NSA voucher giveaway 2016: Michael Ritch, Aberdeenshire
25th May 2016
With an expanding flock and plenty of ambition, young sheep farmer Michael Ritch from Inverurie, Aberdeenshire is looking forward to putting his £200 JG Animal Health voucher to good use in the coming weeks.
Having teamed up with FecpakG2, Cox Agri/Ritchey and JG Animal Health to giveaway three £200 vouchers every other month throughout 2016, Michael is one of three winners in the third prize draw of the year. New NSA members will be automatically entered into the giveaway when they sign up, as well as existing members who recommend a friend or neighbour to join someone to join NSA.
Timing for Michael, who farms alongside his father and grandfather, couldn’t have been better after he recently took the decision to invest in breeding sheep to add to the farms exiting beef and arable enterprises. He explains: “After we took on an extra block of nonarable land without buildings, breeding sheep became a new addition for the business, having stuck to store lambs for finishing on grass or turnips in the past. I’ve now established an outdoor lambing, low input multiplier flock for the Logie Durno brand and it’s now been a year since I purchased the first 70 in-lamb hoggs and 55 in-lamb ewes, which have since grown in numbers post-lambing with the purchase of ewes with lambs at foot.
“Over the next few years, I’m keen to improve grazing management and increase numbers and within the flock and I’m looking forward to discussing the possibilities of which products I might purchase with my voucher to best benefit my flock.”
Aside from being a NSA prize draw winner, Michael was also selected to be an NSA Next Generation Ambassador at the beginning of the year. As part of this, he and eleven other young shepherds attend a series of business and personal development training days throughout the year to equip them with various knowledge and skills as they progress through careers in the sheep industry.
Michael continues: “The programme so far has been fantastic, and it’s been great to meet the other 11 ambassadors as well as the NSA team running the Next Generation programme. The sessions have enabled me to be in a situation where we can ask questions and discuss different points with each other and experts, which is something you can’t do when just reading an article in a magazine.
“I look forward to what the upcoming NSA Next Generation sessions have to offer, as well as making the most of the exposure to new ideas, outlooks and opinions it provides.”
NSA is giving away a total of 18 £200 vouchers between 1st December 2015 and 4th November 2016. Full terms and conditions and membership application forms here.
