Thundering-hooved Shetland ponies, motorcycle acrobatics and the giant Devon Eye swung the county’s largest annual event into thrilling action.
Crowds turned out in their thousands to savour the best of the South West’s food and farming on the first day of the Devon County Show.
EU Commissioner Phil Hogan and Environment Secretary Liz Truss, along with NFU president Meurig Raymond and CLA president Ross Murray, met farmers at the curtain-raiser for the South West agricultural show season.
The crowds on the first of the three spectacular days were treated to a mouth-...
Seven outstanding Devon farming businesses are celebrating tonight (Wednesday May 18) after picking up the top prizes in the 2016 Devon Farm Business Awards, organised by a partnership of the Devon County Agricultural Association, the Addington Fund and Stephens Scown.
The awards were presented at a dinner and awards ceremony held at Westpoint, home of the Devon County Show, attended by EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Affairs Phil Hogan.
Devon’s Farmer of the Year for 2016 and also Best Dairy Farmer is 52 year old Gordon Davis of Westcott Farm, Westleigh, near...
Farming’s multi-million pound contribution to the region’s economy could be under threat if profitability doesn’t soon return to the industry, the NFU is warning ahead of this year’s Devon County Show.
Agriculture alone is worth around £1.1bn annually to the South West and about £319m to Devon. Around 60,000 people are directly employed in agriculture across the region, about 18,500 of them in Devon.
The union will be emphasising the crucial role economic role farming plays in the economy of the South West by arranging for many of the suppliers who work with Devon NFU...
On Thursday (May 19) the Devon County Show – a three-day celebration of all things food and farming - begins its 121st event with visits from the most important politicians in British agriculture. EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Phil Hogan, and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Liz Truss, along with NFU President Meurig Raymond and CLA President Ross Murray, are meeting farmers at the curtain-raiser for the South West agricultural show season. They will join the thousands of visitors who will savour the best of Devon and have the opportunity to...
Students from Exeter College will set up a pop-up newsroom at the Devon County Show on May 19-21 at the Westpoint showground, Exeter. The team will film, photograph and write about what catches their eye at the county’s largest annual event. Richard Lappas, a lecturer on the journalism and practical media course, said: “This is an exciting project with huge potential. As it is being organised and controlled by students past and present from the foundation degree course in news journalism at Exeter College, it is going to give a whole new perspective on such a well-respected and supported...
South West regional insurance company Cornish Mutual will host a Health and Safety Conference at this year’s Devon County Show in support of the Farming Community Network. The Health and Safety Conference will consist of a series of free 20 minute seminars which will take place throughout Thursday and Friday during the show. The conference will provide a unique opportunity for those in the industry to gain a wealth of up-to-date information. There will be a range of presentations on key health and safety issues currently affecting the agricultural industry, with the opportunity to chat...
Ground-breaking Canon Anna Norman–Walker has been appointed the first honorary chaplain of the Devon County Show, which will be held on May 19-21 at Westpoint, Exeter. “It was a lovely surprise,” said Canon Norman-Walker, who is a passionate supporter of the countryside. “The Show champions the local and the sustainable, creating a vital platform to acknowledge the faithful work of our farmers who are all too often isolated and labouring against the odds. “For three days a community springs into life at Westpoint giving all who attend a taste of Devon and all that there is for us to be...
When the Devon County Show opens on May 19 at Westpoint, Exeter, visitors with cheesy feet are likely to be hot footing it to the Angora goats feature.
For Show Steward and Angora goat farmer Steve Whitley is producing a line of odour resistant socks which he claims don’t smell and don’t need frequent washing.
He said the fleeces of angora goats do not trap smelly bacteria in the same way as scalier wool or cotton fibres, and his mohair socks can be worn for as much as a year without washing.
"Our customers started owning up to the fact that they could wear them for...
A £1 million giant Ferris wheel dubbed the Devon Eye will be one of the stand-out attractions at this year’s Devon County Show at Westpoint, Exeter on May 19-21. The high-tech structure will make its debut at the 121st Show, which is located in the home county of operators Anderton & Rowlands, the country’s oldest travelling fairground company. Simon DeVey, from Anderton & Rowlands, said: “I am a true Devonian and I couldn’t wish to operate this stunning ride for the first time anywhere else but at the Devon County Show,” he said. The huge structure, which stands 33m high and has...
