News.

We had a fantastic turnout for our recent farm walk at Downs Farm, near Camborne, with 23 people joining us for an enjoyable day of learning, conversation and catching up with others from the farming community.

Hosted by Rob Monk, the visit gave the group an opportunity to see the farm’s spring block-calving system, with 300 cows managed on a rotational grazing system that relies heavily on grazed grass. Fodder beet is grazed at the shoulders of the season, while additional land is rented to provide silage for the winter. Downs extends to 270 acres and forms part of a wider farming business, with the other dairy units based in Devon.

The group also had the opportunity to see the new slurry storage system being developed on the farm and hear from Rob about the simple and practical approach used across the wider business. The cows themselves certainly looked content, remaining remarkably chilled and relaxed as the group made their way around the farm.

It was particularly lovely to see three generations of farmers represented on the day. Farm walks like this are not only an opportunity to see different farming systems and share ideas, but also a chance to get away from the farm for a few hours, meet others and enjoy some time together.

A huge thank you to Pete and Di Wastenage for their kind permission for the farm walk, to Rob Monk for hosting us and sharing his time and knowledge, and to everyone who joined us and helped make it such an enjoyable day.