Busy summer ahead despite students breaking up

Now, we’ve had weeks of dry weather and if anything we need a spell of wet weather. At the beginning of March we had no grass at all but just this week we finished our second cut and the pit is full.

We have silaged roughly 1,200 tonnes and we’ve still got more to do. Our agriculture students have worked hard to help out with the silaging at this busy time of year. All of the cows are out to grass at the moment. We are currently experiencing unprecedented prices for straw. We were used to paying £47 per tonne a couple of years ago and we are now paying £160.

This time of year is a busy one in terms of shows and events. We have already attended the Royal Welsh Grassland Event and Shropshire County Show. We welcomed the general public to our campus farm on Sunday, June 10. Run in conjunction with Moor Farm in Baschurch, the day was a great success. Tractor and trailer rides ran between the two sites, giving people the chance to see two local farms in action.

Even though our students are breaking up for the summer holidays this week, the college still remains busy over the summer months. NCS (National Citizen Service) will be using the campus over the holiday period. They will be accessing the farm during their stay for a tractor training session as part of their NCS experience.

There will be another opportunity for potential students to visit us this week. We will be holding an Open Day at our Walford campus on Saturday, June 30. If you’re still not fixed for September, come and see us for information regarding our Agriculture, Animal Management, Land and Wildlife Management, Equine, Independent Living or Motor Vehicle courses.

We will be holding campus tours of the farm, animal unit, residential accommodation and our other excellent facilities. We will also be offering interviews on the day; just come along any time between 10am and 2pm and have a chat with us about your future.

Richard Aldis is Walford Farm Manager