Studying for a Higher Education qualification in Agriculture goes beyond the classroom experience

To provide this students on the BSc Agriculture Technology course and the HND Agriculture course can select an option in Enterprise Management in Crop Husbandry. This gives them 'hands on' practical and management experience in the day to day running of the crop enterprise on the Campus Farm.

Students taking the CROPS option are closely involved in a number of projects on the Campus farms throughout the year, to learn basic crop husbandry skills and introduce them to new technology that is being used by arable farmers in Northern Ireland and throughout the arable world.

Students examining industrial oil seed rape sown on the Campus Farm during late August

Students have been looking at the growing of industrial oil seed rape on the Campus Farm for use as bio diesel, vegetable oil, industrial oil and health foods.

Students examining wild bird cover crop of Kale  and quinoa in the field margin of a cereal crop on the Campus Farm

Students have also been involved, as part of a student learning project in establishing wild bird cover in field margins of cereal crops on  the Campus Farm.

Students harvesting the potato variety Cultra on the Campus Farm during early October

Students get “hands-on” practical experience, with crop husbandry skills like potato harvesting.  They also follow the food chain for crops like potatoes from the field to the supermarket shelf.

Students visit a local potato “pre-packer” who is supplying a local supermarket to see the end link of the food chain for produce like potatoes and to assess customer requirements

Students then followed the crop along the food chain by visiting a local potato “pre-packer” who is supplying a local supermarket. Visiting local supermarkets allows them to see the market outlets for farm produce and the importance of assessing customer requirements.

Students drilling winter wheat on the Campus farm in early October

Students also sow and manage a field of winter wheat carrying out all the necessary fieldwork and using Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) technology where appropriate.

Student scanning a field of Winter Wheat to determine the Normalised Differential Vegetative Index of the crop

Students walk the crop regularly to identify any weeds, pests or diseases.  They use new GPS based technology like Normalised Differential vegetative index (NDV1) to decide on the rate and timing of nitrogen topdressing in the spring time.

Students helping harvest a maize crop on the Campus Farm

Students were closely involved as part of a learning project in the growing and harvesting of maize on the Campus Farm.

Students produced soil nutrient and EMI maps of the winter wheat field using GPS technology.