Autumn planting at Greenmount
Greenmount student Brian McCartan (Gilford) honing his ploughing skills. Brian is on the Foundation Degree (Agriculture & Rural Studies) course.
STUDENTS studying on higher education programmes in agriculture at CAFRE undertake a practical based enterprise management module during their course.
This module is delivered through four Student Learning Projects; CREAM, UPLANDS, Red Meat and CROPS. With some recent favourable weather conditions, students taking the CROPS project were busy planting this year’s winter cereal crops at CAFRE’s arable farm at Loughry Campus in Cookstown.
Students participating in this option are responsible for selecting the varieties of winter wheat, barley and oats to be grown on the farm from the Northern Ireland Recommended List. They also calculate the optimum seed rate to be used and calibrate the drill, before ploughing and drilling the fields. During the year, first year students are helped and guided by final year students who have already learnt the necessary practical skills.
As the crop grows, husbandry decisions relating to nutrient management planning, disease, weed and pest control are taken after evaluation by the students during regular crop walks throughout the year. Agronomy skills are further enhanced by visits to leading industry growers.
At the close of each semester, students also present and discuss their findings through a series of presentations to an Advisory Board of specialists working within the arable and potato sectors.
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Weather for Belfast
Thursday 23 May 2013
Today
Light showers
Temperature: 5 C to 8 C
Wind Speed: 24 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 4 C to 12 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: North
