David, Shirley,
Lisa, Kate & Thomas
Huccaby Farm, Hexworthy, Dartmoor
continued
David: We’re the second generation here. Father was the first generation. He came to Huccaby in 1974 and we’ve got a
three generation tenancy agreement so hopefully Thomas will be the next man here at Huccaby.
We’ve got a herd of around 80 South Devon pedigree cows and 150 North Country Cheviot sheep. We’re lambing and
calving at the moment, which is all very stressful – trying to keep things alive. Last week we had a calf with its leg back. It
was quite a big calf and we managed to get it out, but it died. So it’s not the best time of year for us now but you’re
producing life and it’s always nice to get something live and going.
It’s good to be passing on farming knowledge to the next generation. My dad is still farming. He’s looking after our stock
at the other farm at the moment. It saves me having to go over every day and it keeps him going. He’s 80 now. It’s good
that he has to get up every morning and look after the stock. Sometimes he thinks it’s slave labour. I still look to my dad
for bits and pieces of advice now. He’s good at using technology and does searches and comes up with new ideas.
“How about this, shall we try this?” We do respect him for that.
I’ve been farming for many years now and we are really aware of the seasons. You know when spring is on its away and
the weather’s changing. You know you’re going to get out in the tractor and start working the ground. You know that
you’re going to push your cows out, you know, that’s a nice time. Summer time of year, or if lambing is going well then
middle of March. It’s just lovely outside. Clear skies. I enjoy the warmth.
In the winter I tend to put on a bit of weight, but in summer time, because you’re doing so much more, it soon melts off
you. My weight does go up and down, depending on what activities I’m doing. In springtime, we’re putting up walls, doing
a lot of maintenance, a lot of manual work, rather than just driving a tractor or feeding bullocks.
We are lucky with our shoot. It’s just a group of farmers. We’re a happy party. It’s a Friday day off for me. I do the bullocks
in the morning and at night time, but otherwise it’s a day out we take to go shooting. And luckily enough, the shoot is on
my farm, so I don’t have to travel anywhere!
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