The East of England Agricultural Society were proud to sponsor the livestock section at this years Gransden Show in September.
After being impacted by heavy rain and having to cancel the event in 2024, it was great to see the show back up to full strength this year. Entry numbers across the livestock classes were good, and the sheep classes especially were well supported.
It was great to see that the livestock lines were open to the public, with plenty of people stopping to have a look at the pigs, or have a giggle at the goats antics!
At Gransden, as with a lot of shows visited over the summer, it is always a positive to see the support for the young handler classes. With entry into showing becoming more challenging with feed price increasing, transport costs rising, disease risk fluctuating etc. it is great to see there is another generation that are persevering to preserve this staple show tradition (with a big thank you to all the family and friends who often put in a lot of the work to get the young handlers and their animals to the event in the first place!).
Elsewhere on the show site there were trade stands galore from local agricultural dealerships to local crafters, and of course a great selection of food. I took the liberty of trying out a hog roast roll while watching the vintage tractor display in the main ring.
With the Society this Summer I have attended the Cambridgeshire County Show, Bedford Young Farmers Show and Rally and the Northants YFC Rally with a Society trade stand, Gransden Show as a sponsor and Heckington Show as a Judge. All are fantastic events that stay true to their agricultural roots and I would encourage everyone to pencil in a trip to a local show or two in 2026.
Blog post by Ruth Trolove
