A VET from the region has been named the National Young Farmer of the Year for her efforts in the organisation.
Ailsa Buchanan, 25, was crowned at the final in Stirling last week.
It comes after a stellar ten years of involvement with Young Farmers, which started in 2016 when she joined the Stranraer and Rhins branch.
Despite growing up on a dairy farm in South Ayrshire, it was the closest club for Ailsa, whose older brother Douglas was also involved.
Over the last decade she has tried her hand at all sorts of activities through the club, from speechmaking, cattle dressing, volleyball and netball, to handicrafts and hockey.
She’s also enjoyed the ‘very good’ social side, having met lots of lovely people, including her boyfriend.
And she’s had the opportunity to travel around the country and has even secured a spot to go to Texas in November on a study tour.
Despite a busy career as a mixed practice vet, Ailsa is currently the YFC assistant secretary and will take on the full secretarial post next year. She attends events and sessions several nights a week and is involved at district level too.
She said: “The criteria for winning is your overall involvement in the club and recruitment of new members.
“I go every week, multiple nights, there’s always something on.”
Describing what she gets out of it, Ailsa, who is based at Sandhead, said: “I have had really good opportunities to learn lots of new skills and do things I probably would not do otherwise.
“The social side is a highlight, definitely, meeting people in the club and across the country at different events.
“The message to others is to try every opportunity you can, there’s definitely something for everyone.”
