In direct employment terms farming is no longer the major employer it once was in Scotland but interest in agriculture and the countryside remains high and some 150,000 visitors are expected at the four-day Royal Highland Show 2005(Thursday 23 June - Sunday 26 June). Organised by the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society (instituted in 1784) the annual show has been held on a permanent site at Ingliston near Edinburgh Airport since 1960. Prior to that the show was held in different venues throughout Scotland, and as you would have guessed there was a fell argie-bargie over the decision to have a permanent site. Farming columns in newspaper such as the Dundee Courier and Aberdeen's Press & Journal led the charge against the Edinburgh move. More than forty years on, expansion at Edinburgh Airport threatens the Highland Show site and we can expect a fierce fight for the retention of the Ingliston Show site. However that lies in the future and hopefully good weather will ensure that the huge daily crowds enjoy the very best in Scottish agriculture.