Agriculture students from the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise have taken part in a study tour across Wales and south-west England, DAERA said today.
The tour involved Level 3 Advanced Technical Extended Diploma in Agriculture students and was supported by the Gibson Trust. DAERA said it gave students access to a range of farming enterprises, including livestock systems, genetics, renewable energy and farm diversification.
The first visit was to Castellior Farm in Anglesey, where students met Dylan Jones, winner of Farmers Weekly Beef Farmer of the Year and British Grassland Society Farmer of the Year. The beef finishing enterprise handles about 1,500 to 1,600 cattle annually.
Students were shown how home-grown cereals and forage crops are used in a Total Mixed Ration. The visit also covered the role of red clover in improving soil fertility through nitrogen fixation, alongside data-led management, efficient feeding and environmental stewardship.
The group then visited Cogent UK near Chester, a bovine genetics provider. Students explored artificial insemination, genomic testing and precision breeding technologies, with industry specialists explaining how genetic information can support decisions on fertility, health and production traits.
A later visit took the group to Aldford Hall Farm, part of Grosvenor Farms and one of the UK’s largest dairy farms. DAERA said the business operates a herd of 2,500 cows and produces more than 34 million litres of milk each year.
Students toured milking facilities and heard about feeding systems, forage management and nutrient recycling between dairy and arable enterprises. The farm’s renewable technologies, including anaerobic digestion and solar energy, were also presented as part of its environmental and net zero carbon approach.