Training

Saturday 28th May 10am - 4:30pm INTRODUCTION TO KEEPING a variety of LIVESTOCK

with Gillian Dixon
Are you new to smallholding and not sure what livestock may suit you/your land? Thinking of adding more to your enterprise? Want to see what's involved first? Whether you want livestock for pets, personal consumption or as part of a business, then this course may be for you Held on the tutor's farm near Northlew, you will see and discuss what is involved in keeping POULTRY, PIGS, GOATS, SHEEP & CATTLE. See the handling and housing equipment for each, discuss the legalities and recording requirements, look at costs, sourcing healthy stock, daily/seasonal care, breeding and take part in some practical handling sessions
Price: £85
Venue: EX20 3PS
Ticket sales for this course are managed by DASH, to book please email training@devonsmallholders.co.uk

Saturday 11th June 10am - 4pm Land ManagementLand Management

with Gillian Dixon
This course starts by looking at your objectives in managing your land? for production, nature, or both. We look at meeting the regulations, best practice and the seasonality of tasks. We cover ditches, hedges, ponds, orchard management, fencing, soils, fertilisers/manures, grass, clover weed control. In the morning we have a farm walk and in afternoon there is a machinery demonstration in the yard.
Price: £85
Provided: Teas, coffees, soft drinks, biscuits
What you need to bring: Packed lunch, clean outdoor clothes & wellies.
Venue: Northlew, near Hatherleigh EX20 3PS
Ticket sales for this course are managed by DASH, to book please email training@devonsmallholders.co.uk

Saturday 18th June 10am - 4pm Poultry Keeping for Beginners

with Gillian Dixon
This is an introductory course for the beginner, covering choosing & handling birds, housing, feeding, daily care, rearing & common poultry health problems. See chicks hatching. Visit a variety of poultry breeds - including chicken, ducks, & geese. There will be an opportunity to handle birds.
Price: £85
Provided: Teas, coffees, soft drinks, biscuits
What you need to bring: Packed lunch, clean outdoor clothes & wellies
Venue: Northlew, near Hatherleigh EX20 3PS
Ticket sales for this course are managed by DASH, to book please email training@devonsmallholders.co.uk

Sunday 3rd July 10am - 4pm Introduction to Pig Keeping

with Ian & Maggie Todd
This course is for anyone with an interest in keeping pigs who wants to know how to get started - either with your first few animals or before you buy. Opportunity for plenty of questions.

The course will cover the following:

Choosing the right pigs for you: Breed, pedigree or not, age, size, land capacity; Buying stock - private, market, contact breed societies etc. What to look for when buying / what to avoid. Are you intending to rear for meat or breed?

Managing the land/adapting buildings for pigs: Fencing, Housing / shelters, Handling facilities / equipment / set up, Caring for your pigs, Routine / common husbandry tasks, Feeding, possible problems…

Regulations: What you need to know or have - Holding number/CPH, Herd number, Ear tagging, movement licences, Transport certificate / transport regulations, Standstill periods, Movement / medicine books, Public liability insurance, Fallen stock, Annual Inventory / Cross Compliance, slaughter/abattoirs.

Meet the pigs (practical session): Equipment, Signs of good / poor health, Worming, Ear tagging, Injecting, loading.

Summary: Last questions
Price: £85
Provided: Teas, coffees, soft drinks and biscuits. Summary handouts & leaflets to take away
What you need to bring: Packed lunch, clean outdoor clothes & wellies, notepad and pen, camera!
Venue: Northleigh, near Honiton EX24 6BU
Ticket sales for this course are managed by DASH, to book please email training@devonsmallholders.co.uk

Saturday 16th July 10am - 4.30pm Goatkeeping

with Peter Oldfield
We will deal with handling and behavior around the goats, what to look for in a good goat, drenching, injecting, pour ons, hoof trimming, and milking a goat. We will cover the 5 freedoms including changing nutrition around the year, constructing a suitable goat barn, bedding, penning, registering with a vet and legal formalities. Peter has over thirty years experience of keeping goats, and has taught goatkeeping to over 1000 pupils from all around the globe. His goats are some of the friendliest on the planet and are Golden Guernseys and Pygmys together with a huge, 20 stone plus, boer goat who still thinks he is a kid.
Price: £85
Provided: Tea and coffee will be available.
What you need to bring: Bring your own lunch. Wear stout shoes and a jumper if its cold, the course is all undercover.
Venue: EX22 6LJ
Ticket sales for this course are managed by DASH, to book please email training@devonsmallholders.co.uk

Sunday 4th September 10am - 4pm Introduction to Pig Keeping

with Ian & Maggie Todd
This course is for anyone with an interest in keeping pigs who wants to know how to get started - either with your first few animals or before you buy. Opportunity for plenty of questions.

The course will cover the following:

Choosing the right pigs for you: Breed, pedigree or not, age, size, land capacity; Buying stock - private, market, contact breed societies etc. What to look for when buying / what to avoid. Are you intending to rear for meat or breed?

Managing the land/adapting buildings for pigs: Fencing, Housing / shelters, Handling facilities / equipment / set up, Caring for your pigs, Routine / common husbandry tasks, Feeding, possible problems…

Regulations: What you need to know or have - Holding number/CPH, Herd number, Ear tagging, movement licences, Transport certificate / transport regulations, Standstill periods, Movement / medicine books, Public liability insurance, Fallen stock, Annual Inventory / Cross Compliance, slaughter/abattoirs.

Meet the pigs (practical session): Equipment, Signs of good / poor health, Worming, Ear tagging, Injecting, loading.

Summary: Last questions
Price: £85
Provided: Teas, coffees, soft drinks and biscuits. Summary handouts & leaflets to take away
What you need to bring: Packed lunch, clean outdoor clothes & wellies, notepad and pen, camera!
Venue: Northleigh, near Honiton EX24 6BU
Ticket sales for this course are managed by DASH, to book please email training@devonsmallholders.co.uk

Saturday 17th September 10am - 4pm Sheep Keeping

with Gillian Dixon
A beginner's guide to sheep keeping including, current regulations, choosing a breed, feeding, annual management, handling, health problems - touches on lambing but this is covered in greater depth in the Lambing course. There will also be a practical session when you will meet the sheep. This will cover equipment, signs of good and poor health, foot trimming, dagging, worming, ear tagging, injecting and loading sheep.
Price: £85
Provided: Teas, coffees, soft drinks, biscuits
What you need to bring: Packed lunch, clean outdoor clothes & wellies, dagging shears & foot trimmers if you have them & want to get hands on.
Venue: Northlew, near Hatherleigh EX20 3PS
Ticket sales for this course are managed by DASH, to book please email training@devonsmallholders.co.uk

Saturday 3rd December 10am - 4pm Sheep Keeping

with Gillian Dixon
A beginner's guide to sheep keeping including, current regulations, choosing a breed, feeding, annual management, handling, health problems - touches on lambing but this is covered in greater depth in the Lambing course. There will also be a practical session when you will meet the sheep. This will cover equipment, signs of good and poor health, foot trimming, dagging, worming, ear tagging, injecting and loading sheep.
Price: £85
Provided: Teas, coffees, soft drinks, biscuits
What you need to bring: Packed lunch, clean outdoor clothes & wellies, dagging shears & foot trimmers if you have them & want to get hands on.
Venue: Northlew, near Hatherleigh EX20 3PS
Ticket sales for this course are managed by DASH, to book please email training@devonsmallholders.co.uk

Cattle Keeping (date to be confirmed)

with Sue Fildes
Meet Sue's lovely Devon Red Ruby cattle. This course covers the practicalities of the cattle handling, health, management, facilities, housing, land management and regulations. We will deal with what to look for in a good beef animal and the differences between breeds. Also discussing the big step from rearing bought in youngstock to breeding your own.
Price: £60
Provided: Tea and coffee will be available.
What you need to bring: Bring your own lunch. Wear stout shoes and a jumper if it's cold, and wet weather gear if rain is forecast as most of the cattle and equipment is outdoors.
Venue: Dartmouth TQ6 0JE
Ticket sales for this course are managed by DASH, to book please email training@devonsmallholders.co.uk

Smallholding Taster Course (date to be confirmed)

with Emma and Jon Hillier
The course will take place at Farrantshayes Farm in East Devon, just minutes from the M5. Emma and Jon Hillier bought this former commercial farm in 2016 and now run it as a smallholding alongside their day jobs. You will get the chance to cover the basics of paperwork for cattle, pigs and sheep as well as take a tour of the farm and meet their Devon Ruby cattle, breeding herd of British Lop pigs, Welsh Badger Faced sheep and horses. We can answer questions on fencing, feeding, setting up your smallholding, taking animals to the abattoir and general animal husbandry. Endless opportunities to laugh at and learn from our mistakes totally free of charge. Even if smallholding is just a dream at this stage, come along anyway - it might be a cheap way of putting you off!
Price: £30
Provided: Sadly we will not be providing tea and coffee due to Covid restrictions, but please bring a flask and some biscuits to enjoy together.
What you need to bring: Wellies, long trousers (we may be walking through fields with long grass), a flask, a notepad and pencil.
Venue: Farrantshayes Farm, Clyst Hydon, Cullompton, Devon EX15 2NQ
Ticket sales for this course are managed by DASH, to book please email training@devonsmallholders.co.uk