AGRICULTURE students from the West Somerset College farm spent a successful summer competing at shows across the South West.

Accompanied and mentored by farm technician Sophie Stephens and agriculture teacher Kerry Marks, they exhibited cattle and sheep from the college’s Ruby Red herd and Exmoor Horn and Exmoor Mule flock.

And their efforts reaped plenty of rewards in the show ring, winning breed champion at the North Somerset Show in May with the cattle and finishing at Dunster Show with their Exmoor mules winning reserve champion and breed champion.

As well as the livestock, students showed off their own skills in young handler classes, bringing home many rosettes and prize money.

Sophie said: “It makes all the hard work and preparation from the students worthwhile when they achieve something like this.

“Our heifer is only one of two heifers bred that year from the college’s small Ruby Red herd, which makes success even more special.

“It is also very pleasing to see our first batch of homebred shearling ewes doing so well at Dunster.

“It will soon be time for us to get the showing team ready for next season which will hopefully be as successful for us as this season has been.”

Pictured from the left are the college’s successful showing team members, at the back, Rosie Iles, teacher Kerry Marks, senior technician Sophie Stephens; in front, Martha Little, Matthew Williams and Harry Nichols.