27,28,29 May 20015

So, as you can see by the dwindling days in college, the personal study days and library sessions, we are coming to the end of the brackenhurst experience!

In a couple of weeks time we will be required to attend the presentation to accept (or not!) our course completion awards before being sent off in to the big wide world as qualified farmers! (scary and exciting)

I will be glad to reach the end of my two years on this BTEC extended national diploma in agriculture, there have been highs and lows, ups and down, good bits and bad! but most of all I will be taking away with some brand new knowledge and experiences that will hopefully be put to good use at home.

I have gained a valuable part time job on a dairy farm through the course and I have been on many interesting visits to farming enterprises and agricultural related businesses meeting some very nice people along the way....

... From a brackenhurst agriculture student to a farm girl - lets see where the next chapter takes me!  

21,21,22 May 2015

Wednesday

Root Crop & Field Veg Production - organic farming - the principles, legislation and standards
Farm Habitat Management - UK farming in the next 20 years - the potential changes and expectations
Farm Related Activity - library time

Thursday

Business Management and Farm Business Planning - farm tenancy interview - dragons dens style
Estate Skills - an afternoon with the sheep - applying clik to the lambs - a pour-on fly control solution

Friday

Personal study day

13,14,15 May 2015

Wednesday

Root Crop & Field Veg Production - organic material and organic matter!
Farm Habitat Management - computer session
Farm Related Activity - computer time

Thursday

Business Management and Farm Business Planning - finalising our business plan documents for the judging panel for our 'tenancy interviews' next week!
Estate Skills - fence post correction and finishing off with rails and barbed wire.

Friday

Beef Husbandry - a walk round the farm grounds, putting in fence posts for the run at the weekend
Learner Support - a review session
Combinable Crops - yield counting out in the field
Investigative Project - continuation of project

6,7,8 May 2015

Wednesday

Root Crop & Field Veg Production - field trip - carrot harvesting in Bilsthorpe by Fresh Gro
Farm Habitat Management - Computer/assignment time
Farm Related Activity - Computer/assignment time

Thursday

Business Management and Farm Business Planning - help with our business plan / tender documents
Estate Skills - set up the sheep pens at Newark showground ready for the weekend

Friday

no school for me today!

29,30 April & 1 May 2015

Wednesday

Root Crop & Field Veg Production - Crop and weed ID with live specimens!
Farm Habitat Management - a trip to the Allerton Project - farming for food and conservation purposes.

Thursday

Business Management and Farm Business Planning - the last lesson working on our farm business plans.
Estate Skills - a lesson in strimmer servicing and then putting it to work!

Friday

Beef Husbandry - another rationing session with some example feed regimes to configure!
Learner Support - course work feedback session - got the green light!
Combinable Crops - communication failure - no class!

22, 23, 24 April 2015

Wednesday

Root Crop & Field Veg Production - weevil ID in the spring beans crop
Farm Habitat Management - hedgerow survey - practical session
Farm Related Activity - computer time
*Car dinted for the second time in the brack car-park :(*

Thursday

Business Management and Farm Business Planning - changed to farm related activity - sheep dagging!
Estate Skills - surfaces - maintaining and repairing surfaces around the farm and yard.

Friday

Beef Husbandry - controlling worms and liver fluke in cattle
Learner Support - a discussion about the election campaign
Combinable Crops - soil compaction and how to prevent it!
Investigative Project - computer time for project work

15,16,17 April 2015

Wednesday

Root Crop & Field Veg Production - What crop suits which soils!
Farm Habitat Management - Second survey - Breeding birds (forms part of an assignment)
Farm Related Activity - Library time

Thursday

Business Management and Farm Business Planning - How to make a business plan successfully
Estate Skills - the ewes and lambs are out in the fields, the cattle are out, we went for a livestock boundary check!

Friday

Beef Husbandry - Changed to business studies
Learner Support - Changed to business studies
Combinable Crops - crop walk - identifying growing stage T32 and any disease / pests in the crop
Investigative Project - continuation of project work

25,26,27 March 2015

Wednesday

Vegetable & Root Crops - Using the RB209 guide, we had to fill in the Brack Estate N,P,K requirements.
Farm Habitat Management - Hedgerow survey preparation session.
Farm Related Activity - visit to a local potato grower, J&J Burnett, to see the cold stores and field planting

Thursday

Lambing shift 6am-6pm

Finished for Easter Half Term!!!!

18,19,20 March 2015

Wednesday

Vegetable & Root Crops - NVZ's - nitrogen vulnerable zones (an introduction to)
Farm Habitat Management - bird surveying (out in the field)
Farm Related Activity - planting potatoes (for the Newark agriculture show)

Thursday

Business Management and Planning - Farming resources followed by project work.
Estate skills - knocking in fence posts with a trailed post driver!

Friday

Following a 12 hour lambing shift last night, there was no college for me today!

11,12,13 March 2015

Wednesday

Vegetable & Root Crops - seedbed preparation, the various methods and the different machinery.
Farm Habitat Management - an introduction to bird surveying in preparation for a practical.
Farm Related Activity - a visit to a local farmer who is utilising various farm diversification schemes.

Thursday

Lambing live - 12hour lambing shift for the college flock!

Friday

Beef Husbandry - work on assignment.
Learner Support - tutorial.
Combinable Crops - field walk and soil sampling.
Investigative Project - work on assignment.

4,5,6 March 2015

Wednesday

Farm Related Activity - a trip to cote hill farm - a dairy with onsite award winning cheese making facility.
Farm Habitat Management - we interpreted our phase 1 field survey into a top copy map.

Thursday

Business Management & Planning & Improvement - marketing and working out a profit for the purposes of a business plan.
Estate Skills - an afternoon repairing and maintaining a broken paddock fence.

Friday

Beef Husbandry - handling beef for better returns, more in-depth ebv's, confirmation and fat classification.
Learner Support - maths!
Combinable Crops - an oil seed rape farm walk with the farm bailiff.
Investigative Project - continued working on project.

25, 26, 27 February 2015

Wednesday

Root Crop & Field Veg Production - CAP and what it means for growers
Farm Habitat Management - carried out a phase 1 study in a designated area of the brack estate as part of our assignment
Farm Related Activity - personal study time

Thursday

Business Management & Planning & Improvement - today we went on a field trip to camgrain - a farmer-owned central storage co-operative. we visited the Northants APC and were given a tour and talk

Friday

Beef Husbandry - changed to a guide to lambing as we kick off with our shifts next week!
Combinable Crops - cap reform 2015 a look at the new and reviewed requirements
Investigative Project - changed to an introduction to this years lambing sheds

11,12,13 February 2015

Wednesday

Root Crop & Field Veg Production - crop nutrition! macro nutrients and micro nutrients and what happens to root crops when they are lacking any.
Farm Habitat Management - an introduction to phase 1 environmental audit surveys and top copy mapping.
Farm Related Activity - field trip to Strawsons Limited - predominantly a fresh vegetable producer and packer of carrots, potatoes, parsnips and leeks!.

Thursday

Business Management & Planning & Improvement - farm people! a look at the jobs available and the requirements to fulfil these positions.

Friday

Beef Husbandry - an introduction to the breedplan ebv guide - estimated breeding values
Learner Support - we carried out our debate on the advancement of technology within farming - good or bad?
Combinable Crops - weed id
Investigative Project - continuation of project work

*** Half Term ***

4,5,6 February 2015

Wednesday

Root Crop & Field Veg Production - Salad crops... the humble lettuce!
Farm Habitat Management - Survey exercise
Farm Related Activity - Field trip to Deal Hall dairy farm

Thursday

Field trip to Harper Adams University open day

Friday

Beef Husbandry - working out the feeding rations for beef livestock
Learner Support - sue Sutton birthday quiz '49'
Combinable Crops - oil seed rape - seed, herbicides, drilling, crop establishment, pests & diseases
Investigative Project - project work continuation

28,29,30 January 2015

Wednesday

Root Crop & Field Veg Production - no lecturer, so the task set was to work out 3 fertiliser programmes for three chosen root or field vegetables using the RB209 guide!
Farm Habitat Management - an introduction to surveying
Farm related activity - a continuation of practical hedge laying!

Thursday

Business Management & Business Planning - a fantastic trip to the sugar beet factory in Newark!
Estate Skills - hedge laying yesterday!

Friday

A snow day! I didn't make it in due to the weather and traffic!

21,22,23 January 2015

WoMan down!!!

I didn't make it in to college this week after pulling a muscle in my shoulder and being told that I needed to do nothing for a few days! Feet up for me!

14,15,16 January 2015

Wednesday

Root Crop & Field Veg Production - alliums!!! the onion and its relations.
Farm Habitat Management - local biodiversity action plans
Farm related activity - coursework catch-up

Thursday

Business Management & Business Planning - farm resources and supply chains
Estate Skills - have a go at hedge laying! Demo then hands on.

Friday

Beef Husbandry - the feed requirements of the four stages of: rearing, storing, growing & fattening
Learner Support - debate prep!
Combinable Crops - CAP class discussion and research
Investigative Project - furthered project

7,8,9 January 2015

Wednesday

Root Crop & Field Veg Production - an introduction to brassicas (broccoli (florets), cabbages and cauliflower (curds!)
Farm Habitat Management - conservation and the role farming has to play!
Farm related activity - assignment work in the library.

Thursday

Business Management & Business Planning - a look at a draft business proposal for a tenanted farm application and an introduction to our business plan assignment.
Estate Skills - an introduction to hedge laying, health & safety, risk assessments and tools!

Friday

Beef Husbandry - an in-depth nutrition lesson!
Learner Support - a session on bullying (not actually carrying it out!)
Combinable Crops - combinable pulses and calculating seed rates!
Investigative Project - week one of action plan.