Farmer Focus Livestock: Murray Garrett judges at the Bath and West Show

I was invited to judge the South Devon cattle classes at the Bath and West Show recently. Having judged at Camelford last year in torrential rain, I felt jinxed to be faced with similar weather as I travelled to Shepton Mallet. Clearly, my judge’s bowler has water divining properties. However, the rain eased somewhat and I got away with only a moderate soaking.

The organisation, stewarding and hospitality at the show were excellent and a lesson the RASE at Stoneleigh would do well to learn – perhaps we have discovered the new home of the Royal Show?

By the time you read this, our silage, hopefully, would have been safely gathered in without rain – always problematic as it’s Wimbledon fortnight weather and about as likely as a British win at the championships (but Andy Murray’s going to do it this year isn’t he?).

Cows have been sorted into their bulling groups and the eldest calves have had their first bluetongue vaccine. All but four tail-enders had calved and I was congratulating myself on a relatively trouble-free calving season with no posterior presentations (we had about six last year) when one cow presented tail only. Luckily, the cow had plenty of room and I was able to manipulate the calf and draw it out alive.

On returning to the house, I was met by my six-year-old daughter who expressed her disgust at the state of my overalls dripping with amniotic fluid. “You were covered in something very similar when you came out of Mummy’s tummy,” I explained to her. “What, poo and straw daddy?” she exclaimed in disbelief.

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