Cattle day - Smallholder training courses at South Yeo Farm West

Cattle for beginners - preparing for your first cattle

"Paula's technique of gently immersing us in knowledge and enthusiasm was highly effective - I was delighted by how much we had covered by the end of the day, and very impressed by how she was able to weave in information to cater for our diverse individual needs." MJ, Dorset

Who would benefit from this course? Are you thinking about taking on your first house cow or small herd of cattle? Do you want to spend a day with cattle and a farmer who will share a deep understanding of her herd to give you a real feel for what it would be like to have cattle of your own? This day will deal with the practicalities, the pleasures, the legalities and the needs of cattle so that you go away far more confident about making those first choices.

Course content: This one day course will give you the opportunity to consider what it really means to have cattle of your own. We will cover finding and selecting the right cow(s) for you, getting ready to bring your first cow home and settling them into their new routine, the daily routine and other less regular tasks, keeping yourself and your cows safe, essential equipment, cattle housing and muck management, when to bring in a specialist, breeding, calving, Bovine TB, handling and moving your cattle, feeding, the healthy cow, cattle passports, ear tagging, and other legal requirements and record keeping. Much of the day will be spent outside with a wonderful organic suckler herd of Devon Rubies.

9.30am Introductions and your cow hopes
Finding, selecting and bringing home your first cows
Equipment, housing, the routine and other tasks
Lunch: a lunch of organic Devon Ruby beef, home grown veg and our own apple juice. Discussion on TB testing and its implications for the cattle owner
Handling, transporting, feeding, muck management, land management, the healthy and the poorly cow
Devon cream tea: and a discussion on all the legal requirements such as ear tagging, cattle passports, medicine records and any outstanding questions
4.45pm finish.

This course is limited to eight people. Do bring: outdoor clothes, clean wellies, waterproofs and a change of clothes if it looks like rain.

Cost: £115 per person including homemade lunch, Devon cream tea and refreshments.

Dates:
Saturday 18th February 2012
Saturday 17th November 2012
For current availability on any particular date, please check our course dates page.

This course is run in partnership with Locks Park Farm and the trainer is Paula Wolton and her magnificent organic suckler herd of Devon Red Ruby cattle. Paula has been working the land and managing livestock on her farm in Devon ever since she went shopping for a table and came back with a goat over three and a half decades ago. She's set up several successful enterprises related to food and farming (including milk, beef and cheese-making businesses) and has appeared on BBC’s Countryfile as a video diarist, guest and presenter. Currently more and more of Paula’s time is being taken up by requests asking her to write or talk about the changing face of our countryside, farming, food and the environment. Debbie will also be with you all day.

Booking: Booking is simple. Just send us your name, address, phone number and email address indicating which course you want to book with your preferred date, and we’ll send you an invoice (payment is required in advance), directions to the farm and any other information you might need. And don’t forget to tell us if you have any dietary restrictions.

"Many thanks for organising such a first class training event yesterday. You could not have found a more attractive setting, and Paula and her family were first class hosts. I still don't have an appetite 24 hours later! In particular we were very impressed by Paula's intense knowledge of the subject and she passed on information in a very clear and concise manner. We returned feeling more knowledgeable and confident in what we have let ourselves in for." JW Essex.