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Establishing a viable agricultural business from scratch is far from easy, but share farming with a good working contract, is certainly working a treat for former freelance shepherd, Neil Sandilands. A finalist in the 2020 Sheep Farmer of the Year, Neil entered a shared partnership agreement with Jedburgh-based arable and livestock farmer, Stephen Withers, from Upper Hundalee, and his feet haven t touched the ground since. But, after much, blood, sweat and tears and some extremely long, long days, Neil who lives with his partner Lorraine Gotterson, and their young family of Harris (8) and Isla (5), admits they are making money having transformed what was once a mediocre commercial sheep unit into a extremely productive, progressive enterprise that has more than doubled in size.
Quality always sells in any market and for Northern Ireland livestock farmer, James Alexander, that means using several breeds and crosses in the sheep and the cattle world to produce females of the highest calibre. While many producers with a keen eye for stock focus on pedigree breeding as an alternative source of income, James who farms in partnership with his parents, Nelson and Anne, wife Ruth and their young family of Mya, Alicia, Isla, Jaxson and Eliza, have been so successful they have already established a brand name in the Jalex prefix which has become synonymous with quality. It’s a policy which is undoubtedly paying handsome dividends for the Ulsterman whose grandparents started off from humble beginnings on a small hill farm in the glens of Antrim. James’ father, Nelson, established the Alexander Tractors business selling tractors and 4 x 4 vehicles in the 1970s.