About Me

I grew up on a farm outside Ayr in south Scotland where my family run a small herd of Belted Galloway cattle. Alongside the farming enterprise my parents manage kennels and a cattery. Since I was a little tot I have been involved with the farm – from looking after our cattle, pygmy goats and riding ponies, I had the dream childhood, always outdoors.

I broke the family tradition of becoming a vet (both my mum and grandmother trained and worked in the industry) and studied International Relations and Politics at the University of Edinburgh. Once graduating in 2013 I spent a year doing various internships in London, before working for BBC Scotland as a freelance for three years in News.

I joined the team at the Scottish Farmer in 2017, hoping to combine my love for farming with my interests in politics, to report on Brexit. I am passionate about the future of the rural economy and feel privileged to be in a role where I can inform the public on the changing political climate.

Rural life

Young Farmers was something I always wanted to get involved in, but my mum put her foot down as I was busy with numerous sports and couldn’t take on more commitments (story of my life!). I competed in athletics at national level and after a small break to focus on my career have returned to training five times a week.

I love the fact that working for the rural industry I am not sat at my desk 9-5, five days a week. I really enjoy the fact I get to travel round beautiful parts of Scotland and visit farms and food and drink businesses. No part of rural Scotland is the same and my job allows me to appreciate the changing patchwork quilt of the Scottish countryside.

Rural challenges

One thing that frustrates me about rural locations is the roads and the very poor condition they are in. Signal can also be poor, so if I’m trying to send a story back to the office or post on social media I often must wait till I return to the city.

When I first started my work as a reporter for the rural industry I found it quite never-wracking going to events and knowing nobody. Rural communities are quite hard to penetrate, and I think there needs to be more opportunities to social network within the rural communities, especially if we want to encourage new blood into the sector. People often think unless you are born in to a farming/rural family you won’t be part of the community – this is a stereotype that needs to diminish.