Our students are now counting the days to starting the spring activities on the farm, there has been a high increase in calving’s and lambing is just round the corner.

Field work will also start soon, for our students whether it’s managing a farm, carrying out research and development, operating and maintaining hi-tech machinery or working in an allied industry such as livestock nutrition, crop agronomy our agricultural courses steer our students towards a very rewarding career. All of our students get jobs as soon as they’ve qualified or progress onto higher level courses.

We have run agricultural courses very successfully for many years and we’re right up-to-date with the technological advances within the industry. Apart from learning hands-on on our modern farm our students benefit from visiting a range agri-businesses and visiting speakers that enthuse our students through their experience and knowledge of the career they themselves are about to embark on.

Below is a summary of student activities over the past few weeks.

Katie Vincent

Since we have been back from the Christmas break we have been very busy on the farm. The muck is being moved out onto the fields when the weather allows and the sheep have been scanned and sorted into groups according to potential litter size and predicted lambing and housing dates.

The pigs have also been weighed to keep an eye on their growth so we know when we can take them to market. I’m enjoying all of my lectures and my social life in residential accommodation is amazing. My aim is to achieve good grades and I am looking forward to moving onto new prospects of a job on a dairy farm.

Charlotte Scott

We have been back at College for a couple weeks now and have been up to a variety of things. We have received a Green Star presentation and talk, discussing how GPS helps with work efficiency, whether its increasing the precision or minimise time for the farmer.

As well as talks my mechanisation group have just returned from their two-day study tour, visiting both the JCB Factory and LAMMA. Both were incredibly interesting and eye-opening. Seeing the processes involved in the making of a JCB Tele-Handler, from enormous sheets of metal to the finished product, in such a short space of time was amazing! LAMMA was equally exciting, looking at machinery that had wheels that were much taller than myself. As well as highly advanced technology helping todays farmers and producers.

The end of College is fast approaching now with around seven weeks left before the end of lessons, the pressure is really on for assignments to be completed and handed in, its hard work but I know it will be worth it in the end.

Ben Peters

Since the start of term we have been adjusting back into College life. The first week back I was up at 4am in the morning to help get the farm routine work done before my lessons started, I was feeding the young stock, helping scrape the slurry and bed the dairy cows.

During the week there are always talks and presentations, one of which was conducted by Smarts Agricultural Services. They came in and spoke to us about the use of GPS systems in tractors. They explained how the GPS works and how accurate it can be, sometimes only 2cm out. Overall, it was very interesting to see the application of technology in the industry.

Sol Perry

During my time at College I have been busy keeping up with assignments, and keeping busy at my work experience. At work experience I have been busy lambing and keeping up with the jobs on the farm that I am given. I am soon to start my next farm duties at college and I will be milking for one week and then I would have completed my third duty out of my four in total.

We have been to the 100 years of Ford and Fordson show and I saw some very rare but very well kept tractors, Malvern tractor show is coming up so my family are hoping that we can take our County 7600-4 to the show.

Beth Toogood

Over the past few weeks we have been working on our fabrication skills by modifying a trailer in our practical sessions in the workshop, we have been preparing it ready to paint so that we can use it on our Lambing Fun Day which is on Sunday 19 March, and this is a great day out for all the family.

Our young farmers club has also started to prepare and plan our grass to maize charity event. We are currently enquiring about tractors to have on demo from various dealers. We are hoping to raise even more money than last year when we raised around £3000.