Level of study in Agriculture

[Lowland1]

Students coming out of college now are totally lacking in practical experience.
I employed a bsc graduate in agriculture this spring to do fencing and he couldnt drive a tractor

I have a BSc in Agriculture and I am not suprised he cannot drive a tractor. When I was at University we did zero practical work. That should have been learnt in the year before University for those that did n't come from a farm. I personally am of the opinion that if you are from a farm learning about it is superfluous. I think you need to know why things do what they do rather than how to do things. However if you want to get a job in farming then obviously a qualification is essential. My Dad didn't want me at home so I had to get a qualification so somebody else would think I was worth employing but I honestly don't think I have used anything I was taught at University in my farming career.

 

[glasshouse]

I have a BSc in Agriculture and I am not suprised he cannot drive a tractor. When I was at University we did zero practical work. That should have been learnt in the year before University for those that did n't come from a farm. I personally am of the opinion that if you are from a farm learning about it is superfluous. I think you need to know why things do what they do rather than how to do things. However if you want to get a job in farming then obviously a qualification is essential. My Dad didn't want me at home so I had to get a qualification so somebody else would think I was worth employing but I honestly don't think I have used anything I was taught at University in my farming career.

No wonder it was no use, you did a bsc!
Brush, shovel and cart!!
Our hnd course was full of guys who had dropped out of bsc or had turned it down, me included.
The way they do it now is different, you can do a sort of ond, then move up to hnd, then up to bsc, but there is still no practical.
In my day hnd and ond had to do two years on farms, at least one of them not at home

 

[Suffolk Serf]

Would still say that the best things about the HND Ag course that I did at Harper in the mid 80's was the requirement to have done a year pre college on a farm (even for farmers' offspring) and the sandwich year on a totally different farm. I did Arable and indoor pigs pre college and on a dairy/cheese/pigs with a bit of arable for the sandwich year as well as holiday work on a large estate. The theory tied the practical together.
It's a great shame that they no longer require a pre college year and it is vital that what they now call the placement year remains compulsory.

 

[Ffermer Bach]

you didn’t specify wether the study was for a farm owner / manager, for a farm worker, for someone involved in the extension industries ( agronomists, salesmen etc ) or just for personal interest ?

As a farm owner / manager, I see little point in formal agricultural college / university courses, as they are all so geared towards high input “production” agriculture, dominated by the big Ag chemical & fertiliser companies. That is so at odds to my own philosophy & mindset that I discount it immediately. If I had my time again, what I would do & recommend, is some sort of business management course. That would be far more valuable.

If the focus is more on farm workers / labourers / operators, then I would suggest getting as much practical experience, from as many different farms / people / businesses as you can & get the appropriate operating “tickets” for everything you can.

If you want to be an agronomist or similar, then yes, a science based agricultural degree would be the best bet - of course backed up by a few years of practical experience working for a number of bosses

In my mind, to be truly effective, education needs to teach you how to think - not what to think . . .
It should teach you how to find the answers - not just give you a limited number of solutions

It should expand the mind - not restrict it

you should never stop questioning, or learning, regardless of your age or position in life

I don't know if they have it now, but it used to be in Denmark, that you could not run a farm without a "green card", this consisted of a Danish NCA and three years practical farm work experience, two of which had to be working for someone else and not on the home farm. Are there any Danish members here who could tell us if that system is still in place?

 

[Ffermer Bach]

Quite difficult agriculture because imo you need exceptional practical skills and exceptional academic skills to thrive and in general for most of the population they don’t go together ! And often one of those skills will see you better through life anyway.

I remember working on a farm in Australia and the owner was telling me, whether you can tie a "fencing knot" does not matter at all, what is important is being a good businessman, that is what makes you money or loses it, so training in running a business is important I think.

 

[Swedish Taffy]

When my son was at the local ag college - gone now unfortunately - he was showing the tutor, and the rest of the class, how to set up the plough correctly. I suppose we are a bit old fashioned in still using a plough!

I see no problem in using a plough. If i had my way, more ploughing would be done at home every year.

 

[Swedish Taffy]

I remember working on a farm in Australia and the owner was telling me, whether you can tie a "fencing knot" does not matter at all, what is important is being a good businessman, that is what makes you money or loses it, so training in running a business is important I think.

I do wonder if thats what puts some people off farming these days? Whenever you speak to people these days its all about diversification and building a better business to run along side of the farm. Fair enough. But when you talk to the younger generation, most of them have no idea and still think that things will never change. They also don't want to sit behind a desk and have to do mountains of paperwork which unfortunately come with it now. Forms for this and forms for that, its a nightmare but i do get the feeling that some, not all, think its just the practical work that keeps the farm going and there's no need for the paperwork?

 

[Agrivator]

In many cases, the ''Office'' and ''Paperwork'' are euphemisms for ''Skiving''.

Anyone who can't get their paperwork down to an hour or two a week......................................... Most management decisions and eureka moments should come during routine work, not sitting daydreaming at a desk.

 

[toquark]

I don’t think you necessarily have to be that practically skilled to run a successful farm business but you do have to be practically minded and posses a positive can do attitude.

Practical skills can be learnt in time, the right attitude is much harder to train.

 

[Hilly]

I remember working on a farm in Australia and the owner was telling me, whether you can tie a "fencing knot" does not matter at all, what is important is being a good businessman, that is what makes you money or loses it, so training in running a business is important I think.

It’s all important imo you need to be an all rounder .

 

[SteveHants]

We offer degrees with a strong industry focus (it's our USP, really). The third year is all done on block release because you are in placement (there are other placements in 1st and 2nd year).

Feel free to drop me a line.

 

[Swedish Taffy]

We offer degrees with a strong industry focus (it's our USP, really). The third year is all done on block release because you are in placement (there are other placements in 1st and 2nd year).

Feel free to drop me a line.

Have sent you a message

 

[glasshouse]

I don’t think you necessarily have to be that practically skilled to run a successful farm business but you do have to be practically minded and posses a positive can do attitude.

Practical skills can be learnt in time, the right attitude is much harder to train.

You need to be practically skilled.
End of
Unless you have plenty money to pay managers and workers or contractors who will just take the pee when they suss you havent a scooby what you are doing .
Would a lawyer or doctor be allowed to practise without proper training?

 

[SteveHants]

You need to be practically skilled.
End of
Unless you have plenty money to pay managers and workers or contractors who will just take the pee when they suss you havent a scooby what you are doing .
Would a lawyer or doctor be allowed to practise without proper training?

We offer tractor driving as part of our compulsory "core skills" in year one - students are then expected to refine these skills on placement.

Sadly, I teach the other component to that module - "Academic skills", which it appears students seem less able to turn up to than the bit in which they get to play with a big shiny tractor. Who'd have thought it?