ON the 1st and 2nd September, Puxton Park hosted The Derek Mead Dairy Weekend.
Since opening over 10 years ago, Puxton Park has been devoted to educating the public on the importance of calf and cow welfare, which is at the heart of Puxton’s dairy farm.
The purpose of this event was to not only encourage the public to get involved in the world of dairy farming but also the Young Farmer and Holstein Young Breeder Communities. For this reason, Puxton Park offered a free workshop for members of the YFC and HYB to take part in. The workshop included educational demonstrations, stock judging, a “Field to Photo” Competition and plenty of fun and entertainment.
The Grand Prize of this event was the Derek Mead Cup and an all expense paid trip to the Libramont European Championship Holstein Competition held in Belgium in April 2019. The prize was won by the Devon base team which consisted of Jessica Ravenhill White, Jess Tapp, Emily Davis and Lauren Parkhouse.
Neil Ridgway, Dairies Manager, says: “Every team that entered the competition did a fantastic job. It was great to see a variety of age groups getting involved in the clipping and showing. We’re looking forward to growing and expanding the workshops for next year.”
During the event, Puxton Park opened a new barn dedicated to their late Chairman, Derek Mead.
Alistair Mead, Managing Director of Puxton Park, says: “Dad’s dream was to open a place where children and their families could learn about farming and the importance of British agriculture. Now in his memory, we have opened a barn dedicated to the young calves that he loved so dearly. As his legacy lives on around us, we hope that all of our visitors can experience the joy that these new lives bring to the farm.”
Proceeds from this event were donated to the Derek Mead Health Room at Junction 24 and the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity.
Over £500 was raised for these charities as a result of this event.
