Living with Livestock – getting to grips with sheep, pigs and cattle

As we continue to stare a grim economic downturn full in the face, more people than ever are considering how they can become increasingly self-sufficient, and these days that might mean more than growing a few spuds, sprouts and strawberries or keeping a couple of hens. The interest in keeping some of the larger farm animals to fill the freezer with quality meat is gathering momentum and people are keen to know how to manage small numbers of livestock both responsibly and legally.
After twenty years of doing it for themselves, Debbie Kingsley and Andrew Hubbard run courses on their beautiful 108 acre Devon farm for budding smallholders who want to test their dreams before taking the plunge into the good life. For people weighing up the pros and cons of pigs, sheep and cattle, they have teamed up with farmer and writer Paula Wolton to jointly run their one day Living with Livestock course that will help people decide between these three varieties of four-legged livestock. The morning is spent with the Welsh Mountain sheep and pedigree Berkshire pigs at South Yeo Farm West, and after a lunch of home produce, everyone heads for Locks Park Farm where Paula’s organic Devon Ruby cattle are the stars for the afternoon.
The next Living with Livestock course is on Saturday 18th September and perhaps you’ll join one of the recent participants from Devon who said "It's the best course I've ever been on - and I've been on a lot of courses." With feedback like that you can be sure you’ll have a good time and the cream tea is all that you’d hope for too.
For more information about the Living with Livestock and their other smallholder training courses, call Debbie on 01837 810569 or go to http://tinyurl.com/32krmhn

Date: Saturday, September 18, 2010