Beef Expo Herefordshire Farm Tour
2009-03-31

Beef farmers attending this year’s national beef event, Beef Expo 2009, will have the opportunity of visiting three diverse beef farms in Herefordshire on the day before the event.

© www.farm-images.co.uk

Beef Expo 2009 will be held at the Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Worcester, on Thursday, May 21, and will be preceded on Wednesday, May 20, by a farm tour, conference and pre-event dinner.

Beef Expo is organised in a different part of the country each year by the National Beef Association, with Lloyds TSB Agriculture as major sponsor.

Places on the farm tour are limited and need to be booked in advance with the Beef Expo organiser. Coaches will leave the showground at 8.45am for the visit to the three farms at Clifton-upon-Teme, Leominster and Hereford, returning in time for the two-hour conference scheduled to commence at 4.00pm.

“The pre-event farm tour is always a highly popular part of the Beef Expo programme and gives beef producers an opportunity of viewing interesting beef units in the area where the event is being held,” said Clive Roads, chairman of the local organising committee which is organising Beef Expo 2009 on behalf of NBA.

“We have three excellent beef farms for this year’s tour and we are greatly indebted to the host farmers for opening up their farms to visitors. The three beef enterprises are very different and are certain to create a great deal of interest. I would urge those wishing to join the tour to book right away to avoid disappointment.”

The farm tour will take in the following farms –

John Price, The Day House Farm, Kingsland, Leominster, Herefordshire.
A large scale beef finishing enterprise based on the purchase of stores at local markets. Around 700 Continental cross heifers and steers are finished either at grass or over the winter on a Total Mixed Ration (TMR) of silage, wheat straw, protein blend and minerals. FYM helps to reduce the fertiliser bill for the extensive arable enterprise which comprises 1400 acres cereals, 300 acres oilseed rape and 650 acres ware potatoes for the packing market. Visitors will also have the opportunity of viewing the farm’s extensive potato grading facility and refrigerated storage.

E B Walker and Co, Tedney House, Clifton upon Teme, Herefordshire.
Organic farm run by brothers, John and Thomas Walker, extending to 910 acres, comprising 200 acres arable, 50 acres hops, 225 acres leys, 275 acres permanent pasture, 50 acres grazing orchard and 110 acres woodland. Stocking comprises 116 mostly pedigree Hereford cows with all progeny, except replacement heifers and a few bulls sold privately for breeding, finished at around 18 months of age and sold to Dovecote Park. The aim is low cost production (no purchased fertiliser) based on grass and high dry matter silage and premium prices for finished cattle which, with the organic premium, have recently been making up to £3.40/kg deadweight.

Paul Dawes, Dinmore Manor Estate, Kipperknowle Farm, Dinmore Manor, Hereford.
The 50-cow Dinmore herd of pedigree Limousin cattle has emerged as one of the leading herds in the breed since its foundation only eight years ago with the purchase of females from Peasleyhill, Wintercott and other top herds. Progeny of stock bull, Tonka, have sold for up to 50,000gns, 42,000gns and 28,000gns at Carlisle and his offspring also won the best progeny award last year at the Royal Show. The home-bred cow, Dinmore Athena, is unbeaten in 13 outings, including female champion at the Royal Welsh Show, while ET progeny of Fleethill Sal, winner of four inter-breed championships, have sold for up to 28,000gns. The herd takes its name from the beautiful Dinmore Estate which is a mixed farming unit comprising 700 acres crops, 600 acres grass and 750 acre woodland.

The cost of the tour is £14 per person, including packed lunch, and tickets must be obtained in advance. Details are on the Beef Expo website.

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