How many farmers have had a formal university education?

Bomber_Harris

Member
Location
London
I ask because yesterday I was on the way to Cheltenham and I drove past what looked like a farming university, so I was wondering if anyone on this forum has ever had any kind of university education doesn't have to be specific to farming

I'm going to take a punt and suggest around 35% but I'm not a farmer so that's a very speculative guess

#justasking
 
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Just another snide comment inferring farmers are thick.

The average age of farmers is 59 .. so the expected University education will be around the average for that age group depending on their social profile.

Their wives, husbands, sons and daughters will have a different profile.

I'm more interested in how efficient the very expensive Tony Blair experiment has turned out and whether those with degrees are able to return a profit to tax payers .. for example how many with degrees are in dead end low paid jobs.
 

Walterp

Member
Location
Pembrokeshire
35% is a vast over-statement - most farmers rise to their position by inheritance, not education.

As I cast my eye around my locality, I can think of only one, plus me.

Out of hundreds.

(And, yes, Brexit supporters tend to be poorly-educated as a rule, according to the polling research. It is an uncomfortable fact.)
 

linga

Member
Location
Ceredigion
35% is a vast over-statement - most farmers rise to their position by inheritance, not education.

As I cast my eye around my locality, I can think of only one, plus me.

Out of hundreds.

(And, yes, Brexit supporters tend to be poorly-educated as a rule, according to the polling research. It is an uncomfortable fact.)

Are you assuming qualification equals education ?
 

Agrivator

Member
It is beyond dispute that there is no positive correlation between academic qualifications and ability to farm efficiently.

Agricultural science and access to sound advice has immense benefits, but actual farming is an art which cannot be taught by academics. And my advice to all new entrants or novice farmers is to find out who are the able, respected but usually reticent farmers in the locality, and try to get them to offer guidance.
 

7610 super q

Never Forgotten
Honorary Member
What about the Nissan workers at Sunderland ? How many went to UNI ?
Must be a correlation.....turkeys......small brains.......leave voters......

Or is this just more racist clap trap....:whistle:
 

Walterp

Member
Location
Pembrokeshire
Are you assuming qualification equals education ?
Well, let's examine cases.

Everyone knows my background and how I paid (twice over, in one case) for my farms. I earned the right to practise, and farm, thru' education and hard work. I have only ever been left one legacy - £500.

By all means disclose yours, so we can reach a few conclusions.

(And, while you're at it, let's hear from that pretend barrister who can't even spell 'practise' properly).

(and those liars who claim to have voted 'remain' last time, when it's obvious to a blind man that they are Brexiters.)
 

Walterp

Member
Location
Pembrokeshire
What about the Nissan workers at Sunderland ? How many went to UNI ?
Must be a correlation.....turkeys......small brains.......leave voters......

Or is this just more racist clap trap....:whistle:
The hard truth is that doing stupid things is not the preserve of the stupid - look at you, and me, both of us have done stupid things in our time, but neither of us is stupid.

And so with the Nissan workers.

But they are not stupid, either - just like you, and me, they will not make the same mistake next time.

(A different one, maybe...)
 

Danllan

Member
Location
Sir Gar / Carms
BSc(Hons); Dip. Law; Barrister. I 'escaped' farming and then came back when I realised my mistake, and could afford to... :whistle:

I know of lots on here with a degree, most not in Ag. Of my five immediate farming neighbours, two have degrees, one Ag. and one in history. In the wider area, most of those on the bigger farms have degrees,' HA don't you know' ;), most of the smaller ones don't.


...(And, while you're at it, let's hear from that pretend barrister who can't even spell 'practise' properly).

(and those liars who claim to have voted 'remain' last time, when it's obvious to a blind man that they are Brexiters.)

I am guilty of typos Wally, I admit that but, unlike you, not lies and hypocrisy, nor moral cowardice*... Hey @alex04w he's calling me - in fact us - liars again... someone irrelevant has written something that doesn't matter, oh how will we survive... :rolleyes:


*All my offers to you are still open, but you never do or will come up to proof. Funny little fellow. :)
 

linga

Member
Location
Ceredigion
Well, let's examine cases.

Everyone knows my background and how I paid (twice over, in one case) for my farms. I earned the right to practise, and farm, thru' education and hard work. I have only ever been left one legacy - £500.

By all means disclose yours, so we can reach a few conclusions.

(And, while you're at it, let's hear from that pretend barrister who can't even spell 'practise' properly).

(and those liars who claim to have voted 'remain' last time, when it's obvious to a blind man that they are Brexiters.)

I simply posed the question.
What you did and what I did to achieve our present positions are hardly grounds to generalise surely ?
 

Bomber_Harris

Member
Location
London
strangely enough I wasn't considering Brexit when I asked the question. I don't think it would be possible to obtain sufficient data to do a study on what percentage of farmers voted Leave and if there was co-relation between higher and lower education so it's pointless even debating it

the question was literally a passing wonderment triggered by driving past what looked like a magnificent and enormous campus dedicated to farming

but do carry on :)
 

The Agrarian

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Northern Ireland
BAgr from Queen's Belfast 2001

I do know quite a few full-time farmers with degrees, though most of those degrees are actually in or around agriculture or veterinary. But the majority do not, as you suspect. I wouldn't like to put a number on it. And I wouldn't like to link the success of the farms to the degree either, though it's unlikely to be a hindrance.
 

Walterp

Member
Location
Pembrokeshire
I simply posed the question.
What you did and what I did to achieve our present positions are hardly grounds to generalise surely ?
That's very shy of you.

The problem is, now, that if you don't disclose your info we can never judge - we will just be left to assume that you had to inherit a place (in society, as well in the countryside) rather than earn it.
 

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