Northumberland-based Alastair Graham is the NSA North Sheep Young Shepherd of the Year.

Alastair collected the prestigious Hexham and Northern Marts sponsored award after completing a pentathlon of activities designed to test the youngsters shepherding skills at NSA North Sheep 2011.

Alistair collects his trophy

He will also go forward to represent England in the new World Young Shepherd’s Competition to be staged in South Island, New Zealand in November.

Each of the 18 entrants from Cumbria, Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland or Yorkshire were required to sort finished lambs for slaughter and demonstrate handling tasks, shearing, vaccinating and dosing techniques, along with stock judging. They were also questioned on flock management and health issues.

Back home at Plainfield Farm, Thropton, Morpeth where his dad Maurice and his grandparents, Roger and Hilda manage a 330 acre organic unit which carries 320 ewes and 100 finishing cattle, 21 year old Alastair Graham has been helping out for almost as long as he can remember.

However, since leaving school he set up his own agricultural contracting business working on farms throughout Northumberland featuring a range of systems, from a 30 ewe pedigree flock to 3,000 commercial ewes carrying out various jobs including shearing and lorry and tractor driving.

“I’m thrilled to bits to win the competition and for the award to stay in Northumberland,” he said.

“It’s also a big bonus to have the opportunity to travel to New Zealand, somewhere I’ve wanted to go, and to compete against people from all over the world. I’ve won various stock judging competitions with YFC at county level, however this award was much, much bigger with a lot of tasks that required a great deal of skill and concentration.”

Event organiser Julie Sedgewick said: “We were pleased to host and support this new award to select a qualifier to represent England in the new World Young Shepherd’s Competition.

“We are acutely aware that the biggest long term challenge which continues to face the sheep industry is to encourage young people to be involved. These two competitions are designed to help equip tomorrow’s sheep keepers with the skills they need and give recognition once those skills have become honed.

“We are grateful to our sponsor, Hexham and Northern Marts for recognising young people’s importance to the sheep industry, and also to EBLEX which is funding the entrant’s travel to New Zealand.”