AHDB Grazing Project and Open Day
Friday 23rd September 10.30am – 2.30pm
Is there a place for beef systems in arable rotations?
Fowlmere Village Hall, Chrishall Road, Fowlmere, Royston, Hertfordshire, SG8 7RY
To register your FREE place ring the AHDB Beef & Lamb events office on 01904 771211 or email brp.events@ahdb.org.uk
Join us on the 18th August in the Northampton Suite at The East of England Agricultural Society, where we will have a bbq and talk from a livestock and equine vet, as well as watching the Equifest evening performance.
The cost of the evening is £10, if you haven’t been to a Cultiv8 meeting before but are interested feel free to come along. If you are unsure if you are able to make it, an email or phone call on the day would be great so we know how many to cater for.
For more information about Cultiv8 Click Here
If you have any questions please contact William or Ruth at the Society at Cultiv8@EastofEngland.org.uk or 01733 234451
10 August 2016
The East of England Smithfield Festival will continue to evolve in 2016, with festival director William Haire promising to deliver an event with broader appeal to the farming sector.
Visitors of this year’s event, which is being held on 15 and 16 November at the East of England Showground in Peterborough, will not only be able to see some of the best primestock in the country, but will also have the opportunity to gain valuable information on the latest technologies, ideas and developments within the livestock industry.
William Haire @ East Of England Smithfield
East of England Showground, Peterborough
©Tim Scrivener 07850 303986
“While the traditional Smithfield cattle and sheep primestock classes will remain at its very heart, I’m taking a fresher approach to deliver an event which is more relevant to the wider farming industry,” says William.
“In order to remain economically viable, I strongly believe that it’s vital livestock farmers are progressive, share advice and embrace the technology available to them. The festival is a great opportunity to facilitate this and I particularly encourage the younger generation, as well as farmers from other sectors, to come along and join the conversation. We can all learn from each other for a stronger British agriculture.”
This ethos is something that William, a livestock farmer at heart who has spent much of his life breeding pedigree Hereford cattle, is also keen to deliver through the many other events which he organises on behalf of the East of England Smithfield Agricultural Society. These include a conference, regional dinners and a group for young professionals in agriculture, all of which bring the farming community together on a professional and social level.
William’s determination to add focus on the future issues within the industry and develop the Smithfield Festival with a forward thinking and innovative approach, comes in part from his experience of livestock farming abroad, along with his studies as a Nuffield Farming scholar.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to Australia and New Zealand as well as America and Canada. The work these countries are doing to progress their livestock industry, particularly in the field of breeding technology and genetic markers, has really impressed me. And while there is no doubt that the UK produces some of the best livestock in the world, we need to move with the times in order to remain competitive in the market place.
“The East of England Smithfield Festival is really branching out to accommodate this, with an expanding industry tradestand area, along with a packed line-up of competitions and a programme of seminars. It will certainly prove a worthwhile visit for anybody looking to progress within the livestock industry,” concludes William.
—
Notes to editors
The 2016 East of England Smithfield Festival takes place at the East of England Showground, Peterborough, on 15 and 16 November.
For more information, please contact livestock@eastofengland.org.uk or telephone 01733 234 451
Issued by: Rebecca Morgan, Pinstone Communications, e-mail: rebecca@pinstone.co.uk, t: 01568 617663
25 July 2016
Impressive line-up for 2016 Smithfield Festival
Once again the 2016 Smithfield Festival has attracted the biggest names in the cattle and sheep industry to judge this year’s prestigious event, which will be held at the East of England Showground on the 15 and 16 November 2016.
The Smithfield Festival leads the way in bringing all aspects of livestock management to one event, and showcases the very best of modern day agriculture.
Andrew Mutch, director of Mutch Meats in Oxfordshire, will lead the sheep judging this year and brings a wealth of knowledge in market demands. Andrew offers a unique combination of farming knowledge and market insight, which is crucial to profitable sheep farming and gives him a highly valued place in the judging team.
Commercial cattle will be judged this year by an individual hugely respected in the cattle industry; Gavin Scott, from Gateside Farm, Linlithgow. Gavin brings invaluable experience in cattle judging and livestock production, and will ensure a world class animal takes the prestigious title in 2016.
Also confirmed for the 2016 Smithfield Festival, is Iain Green from the well-known Corskie Simmental herd in Scotland, which has itself seen tremendous success in the show ring. Iain, who will judge the Pedigree Calf Show Interbreed Championship and the Duke of Norfolk Pedigree Calf Group of 3, promises to bring his wealth of cattle and judging knowledge to his role at this year’s event.
“Andrew Mutch, Gavin Scott and Iain Green are fantastic assets to the event team and have enormous experience in judging the best show animals in the UK,” says William Haire, Festival show director.
“The Smithfield Festival continues to evolve as the industry changes,” adds Mr Haire. “We acknowledge the changing landscape of livestock farming in the UK and farmers have to be closer to the consumer and produce what the market demands.
“This event puts the future needs of livestock farmers first and provides a venue that offers information and tools to ensure the longevity of our industry,” he says.
“We plan to continue with our focus on innovations and technical advancements within the livestock sector, bringing together the industry’s leading representatives to share their views and thoughts on the future,” he concludes. “2016 promises to be an exciting and thought provoking event and one that will benefit anyone wanting to be successful in the livestock industry of the future.”
-ends-
Notes to editors
For more information please contact livestock@eastofengland.org.uk or telephone 01733 234 451
Issued by: Rebecca Morgan, Pinstone Communications, e-mail: rebecca@pinstone.co.uk, t: 01568 617663
Having lived my whole life in the countryside, I find it hard to believe how little some people know about what goes on or where food comes from – particularly young children. Luckily, the need to begin education about food, farming and the countryside generally at an early age is being recognised as important.
It matters because the public at large should have an understanding of where food comes from and how our countryside is shaped. It is vital because of the need for people to pursue careers in the food and farming supply chains.
Impressions of careers are formed very early in life, often before early teens; thus the industry needs to begin engaging with future generations early. A challenge that has been recognised by a range of businesses and trade bodies. This has led to a variety of school initiatives and the creation of organisations such as FACE – Farming and Countryside Education – to help teachers educate, and young children learn.
Teaching resources and school gardens are great steps forward, but you cannot beat hands-on experience to understand what the countryside is all about. Practical experience is what the East of England Agricultural Society’s ‘Kids Country’ is all about. A small core of Society staff, supported by dozens and dozens of volunteers deliver a year-round programme of events to let children see, first hand, what the countryside is about.
In January, over 500 school children were given wholesome breakfasts as part of the Society’s support for the national Breakfast Week initiative. In March, the team helped 400 children ‘Grow your own potatoes’. While in May it was real hands on stuff at ‘Happy Chicks Day’ – where children could touch and hold chicks and hens while learning about egg production.
However, the flagship event is the ‘Food and Farming Day’ held this year on 1 July where over 5,500 school children were bussed from all over East Anglia to the Society’s showground in Peterborough. For a whole day they received a real insight into what happens in the countryside.
For a born and bred countryman, it is a real eye opener. Children come who have never stood on grass, let alone stroked a cow, smelt a pig or met a gun dog. The latter being my own input, working with the Cambridgeshire Gundog Club to show our visitors (pupils and teachers alike) different breeds, how they are trained and how they work.
The day works thanks to huge support from a wide range of individuals, clubs and corporate businesses. The Tesco Eat Happy project provided the main sponsorship, Barclays Bank provided dozens of staff, and fresh food businesses like Bartletts and Produce World provided produce. Huge machines loaned by commercial businesses such as New Holland, as well as local farmers, can be seen. Not to mention the ever popular tractor and trailer rides.
This event is now the largest one-day event focused on educating future generations in the UK. Something the Society, sponsors, supporters and volunteers are all rightly proud of.
Hopefully, some of the young visitors will go home and provide some education to mum and dad when next they visit a supermarket. Perhaps they will actually want to go for a trip to the countryside. Or perhaps they will aspire to join the farming, food and countryside industries – the biggest single sector of the UK economy – helping these industries meet the challenge of an ever-increasing global population and its increasing demand for food to eat and countryside to enjoy.
Geoff Dodgson is a non-executive trustee of the East of England Agricultural Society and Senior Consultant at Ware Anthony Rust.
© Ware Anthony Rust Limited
Members of the East of England Agricultural Society are granted free entry to the Festival of Hunting on presentation of a valid Membership card. Members are also encouraged to wear their East of England Agricultural Society Badges to the show.
The Festival of Hunting takes place at the East of England Showground on Wednesday 20th July 2016. The historic and prestigious event is the annual showcase for the world of hunting and boasts the greatest gathering of hounds in the country.
Entry to the show for non-members:
*The deadline for advanced ticked sales is 13th July 2016 at 5pm
For more information about the show, please take a look at the Festival of Hunting website www.festivalofhunting.com
For any membership queries, please call 01733 363513.
5,500 children from over 50 primary schools attended Kids Country Food & Farming Day 2016, the educational food and farming event that showcases the journey from farm to fork. The aim of the event was to teach children about food provenance, and the importance of farming and the countryside through a host of hands-on, interactive activities and exhibitors.
The annual day, organised by the East of England Agricultural Society, saw the East of England Showground transformed into 11 interactive zones. Over 100 leading organisations from across the agricultural sector attended the event, including the sponsor The Tesco Eat Happy Project as well as Weetabix, New Holland, Billingsgate Seafood School, and Albert Bartlett, all of which recognised the importance of educating tomorrow’s consumers. Over 100 volunteers also joined the team to make the event a day to remember.
Children got the chance to grind flour and cook bread rolls, milk goats and cows, take part in demonstration vet surgeries and team up with celebrity chef Rachel Green to make hummus in celebration of the International Year of Pulses. The Tesco Eat Happy Project teamed up with fruit supplier Berry Gardens to showcase the growing story of berries. They supplied 400 punnets of fruit and estimated 4000 strawberries were eaten on the day. There were also extensive displays of farm machinery, and livestock including cattle, sheep, donkeys, poultry, pigs and even ostriches; tractor and trailer rides; and demonstrations including sheep shearing, ferrets, horses and hounds, and gundogs.
Children from Ravensthorpe Primary School in Peterborough commented on the event: “It has been the best day ever!”, “I learnt that you have to grind flour to make bread, and farmers grow wheat in the fields and this goes into my breakfast. I also got to feed the animals and milk a cow!”.
The day included activities aimed at helping children understand the fabric that makes up the countryside, such as hands-on dry stone walling, thatching and willow weaving. In addition, there was the opportunity to explore an African Village, constructed by visiting Marshal Papworth students, which illustrated the differences in farming, food and lifestyle between the UK and African countries.
Commenting on the Food & Farming Event, Sandra Lauridsen, Education Manager at Kids Country, said: “Kids Country Food & Farming Day gives children an opportunity to really understand how the food they eat gets from the field to the fork. It is important we continue to build children’s knowledge of where their food comes from and develop their understanding of, and passion for rural life, farming and agriculture. The feedback we received from children and their teachers who attended the day was overwhelmingly positive.”
The event was sponsored by the Tesco Eat Happy Project, an education programme that is committed to improving children’s relationship with food. Caroline Silke, Head of Community at Tesco commented on their involvement: “Food and Farming Day is fundamental in helping us achieve our vision of giving children a better relationship with food. It goes hand in hand with Tesco’s Eat Happy initiative which is designed to fuel children’s interest in and understanding of where food comes from.”
The East of England Agricultural Society welcome our Members to this year’s Just Dogs Live incorporating the Championship Dog Show which takes place on the 8th, 9th and 10th of July 2016.
Entry for Members is free upon presentation of a valid East of England Agricultural Society Membership Card (These were sent out earlier in the year).
There is a lot to look around at this year’s show including trade stands, flyball, dog agility, seminars, demonstrations and of course the Championship Dog Show itself which is celebrating a record number of entries in 2016. For more detail take a look at the shows website www.justdogslive.co.uk
Follow Just Dogs Live on Social Media
Not a member of the Society? For more information including a sign up form, please take a look at the membership page of our website www.eastofengland.org.uk/members or give us a call on 01733 234451
A chance conversation just after LAMMA has resulted in the addition of a Kubota tractor to the fleet at the East of England Showground at Peterborough. The Kubota M6060 kitted out on turf tyres arrived in mid-March to operate some of the equipment used for the care and maintenance of the showground which hosts events throughout the year.
One of the most well-known events the tractor will be helping to prepare for is of course LAMMA which takes place in January each year. “To ensure we have the ground in the best condition possible we have to have the right equipment to achieve this which is where the M6060 will play an important role” commented operations manager at the Showground Jason Lunn. “we have improved the grounds considerably since LAMMA first arrived with us and have plans to intensify these improvements considerably throughout the rest of 2015 so we are better prepared for whatever the weather may throw at us in 2017 and beyond”.
Chief Executive of the East of England Agricultural Society, Jeremy Staples, too welcomes the new relationship “we are delighted to be working with Kubota UK. It is important for us to build solid working relationships within the Agriculture industry and that we do as much good with them as we possibly can.”
The M6060 has been busy since its arrival on grass mowing and fertiliser applications around the showground as part of the normal routine and will be heavily involved with preparations for the East of England Agricultural Society Kids Country Food and Farming Day, The Festival of Hunting and Equifest, the largest equestrian event in the UK.
Dean Wyres Showground Foreman receiving the keys from Robert Fox of Kubota UK
The biennial Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth conference takes place this year from the 31st of October to the 4th of November in Singapore. The title for this, the 27th conference, is “Agriculture at the crossroads: bridging the rural-urban divide” and will bring representatives from over 50 leading national and regional agricultural show societies, agricultural associations and research bodies working in 20 Commonwealth countries.
With the East of England Agricultural Societies renewed focus on supporting young people through out the agri-food industry, through the Cultiv8 group, the trustees are pleased to announce that the Society is offering two members of the Society, who are also Cultiv8 participants, travel bursaries to attend the pre conference Next Generation Forum and the Commonwealth Agricultural Conference.
Invitations are welcome from those aged between 18 and 40 who are actively involved in the farming, food or allied industries. Further information about the application process and the bursary is available here.
Further information about the RASC can be found here.
Further information about the 2016 conference can be found here.
Should you have any questions about the conference or the bursary application process please contact William Haire at the society office on 01733234451 or WHaire@eastofengland.org.uk
Completed applications must be returned by Monday the 6th of July 2016.
© 2018 East of England Agricultural Society
Reg Charity Number 01589922
Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | Web Design by 
