Archive Article: 2002/05/10
Charlie King is a 19-year-
old first year, studying an
HND in Agriculture at
Bicton College in Devon
ITS been another hectic month both at home and at college.
I was selected for – and have attended – a meeting with DEFRAs South West Rural Affairs Forum, which looked at issues involved with legislation and its implications on rural communities.
This is a great opportunity to air my current concerns in agriculture and act as a voice for the young rural community of the south-west.
It was, however, quite a daunting prospect, with most people in the room boasting more letters after their name than the average alphabet.
The only letters after my name were those that made up the word "student". Quite how this qualifies my values I am not sure, but Im not complaining.
At college, I watched and performed the rather painful-looking practice of castrating beef calves. The dairy calves, meanwhile, were subjected to disbudding – a practice Im more familiar with from experience at home. On the fieldwork front, we hope to be let loose with a seed drill to have a go at maize drilling. Thankfully at home, ours is safely in the ground.
Im really pleased with the option modules that Ill be doing next year – dairy herd management and forage management, with combinable and root crops and woodland management in the final semester.
Im baffled as to why, but since Easter, I have moved from Room 4 to Room 16 in the same block. The answer probably lies somewhere deep in the depths of the Bicton administration system.
On the subject of moving, as a family weve been considering selling our farm in Dorset to buy a larger dairy unit in Wales to create scope for myself and my brother to farm in partnership in the future. This would make Bicton seem like suddenly a long way away from "home".
Perhaps this would mean me doing a degree top-up at Harper Adams, an interesting prospect if the account of life there by my fellow College Calendar writer Kate is anything to go by.
The other option we are considering is renting a farm locally, though my course manager will tell me that all this time might be better spent studying.