Why talented Kinross curler on cusp of Olympics opted to focus on farming

Talented curler, Beth Farmer, was on a pathway to the global games when she decided to step off the rollercoaster of elite competition.

The 25-year old grew up on a Kinross farm, and is the current chairperson of Kinross JAC and was runner-up in the prestigious 2024 Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs (SAYFC) Young Farmer of the Year competition.

Coming from a farming family, she was out lambing when her call-up came in 2022 for the Scottish national curling team. Positive covid tests by more established players saw her out lambing in the morning and then, within 24 hours, landing in Canada for the World Women’s Curling Championships.

“Iit was a really exciting time,” said Beth. “I used to go to the local rink with my cousins as I was growing up and then started competing and getting picked for extra coaching.”

But balancing sport at the highest level with working on a farm was a tough juggling act.

“I think the general public probably has no idea the kind of pressure athletes at that level are under,” she said. “Working within farming it was so difficult to keep other job options going alongside. Coaches kept encouraging us to keep up with careers remotely -jumping on a laptop between training sessions - but you can’t really do that when you are a shepherd

“We were training five days a week during the day and that just couldn’t work with the farming lifestyle. Farming’s a job that you are either all in, or all out. You can’t just be dipping your toe in when there is livestock involved.”

Beth has now switched from freelance shepherding to working full time at Parks of Aldie Farm

Her Young Farmers’ Club has named Farmstrong Scotland as its chosen worthy cause for the year, and the organisation’s focus on physical, mental, and social wellbeing is something she is keen to promote.

“Rather than the girl who curls, I now want to be known for just being me and it’s been exciting to figure out who that is,” she explains. “Stepping up in young farmers has been a big help in making that transition and I have been determined to take every opportunity that presents itself.”

Following on from her success in the Young Farmer of the Year competition, Beth secured a place on the SAYFC 2025 Agri & Rural Affairs Study Tour and come November will be jetting off on a two-week learning trip to Texas.

Closer to home and Beth has put her love of running to good use. Earlier this year she completed the Inverness Half Marathon to raise funds for SAYFC’s Big Build campaign to create a new national headquarters. She kept putting her best foot forward closer to home by encouraging local YFC members to ‘Run to Norfolk’ in aid of Farmstrong.

The idea came about because of an exchange with Diss Young Farmers’ Club in Norfolk, with members sponsored to clock up the equivalent of the 386 miles between the two clubs within a couple of weeks of intensive running around the local area.

“It’s been great to see people, some of whom hadn’t run before or who said they hated it, coming out and getting behind this Farmstrong fundraiser,” says Beth.

“It didn’t matter if they only wanted to walk to start off with, we all did it as clubmates and soon started knocking the miles off the more people got into it. It’s great to think some of those that got involved will carry on and keep running.”