Exeter young farmer starts new calf rearing venture on family farm

For 24 year-old Elle Slade, a sixth generation farmer from Exeter, a career in farming was ‘non-negotiable’. It was, she says, quite obvious from a very young age that farming was her passion. But a turning point for Elle was when her dad told her and her brother that if they wanted to come back to the family farm one day, they must bring ‘something else to the party’. He also encouraged them to both find additional work elsewhere off the farm. Elle did exactly that and has recently started her own calf rearing venture at the family farm, as well as working at a nearby 1,700 head fattening unit.