Priorton Beef and Lamb

Priorton Barton is home to the 60-cow Red Devon herd and 20 cow Simmental herd, running alongside a flock of 300 Poll Dorset females. The 450-acre farm produces all the forage required for the cattle and sheep with 200 acres into cereal production primarily for own consumption with the surplus corn being sold to local feed mills. 

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It is owned and managed by John and his wife Sue May. John’s grandfather Clifford May came to Priorton Barton in 1921. Even now some of the foundation cows can trace their lines back as far as those early females including lines such as Showgirl, Show Lassie and Prettymaid.

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John and his late father William, (Bill) are known for their passion of the breed and as a past Society President, Bill was one of the first to judge the breed overseas, whilst John is the youngest to have judged at the Royal Show, (RASE) in his early 20’s.  John regularly judges at both regional and national level and is currently serving his second term as a council member for the Devon Cattle Breeders Society. John is currently the president for the Devon Cattle Breeders Society.

 

The Simmental's were introduced as a secondary breed in the early 1980’s with the purchase of two females from Phillip Houses’s Cloford Herd dispersal, followed by purchases from Society Sales and more recently the Loxton Herd.  John is on the Simmental Society’s judge’s panel and is a past chairman of the South West Simmental Club. 

 

The herd is part of the SAC Premium Cattle Health Scheme and is accredited and vaccinated for IBR and BVD, with routine testing carried out for Johne’s and Lepto. Showing is undertaken in the south of the country with attendances at Devon County Show, Royal Cornwall, Royal Bath and West and Royal Berkshire (Newbury Show)  as well as other  one day shows

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Here at Priorton, we pride ourselves on producing quality Devons. All the beef is home produced and reared naturally on grass in the rolling Devon countryside. Don't believe us, come and see our herd of Devons doing what they do best, grazing and enjoying a stress-free life in their idyllic surroundings. Our sheep enjoy the same quality of life, bred and reared on the farm. 

By using a local abattoir our food miles are minimal and provides stress free transportation. 

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