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Reaseheath celebrates success at the Nantwich Show

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Reaseheath College’s visitor friendly exhibition was judged runner-up best professional trade stand at the Nantwich Show after impressing judges with the enthusiasm of its staff, the diversity of its activities and the effort it made to involve show visitors.

The Nantwich college’s stand encouraged families to take part in a diverse range of activities including riding a mechanical horse, operating a digger and meeting a calf.

Judge David Blackhurst, who presented the award, said: “Reaseheath’s stand was the very diverse. Its mix of livestock, machinery and horticulture really caught the eye.

Winning line-up in the cattle marquee: Lecturer Julie Baskerville and agriculture students Jess Pearce, Lydia Diamond, Joe Riley and Siobhan Rutter with Reaseheath Holstein heifers.

Winning line-up in the cattle marquee: Lecturer Julie Baskerville and agriculture students Jess Pearce, Lydia Diamond, Joe Riley and Siobhan Rutter with Reaseheath Holstein heifers.

“But more importantly it was very interactive and offered visitors a lot to do. There was a good range of activities, supported by attentive staff. The Nantwich Show is all about families and it was obvious that visitors were spending a lot of time on the Reaseheath stand.”

Deputy Marketing Manager Faye Thomson-Butt said: “We were delighted at the success of our stand. It’s always a great pleasure to support Nantwich Show, as it contributes so much to the local and farming community.”

Agriculture students and staff, who prepared and showed four heifers from the Reaseheath Holstein herd, were also celebrating after taking first prize for the best cattle line in the cattle marquee along with a 2nd, two 4ths a 6th and 7th in the handler and breed classes.

Header image caption: Judge David Blackhurst and Show Vice President Jerry Purcell hand over the trade stand award to Faye Thomson-Butt and Marketing Administrator Sophie Bell

Travel beckons for ambitious dairy farmers

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Two ambitious young dairy farmers are looking forward to global travel thanks to a scholarship run by Reaseheath College and the Cheshire Agricultural Society.

Neil Roberts and Neil Quinlan were presented with John Platt Travel Scholarships, worth £2,000, during the Presidents Lunch at the Cheshire Show.

Neil Roberts, a 30 year-old dairy farmers and herd manager for Townhouse Holsteins at Park Hall Farm, Clotton near Tarporley, will use his scholarship to learn about progressive cow housing systems on a ‘Cow Signals’ course in Holland and will continue his studies at the ‘Alta-U’ course in Wisconsin, USA. He will follow this with a week viewing some of the world’s best dairy facilities in North America.

Neil Quinlan, 35, who helps to manage the dairy herd and youngstock at Polar Hall, Tattenhall, for Neil and Nigel Matthews, plans to visit large and small scale dairy farms in the USA to identify successful strategies in heifer rearing. He will also attend a ‘Calf Signals’ course and visit heifer rearing units in the UK so he can compare techniques.

Both participants will share their finding with fellow farmers, Young Farmers Clubs and agricultural students as part of their award.

Neil Roberts and Neil Quinlan both studied agriculture at Reaseheath College in Nantwich and have continued to expand their knowledge while progressing into responsible roles within the dairy industry.

Neil Roberts has been Herd Manager at Park Hall Farm for 11 years and helps to run the 12,000 kg herd of 500 pedigree Holsteins on a high yield system milking three times daily. The business also has 450 heifer replacements on the farm.

The ‘Cow Signals’ course he will attend has been set up by Joep Dreissen an influential Dutch vet, and will focus on farm set up, building design and other factors which can improve welfare and profit. After the week long course Neil will become a qualified ‘Cow Signals’ master trainer.

He said: “this travel scholarship will help me to maximise cow welfare both at my own farm and on other throughout Cheshire. It will enable me to attend a course where I’ll be encouraged to think ‘outside the box’ when it comes to housing. Often small details can make cows life easier and live longer”.

Neil Quinlan is particularly interested in heifer rearing and plans to identify successful strategies used in the USA, particularly methods of colostrum management and techniques to support calves during their first two weeks of life. He also wants to investigate how weight gains are maximised and growth targets are achieves, from weaning to bulling age.

A ‘Tesco Future Farmer’ last year, Neil runs the youngstock unit with over 100 replacement heifers at Poplar Hall as well as helping to manage the dairy herd of 305 Holstein cows.

He said: “I believe we in the UK could do a great deal more to maximise efficiencies and income within the youngstock industry. I am looking forward to seeing as much as possible and sharing the knowledge that I have gained with other farmers.

“I would like to thank Reaseheath College and the Cheshire Agricultural Society for giving me the opportunity to further my knowledge and interests.”

The John Platt scholarship is in memory of John Platt, a former Chair of Reaseheath Governors and former Chairman, President and Honorary Life Warden of the Cheshire Agricultural Society.

Presenting the awards, Cheshire Show Director Keith Thomas said that both young farmers had been outstanding candidates and had shown the drive, ambition and desire to seek out new information and technology which would benefit the Cheshire farming community.

The John Platt Scholarship is awarded annually and is open to young people from a rural background who live or work in Cheshire. Applications are being taken for next year.

Find out more about The John Platt Travel Scholarship here or email davek@reaseheath.ac.uk

Caption: Neil Quinlan and Neil Roberts receive their John Platt Travel Scholarships from Keith Thomas and Reaseheath Governor and selection committee member Richard Ratcliffe. 

Reaseheath College welcomes royal visitor at Cheshire Show

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Reaseheath College gave Sophie, Countess of Wessex, a right royal welcome when she visited the college’s award winning stand at the Cheshire Show earlier this week (June 23 and 24)

Her Royal Highness, who is Cheshire Show President, spent 20 minutes chatting to staff and students and inspecting the stand’s activities. She particularly admired Reaseheath’s mechanical horse and a pizza oven built by construction students and was keen to find out more about apprenticeships.

Stand organiser Stephanie Owen said: “The Countess seemed to be very knowledgeable and supportive of landbased industries and asked a lot of pertinent questions about our work with rural businesses. She seemed very natural and was obviously enjoying carrying out her duties at the show.”

The Nantwich college’s visitor friendly stand had earlier taken the top award in the education section, with judge Marie Birkenhead paying tribute to the range of activities on offer and the enthusiastic and well informed staff.

Mrs Birkenhead said: “Reaseheath College’s stand was far and away the best exhibit in its section and really met the criteria, which is to educate and inform visitors about the countryside. We were impressed with the attractive display offering activities for all ages, but what was most outstanding was the wonderful welcome which all visitors received when they went on the stand.”

Top crowd puller on the stand was a Caterpillar digger which gave visitors the chance to operate the controls. Apart from riding the mechanical horse, families were able to have a go on a climbing wall and try milking a model cow. Other activities, under the banner ‘Do Something Different’, included a display of the latest horticultural technology and a chance to make floral buttonholes and beaded dragonflies. Animals from the college’s zoo and a scarecrow from this summer’s ‘Superhero’ maize maze were also on display.

Reaseheath agriculture students took part in breed showing and young handler classes in the cattle show ring with heifers and a cow in milk from the Reaseheath Holstein dairy herd. The student team were awarded first place in the ‘tidy lines’ competition.

Deputy Marketing Manager Faye Thomson-Butt said: “This has been a fantastic opportunity for us to demonstrate the range of vocational courses we offer. We are very proud of the success of our students and coming to the Cheshire Show each year gives us a great platform to show the public what we can do.”

Caption: Sophie, Countess of Wessex, joins Stephanie Owen and agricultural lecturer Mark Walton on Reaseheath College’s stand at the Cheshire Show.

Reaseheath welcomes Czech dairy students

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A few weeks ago Reaseheath became home to a group of 13 dairy students and a tutor from the Czech Republic for two weeks.

The students have been enjoying an Agri-Food study visit funded by the European Erasmus+ VET programme, which aims to promote vocational educational training within the European community.

Our visitors spent three days with our Agriculture team milking cows, lambing and learning some basic theory about UK agriculture. They then joined our Food Department for a week, where they learnt some fundamentals about meat, dairy, and bakery technology. This included a variety of practical sessions to support their learning, including making soft cheeses, butter, lemon curd and croissants – they certainly ate well!

 

The group with Agriculture Programme Leader Iain Clarke and lecturer Alan Brown.

The group with Agriculture Programme Leader Iain Clarke and lecturer Alan Brown.

The students, ages 18-20, stayed in Platt Hall, our newest student halls of residence. For nine it was their first time in England, so this not only gave them a taste of life on a UK campus but also helped them develop their English language skills and gave them an appreciation of UK culture.

They also enjoyed a visit to Liverpool and its many museums and arts centres. Their final day was particularly memorable, with the solar eclipse ending their stay.

The students are all final year students at VOSP SPSM Kromeriz, a specialist dairy college several hours from Prague. We hope this visit will be the first of many – and plans are already afoot to arrange a return visit for our students in the near future.

Kathy Merrett, Food Programme Leader

Agricultural undergraduates hone their lab skills as they get inside science

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First year Foundation Degree in Agriculture students really got stuck in to investigating the internal workings of the heart and lungs as part of their Agricultural Biology module.

Carefully dissecting hearts and lungs from sheep, pigs and cattle they were able to see first-hand the similarities and differences between species. Detailed knowledge of how body systems work in farm animals is key to understanding their management, particularly with respect to maintaining health and welfare while maximising production.

Even the most squeamish in the group admitted they had enjoyed themselves!

For more information on our Agriculture degree courses visit the Higher Education Agriculture pages on our website.

Inspirational alumnus recognised with award

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An inspirational mother of four who travelled from Luton to Reaseheath weekly to study for a new career has been recognised for her outstanding commitment.

Damaris Kuria received a £500 Open College Network West Midlands Region (OCNWMR) ‘Access to Higher Education’ Learner Award after being nominated by her tutors.

Gilly Hughes and Damaris Kuria win Access to Higher Education top students' accolade at Reaseheath Further Education Awards Ceremony 2014

Gilly Hughes and Damaris Kuria receive Reaseheath College Access to Higher Education top students’ accolade at Reaseheath Further Education Awards Ceremony 2014

The former finance assistant, who used our Access to Higher Education Diploma to boost her knowledge in farming, is now studying for a BSc Business Management (International Food and Agri-Business) at the Royal Agricultural University. She hopes to return to her native Kenya to run her own farm and to use her expertise in business finance and agriculture to work with African farmers.

Damaris, a mature student who returned to education after redundancy, chose agriculture as she felt it offered a fulfilling career with plenty of opportunities. She made the hard choice to leave her husband and young family at home because she felt studying at Reaseheath would prepare her best for her degree. Despite her family commitments, she achieved exceptionally high marks and an attendance record of nearly 100%.

Said Damaris: “While I was at Reaseheath I learned a lot about 21st century farming and I’m enjoying studying it in greater depth.

“Although adjusting to the college environment, being with new people and living in student accommodation was a challenge at first, I was hugely supported by my partner, the college staff and fellow students. Everyone went out of their way to make me feel at home. My degree studies are going well and I’m enjoying every part of the course.”

Our Access to Higher Education Diploma prepares mature students for degree level study.

Find out more information about studying for a degree at Reaseheath here.  

 

Travel savvy sheep shearer shares tips on working abroad

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Nick Greaves talks to students about his time travelling ing NZ and Australia

 

Agriculture alumnus Nick Greaves visited the agriculture department last week to share some great tips with our current students on travelling and working abroad.

Adam Henson talks to Nick Greaves during Countryfile filming at Reaseheath in 2013

Adam Henson talks to agriculture student Nick Greaves during Countryfile filming at Reaseheath in 2013

Nick, 20, studied on our Level 3 Extended Diploma in Agriculture. On achieving a Distinction in 2013, he began his shearing travels in Norway and then moved on to New Zealand and travelled in Australia.

Back in the UK for a short break, Nick has most recently been working as a shepherd on a 4500 pedigree sheep farm out in New Zealand.

He returns to New Zealand to begin his latest assignment as a shearer for Woolqual, based in Hawke’s Bay.

Nick Greaves L3 Ex Dip Agriculture visits Reaseheath 1MB

Agriculture alumnus Nick Greaves during his visit back to Reaseheath College

 

 

Nick plans to spend the next few years shearing all around the world. He is keen to continue to gain knowledge of different farm enterprises before returning to the UK to take over the running of his family farm in Stafford.

It’s great to see Nick doing so well and encouraging our current students to strive for their career goals.

As our alumni community grows, we are keen to continue to highlight the successes of our former students.

If would like to come back to the College to share your  industry experience with our current students, please contact us on alumni@reaseheath.ac.uk or +44 (0)1270 613219. 

 

 

 

 

Wise shepherd achieves her farming dream

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Agriculture graduate Caroline Jellicoe took the plunge and moved to Cumbria to manage her own own sheep farm having completed her degree at Reaseheath.

Caroline was inspired back to education after visiting the Nantwich campus with her children during lambing season back in 2010.

Coming from a background in zoo keeping, Caroline has worked with a range of exotic animals in her career so far, but was keen to expand her knowledge of the farming industry.

Caroline prepared for her degree by completing an Access to Higher Education Diploma at Reaseheath, where she found her passion for sheep farming.

During the second year of her degree, Caroline bought an acre of land along with six zwartbles shearling pedigree sheep and a ram called Mr Gibbs. The 27th February 2014 saw the ewes give birth to Caroline’s first flock of lambs.

Toba, Caroline's youngest and most enthusiastic farm hand

Toba, Caroline’s youngest and most enthusiastic farm hand

She commented, “It was a long road to get to the of point of having my own flock of sheep – but it was all worth it.

“I’m incredibly grateful for the support of the Farm Manager Mark Yearsley and other staff, along with the opportunity to gain experience working on the College farm during my time at Reaseheath. This all helped me on my way to achieve my dream of owning my own sheep flock.”

On looking to the future Caroline said, “I am always looking for more land. I only wanted a few sheep at first, but since I visited a friend’s farm in Yorkshire and falling in love with it, I decided I would dream BIG – I am aiming for 1,000 sheep now. In one year I have gone from no sheep to 40 and I intend to grow and grow.”

With her experience working with exotic animals, Caroline is also the proud owner of an eagle owl, barn owl, tortoise, bearded dragons and goats. As a diversification programme to her flock business, she has set up a new enterprise ‘The Three Wise Shepherds’, a programme of  educational talks with her variety of animals. She has also begun to take the animals to children’s parties for petting along with ‘meet and greet’ experiences for children and adults of all ages.

Caroline has graduated from Reaseheath in 2014 with a Distinction in her Foundation Degree and celebrated her success along with fellow classmates at our graduation ceremony at St Mary’s Church in Nantwich. In December 2014 Caroline moved to a fell farm in Cumbria, where she now manages 200 herdwick ewes plus her own zwartbles flock.

If you would like to find out more about Caroline and her growing business ‘The Three Wise Shepherds’, follow her twitter handle @sheepstudent.  

Reaseheath graduation opens doors to careers success

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Graduates from Reaseheath College received degrees designed to boost their careers at a ceremony in the centre of Nantwich.

Dressed in gowns and mortar boards, almost 150 graduates spilled out of St Mary’s Church to celebrate with Britain’s best known Paralympic athlete Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson OBE, who was guest speaker.

The ceremony marked the achievement of students who had completed degrees in agricultural science, equine science, food technology, garden and landscape design, engineering, countryside management, adventure sports management and rural events management, all delivered in partnership with Harper Adams University.

Animal management and science students on degree programmes validated by the University of Chester (UoM) graduated alongside other UoM students at Chester Catherdral  in November.

Describing the Nantwich ceremony as one of the highlight of the academic year, Reaseheath Principal Meredydd David emphasised that the graduates would see a massive return on their financial and emotional investment. An independent analysis had shown that £40,000 spent on course fees and living expenses would secure an additional £250,000 over the span of a career. Nearly 90% of Reaseheath graduates who completed degrees last year were in related employment within six months of completing their course on an average starting salary of £21,000.

Degrees gained at Reaseheath College were specialist, technical qualifications which enabled students to gain both knowledge and the necessary skills and competencies to carve out a successful career.

In such a competitive jobs market it was important that higher education (HE) programmes were delivered and validated by high quality, well respected institutions. Reaseheath’s own HE programmes had recently been inspected by the Quality Assurance Agency and had received fantastic report, equivalent to an ‘Outstanding’ from Ofsted.

Reaseheath continued to invest in specialist facilities and resources which would give students the competitive edge in the jobs market. Over £40 million had been spent on facilities which were recognised as among the best in the country. A further £10 million would be invested this year into a national centre for Food Futures and Environmental Management and this would be followed by a £13 million spend on a 200 room residential building and an extension to the Higher Education Centre, both to be completed for September 2016.

Reaseheath currently had 700 students enrolled on degree courses. A significant number were mature students or were studying while working with the support of their employers. One of its most successful programmes was the Eden Project, which offers dairy technologists the chance to gain a globally recognised Foundation Degree in Dairy Technology. The qualification had been developed in close partnership with industry and was aimed at meeting demand for future managers.

Although academic progress was important, Meredydd pointed out that many graduates had helped to organise social events and charity fund raising, which last year contributed £12,000 to worthy charities.

Congratulating the graduates, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, who studied politics and now has a seat in the House of Lords, said that education was vital and led to wider choices. Her key advice was to try something new and not be put off by failure. Although she had been dedicated to wheelchair racing from the age of 12 she did not win for four years and this had taught her how to train and be committed.

To find out more about our degree programmes please visit the Higher Education pages on our website.

For more photos from the day visit our Facebook page.

 

The Cheshire Grassland Society celebrates half century

The Cheshire Grassland Society celebrates half century

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The Cheshire Grassland Society celebrated its 50th anniversary with a drinks reception and formal dinner at Reaseheath College, Nantwich, last week.

The society held its first meeting at Reaseheath in October 1964 and has held its winter meetings at the college since then.

Sixty past and present members attended including past chairmen George Radley, (1973/74), Neville Thornhill, (1982/83), Jim Fletcher (1984/85), Richard Ratcliffe (1986/87), Stuart Yarwood (1988/89), Ken Furness (1992/94), David Hughes (1994/95) and Colin Hamilton (2011/13) and current chairman Phil Feeney. They were joined by members of the British Grassland Society and by representatives from the agriculture industry.

The Cheshire Grassland Society provides a forum for the county’s progressive grassland farmers, helping them to grow more grass which is converted by livestock into milk and meat for the supermarket shelf. The society invites specialist speakers to its winter meetings, organises silage and grazing competitions among members and runs an annual trip to look at top class grassland farms in other parts of the country.

The Cheshire Grassland Society secretary Lesley Innes, a member of the planning committee for the event, said: “The evening marked a significant milestone for the society and it was a great success. The drinks reception had a vibrant atmosphere and this was followed by an excellent formal dinner. Guests were delighted to have the opportunity to catch up and reminisce, particularly as some had not seen each other for years. Everyone enjoyed themselves and I am sure the evening will be talked about for a very long time.”

The event was partly sponsored by Harvey Hughes Ltd, HJ Lea Oakes, Trouw Nutrition, Germinal Seeds, Nickerson Seeds and Growhow Ltd.