WITH plans to start his own sheep enterprise in the near future, news young shepherd Michael Hogg was the first winner of the National Sheep Association (NSA) 2020 membership prize giveaway was perfectly timed.
Mr Hogg, who works as a shepherd on a mixed farm near Barnard Castle won a sheep handling system worth more than £1,000 in one of four draws the NSA is holding this year to new members and those who have recommended a friend or family member sign up to the sheep farming charity. Mr Hogg said his interest in sheep farming has been with him for as long as he can remember.
“It started at an early age when a well-respected livestock farmer from Penrith, called William Coulston, took me under his wing and taught me so much about farming sheep and also about suckler cows. This gave me the experience and confidence to take on my current position as a shepherd on a mixed farm near Barnard Castle following my studies at the local agricultural college in Durham. “I am now enjoying working with the farm’s flock of 600 Swaledale and North of England mules.”
Mr Hogg, who hails from Tyne and Wear, decided to join NSA having visited last year’s North Sheep event where he competed and came second in the Next Generation Shepherd competition.
Of his win, he said: “I am set to start my own sheep enterprise soon. This sheep handling system will provide an ideal setup for carrying out fundamental husbandry tasks with the flock and offers the potential to expand on the handling system."
