Hume was born in Peebles but raised in Selkirkshire. His previous positions include Chairman of "Environment and Land Use" for the National Farmers Union of Scotland and President of Lothians and Borders NFU. He was active during the Foot-and-mouth crisis of 2001. Hume was also on the board of Scottish Enterprise Borders, Chaired The Borders Foundation for Rural Sustainability, a member of the Forestry Commission's South of Scotland Regional Forum, a Trustee of The Borders Forest Trust and a founding Director of The South of Scotland Loan Fund Scheme. He was a Member of the Scottish Parliament from 2007 to 2016