Riseholme College has entered a national agricultural competition entitled “Business Planner of the Year”. 

This high profile challenge is organised by the Institute of Agricultural Management and sponsored by Farmers Weekly and Marks & Spencer’s. 

It is open to further and higher education establishments around the country and the 2012 event will see 13 establishments compete against each other. 

Riseholme College has entered a team of nine second year students who are currently studying the Extended Diploma in Agriculture.

The format requires submission of a business plan for diversification, asset and revenue growth using Farley Hills Estates, near Reading and their 2012 acres as the case study.  The winning plan is selected by the estate owner Lord Bearsted and will be implemented.

The plan submission will be the 21st May with final judging the second week of June.

Team Riseholme participants are: Will Brooks, Andrew Boulton, Courtnery Cotton, Steven Dunnington, Jake Gill, Kirsten Hoggard, Nathan Page, Helena Rushby and Josh Watchorn. 

Darren Adkins the Commercial Manager for Bayer Crop sciences gave a presentation to the Year 1 and 2 Extended Diploma in Agriculture students.

He discussed the importance of using qualified advisors on farms and briefly discussed his career from graduation from Riseholme College in the 1990’s. He encouraged the students to pursue their careers into agronomy via a degree and through obtaining the basis qualification.

Darren also spoke about Bayer and the role they play in agriculture and new products that are being introduced in the agricultural market place.

Our Level 3 engineers visited Wold Engineering, the importer of Ploeger vegatable harvesters.

These 25 tonne £380,000 pea viners are fairly complex and need skilled engineers to ensure that they have a trouble free 8 week harvest.

The engineers were given an insight into what maintenance is required during their annual service.

Sally Jackson came from the Pink Pig Farm to talk to the current first year Level 3 Extended Diploma in Agriculture Students as well as the Level 2 Diploma in Agriculture. She based her talk on the development of the farm business and the diversification of the farm shop.

Great discussion was generated between the learners and Sally over the development of the food and agriculture sector. Sally explained to the learners that currently farm shops provide a third of UK farm food produce directly to the consumer, and are currently ahead of some super market retail chains. It was also highlighted that there is a lot more pressure on the producer to meet specific quality requirements by supermarkets.