It is a pleasure to write this welcome on a beautiful autumn morning, with the sun shining and the stock well spread across the fields here in Northumberland. We are especially enjoying a family visit just now, with our son Will, his wife Jenna, and their two boys, Toby and Jack, here with us from New Zealand for nearly three weeks. They have left lambing and calving in safe hands back home, and by all accounts, things are going well.
This summer we were fortunate to welcome many visitors from Australia, which has been a real joy and an opportunity to reconnect with old friends. At the same time, the agricultural show season has been in full swing. The Melbourne Show in Australia is now underway, and I hope to share a report in the next newsletter. Closer to home, the Border Union Agricultural Society (in Kelso, Scottish Borders) held its annual ram sale, where the top price reached £32,000 for a Texel ram, with the sale as a whole achieving a remarkable turnover. The Westmorland and Newbury shows in England have also taken place, bringing the UK show season to a close.
Here at Bowmont Hill in Northumberland, we are busy planting grain, selling lambs and preparing to scan the cows next week. I was also delighted to see a recent feature in the Australian magazine Outback, highlighting the son and daughter-in-law of Jock and Rose Duncan, long-time friends and conference supporters.
As ever, I encourage you to keep an eye on the website for updates on the 2026 Conference.
