Seems times are tough at yet another agricultural college - this time Bicton in Devon. If would be such a shame if we were to lose a place like this - it happened only recently at Wye in Kent.

Yet another case of one tax payer funded body, making sure its own staff survive by not transferring money from their account to the account of another body. Expect more of this as the Man in Whitehall keeps money back from the Regions, who keeps money back from the top tier Quango who keeps money back from the second tier Quango and so on.

Very sad to hear this. It was a travesty when Plymouth Uni went against it's word and closed Seal Hayne and it will bode ill for agriculture in the south west if Bicton goes the same way as it'll be only Duchy College left after that!

Peter, I find this a strange post you have put up here. I will respone in my usual obtuse way. This is because I live in the land of the Angles (East Anglia). When the Angles landed here:

1.  the Right Angles went north
2. the acute angles went south
3. the obtuse angles stayed here.

Agricultural college's like the village shop and pub go out of business because people don't want them and don't use them. The demise of agricultural education in Devon will be looked back on in a few generations as the seminal case study of British farming entering the dark ages. This previous and blessed generation has enjoyed the bounty of societal generosity with agriculture supported and free research, education and extension services.

When farmers have to reinvest they don't see the need. 

The generational divide we are creating in this nation is more divisive than immigration or other parts of babyfaced dave's broken society. Nowhere is this more pertinent than in farming demonstrated by the failure of succession.

I have penned a few words at this stage it is only draft but I will post it anyway with gratification and thanks and apologies to Sidney Webb

Motley. I am not sure how you got from my latest posting to the quotation below but to respond to it directly; 

motley:

The individualist farmer will farm his farm using the community roads, the community energy supply; send his children to the community school, college and University for education. He will use community funds to support his farming activity through area payment. He will use his community water collected from the landscape. He will sell his produce and see it transported away in the supply chain by community railway, road and further supported by community communication explain where the food maybe on wireless, television and internet.

The community funds of which you speak: are provided by A) The individual paying taxes (of which a big part goes towards paying the public sector  [who also pay individual taxes]) B) Borrowings by government. C) Printing promissory notes, called money.

Which came first and which has primacy. The individual or society?.

PS. Individuals work towards creating surplus which they then use to obtain a return called interest. Their accumulated funds are called capital. Socialist thinking does not accumulate capital as such although it, and capitalist governments, do create some capital in terms of infrastructure etc. What socialist governments throughout the world lack is any sense of the need to accumulate funds for a rainy day, nor do they understand that individuals are best motivated when free of the encumberances of interfering busybodies from the public sector and, before you jump down my throat by pointing out that not all public sector employees are busy bodies, I acknowledge that many of them including Teachers, Soldiers, Police, Fire etc have a legitimate purpose.

motley:

I have penned a few words at this stage it is only draft but I will post it anyway with gratification and thanks and apologies to Sidney Webb

Incidentally ; was this the same Sidney  Webb who, with his wife Beatrice, went to the Soviet Union in the nineteen thirties and upon return penned the phrase: "I have seen the future and it works?"

How does an agricultural college amass debts of £3 million pounds? 

Seems like two of the Welsh colleges are considering merging...

Bicton is defiant and saying closure is not an option.