Farming Village
Over the past century, the Royal Three Counties Show has become a much-loved event in the calendar. It is also one of the largest livestock and equine shows in the UK and features the country’s largest collection of rare, minority and native breed animals.
Farming special guests in 2024 included Charlie Ireland from CERES Rural chairing a session in the Future of Farming Theatre on the Friday, Matt Baker MBE appearing in various locations across the show on the Saturday and Kaleb Cooper joined us on the Sunday. Ally Hunter Blair also appeared at the show across the whole weekend. Check back soon to find out who will be joining us at the 2025 show.
Want to know more about farming or smallholding? Make sure you take a look at these pages: Future of Farming Theatre and Smallholders Village.
Livestock Classes
The Farming Village is the place to see some of the finest livestock, including the largest gathering of rare and minority livestock breeds in the country, meet the farmers, and watch the animals compete to be crowned champion of champions.
Over the three show days, there are nearly 900 classes, 120 native and non-native breeds of animals across 35 judging rings– that’s a lot of livestock! Many of the classes are sponsored by H Weston & Sons Ltd.
New classes for this year include:
- Beef Young Handlers Pair Classes
- Herdwick Sheep Classes
Rare and Minority Breeds
These breeds will be shown and paraded throughout the long weekend, with 79 different breeds attending each year.
Sunday is a Rare Breed Focus Day and will still largely highlight the Rare and Minority Breeds within the Grand Parade that day.
There will be a New RBST Watchlist Pairs Interbreed Championship also held on Sunday.
Young Handlers
Through various dedicated classes, the Show aims to inspire the next generation to get involved in the future of rare breed survival.
You’ll be in awe as young farmers and handlers take to the ring with their pigs, cattle and sheep, proudly showing them off on all three days of the Show.
A new cattle pairs handler class will be held on the Saturday.
Cattle Young Handler classes will broken down to Dual Purpose, Dairy and Beef sections (day dependent).
The Royal Three Counties Show will hold the qualifying round for the Rare Breeds Survival Trust’s Young Shepherd of the Year competition each year (with the final to be held at English Winter Fair at Staffordshire County Showground). This will be held on the Sunday.
National Breed Society Shows
Each year, a number of livestock breed societies choose to hold their national breed society show at the Royal Three Counties Show with the aim of promoting their breeds to a wider audience. There is also a dedicated Breed Society Row where you can pick up information leaflets or speak to people who breed and show specific breeds.
The handlers and producers taking part in showing the best of breed within the UK at the 2025 Royal Three Counties Show so far are:
Sheep
- Jacob Sheep Society
- Beltex Sheep Society (English National)
- Southern Texel Feature Show
- Blue Texel Sheep Society
- Hampshire Down Sheep Society
- Oxford Down Sheep Society
Cattle
- British White Cattle Society
- Gloucester Cattle Society
- British Blonde Cattle Society
Goats
- British Boer Goat Society
- British Angora Goat Society
- Toggenburg Breeders Society Breed Show
Goat Show
These cheeky inquisitive creatures will surely put a smile on your face! There will be a range of breeds including Angora, Pygmy, Dairy and Boer Goats on display.
Goats are fantastic animals for grazing small holdings and their fleece can be spun into some magnificent garments.
There are a variety of competitions, demos and talks across the three days in the Goat Show area, to educate anyone wanting to know more about these animals, their history and purpose.
Pig Village
The pig village will be a dedicated area celebrating the British pig industry, offering engaging educational experiences for visitors including live displays, interactive breed showcases, and insights into the world of pig farming.
Daily Grand Parade of Livestock
Each day, the spectacle that is the Grand Parade of Livestock takes place in the Main Arena, where the accompanying commentary provide detail about each of the breeds. Learn more here.
British Fleece Show
View prizewinning fleeces during the show and discover how British Wool grade, promote and sell the fleeces produced by the British wool industry.
The British Wool Marketing Board is responsible for the promotion of wool as a sustainable fibre that is usable in a range of products including fashion, construction and interiors and is represented at the show.
Sheep Shearing Competitions
The Sheep Shearing area, this year supported by R.T.Anthony, is a hub of excitement and activity all through the show. From sheep shearing competitions on all three days to demonstrations offering advice and guidance on the Friday, the area is perfect for everyone interested in sheep farming or keeping.
The 2025 program will be as follows:
Young Farmers (YFC)
The Young Farmers always know how to inject a healthy amount of fun into proceedings. Come along and watch their trademark humorous competitions and performances on the stage that are guaranteed to put a smile on everybody’s face and view craft and cookery exhibits. You’ll also be able to watch members take part in stock judging, a skill which combines being able to compare and place livestock and explain the reasons for decisions to a judge.
There will also be lots of information and advice available on how to join a YFC, where your local Club are, and the types of activities and events members get involved in throughout the year. You can also learn how being a YFC member enhances personal development, develops skills and provides valuable experience that will stand you in good stead both personally and professionally.
The West Midlands Area and Three Counties Tug of War competitions returned to the show in 2024. The Three Counties Agricultural Society was delighted to welcome over 200 young farmers from across 6 counties to compete and be crowned champions.
