To celebrate 25 years of AgriScot, this year’s annual silage competition, sponsored and run by Watson Seeds, will introduce a brand-new overall winner category – recognising the very best silage production in Scotland.
Now open for entries, the AgriScot Silage Competition is the longest running of its kind in the UK. Since it began, more than 3,000 farmers have entered, with hundreds of applications received each year.
Silage will be judged across the following four categories: Young Farmer (for those aged 30 years and under), Beef Clamp, Dairy Clamp and the Big Bale.
The competition will be judged in two stages, one on paper from a silage analysis, and one physical assessment of silage samples. The finalist entries will then be judged live at AgriScot on Wednesday 18th November 2026. New for this year, an overall winner will be selected from the four category winners.
This year’s silage challenges
Andrew Best, Seed Specialist at Watson Seeds, has organised the AgriScot Silage Competition and its prize sponsorship for more than five years. He said:
“I’m expecting to see some variation in silage quality this year. Those who took an early first cut in the season should have benefited from strong spring growth, allowing them to take silage of good quality.
“However, later cuts in some regions of the country will have been affected by prolonged periods of drought. This will have had a knock-on effect on both yield and quality, with grass becoming increasingly stressed and losing some of its feeding value.
“I always look forward to seeing the competition entries. It highlights the value of understanding your silage so you can adjust supplement according to the changing weather conditions. It is a competition which recognises the input and hard work that goes into making silage, as well as the importance of knowing its quality and the impact this has on livestock nutrition.”
John Jamieson of Firth Farming, Upper Locharwoods, won Sustainable Farm of the Year at last year’s Scottish Agriculture Awards and is this year’s judge.
“What an honour it is to be asked to judge the AgriScot Silage Competition, especially in its 25th anniversary year. Having exhibited cattle and competed in the Silage Competition myself since it began, it’s a real privilege to now be on the other side of the fence.
“Good soil health, together with resilient grasses and legumes, will be increasingly important if we are to sustain our livestock sector and our industry going forward.”
How the competition works
The first stage: Chemical Analysis
Entrants submit their silage analysis report by email, along with the cut date. Judges assess each entry on metabolisable energy, crude protein and dry matter. The top five entries in each category will move on to a second round of chemical analysis, which will reduce the field to three finalists in each class.
The second stage: Fresh Sample Judging
The three finalists in each category then provide fresh silage samples for live judging in the AgriScot ring on Wednesday 18th November, where this year’s expert judge, John Jamieson of Firth Farming, will select the winners and explain his decisions on the day. The winners of each category will be awarded with 10 acres of any Watson Seeds Castle Mixture, with second and third place, receiving five and two acres, respectively.
How to enter
Prior to submitting an entry for chemical forage analysis, competitors should ask permission from the silage owner and confirm that the silage will be available for fresh sampling – should it reach the final stage of the competition.
Entries for the first stage are open and must be submitted by Friday 23rd October 2026 to Andrew Best at abest@watsonseeds.com.
