One of Scotland’s best known farmers and a former chairman of Caledonian Marts has died at the age of 78.
Tom Brown had farmed at West Adamston, Muirhead, for 49 years, having moved there with his wife Julia and young family at the Martinmas term of 1963.
Previously, he had farmed with his father John at Pettycur, Montrose.
Born at what was then the family farm of Stone of Benholm in 1934, his early schooling was at Benholm School and later at Montrose Academy.
He left school at 15 and went straight to work on the farm but still found time to be a member of Kinneff and then Montrose Young Farmers’ Clubs.
A bursary of £45 was enough to fund a trip to a young farmers rally in Holland and it was there that he first met his wife-to-be Julia, who was representing the West of Scotland on the tour.
They married in 1958, with John born in 1959 followed by Fiona in 1961 and Hamish in 1964.
After the move to Muirhead the Browns became part of the community and Mr Brown was an elder of Lundie and Muirhead Parish Church and became the first chairman of Muirhead Community Council.
This led to him becoming the chairman of the group set up to build and raise funds for the Birkhill and Muirhead Millennium Hall. A room in the building is named in his honour.
Tom’s lifelong interest in cattle led to him becoming a director of Caledonian Marts when it operated the market in Dundee.
Once it closed, the company took over Hays market in Perth before consolidating around its base at Stirling.
Mr Brown was a director of the company for 30 years and chairman for eight.
He was also a director of marketing and grading group Tayside Potato Producers from 1972 to 1988 serving as vice-chairman. Mr Brown was also a chairman of Angus Show during the 1970s
Mrs Brown’s main interest away from the farm was curling. He was a former president of Lundie and Auchterhouse Curling Club and, at the time of his death, an honorary life president.