, long cold winters and harsh storms that restrict grass growth.

It therefore wasn’t long after returning to Shetland that Aimee began to miss student life and the buzz of the mainland and being among other like-minded young people.

This prompted her to initiate Shetland’s Young Farmers’ Club, and become its secretary.

© MAG/Emma Gillbard

Shetland YFC

“I loved my time studying at Craibstone, experiencing life on the mainland and making lifelong friends. I wanted to bring a bit of this back to Shetland,” she says.

This was the pivotal moment when she realised the island could benefit from all the great things a YFC has to offer.

After a challenging start getting the club restarted, rallying potential members to join the organisation and setting out a range of activities for all to enjoy, Shetland YFC has brought together young people from across the island and encouraged locals into farming.

Recently, the club had a successful trip to the Royal Highland Show and was crowned National YFC of the Year by the Scottish Association of Young Farmers’ Clubs.

Members were thrilled to win the award after being re-established three years ago.

“I was so proud of the club. It was a great recognition for all our hard work and the commitment from our members. We had a great time celebrating and thank all our members, families and the community of Shetland for their support,” says Aimee.

Farm life

Back on the farm, 50 beef cattle are sold as stores each year and the remainder are kept on to fatten.

Aimee and Kirsty – who works part-time on the farm – then decided to start selling meat boxes comprising their home-reared beef.

What started out as a few sales to family and friends has expanded over the past couple of years to a delivery service across the island – driven by Bigton Farm’s social media accounts which the pair’s mum, Helen, helps to run.

Promoting British agriculture and reaching out to a wider audience is something Aimee and her family are particularly keen on, which is why Bigton Farm embarked on its social media journey.

Facebook likes have reached more than 6,000 and since setting up their Instagram account (@BigtonFarm), demonstrating Shetland’s unique farming environment in a positive light, they have almost 3,500 followers.

BBC experience

Aimee and Kirsty have also starred on BBC’s This Farming Life, educating the public and showcasing farming realities. Filming began in January 2018 for one week every month – for 10 months.

“The television series did an amazing job for Shetland and did a great deal of promotion for women in agriculture. It was great to be an inspiration, showcase the island and the wider farming industry,” says Aimee.

It did get very hectic during lambing and calving season, but speaking in front of the camera significantly built up her confidence and public speaking skills.

Community spirit

Community life on the small island, which is home to 22,000 people, is also of real importance. This is why Bigton Farm became an AHDB Monitor and Quality Meat Scotland farm.

In 2017 Aimee and her family hosted six community meetings and welcomed local farmers and industry specialists to their farm throughout the three-year programme.

“This was a great tool for Shetland and a real eye-opener to network with others. The highlight for me was focusing on costings and budgeting, with a talk from an accountant, and learning about the importance of organic matter.

“Since then, we tried discing some fields to reduce our reliance on the plough.

But with very high sand contents, holding on to organic matter is no easy task,” she says.

Looking ahead

St Ninians island and sandbank © MAG/Emma Gillbard

Aimee hopes to diversify the farm business into tourism to make the most of the spectacular Shetland coastline.

Just a stone’s throw away from the main farmyard lies a unique sandbank, which connects mainland Shetland to a 100-acre island called St Ninian’s.

The Budges graze ewes and lambs for the majority of the year on the island, herding them across the sandy beach for access.

This would make the perfect backdrop to a caravan park or shepherd huts, which Aimee sees as real potential to expand the farming business and share her passion for the island with the public.