Development Day 2024

A warm autumn day and glorious sunshine greeted us as we arrived at Grove Farms for the 2024 Development Day. 50 South Devon enthusiasts gathered to learn more from industry experts about how to utilise farming strategies and learn more about current farming issues.  

The day included a variety of demonstrations in small groups, where questions flowed and many were left deep in thought. Keith Jempson provided an in depth look at cattle grooming and the perfect way to turn our a South Devon cow for the show ring. Show Time Supplies Ltd sponsored the talk and their products really helped the cattle to shine. It was an informative session and many helpful hints and tips were taken from Keith’s years of experience.  

Jim Barber held a fascinating workshop on muscle scanning, showing how the South Devon skeleton looks full of muscle definition and marbling. The interactive nature of the talk and seeing the scanning screen was fascinating for all and gave a wonderful insight into how this information is used to compare with all other cattle on farm, nationally and internationally.  

Next up was an interesting talk from vet Bob Bostleman on cattle health and preventative measures. Bob spoke openly about the challenges facing farmers when dealing with cattle health and how best to deal with these. The questions that followed the discussion were thoughtful and showed the understanding gained by the group that had listened to the talk.  

The Scott family provided a magnificent farm walk, it was a pleasure to see their cattle looking so well and listening to Chris talk so eloquently about the animals. A wonderful lunch was shared by all attendees and a competitive raffle concluded a fantastic day. We look forward to seeing you all again soon.