We have had a fantastic year out in the field supporting our clients and farmers across different markets, shows and also celebrating end of the year Primestock shows.
Here is a brief overview of some of the events we attended.
Oxfordshire Young Farmers Show – 21st May
Tish, Fen and Elyse attended the Oxfordshire Young Farmers Rally in Henley-On-Thames. We had a brilliant position where we could entertain clients in the sunshine, to the left we watched the boats go by on the river and to the right we observed the activities in the main ring including a Heavy Horses display, an Agricultural Machinery Parade and Tug of War. We even spotted a famous celebrity Oxfordshire Farmer, Elyse and Sophie had to get a photo! We had an array of new and existing clients visit our stand, from parents of rally competitors to children reeled in by hook-a-duck. This was the kick-start to our show season raising money for our chosen charity, Daybreak Oxford.
South Brockwells Farm Sheep Racing & Family Fun Day – 24th June
County sponsored the First Sheep Racing & Family Fun Day of the season held at South Brockwells Farm, Little Horsted where revellers enjoyed a great day of watching the Sock Lambs race as well as the Terriers, shearing Felix and his friends, delicious spit roasts, shopping at lovely local trade stands and farm shop, face painting, crafts, tombola and more.
It was one of the hottest days of the year and as well as meeting a lot of the locals and hopefully some potential new customers, Lisa, Chris and Tish took a record £100 on hook-a-duck for our chosen charity, Daybreak Oxford.
Thame Summer Sheep Fair – 3rd & 4th August
Thame Summer Sheep Fair is a remarkable sight with an entry of 18,614 head of breeding sheep sold over the two days grossing £2,558,295. Our staff enjoyed catching up with existing clients and their families and meeting new contacts. The Sheep Fair is very much a working day for farmers, so it is great when they stop for a chat with us.
Blakesley & District Agricultural Show – 5th August
Blakesley is a fantastic day out showcasing the best of British Agriculture and is enjoyed by the local farming and country community. Blakesley Show holds over 50 equestrian classes, 70 showing classes for cattle and sheep, and a roots, corn & hay section; together with a gymkhana, which is always well supported by the young riders. We were delighted to sponsor the ‘Best Cow in Calf’ class. The show this year was well supported even though the weather was not kind, it was definitely a wellie and macs kind of day.
Our hot drinks, cakes and snacks went down well with visitors on our stand. Our personal highlight of the day was Tish getting stuck in our van as we tried to leave the show, luckily there were plenty of tractors on sight to give us a hand in getting out.
Ashbourne Show 19th August
Our first visit to the Ashbourne Show this year was truly remarkable! We were blessed with fantastic weather – not too hot, not too cold, just perfect. Our stand saw a steady stream of visitors, including a mix of loyal clients and potential new ones.
Our hook-a-duck game at the stand was a success with a lot of attention, enabling us to raise over £100 for our chosen charity, Daybreak Oxford.
making the show a resounding success. We eagerly anticipate returning in 2024.
With 12,000 attendees and 100 stands, it was indeed a fantastic event.
Bucks County Show – 31st August
The Bucks County Show held at Weedon Park is a highlight of the summer calendar in Buckinghamshire. With sixty cattle classes and thirty sheep classes – it is a great opportunity to see some quality livestock. Our trade stand was opposite the cattle showing rings so we were in a great spot to see the cattle in action. We were delighted to sponsor the Sheep Primitive Breeds Championship. We hosted a number of existing and new clients on our stand.
Moreton in Marsh Show – 2nd September
We had the pleasure of attending the Moreton show and the weather was perfect, not too hot or cold and no rain!
We were delighted to sponsor the Poll Hereford Cattle classes.
This show was attended by over 22,000 and they enjoyed a selection of activities, livestock parade, show jumping challenges and vintage tractors to name a few. There was also over 300 trade stands to peruse. One of the highlights of the show was the spitfire flypast, it passed over 3 times giving us plenty of chances to view this iconic plane.
County was proud to support and sponsor this show and we look forward to the 2024 show.
FFFB Ploughing Match – 30th September
We were incredibly lucky with the weather for this rather prestigious ploughing match. As always, there was a very good turnout of vintage and modern tractors. There were 6 teams of horses, which is a great number and apparently their ploughing was of a higher quality than the tractors!
We had a prime position at the top of the main ring which meant for the first time we were able to see all that went on in the main arena. This is a very well-run and well-attended ploughing match which seems to gather momentum each year and we at County were very pleased to be a part of it yet again.
RSBAA Ploughing Match – 4th October
The 178th Royal South Bucks Agricultural Association Ploughing Match, Show and Luncheon was held at Clayhall Farm, Windsor. This gave entrants the chance to try their hand at ploughing the King’s land at one of the home farms in Windsor and this did attract more tractors than usual. We were also treated to three pairs of horses working the land – always a sight to behold. Amy and Tish from County’s Out In The Field team attended and thoroughly enjoyed the lunch that followed.
Farm Innovation Show – 16th November
On the 16th November Amy and Elyse jumped on the train to the NEC for the Farm Innovation Show. There were lots of Seminars running throughout the day covering topics from Farm Attractions to Building your very own Woodland. Hundreds of Exhibitors offered Elyse and Amy lots of opportunities to meet new people and learn about new diversifications that farms are adopting to support their business.
Uppingham Christmas Primestock Show – 22nd November
This event is one that is looked forward to by locals and farmers alike. We enjoyed networking with our clients and meeting new people. There was a good turnout for the judging of the livestock in the market place.
We then had a wonderful meal and hosted a table for our clients to enjoy, there were several raffles and a guest speaker to entertain on the night.
Rugby Primestock Society 50TH Anniversary Ball – 1st December
We were privileged to be invited to this event and we hosted a table for our clients to enjoy. The event was well attended by 150 people.
We had a superb meal of roast beef and mixed fruit crumble, enjoyed the speech from the guest speaker, magician and dancing.
An auction was also held to raise funds for the Air Ambulance.
Close-up magician Angus Baskerville entertained the tables with his close up card and Rubik’s cube magic.
Thame Primestock Show – 1st December
On Friday 1st December, we attended the Thame with Vale of Aylesbury Christmas Primestock Show at Thame Farmers Mart. We were proud to sponsor class 1 – Best Unhaltered Steer of a Continental Breed or Cross which was won by R Breakspear & Son. It was great to see that cattle numbers were up this year.
We hosted two tables of clients at the Dinner in the evening held at Bradmoor Farm and our very own Oliver Burns delivered the after dinner speech. This was the first Show Dinner since 2019, so it was fantastic to see so many people in attendance. An enjoyable evening was had by all, with delicious food, great company and a lively game of heads or tails.
Winslow Christmas Primestock Show – 4th December
There was a great crowd at Winslow Christmas Primestock Show with a lovely festive atmosphere and friends meeting up. The show drew cattle and buyers from many parts of the UK – a farmer from Carmarthenshire won one class; with buyers from as far as North Yorkshire. Supreme champion went for 730p/kg and weighed over 600kg. A wheel of Colton Bassett Stilton Cheese and Pork Pie were sold raising £1345 for the Primestock chosen charities.
Cirencester Christmas Show – 7th December
It was a brisk morning at Cirencester Christmas Primestock Show on Thursday 7th December. There was a wonderful show of quality beef cattle and lambs. Our very own Amy Cox entered some of the Cookery and Produce classes and was placed 3rd in the flower arranging. All the cakes and flowers were auctioned off raising £1,098 for Parkinson’s UK. We enjoyed hosting a table of clients at the Dinner on Saturday 9th December. County Insurance Services were pleased to donate a Family Pass for Blenheim Palace to the charity auction at the dinner.