Another very successful collaborative venture has been the organisation of a schools competition with Llysfasi College in North Wales. Sixteen secondary schools competed for the opportunity to take a group of students on a residential weekend at the land based college. The winning team competed against 14-16 year-old students from four other schools from around the country in a broad range of engaging and educational farm-related activities designed to give them first-hand experience of what it is like to work on a farm. Practical activities included driving tractors, handling farm animals and milking cows. Students also learned about soil and grass management, genetics and animal nutrition. The final Prize Weekend concluded with each school delivering a presentation to the panel of judges.
Iain Clarke, Head of College, Llysfasi added: "The level of commitment shown by all the students was immense; –their energy, enthusiasm and creativity was so impressive and truly inspiring. We hope the competition – and the Prize Weekend in particular – has equipped these young people with a greater appreciation of what farmers do and where their food comes from. We also hope the experience triggers an interest in the many exciting career opportunities there are on offer in the agriculture sector.”
A short film about the event can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J89g0pkVHjg&t=1s
Watch out for the 2019 competition!