Invite to join webinar with Ramsay family on 29 June

New and Next Generation farmers are invited to join a webinar next week (29 June) when Gregor and Lynne Ramsay will discuss their experiences emigrating from Scotland to start a new life in New Zealand.

The couple emigrated in 2015 and the family is growing with the arrival of son Ramsay. Gregor, a past Biggar Young Farmers Club member, and wife Lynne, a former Crossroads Young Farmers Club member, are share milking 140 spring calving Jersey cows on a three-year contract.  The couple are currently based in Otago, just south of Dunedin on New Zealand’s South Island.

The webinar on Monday 29 June, which starts at 7.30pm, has been set up by NFU Scotland’s Ayrshire Region; the NEFERTITI project and the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs’ Agri-Affairs group.  It will be chaired by SAC Beef Specialist Robert Ramsay (no relation).

To book go to the following Eventbrite link below:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-ramsays-farming-nz-style-tickets-109779218598  

Ayrshire’s representative on NFU Scotland’s Next Generation Group, John Howie said: “We had been planning an on-farm event for younger members this summer, but due to Covid-19 it simply could not happen.

“As more people are using online conferencing, we are embracing this technology to host a catch up with the Ramsay Family who emigrated from the West of Scotland to New Zealand 5 years ago. This also reflects the ethos of the NFUS NextGen group to embrace both change and technology and make the most of new opportunities!”

The Scottish NEFERTITI Hub Coach Annie McKee, a social researcher at the James Hutton Institute in Aberdeen said: “Supporting the next generation of new and young farmers is critical to the sustainability of agriculture in Scotland and internationally. “NEFERTITI, a large-scale EU-funded project, is supporting farmer-to-farmer knowledge exchange and innovation-uptake through on-farm demonstration activities. Here in Scotland, the NEFERTITI hub is focussed on the attractiveness of farming as a career to young people, and to encourage new entrants to agriculture.

“We welcome the opportunity to support this webinar which will give many in the next generation of farmers a lot of food for thought.”   

Notes for Editors

• The Scottish NEFERTITI Hub aims to connect the network of people involved in Scottish agriculture with ‘shared experiences and expertise to share’, through on-farm and virtual demonstrations, discussions, and mentoring for new entrants. Further detail is available via the Hub Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/NEFERTITIScottishHub/ - or by registering on the NEFERTITI project platform available here: https://nefertiti-h2020.eu/

Ends

Contact Bob Carruth on 0131 472 4006