The 31st March meeting of Anstruther Rotary was a bit different to usual. Following a meal at the Craw’s Nest Hotel, club members and partners set off to Balmonth Farm, owned by fellow Rotarian Ian Brunton.

What followed was a fascinating tour of the farm buildings and a chance to see at first hand the constant round-the-clock work of lambing. The sheds, some dating from the 17th century, are well arranged to safely accommodate the ewes as well as their lambs as they arrive. From the precautionary disinfection of boots on arrival, the very high level of care for the sheep was immediately noticeable.

What was also very apparent was the size of the animals. For those who had last been close to a sheep many years ago, these were big! Ian gave an extremely interesting insight to modern breeding programmes and the characteristics of different traditional breeds. The size, build and weight of this flock being significantly influenced by the Texel breed. It was interesting also to hear how technology now makes breeding both more predictable and safer. Scans for example providing a generally dependable forecast of the number of lambs being carried by each Ewe.

Our visit was brought to a memorable close by one particular ewe, which decided to produce two lambs at exactly the right time – with a privileged opportunity to see Ian in action too!

A vote of thanks was proposed to Ian, to wife Carole and to ‘Team Balmonth’