Food & Farming Student Day

The third Food and Farming Student Day jointly run by the Suffolk Agricultural Association, Otley College, the Suffolk Education Business Partnership Ltd and Hollow Trees Farm will take place on Tuesday 21 June 2011 at Hollow Tree Farm, Semer nr Ipswich.

The event was piloted in 2009 and was such a success it was decided that the day should be an annual event.

The event attracts between 200 and 250 students (13 to 16 years) from secondary Suffolk schools where, in small groups, they visit eight workshops which cover the following sectors of farming: Careers / Discussion, Crops, Environment, Farm Shop, Farming for the Future, Livestock, Machinery and Other crops.  These sectors cover many areas of the National Curriculum such as geography, science, technology, environmental studies, maths and business studies.

Similar to the School Farm and Country Fair, we have farmers who act as stewards to guide them around the workshops.  They also help to stimulate questions between the students and the hosts of the workshops.

 All those who attend the event are given a packed lunch of local produce and we enclose details about where the elements of the lunch have been grown / sourced. 

Feedback shows that students eyes are opened to the diverse range of career opportunities within the agricultural industry from chemists to engineers and marketers. The day also serves as an excellent taster for any pupils wanting to pursue The Environment and Land-based Diploma, one of a range of qualifications targeting 14-19 year-olds.