The proceeds of two books of farming stories have collectively raised over £72,000 for RSABI, a charity which supports people working in Scottish agriculture.

The books – ‘Farming is a Funny Business’ and ‘Farming Facts and Fake News’ – were compiled by brothers Andrew and John Arbuckle who farmed near Newburgh in Fife.

The Arbuckle brothers are delighted with the phenomenal success of the books which they hope have raised many a smile in the farming community, as well as valuable funds for a leading Scottish agricultural charity.

Andrew Arbuckle said the aim was to produce books which could serve to record part of the wonderful heritage of the Scottish farming industry in the form of entertaining anecdotes from people involved in agriculture.

“We were very pleased with the response from people involved in many different aspects of farming in Scotland when we initially put out an appeal for quirky tales and light-hearted stories for our books,” said Arbuckle.

Our hope was that we could raise a good sum to assist the vital work of RSABI through the sales of the books but we never dreamed that the result would be the sort of figure which has been achieved.

The brothers extended their heartfelt thanks to all those who have bought books so far and supported them by sending in stories and ideas.

RSABI chief executive Nina Clancy said the charity was “thrilled” with the success of the books so far.

The money will be used to support the charity’s team of dedicated staff who provide vital financial, practical and emotional support to individuals and families with links to Scottish agriculture.

“Our sincere thanks go to Andrew and John for their superb efforts in producing two very successful books. Both titles are available to buy in our online shop and would make perfect stocking fillers for this Christmas,” Clancy said.

The books are available to buy in a range of retail outlets around the country and on the RSABI website at www.rsabi.org.uk with the full £10 price going to support the work of the charity.